Antminer setup: step by step from unboxing to the first hash
Set up an Antminer S19/S21: find the IP address, log in with the default password root/root, add a pool, firmware & Braiins OS, fans, PSU, troubleshooting.
An Antminer S19, S19j Pro, S19k Pro or S21 is running within 30 minutes: connect the LAN cable, find the IP address, log in with the default password, enter the pool. This guide walks through every step of the Bitmain stock firmware, explains firmware, fans and PSU, and ends with a troubleshooting table. Every Antminer we sell is on the Buy Antminer overview.
Before you start: location, power, network
Three things decide whether the setup goes smoothly: a location where 75 dB and about 3.1 kW of waste heat are acceptable (basement, garage, workshop, server room – not a living space), a dedicated 230 V circuit fused at 16 A with a proper C14 cable, and a wired network connection. Wi-Fi is not supported by the stock firmware; a cheap switch next to the miner is enough. Read our safety instructions before the first start.
Used miners from our warehouse have already completed a load test and are shipped with the last configuration cleared; new units arrive with Bitmain's factory settings. Either way the procedure below is identical.
Antminer setup in 6 steps
- 1. Unbox, place, connect: Put the Antminer on a firm, level surface with at least 30 cm of clearance in front of the intake and exhaust side. Connect the power supply (APW12 on the S19, APW17 on the S21) via the two 6-pin plugs per hashboard and the control board plug, then plug the network cable into the RJ45 port of the control board. The C14 mains cable goes in last – the miner starts immediately, there is no power switch.
- 2. Find the Antminer's IP address: Out of the box the Antminer obtains an IP address from your router via DHCP. The fastest way to find it is the router's device list (the miner registers as "antMiner"). Alternatively run Bitmain's IP Reporter tool on a PC in the same network and press the "IP Report" button on the miner – the IP appears in the tool. Assign a fixed IP as a DHCP reservation in the router rather than in the miner.
- 3. Open the web interface and change the default password: Enter the IP address in your browser (http://, port 80). The Antminer asks for username and password; Bitmain's default login is root / root. Change the password right after the first login under System → Password – a miner with the factory password on your network is an open door for anyone who knows the IP. After a reset (hold the reset button for about 5 seconds) root / root applies again.
- 4. Enter pool and wallet: Under Miner Configuration → General Settings you enter up to three pools: URL (stratum+tcp://…), worker (usually accountname.devicename) and password (anything, often "x"). Pool 2 and 3 are fallbacks if pool 1 goes down. Save – the miner restarts the mining process and starts hashing after a few minutes.
- 5. Check hashrate and temperatures: The dashboard (Miner Status) shows hashrate, chip count, temperatures and fan speeds per hashboard ("chain"). After 10–15 minutes of warm-up an S19j Pro should sit close to its 104 TH/s and all three chains should report the same chip count. If a chain shows 0 chips or much less hashrate, check that board's power plugs first.
- 6. Secure the operation: Set a DHCP reservation, note pool credentials and password, and let the miner run for 24 hours in the pool dashboard before adding more units. For continuous operation every miner belongs on its own circuit – see the PSU section and our safety instructions.
Pool configuration: URL, worker, password
The pool form in the Antminer web interface has three fields per pool. URL: the stratum address of your pool including port, e.g. stratum+tcp://pool.example.com:3333 – copy it from the pool's dashboard, do not type it. Worker: your pool account name followed by a dot and a name for this miner (account.s19-01), so the pool can show each unit separately. Password: not a security feature on most pools; "x" or anything works.
Enter the same pool with a second port or a second pool as pool 2 and 3. If pool 1 becomes unreachable the miner switches automatically and switches back when it returns – without a fallback the miner idles and burns power for nothing. The Bitcoin wallet for payouts is configured in your pool account, never in the miner.
Antminer S19 firmware: stock firmware or Braiins OS?
Bitmain's stock firmware does everything above and is the right choice for a first miner: stable, no flashing, warranty-neutral. Updates come as a file from Bitmain's website and are uploaded under System → Upgrade – only ever install firmware for your exact model (S19j Pro firmware does not run on an S19k Pro).
Braiins OS+ is the most common third-party firmware for the S19 family. It replaces Bitmain's system with autotuning per chip and a power target: you set the watts, the firmware finds the best frequency per chip, which usually yields a better J/TH figure than stock or lets you run the unit quieter at a lower power level. Installation is done via SD card or from the web interface depending on the current Bitmain firmware version; the risks and warranty implications are described in our mining software notice. If you want to skip the flashing, we pre-install Braiins OS+ on the Antminer S19k Pro and the Antminer S19j Pro from our stock on request for +€20 per unit.
See also:
Antminer S19 fans, temperature and noise
An air-cooled S19 has four 120 mm fans – two pushing air in at the front, two pulling it out at the back – controlled by the firmware from chip temperatures. Under load that means roughly 75 dB, comparable to a vacuum cleaner, which is why the unit belongs in a separate room. The web interface shows each fan's speed; a fan reporting 0 rpm triggers a fan error and the miner shuts down to protect the boards.
Keep the intake air between 5 and 35 °C and dust-free: warm intake air raises chip temperatures, the fans spin up, and above the limit the miner throttles or stops. Leave 30 cm of clearance on both sides, never blow the exhaust of one miner into the intake of another, and clean the heatsinks with compressed air every few months. Quieter options are the water-cooled Hydro models or a living-room Bitcoin heater such as the Avalon Q at ≤45 dB.
