This guide walks through the full process, from understanding the basics to your first deployment. We do not guarantee mining profitability; it depends on BTC price and network difficulty, both outside our control.
Articles in this cluster
Hosted Mining vs. Mining at Home
Noise, heat, electricity costs: the full comparison to help you choose your path.
02Choosing Your First Bitcoin Miner
M70, M70S, or M73? How to match the right hardware to your budget and goals.
03What to Expect at Signup
The four signup steps, what you pay, and what happens after you onboard.
5 Steps to Start Bitcoin Mining#
- 1Understand how bitcoin mining worksBitcoin mining uses specialized hardware (ASICs) to perform trillions of hash calculations per second, competing to find the next valid block. The winning miner receives the block subsidy (3.125 BTC since the April 2024 halving) plus transaction fees. Miners join pools to receive consistent, smaller payouts rather than infrequent large rewards.
- 2Choose your hardwareSelect an ASIC miner based on your budget and goals. Fathom Labs sells and hosts three of the top tier machines in the industry: the Whatsminer M70 (214 to 242 TH/s, 14.5 J/TH, air cooled), M70S (226 to 264 TH/s, 13.5 J/TH, air cooled), and M73 (470 to 526 TH/s, 14.5 J/TH, hydro cooled). The air cooled M70 and M70S suit most first time miners.
- 3Decide: hosted mining or home miningHosted mining runs your ASIC at a professional facility ($0.07/kWh all in at Fathom Labs). Home mining runs it at your house (US residential electricity averaged 18.3 cents per kWh in July 2026 per EIA, plus noise, heat, and electrical requirements). For most new miners, hosted mining is simpler and more cost efficient.
- 4Set up a Bitcoin wallet and mining pool accountYou need a Bitcoin wallet address to receive mining payouts and a mining pool account (e.g., Foundry USA, AntPool, or similar). Payouts go directly from the pool to your wallet. Fathom Labs does not hold or control your mining rewards.
- 5Sign up and deployContact Fathom Labs to select your hardware, pay the one time $30 installation fee plus a two month electricity deposit, and we handle shipping, installation, pool configuration, and monitoring. Your miner starts hashing and payouts go to your wallet.
Hosted vs. Home Mining: The Key Difference#
The most important decision for a new miner is where to run your hardware. US residential electricity averaged 18.3 cents per kWh in July 2026 (EIA). Our Southeast Texas facility charges $0.07/kWh all in, with no noise, no heat in your home, and 24/7 monitoring included. See the full comparison.
Choosing Your First Miner: M70, M70S, or M73?#
For most beginners, the air cooled M70 (214 to 242 TH/s) or M70S (226 to 264 TH/s at 13.5 J/TH) is a strong fit. The M73 runs on hydro cooling infrastructure and is built for large scale operators. See the hardware selection guide.
What to Expect at Signup#
Onboarding at Fathom Labs involves contacting us, choosing hardware, paying the $30 installation fee plus a two month electricity deposit, and then we handle everything else: shipping, installation, pool configuration, and ongoing monitoring. See the signup walkthrough.
Bitcoin Mining in Early 2026: Context#
- BTC price
- ~$69,000 to $69,400 (early June 2026)
- Block subsidy
- 3.125 BTC/block until ~April 2028
- Network difficulty
- ~139 T (down ~10.7% YTD)
- Fathom Labs electricity
- $0.07/kWh all in, Southeast Texas
Sources: CoinWarz, minerstat, early June 2026. Figures change daily.