Bitcoin mining started at home as something anyone could do. It was like brewing your own coffee – simple, affordable, and satisfying. All you needed was a computer and some electricity.
As Bitcoin’s price increased, more people began searching for ways to mine blocks faster, leading to the adoption of more robust hardware. Mining quickly became an arms race—the better your machine, the better your chances of mining the next block. What started with CPUs (everyday computers) evolved to GPUs (more powerful yet still accessible) and eventually to ASICs—machines built exclusively for mining Bitcoin.
Like any arms race, each transition demanded more money to stay competitive. In just 10 years, Bitcoin mining transformed from a grassroots hobby into a high-stakes competition dominated by large-scale operations. What began as a cypherpunk movement became the domain of corporations, hedge funds, and Wall Street bros.
This helped grow the industry and advance Bitcoin into the world’s most powerful computer network. But came at a cost.
How'd We Get so Centralized?
The shift from home mining to large-scale operations driven solely by profit has led to centralization at every level—from mining equipment manufacturing to mining pools.
Let’s break it down: three Chinese companies — Bitmain, MicroBT, and Canaan — control over 90+% of the global production of specialized mining hardware. They design chips so advanced they can only be fabricated by two facilities in the world: TSMC and Samsung. Once produced, these chips are used exclusively in mining rigs for industrial use in massive mining farms.
Industrial rigs are sold in bulk to large mining companies like Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) and Riot Platforms (RIOT). While precise hashrate distribution among big miners is difficult to determine—many large operations are privately held and do not disclose their site details—the trend is clear: mining power is increasingly consolidating among larger players, driven by economies of scale and centralization efficiency benefits.
To further maximize profits, these companies join enormous mining pools, combining their computational power and resources. Today, two pools—Foundry USA and Antpool (which also white label other pools)—collectively control over 50% of which transactions get put in blocks. This gives them a disproportionate level of influence over the network, raising concerns about centralization and its potential impact on Bitcoin’s security.
When too much mining power is concentrated in one pool, it creates a centralization risk. The pool can dictate which Bitcoin transactions are included in new blocks, effectively prioritizing or excluding certain transactions. This isn’t just a hypothetical concern—it’s a step toward transaction censorship and digital gatekeeping. If one pool—or a government regulating it—gains majority control of the network’s hashrate, it could underwrite Bitcoin’s permissionless design, selectively confirming or ignoring transactions based on its own agenda.
Now imagine the coffee industry under similar circumstances. What if only three companies in the world made coffee machines, and they decided to stop producing models for home use or small coffee shops? What if the coffee cabal dictated who could buy coffee and who couldn’t? No French presses, no Nespresso for you—just industrial coffee machines built for large chains. The cheapest option would cost $5000, consume over 3000W of electricity, and be impossible to buy off the shelf. It wouldn’t even be safe to run at home.
This is what happened to mining.
The Home Mining Comeback
Fortunately, not everyone is standing by. A growing number of innovators are stepping up to undo the damage and bring mining back home. Jack Dorsey’s Block and Auradine are designing chips that challenge the dominance of major Chinese manufacturers, making mining hardware more accessible to more diverse players.
Ocean Pool strives to undo the harms of other mining pools with transparent transaction template structures and spam filter options. Protocols like DATUM and Stratum V2 aim to unshackle hashers working together in pools by allowing each miner to individually choose their own transactions while still sharing rewards splits for more consistent payouts.
More importantly for you, other Bitcoin founders are finding ways to work within the constraints of today to create physical products that empower more individuals to take part in mining once again.
Unlike most of the past decade, anyone itching to support the network, now has access to a range of options. From simple plug-and-play devices to customizable DIY kits that retrofit industrial ASICs and even heating appliances that mine Bitcoin, there’s something for everyone.
Why does this matter? Home miners play by a different set of rules.
They’re not focused solely on profits or efficiency. No government can regulate or shut down thousands of independent machines scattered across the globe. Unlike corporations, home miners aren’t forced to sell their Bitcoin to pay fiat dividends to shareholders. They don’t face bankruptcy when the next halving squeezes margins. And most importantly, home miners bring diversity to the network with the ability to choose smaller, independent mining pools, breaking away from the digital concentration of power.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the most popular solutions for home mining.
Functionality
Chips
Mining Power
Hashrate
Efficiency
Heating Space
Setup Time
Safety
Retail Price
Cost Per TH
Heatbit Trio
Heater-purifier powered by miner
New 5nm chips
400 W
10 TH
40 J/TH
Average living room
5 min
UL, Fire & Tip Over Certified
$799
80 $/TH
S9 Space Heater Kit
Repurposed industrial miner
Second Hand 16 nm chips
Up to 1350 W
Up to 14 TH
96 J/TH
Average living room
Hours
None
$400
28 $/TH
BitAxe
Desktop miner
Repurposed 7 or 5nm chips
10-20 W
0.5 - 1.2 TH
22-15 J/TH
Negligible
15 min
None
$110-180
150-200 $/TH
Heatbit – Mining for Home Comfort
Heatbit was a pioneer in pairing Bitcoin mining with practical home use. Back in 2020, the company introduced a plug-and-play Bitcoin powered heater built around a repurposed Bitmain S9 industrial ASIC, offering customers a way to warm their spaces while supporting the network.
