Why won't my miner connect to the pool? A fix-it checklist

Is the problem WiFi or the pool?

Start by working out which connection is failing. A miner makes two connections: first to your WiFi or network, then out to the pool. The fix is different for each.

Why won't my miner join WiFi?

1. 5 GHz network. Bitaxe, NerdMiner, Lucky Miner and NerdQAxe use ESP32 chips that only support 2.4 GHz.
2. One name for both bands. Many routers broadcast 2.4 and 5 GHz under the same name, and some small devices fail to join. In the router settings, give the 2.4 GHz band its own name, then enter that name in the miner.
3. Typo in the password. WiFi passwords are case sensitive. Enter it again slowly.
4. Unusual characters. Some firmware versions struggle with spaces, emoji or special characters in the network name. Try a simple name if nothing else works.
5. Too far from the router. The small antennas on these boards have short range. Test next to the router first.
6. WPA3-only security. If your router is set to WPA3 only, switch the 2.4 GHz band to WPA2 or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode.

When WiFi fails, most of these miners fall back to their setup hotspot, so you can join it again and re-enter the details. Device-specific steps are in the setup guides for the Bitaxe, NerdMiner and Lucky Miner.

Why won't my miner connect to the pool?

Check these in order. Most problems are in the first three.

1. Host format. If your miner has a separate port field (AxeOS, Lucky Miner, NerdMiner), the host must be stratum.directpool.io with no stratum+tcp://. If it has one URL box (Avalon, Antminer), it needs the full stratum+tcp://stratum.directpool.io:3333.
2. Port. 3333. A missing or wrong port gives timeouts.
3. Spelling. One missing letter in the host name means the miner cannot find the server. Copy and paste where you can.
4. Saved but not restarted. Most miners keep using the old pool until they restart.
5. Network blocks the port. Some office, school, hotel and guest networks block outgoing connections on unusual ports such as 3333. Test from a home network.
6. DNS problems. If the miner cannot look up the host name, setting your router's DNS to a public resolver often helps.

To test whether your network can reach the pool, run this on a computer on the same network. A "succeeded" or "open" result means the network is fine and the problem is in the miner settings:

nc -vz stratum.directpool.io 3333

On Windows PowerShell, use Test-NetConnection stratum.directpool.io -Port 3333 and look for TcpTestSucceeded : True.

Why is the miner connected but getting no accepted shares?

1. Address rejected. DirectPool accepts addresses starting with bc1 or 3. An address starting with 1, an address from another coin, or a typo is rejected at login, so no shares are accepted.
2. Wrong field order. The address goes in the user or worker field, not the password field.
3. Too many rejected shares. A few percent of rejected or stale shares can happen after the pool sends new work. Consistently high rejects usually mean unstable overclock settings; return to stock. See safe Bitaxe settings.
4. Very slow device. A NerdMiner v2 finds shares slowly. DirectPool accepts shares down to difficulty 1, but at about 250 kH/s it can still take a while between shares.

Why doesn't my miner show on DirectPool yet?

• Give it a few minutes. The worker appears after the pool has recorded its first shares.
• The hashrate takes about an hour. The pool estimates speed from shares received, so the first readings are low or jumpy. Do not compare with the miner's own number until it has run for an hour.
• Check the address you pasted. Paste exactly the address in the miner's user field, without the .workername part, on the home page.
• Check the verify page. The verify page shows whether your address is in the next block's payouts or still under the 10,000 sat minimum.

Why does my miner keep rebooting or dropping off?

Repeated reboots are rarely a pool problem. The common causes:

• Weak power supply. A Bitaxe Gamma needs 5 V at about 6 A. Phone chargers, cheap adapters and USB-C cables cannot deliver that. A NerdQAxe++ needs 12 V.
• Overheating. AxeOS stops mining when the chip passes 75 °C and restarts at lower settings. Clean the fan and give it space.
• Overclock too high. Reset to stock frequency and voltage.
• Weak WiFi. Drops and reconnects show up as gaps on the pool page. Move it closer to the router.

Careful: if a miner smells hot, the barrel plug or cable is warm to the touch, or the supply makes a whining noise, unplug it and replace the supply before using it again.

How do you check if the pool itself is down?

The DirectPool verify page shows the pool's connection status and uptime, measured from the pool server. If it shows the pool online, the problem is on your side. If the pool is down, most miners retry automatically, and those with a backup pool configured switch to it until DirectPool returns. You can also confirm network health on mempool.space.