Antminer PSU and power connection
Antminers ship with Bitmain's own PSU: the APW12 on the S19 series, the APW17 on the S21 series. Both require 200–240 V; on 110 V the S19 does not start. An S19j Pro at 3068W draws about 13.3 A continuously at 230 V – close to the limit of a standard 16 A circuit, so the rule is one miner per dedicated, properly fused circuit, no multi-socket strips, no extension reels.
The mains cable must be rated for the load: a thin appliance cable gets warm and is a fire risk. Our C14 Schuko cable (2 mm², up to 20 A) at €15 fits the S19 and other C14-equipped miners. Several units belong on a three-phase supply with a sub-distribution installed by an electrician – the details are in our safety instructions.
See also:
Troubleshooting: the most common problems
Still stuck? Send us a screenshot of the Miner Status page by WhatsApp – we help with the setup of every unit bought from us.
| Symptom | Typical cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Miner does not show up in the router | No link on the RJ45 port, DHCP disabled on the router, faulty cable | Check the LAN LEDs on the port, try another cable/port, use the IP Reporter with the "IP Report" button |
| Web interface does not load | PC in a different subnet, browser forces https, miner still booting | Type http:// plus the IP, wait 2 minutes after power-on, put the PC in the same network |
| Forgotten password | Factory password was changed and not written down | Hold the reset button on the running miner for about 5 seconds: network and login settings return to factory state (root / root) |
| Pool "Dead" or "Socket connect failed" | Typo in URL/port, firewall blocks port 3333/443, pool domain unreachable | Copy the URL exactly from the pool dashboard, try the pool's alternative port, check DNS on the router |
| One chain shows 0 chips | Loose 6-pin power plug on the hashboard, data cable not latched, defective board | Power the miner down and reseat the plugs of the affected board; if the error persists swap the cable, then claim the board |
| Hashrate well below nominal | Intake air too warm, dusty heatsinks, unstable pool connection | Keep intake air ≤ 35 °C, clean heatsinks with compressed air, add pool 2/3 as fallback |
| Fan error / miner shuts down | Fan blocked or dead, loose fan connector, over-temperature | Check fans for foreign objects, reseat the connector, replace the defective 120 mm fan |
| Miner keeps rebooting | Undervoltage, circuit fused too low, overloaded PSU | Put the miner on its own 16 A circuit, check cable cross-section, check the PSU error codes in the log |
Frequently asked questions about Antminer setup
What is the Antminer default password?
Bitmain ships every Antminer (S19, S19j Pro, S19k Pro, S21, T21, L7, KS7) with the web interface login root / root. Change it under System → Password right after the first login. If you forget the new password, hold the reset button on the running miner for about 5 seconds to restore the factory login.
How do I find the IP address of my Antminer?
The Antminer uses DHCP by default, so it appears in your router's device list as "antMiner". Alternatively, run Bitmain's IP Reporter tool on a PC in the same network and press the "IP Report" button on the miner's control board – the tool then shows the IP. For a fixed IP, set a DHCP reservation in the router.
Which pool should I enter?
Any Bitcoin pool with stratum support works: enter the pool's stratum+tcp:// URL, your worker name (usually account.devicename) and any password. Enter pool 2 and 3 as fallbacks. Pool fees are typically 1–2%; payouts go to the wallet address stored in your pool account, not in the miner.
Should I install Braiins OS on my Antminer S19?
Braiins OS+ adds autotuning per chip and lets you set a power target, which usually improves efficiency compared with stock firmware. It replaces Bitmain's firmware, so read our mining software notice first. On the S19j Pro and S19k Pro from our stock we pre-install Braiins OS+ on request (+€20 per unit) so the miner arrives ready.
How loud is an Antminer S19 and how warm may the room be?
An air-cooled S19 runs at roughly 75 dB under load – comparable to a vacuum cleaner – and belongs in a basement, garage or workshop. Keep the intake air between 5 and 35 °C; above that the fans run at full speed and the miner throttles or shuts down at over-temperature.
Which power supply and which circuit does an Antminer need?
The S19 series ships with Bitmain's APW12 PSU; it needs 200–240 V. An S19j Pro at 3068W draws about 13.3 A at 230 V, so every miner belongs on its own properly fused 16 A circuit with a C14 mains cable rated for the load (our C14 cable is 2 mm², up to 20 A). Never run two miners on one household socket.
Shipping, warehouse and delivery time
Stocked units ship within 2–4 business days from our warehouse in Bavaria, Germany. Because the hardware is already imported and cleared inside the EU, there is no import VAT, no customs paperwork and no waiting for air freight from Asia. Models sourced directly from the factory show their own delivery time on the product page.
We ship insured to all 27 EU member states and Switzerland. Shipping costs: Germany €19.90, EU €29.90 – both free from €1,000 order value. EU islands €49.00. Switzerland €40.00 (import duties are paid by the recipient).
Payment, invoice and warranty
You can pay by bank transfer, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay or cryptocurrency. Every order comes with a proper invoice showing VAT. EU business customers with a valid VAT ID are invoiced at 0 % under the reverse-charge scheme, and we can switch your session to B2B mode with net prices.
New and used miners are covered by statutory warranty under EU law. Used units are tested, cleaned and shipped with a logged hashrate; the exact scope is stated on each product page.
Advice before you buy
We help you check electricity tariff, power connection, cooling, noise and realistic payback before you order — including when the honest answer is that a machine will not pay off at your kWh price. Send us your electricity cost and the planned location and we will run the numbers with you.