Best Helium Antennas for Canada and the US (915 MHz Buying Guide, 2026)

October 15, 2026

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The antenna does more for a Helium hotspot or LoRaWAN gateway than any other part. A well-chosen 915 MHz antenna, mounted high on low-loss cable, can reach sensors and trackers that the stock indoor antenna never hears. This guide compares the 915 MHz antennas we have in stock, explains how to choose by distance and terrain, and covers cable, mounting and lightning protection. Everything here is for the US915 band used in Canada and the US.

Quick comparison: 915 MHz antennas in stock

Antenna	Gain	Type	Connector	Best for
McGill Microwave 3 dBi Tuned	3 dBi	Omni, 300 mm	N Male	Dense neighbourhoods and city rooftops
RAKwireless 3 dBi Fiberglass	3 dBi	Omni, 360 mm	N Female (RP-SMA pigtail included)	Dense neighbourhoods, hilly ground
Nebra 5.8 dBi Fiberglass	5.8 dBi	Omni, 500 mm	N Female (RP-SMA pigtail included)	Suburbs and mixed terrain
McGill Microwave 6 dBi Tuned	6 dBi	Omni, 550 mm	N Male	Suburbs and small towns
McGill Microwave 6.5 dBi (850-960 MHz)	6.5 dBi	Omni, 800 mm	N Male	Suburbs; wide band if you also test other gear
McGill Microwave 7.5 dBi Tuned	7.5 dBi	Omni, 1140 mm	N Male	Small towns and gently rolling country
Nebra 8 dBi Fiberglass	8 dBi	Omni, 1100 mm	N Female (RP-SMA pigtail included)	Flat, open rural sites
McGill Microwave 9 dBi Tuned	9 dBi	Omni, 1600 mm	N Male	Flat, open country from a high mast
Rokland LoneWolf 12 dBi	12 dBi	Omni, 1600 mm, 9° vertical beam	N Female	Very flat, open land such as farmland or prairie
McGill Microwave 9 dBi Directional	9 dBi	Flat panel, about 68° beam	N Female	Aiming at one town, street or field
McGill Microwave 10 dBi Directional	10 dBi	Flat panel, about 68° beam	N Female	Aiming at one area from a wall or roof edge
McGill Microwave 13 dBi Directional	13 dBi	Directional, 1120 mm	N Female	Longest reach toward one specific area

Stock changes daily. See the full range in our Antennas collection and directional antennas. The Rokland LoneWolf is an oversized item, so it pays extra shipping and is a final sale.

How to choose by distance and terrain

Gain doesn't create power. It reshapes it. A low-gain omni sends signal out in a fat doughnut that reaches up and down as well as out. A high-gain omni squashes that doughnut flat toward the horizon, so it reaches farther across level ground but covers less directly below and above it. A directional antenna takes the same power and points it one way.

City or dense suburb (3 dBi). Buildings, hills and nearby devices are at many angles. A wide pattern hears sensors on lower floors and in the street below. Height matters more than gain here.
Suburbs and small towns (5.8 to 7.5 dBi). The most common choice. Enough gain to reach a few kilometres over rooftops without losing nearby devices.
Flat, open rural land (8 to 12 dBi). Farmland, lakeshore and prairie suit high gain, because what you want to reach sits near the horizon. On hilly ground, a narrow beam can pass over valleys, so step down in gain.
One target area (9 to 13 dBi directional). If the coverage you need is all in one direction, such as a town across a lake, a field or a road, a panel aimed at it beats an omni that wastes half its signal behind a wall.

Whatever you pick, height and a clear view come first. An antenna a few metres above the nearest roofline and trees usually does more than a step up in gain. Use the Helium World network page to see the network, and our Helium explorer and map guide to check coverage near you.

Higher gain also raises the power your antenna radiates. Canada (ISED) and the US (FCC) cap that power in the 902-928 MHz band, so always enter your real antenna gain and cable loss in your gateway or hotspot settings.

Why cable loss matters

Every metre of coax between the hotspot and the antenna wastes signal, in both directions. The figures we use on our cable listings, over 10 metres at 915 MHz:

RG-58: nominally 5.2 dB of loss, so about 30% of the signal power gets through.
LMR-400: 1.4 dB of loss, so about 72% of the signal power gets through.

That gap is bigger than the difference between most antennas in the table. A 9 dBi antenna on a long run of thin cable can perform worse than a 5.8 dBi antenna on short LMR-400. Keep the run as short as you can, and use LMR-400 for anything longer than a few metres:

LMR-400, N Female to RP-SMA Male (antenna to hotspot)
LMR-400, N Female to N Male (extensions and arrestor runs)
LMR window pass cable to go through a closed window without drilling, or the N Male window pass, which screws straight onto the Laird arrestor
All cables and adaptors

Another way to keep the cable short is to move the hotspot outside, next to the antenna, in a weatherproof outdoor enclosure, and run power or PoE to it instead of coax. If you already own a gateway, our ready-made outdoor enclosure kits for LoRaWAN gateways, the SenseCAP M1 and the Bobcat 300 bundle the enclosure with a McGill 6 dBi antenna and a 50 ft cable. The gateway or hotspot itself isn't included.

