Switching mining pools isn’t just a technical tweak-it’s a direct way to put more coins in your pocket. If your current pool is paying less, dropping shares, or going silent for hours, you’re leaving money on the table. The good news? Moving to a better pool doesn’t require buying new hardware or retraining your team. It’s mostly about changing a few settings in your miner’s configuration. But do it wrong, and you could lose rewards, waste electricity, or even get banned. Here’s how to do it right.
Why Switch Mining Pools at All?
Not all mining pools are created equal. Some charge 3% fees. Others pay out every hour. Some have servers in Europe that connect fast. Others have 20,000 miners competing for the same block. Your reward depends on which one you’re on.Let’s say you’re mining Bitcoin with a 100 TH/s ASIC. At a 1.5% fee pool with PPLNS payouts, you might earn $120/day. Switch to a 1% fee pool with PPS payouts and better uptime, and suddenly you’re at $135. That’s $5,000 extra a year-just by changing where your hashpower goes.
Pool switching also helps avoid downtime. If your pool’s server crashes, your miners sit idle. Good pools offer backup servers. Better ones let you run two pools at once. Some even auto-switch when profitability drops.
What You Need Before You Switch
You can’t just pick a new pool and click “go.” You need four things:- Your wallet address-This is where rewards get sent. Make sure it’s correct. A typo means lost coins.
- The new pool’s server address and port-For example: stratum+tcp://btc.pool.com:3333. This is different for every pool.
- Worker name and password-Most pools let you create worker IDs. These are like usernames for your miners. Passwords are often just “x” or left blank.
- Current payout status-Check if you have pending rewards. Some pools have a $5 minimum payout. If you switch before it hits, you lose it.
Don’t skip step four. I’ve seen miners switch pools, then realize they had $87 waiting in their old account-and the pool deleted it after 30 days. Always cash out first.
How to Switch: Step-by-Step
For ASIC Miners (like Antminer, Whatsminer):- Find your miner’s IP address. It’s usually on the device screen or in your router’s connected devices list.
- Open a browser and type in that IP (like http://192.168.1.50).
- Log in with your admin password (default is often admin or root).
- Go to Pool Settings or Mining Pool.
- Delete the old pool URL. Add the new one: server address, port, worker name, password.
- Click Save or Apply.
- Wait 2-5 minutes. Your hash rate should reappear on the new pool’s dashboard.
If your miner has multiple pool slots (most do), set the new pool as Primary and keep the old one as Backup. That way, if the new pool goes down, you don’t stop mining.
For Software Miners (like HiveOS, CGMiner, Awesome Miner):- Open your mining software interface.
- Find the pool configuration section.
- Replace the old pool’s details with the new ones.
- Save and restart the miner.
- Check the software’s dashboard to confirm the new pool is receiving hashpower.
Some software like Awesome Miner supports External Profit Switching. This means it automatically checks which pool is paying the most every 10 minutes and switches without you lifting a finger. You don’t need to change settings manually-it just happens.
Choosing the Right Pool: What to Look For
Don’t just pick the pool with the lowest fee. Here’s what actually matters:| Factor | What to Look For | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 1%-3% | Lower fees = more of your reward. But don’t pick a 0.5% pool if it’s unreliable. |
| Payout Method | PPS, PPLNS, Proportional | PPS pays instantly but has higher fees. PPLNS pays more over time but with more variance. |
| Server Location | Closest to your miners | Latency over 100ms causes stale shares. You lose rewards for those. |
| Uptime & Reliability | 99%+ in reviews | If the pool goes down 5 times a week, you’re mining for free. |
| Payout Threshold | Below $5 | High thresholds mean you wait weeks to get paid. Low = more cash flow. |
| Pool Size | 5%-15% of total network hash | Too big? You get smaller shares. Too small? Blocks are rare. Mid-size is best. |
Top pools in 2026 include Antpool, F2Pool, and ViaBTC for Bitcoin. For Ethereum (before the merge) and altcoins, pools like SparkPool and 2Miners are popular. Always check their websites for real-time stats.
Monitoring After the Switch
Switching is only half the battle. Now you have to watch what happens.- Check your miner’s dashboard every hour for the first 24 hours. Hash rate should match what you set.
- Log into the new pool’s website. Does it show your hash rate? Are shares being accepted?
- Wait for your first payout. If it’s missing or way lower than expected, something’s wrong.
- Watch for “stale shares.” If they’re over 5%, your connection is too slow. Switch to a closer server.
