How to set up a Nerdaxe: step-by-step guide
By Lukas Henning · 26. July 2026 · 8 min read
The Nerdaxe line is the display family among open-source miners: a 1.9" TFT shows hashrate, temperature and shares right on the device. That saves you one step compared with a Bitaxe, because you do not have to look up the IP address in your router. The power supply, on the other hand, needs more attention, and the details are below.
This guide covers the Nerdaxe Gamma, Nerdaxe Gaia, NerdQaxe ++, NerdOctaxe and NerdOctaxe Hydro. Got a Bitaxe? Then use the Bitaxe guide.
What you need
- The miner and only the power supply that came with it.
- A 2.4 GHz WiFi network. The miners do not connect to a pure 5 GHz network.
- Your own on-chain Bitcoin address (usually starting with
bc1q). - A phone or laptop for the setup.
1. The power supply: where most mistakes happen
The Nerdaxe Gamma is not powered over USB-C. It takes 5V / 6A (30 W) through a barrel jack (2.5/5.5 mm) and is the only 5V device in this line. All the others run on 12V: the Nerdaxe Gaia, the NerdQaxe ++ with four ASICs (12V / 10A, around 80 watts), the NerdOctaxe with eight ASICs (12V / 20A, around 200 watts) and the NerdOctaxe Hydro (12V / 20A, around 220 watts). Some of the larger models use XT30 or XT60 connectors instead of a barrel jack.
Place the miner where air can circulate freely. A NerdQaxe or NerdOctaxe needs more clearance at the front and back than a single Bitaxe, because it moves a lot more air. After you plug it in, display and fan usually start within one to two seconds.
2. Join the setup WiFi
On first boot the miner creates its own WiFi network. Open the WiFi list on your phone or laptop. A network called Nerdaxe_XXXX appears, where the last characters differ from device to device, and the display shows the same name. Connect to it.
A “no internet” warning is normal here: you are connected directly to the miner, not to your router.
3. Open the setup page and enter your WiFi
Visit http://192.168.4.1 in your browser. Select your own 2.4 GHz network, enter the password and save. The miner reboots and joins your home network.
4. Read the IP address off the display
This is where the display pays off: after the restart it shows the new IP address on your network, for example 192.168.20.234, so there is no need to dig through your router. Open that IP in your browser to reach your NerdOS dashboard.
Tip: if the display faces the wrong way, you can rotate it with the flip-screen setting under Settings. It is also worth assigning a static IP in your router so the dashboard always stays at the same address.
5. Enter pool and Bitcoin address
Now you decide where a found block gets paid out. Open the pool settings in the dashboard and fill in:
- Host: your pool’s address, e.g.
public-pool.iooreusolo.ckpool.org - Port: the matching port, e.g.
3333 - Stratum User: your own on-chain Bitcoin address (
bc1q…) - Password: whatever the pool requires, usually just
x - Worker (optional): a name after a dot, e.g.
.worker1, useful if you want to tell several devices apart
The solo pool comparison helps you choose a pool and lists endpoints, fees and the measured starting difficulty. Keep in mind that with a high starting difficulty you may see no shares for a while even though everything is set up correctly.
6. Check the values on the display
After saving, the miner connects to the pool. The display now shows the key values without opening a browser:
- Accepted shares: this number must rise. The first share can take a few minutes.
- Hashrate: should roughly match the datasheet and move up and down by a few percent.
- Temperature: below roughly 70 °C is healthy.
- Best difficulty: your best hit so far. This value grows over the weeks.
If something does not work
- No Nerdaxe_XXXX network visible: unplug, wait 10 seconds, power it up again.
- Display and fan stay dark: check the power supply and the barrel jack. Is the plug fully seated?
- 192.168.4.1 does not load: check that you are on the Nerdaxe_XXXX WiFi and turn mobile data off for a moment.
- It will not join your home WiFi: check the 2.4 GHz band and enter the password again.
- No shares after 15 minutes: check host, port and Bitcoin address for typos, and make sure it is an on-chain address.
- Reboots under load: almost always the power supply, see step 1.
More symptoms are listed in the troubleshooting guide; the advice applies to AxeOS and NerdOS devices alike. If you get stuck, write to us.
After the setup
Let the miner run on factory settings for a few days first. If you want more efficiency after that, read the AxeOS tuning guide; NerdOS, as a fork of AxeOS, offers the same frequency and voltage settings. Firmware updates are easiest with our firmware flasher: pick your model and it loads the matching variant.
Written by
Lukas Henning · Mining editor and hardware expert
Lukas has been working with Bitcoin mining for years and runs several open-source miners such as Bitaxe and NerdQaxe at home. For Open Source Miners he tests hardware and turns his setups into guides you can follow step by step on your own device.
All guides by Lukas Henning →