Connectors: check before you order

Outdoor antennas here use N-type connectors: McGill omnis are N Male, and the panels, Nebra, RAK and Rokland antennas are N Female. Most indoor hotspots, including the SenseCAP M1, Nebra and Bobcat, use RP-SMA. Match the cable ends to both, or add an N Female to RP-SMA Male adaptor or an N Male to N Male adaptor. Not sure what fits your setup? Try our free Antenna Setup Planner, or ask us using the chat button.

Mounting and lightning protection

Mount it solidly. Use a L-type wall mounting pole, an I-shaped vertical mounting rod or a U-shaped hoisting pole. Long fiberglass omnis catch a lot of wind, so fix them at two points if you can. See all mounts and accessories.
Keep omnis vertical and clear of metal gutters, railings and other antennas by at least a metre where possible.
Fit a lightning arrestor. Put a grounded arrestor such as the Laird Lightning Surge Arrestor in the cable where it enters the building, bonded to your electrical ground. The Laird has N Female ports on both sides, and you can wire it with no adaptor at all. A chain we've checked fits end to end: McGill 6 dBi antenna (N Male) → LMR-400 N Female to N Male cable → Laird arrestor → 1 m N Male window pass cable (RP-SMA Male end) → your hotspot, with the antenna on an L-type wall mounting pole. With an 8 m LMR-400 cable, those five parts come to about CAD $274.95 at current prices. The thin window pass section adds a little loss (under 1 dB), so keep the outdoor cable no longer than you need. An arrestor limits damage from nearby strikes; it doesn't make a direct strike safe. Follow local electrical code, and use a licensed electrician for grounding if you're unsure.
Seal outdoor connectors with self-amalgamating tape so water can't wick into the cable.
Work safely. Stay well away from power lines, and don't work on a roof alone.

For more detail, read how to protect your hotspot from lightning and our rough guide to hotspot placement.

Beyond Helium: LoRaWAN and Meshtastic

These are plain 915 MHz antennas, so they aren't tied to Helium. The same antenna, cable and mount suit:

Private LoRaWAN networks and The Things Network. Farms, buildings and municipalities use 915 MHz gateways such as the SenseCAP M2 data-only gateway to collect sensor data. An outdoor antenna extends their reach the same way.
Meshtastic nodes. Meshtastic nodes in Canada and the US use the 902-928 MHz band (Meshtastic's US region setting), so a 915 MHz antenna fits. A fixed rooftop or mast node on a 3 to 6 dBi omni is a common setup; directional panels suit point-to-point links between two fixed nodes. Most Meshtastic boards use SMA or U.FL connectors rather than the RP-SMA found on hotspots, so check your board and ask us using the chat button if you need help matching parts.

FAQ

What is the best Helium antenna for Canada?
There isn't one best antenna. In cities, a 3 dBi omni mounted high usually works best. In suburbs and small towns, 5.8 to 7.5 dBi is the common choice. On flat open land, 8 to 12 dBi. If your coverage is all in one direction, use a directional panel. Make sure it's a 915 MHz (US915) antenna.

Does a higher-gain antenna always give more range?
No. Higher gain flattens the signal toward the horizon. That helps across flat open land, but on hills or in cities it can miss devices above or below the beam. Height, a clear view and short low-loss cable usually matter more than gain.

Will an 868 MHz antenna work in Canada?
Not well. Canada and the US use the 902-928 MHz band (US915). An 868 MHz antenna is tuned for Europe and loses efficiency at 915 MHz. Every antenna in the table above covers 915 MHz.

What cable should I use?
Use LMR-400 for anything longer than a few metres. Over 10 metres at 915 MHz, LMR-400 loses 1.4 dB (about 72% of the power gets through), against about 5.2 dB for RG-58 (about 30%).

Do I need a lightning arrestor?
For any outdoor antenna, yes. Fit a grounded arrestor where the cable enters the building and bond it to your electrical ground, following local code.

Can I use these antennas for Meshtastic?
Yes, they're 915 MHz antennas, which is the band Meshtastic uses in North America. Check your board's connector first, since many Meshtastic boards use SMA or U.FL rather than RP-SMA.

Should I put the antenna indoors or outdoors?
Outdoors and high is almost always better. Walls, low-E glass and metal siding all absorb 915 MHz signal. If you must stay indoors, put the antenna at an upper-floor window facing the area you want to cover.

Do you ship antennas across Canada?
Yes. Orders ship from Ontario, Canada, and prices are in CAD. Free shipping in Canada on orders over CAD $99, excluding oversized items and rural and northern areas. Shipping outside Canada is calculated at checkout.