Tools like HiveOS or Awesome Miner give you live graphs of hash rate, power usage, and earnings. Use them. Don’t guess.
Advanced: Auto-Switching for Maximum Profit
If you’re mining multiple coins or have dozens of ASICs, manual switching is a waste of time. Use profit-switching software.These tools monitor real-time profitability across dozens of pools and coins. If Ethereum mining suddenly becomes 12% more profitable than Bitcoin, the software switches your entire farm automatically. No alerts. No delays.
Platforms like Awesome Miner and MinerStat support this. Setup takes 30 minutes. Once done, you can forget about it. Your miners will always be on the most profitable option.
But don’t flip every 5 minutes. Constant switching causes overhead. Most systems wait 15-60 minutes before switching to avoid ping-pong effects.
Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
- Switching during a block reward - Wait until after payout. You might lose your share of the block.
- Using the wrong worker name - Worker names are case-sensitive. “Worker1” ≠ “worker1”.
- Ignoring fees - A 3% fee on $100/day = $3 lost. That’s $1,000 a year.
- Not testing backup pools - If your main pool dies, your backup should kick in. Test it before you need it.
- Switching too often - Temporary dips happen. Wait 72 hours before deciding a pool is bad.
When Not to Switch
Don’t switch just because you saw a post online saying “Pool X is killing it today.” Mining is a long game. A pool might pay more today because it found a block. Tomorrow, it might go quiet for a week.Track your earnings for at least two weeks before making a move. Use a spreadsheet. Record:
- Daily hash rate
- Number of shares
- Payouts received
- Stale share percentage
If your current pool is consistent, pays on time, and has low fees-stay. Don’t chase hype.
Final Tip: Keep a Backup Plan
Always keep your old pool’s settings saved somewhere. Not just in your head. Write them down. Save them in a text file. You never know when you’ll need to switch back.And if you’re using automated profit-switching, set a safety limit. Don’t let your miners jump to a pool that pays $0.01 more but has a 10% chance of going offline. Reliability beats pennies.
Switching mining pools is one of the easiest ways to boost your mining profits. Do it right, and you’ll see results in days. Do it wrong, and you’ll waste weeks chasing ghosts. Take your time. Verify everything. Monitor after. And never stop learning.
Can I switch mining pools without stopping my miners?
Yes, if your mining software or ASIC supports failover. Most modern devices allow you to set a primary and backup pool. When you update the primary pool’s settings, the miner reconnects automatically within minutes. Your hash rate may dip briefly, but you won’t lose mining time. Avoid manually restarting unless necessary.
Do I need to change my wallet when switching pools?
No. Your wallet address stays the same. The pool just sends rewards to it. What changes is the pool’s server address, worker name, and password. Your wallet is only used once-when you set up your mining account on the new pool.
What’s the difference between PPS and PPLNS payouts?
PPS (Pay Per Share) pays you immediately for every valid share you submit, regardless of whether the pool finds a block. It’s stable but has higher fees. PPLNS (Pay Per Last N Shares) pays only when the pool finds a block, and rewards are distributed based on your shares over the last N shares. It’s riskier but can pay more over time, especially if the pool is lucky.
How often should I switch pools?
Only switch if there’s a clear, lasting advantage-like consistently higher payouts, lower fees, or better uptime. Don’t switch daily. Most miners stay with a pool for months. Automated profit-switching tools handle frequent changes, but manual switches should be rare-every 2-4 weeks at most.
What happens to my pending rewards if I switch?
You keep them-unless you switch before the payout threshold is met. Always check your current pool’s dashboard for pending balance. If it’s below the payout minimum (like $5), wait until it clears. Once paid, you’re free to switch. If you switch before payout, the reward may be lost forever.
Can I mine on two pools at once?
Yes, with multi-pool support. Some ASICs and software allow you to split your hashpower between two pools-for example, 80% to Pool A, 20% to Pool B. This reduces risk. If Pool A goes down, you still earn from Pool B. This is common among professional miners.
CHISOM UCHE
January 12, 2026 AT 10:22PPS vs PPLNS isn't just a fee difference-it's a risk-reward calculus. PPS is the corporate bond of mining payouts: stable, predictable, but with a yield penalty. PPLNS? That's the speculative crypto ETF-high variance, potential alpha, but you're gambling on pool luck. If your hash rate is >50 TH/s, PPLNS can net you 12-18% more over 30 days if the pool hits 3+ blocks. But if you're solo-mining on a 10 TH/s Antminer? Stick with PPS. No point in waiting weeks for a payout that might never come.