FAQ
Is registration necessary to start mining?
No, registration is not required. Simply configure your miner according to our guidelines and start mining. Your first submitted share will automatically register you with our pool. Good luck!
Why does my reported hashrate differ from what my miner shows, or why is it zero?
The pool and miner hashrates are recalculated every ten minutes, so it can take up to ten minutes for your hashrate to update based on your first valid share submission. The pool's displayed hashrate is an approximation based on your submitted shares and may significantly differ from your miner's hashrate. Always consider the value displayed by your miner as the correct one.
How do I receive payments?
Our non-solo pools use the PPLNS (Pay Per Last N Shares) payment system. PPLNS (Pay Per Last N Shares) is generally better for loyal miners compared to proportional (PROP) mining because it rewards miners based on their contributions over a longer period, discouraging pool hopping.
In PROP mining, rewards are distributed based on shares contributed within a single round. Pool hoppers with more hashrate can exploit this by joining only when the chances of finding a block are high, quickly submitting shares, and then leaving once the probability decreases. This results in loyal miners receiving a smaller share of the reward, as the pool hoppers disproportionately benefit from the short period they contributed.
PPLNS, on the other hand, considers the last N shares across multiple rounds, making it harder for pool hoppers to take advantage of the system, regardless of their hashrate. This results in a fairer reward distribution for loyal miners who consistently contribute shares to the pool.
This number N changes only with the difficulty:
PPLNS Example:
Assumptions:
- N = 100 shares (constant for reward calculations)
- Block reward = 50 coins
| Block | Total Shares | Miner A Shares | PPLNS Shares | Reward Calculation | Miner A Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200 | 20 | 20 | 20/200 * 50 | 5 coins |
| 2 | 50 | 10 | 20 | 20/100 * 50 | 10 coins |
| 3 | 200 | 20 | 20 | 20/200 * 50 | 5 coins |
| 4 | 50 | 10 | 30 | 30/100 * 50 | 15 coins |
| 5 | 150 | 15 | 10 | 10/100 * 50 | 5 coins |
| Total reward for Miner A | 40 coins | ||||
In this example, Miner A earned 40 coins for their contributions to the pool using the PPLNS system. This method favors constant and loyal miners over pool hoppers, ensuring a fair reward distribution.
In the PPLNS system, the payout for a miner depends on the proportion of their shares in the last N shares of a block. In our example, N is set to 100 shares for simplicity. When a block has fewer shares, like blocks 2 and 4, Miner A's contribution makes up a larger percentage of the total shares. This results in a higher payout for those blocks. On the other hand, blocks 1, 3, and 5 have more shares, making Miner A's contribution a smaller percentage of the total shares. Therefore, the payout for these blocks is smaller. The PPLNS system is designed to reward constant and loyal miners, so even though the payouts may vary between blocks, miners who consistently contribute shares will receive a fair distribution of rewards over time.When can I expect payment?
You'll see a balance in your account after the pool finds a block and it reaches a mature status, which may take a few hours depending on the coin. Your shares will be used to calculate your contribution and determine your share of the block reward. If your balance meets or exceeds the pool's minimum payout amount, the pool will transfer your entire balance to your wallet and reset your pending balance to zero. Check the 'Pool Stats' area for each pool's minimum payout.
How does mining in a small pool compare to a large pool?
In the long run, your rewards will average out whether you mine in a large or small pool. Large pools find blocks faster but provide smaller rewards, while small pools find blocks slower but offer larger rewards.
The key factors to consider when choosing a pool are trustworthiness, reliability, support, and low latency. By avoiding the largest pools, you contribute to the network's health by distributing hash power.
What is solo mining?
In solo mining, all miners compete for the current block, and the miner who submits the share with a difficulty representing the block receives the entire block reward, minus a small pool fee.