Setting up a Bitaxe mining pool: choosing solo vs. pool correctly

For your Bitaxe, Nerdaxe or NerdQaxe to mine, it needs a target: a mining pool. Setting it up takes less than two minutes and happens entirely in the AxeOS dashboard. In this guide we first clarify the important difference between solo and pool mining, then set up your pool step by step.

Solo or pool – what is the difference?

• Solo mining: you try to find a whole block on your own. If you hit, you get the complete reward (currently 3.125 BTC plus fees) – otherwise nothing. A lottery with a big jackpot.
• Pool mining: many miners bundle their power and share the reward. You regularly get small, predictable payouts according to your share – without the chance of the whole block.

Which path is worth it for you is examined in detail in Solo mining – is it worth it?. The good news: in AxeOS you can switch between both at any time by simply entering a different pool.

What is a stratum pool?

Pools communicate with your miner via the stratum protocol. You always need three details: the pool address with port, a username (your Bitcoin address) and a password. You enter these three in AxeOS – that is essentially it.

Step by step: entering the pool in AxeOS

Open your miner’s IP address (shown on the display) in the browser and go to Settings. There you enter:

• Stratum URL & port: your pool’s address, e.g. for solo public-pool.io with the port specified by the pool.
• Stratum user: usually your own Bitcoin address, optionally with a worker name in the format yourAddress.bitaxe1. That way you can later identify each device individually.
• Stratum password: for most pools x is enough.

Save – the miner reconnects. As soon as accepted shares count up in the dashboard, everything is running correctly.

Which pool should I use?

• For the lottery appeal (solo): a solo pool like public-pool.io or a solo stratum from ckpool. You keep the full block reward if you hit.
• For regular mini payouts (pool): an established pool with a low minimum payout. Look for transparency and fair fees.

Important in both cases: always enter your own Bitcoin address so the reward lands directly with you and not with the pool operator.

Pro tip: set up a fallback pool

Many AxeOS versions allow a second pool as a fallback. If the primary pool fails, the backup pool automatically takes over – your miner then does not sit idle. Highly recommended for continuous operation.

Note down the pool URL, port and address in a safe place. That way you set up a second device identically in seconds – or quickly restore your setup after a reset.

You entered the pool but no shares appear? The most common causes and solutions are in our Bitaxe troubleshooting. The matching miner is available in the shop.