How to connect an ASIC miner: power, network, IP address and pool

You connect an ASIC miner to your router with an Ethernet cable and to a dedicated 230 V circuit with a power cable. Then you find its IP address on your computer, log in through a browser and enter the pool address and your account or wallet. After saving, the miner restarts and starts mining within a few minutes.

Summary

• A large air-cooled miner (3.3–3.8 kW) belongs on a dedicated circuit rated for 20 A, not on an extension lead.
• The miner has no Wi-Fi; it needs an RJ45 cable to a router with DHCP.
• You can find the IP address in your router or with the IP Reporter tool and the button on the miner.
• In the settings you enter the pool address, worker and password – fill in the backup pools too.
• Change the default password straight away.

What you will need

Power

Bitmain specifies a maximum input current of up to 20 A for the Antminer S21. A standard circuit with a 16 A breaker is therefore enough for home miners and machines like the Avalon Q, but not for large air-cooled machines. For those, have an electrician install a dedicated circuit where the breaker, socket and cable can all handle a continuous 20 A load. The same applies if you want to connect several machines at once.

Cables

• Antminer S19 and S19 Pro: C14 inlet for a cable with a C13 plug; the S19 Pro has two such inlets. The C13 connector is rated for 10 A, which is why the load is split.
• Antminer S21: P14 inlet; the box includes a C20–P13 cable for a PDU with C19 sockets. The cable must handle 20 A continuously – weaker cables rated 10–16 A overheat on the S21.
• Home miners: a standard plug into a socket.
• Network: RJ45 Ethernet cable. The Antminer S21 has a 10/100 Mbit/s port, so internet speed is not critical – see Internet requirements for mining.

Other

• A computer with a browser on the same network.
• A pool account or a wallet address for payouts.

Step 1: Unpack and check the miner

1. Inspect the box and the machine for dents or other damage.
2. Carefully tilt the machine – nothing should rattle inside.
3. Spin the fans with your finger; they must turn freely and quietly.
4. Take a photo of the label with the serial number. You will need it for a warranty claim.
5. If the miner travelled in freezing weather, let it warm up to room temperature for a few hours. This prevents condensation on the boards.

Step 2: Put the miner in the right place

A large miner hums at around 75 dB and blows hot air out of the exhaust. Position it so that the intake draws cool air and the exhaust leads outside or into another space. Hot air must not flow back into the intake. For home use, a soundproof box or a quiet home model is a good choice.

Step 3: Connect the network and power

1. Connect the Ethernet cable from the router to the port on the control board.
2. Plug the power cable into the miner and then into the socket or PDU. Never reconnect the cable while it is live.
3. The miner starts and the fans briefly spin at full speed. Wait a few minutes for the system to boot.

Step 4: Find the miner's IP address

• Router: in the list of connected devices (DHCP) you will find a new device, often named after the manufacturer.
• Antminer: run Bitmain IP Reporter on your computer, click Start and hold the IP Report button on the miner for about 5 s. The address appears in the program.
• Whatsminer: hold the IPFOUND button for about 2 s and use the MicroBT tool.
• Avalon: the address is in the router or the Avalon app. Without DHCP the machine is at 192.168.168.168.
• IceRiver: the manufacturer's Detect IP tool. Without DHCP the machine is at 192.168.1.1.

Step 5: Log in to the web interface

Enter the IP address in your browser. Default login details:

Change the password immediately after logging in. Instructions for specific machines are in our guides IceRiver KS0–KS3 setup, ElphaPex DG Home 1 setup and Bitaxe Gamma 601.

Step 6: Set up the pool

In the pool settings (on the Antminer under Miner Setting) you fill in three lines:

• URL: the pool address with port, e.g. stratum+tcp://adresa-poolu:3333.
• Worker: your pool account name or wallet address, followed by a dot and the machine name, e.g. vasucet.s21a.
• Password: usually x, or leave it blank.

Use the second and third lines as backups – the same pool with a different server, or a different pool. Save, and the miner restarts. Which payout method to choose is explained in the article PPS, PPLNS and FPPS.

Step 7: Check that the miner is mining

1. After the restart, log in again and open the overview (Dashboard).
2. Check that all hashboards are running and the hashrate is close to the manufacturer's figure. The average settles after a few dozen minutes.
3. Check the temperatures and fan speeds.
4. The worker should appear on the pool's website within a few minutes.

Common problems and solutions

What next

Every miner from our shop comes with free setup by our ASIC miner service, and we can also get a machine bought elsewhere up and running. How to keep a miner in good shape long-term is described in the guide ASIC miner maintenance.

Sources

• Bitmain: Antminer S21 specification (power, network)
• Vipera Tech: Bitmain guidelines on Antminer power connectors
• D-Central: ASIC miner default logins and reset
• D-Central: overheating power cables on the S21