Building on this proof of concept device, Heatbit introduced the Trio, a second-generation device that combines heating, air purification, and Bitcoin mining. Powered by a custom 10 TH/s miner with new 5nm chips, the Trio is designed to replace traditional heating appliances and bring mining home in the simplest way possible. Its functionality is very similar to the Dyson HP07.
The Trio effectively heats large rooms, purifies air with advanced HEPA 12 filters, and mines Bitcoin in the background. It’s the only home miner with UL certification and tip over protection, providing safety and peace of mind. The Trio also comes with an intuitive app that lets users monitor performance and control settings, making it a practical solution for those who value energy efficiency, smart design, and effortless Sat stacking.
Who it’s for:
Home and office owners looking for an elegant, multi-functional home heating appliance that fits in any space
People new to mining who want a straightforward, plug-and-play experience to support the network with minimal setup and maximum ease of use
Users who appreciate added air purification functionality, creating a cleaner and healthier environment while mining
Cons:
Comes at a higher price
Where to buy: exclusively available on heatbit.com.
Desktop Miners - For Network Support
Desktop miners are now a niche but meaningful part of the Bitcoin ecosystem. They represent a commitment to decentralization and individual contribution, offering a way for Bitcoiners to actively participate in securing the network without the need for industrial-scale operations. These devices are small, low-power, and focused on accessibility over profitability, making them ideal for hobbyists and ideological miners who prioritize the principles of Bitcoin over financial returns.
However, these devices are not designed to replace the functionality of more robust systems. They don’t provide added functionality like substantial heating or significant mining rewards and often require more hands-on setup. This makes them better suited as novelty items or tools for ideologically motivated hardcore Bitcoiners who want to support the network in their own small but impactful way.
The popularity of devices like the Bitaxe models, Avalon Nano 3, Braiins Mini Miner and FutureBit Apollo II are physical manifestations of the peaceful protest against the threats of Chinese manufacturers, mega miners and pool centralization.
Who it’s for:
Hardcore Bitcoiners who want to contribute to decentralization at home without expecting substantial mining rewards or heating utility. An ideologically motivated protest vote.
Cons:
These devices don’t provide meaningful heating power or mining rewards and are more symbolic than practical. Harder to justify to the wife as a necessary appliance.
Come at a relatively high cost for the amount of work and utility provided.
Where to buy: Available from retailers like DCentral, Altair Tech, CryptoCloaks, Braiins and FutureBit.
S9 Builds - For the Tinkerer and DIY Enthusiast
The Bitmain S9 space heater kit offers an even more hands-on approach, allowing users to adapt older industrial miners into the home to deliver heat alongside Bitcoin. With higher hashrate and substantial heating output, they can effectively warm rooms when retrofitted with aftermarket modifications like quieter fans and custom firmware. While their affordability makes them attractive, S9 miners are not optimized for home use out of the box and require technical setup and DIY modifications to reach household compatibility.
Additionally, retrofitted industrial miners are by definition not designed with household safety, fire prevention, noise levels or ease of use in mind.
More recently, the industrial ASIC retrofitting trend has expanded to newer miners, capable of more hashrate - resulting in more bitcoin rewards, more heating power, but also more challenges. Newer machines designed for mega mining operations come with industrial power requirements, even higher noise levels, and increased cost. Extra modification is required to transform these machines to be suitable for home use. Although, If you commit the time and effort, they can serve as substantial heating infrastructure that can even replace home furnaces and boilers.
These retrofitted machines mark the starting point of using Bitcoin mining for useful heat and provide a hands-on way to learn the basics while experiencing the challenges of adapting industrial miners for home use.
Who it’s for:
Tech-savvy users who enjoy hands-on projects and understand the technical requirements.
Budget-conscious enthusiasts looking to repurpose older mining hardware into heating infrastructure without expecting full plug-and-play convenience.
Cons:
More involved setup.
No safety or certification features.
Requires custom modification to reduce noise and improve home compatibility.
Where to buy: DCentral, Altair Tech, CryptoCloacks, Kaboomracks
Conclusion
Centralization has become one of the biggest threats to Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos, with mining now concentrated at every level—from chip production to mining pools. This trend is putting the network at risk, but the good news is that change is already underway.
A growing number of innovators are making it possible to mine at home once again, offering a variety of solutions to fit different needs and preferences. Whether you opt for a simple plug-and-play device that also heats and purifies the air, take on a DIY project with retrofitted industrial hardware, or support network decentralization with desktop miners, there’s now a way for everyone to get involved.
It’s time for Bitcoiners to step up and join this movement.
By choosing one of these home mining solutions, you’re not only supporting the network, but also taking a stand against centralization and preserving the integrity of Bitcoin for the long term. Each device contributes to the network in its own way—whether through ideological support, hardware repurposing, or providing appliance-grade utility.
Now, more than ever, there’s no excuse for not hashing at home.
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