Compass Mining's fleet now includes miners that run third-party custom firmware. This article answers common questions about miners running third party custom firmware.
What is Firmware? Why is it important?
All miners run software (firmware) on their control boards that manages the hashrate, board temperatures, fan speeds, and frequency, thereby optimizing overall miner performance. The firmware is an essential component of the miner, and all miners must run a compatible firmware. All manufacturers sell miners with the default manufacturer firmware (also known as stock firmware) pre-installed.
What is Custom Firmware? How does this impact my mining hardware?
Custom (or third-party) firmware is software that can be installed on a miner’s control board to replace the stock firmware. This firmware is developed and marketed by a company that is not the miner's manufacturer. Custom firmware often differs in its approach to optimization and can help users achieve better performance than stock firmware.
The hardware of your miner is not altered in any way during custom firmware installation, and the miner can be reverted back to stock firmware at any time. The main impact on your miner's hardware comes from optimization, which can help it maintain lower board temperatures while delivering higher hashrate without increasing power consumption. For hardware that runs continuously for years, even the slightest optimization to reduce operating temperatures can have long-term benefits for the miner’s longevity.
What will change about my miner's performance? Will the miner be overclocked to increase the hashrate?
The headline benefit is improved miner health and longevity through enhanced optimization. Your miner produces an equal or higher hashrate than the stock firmware without pushing power consumption or the board temperatures outside the healthy limit. In practice, that means:
- Same power consumption
- 0-1% increase in hashrate
- Better cooling and optimization
While it is possible to overclock miners to maximize hashrate with custom firmware settings, we do not allow overclocking because the risk of hardware damage increases significantly. Our focus remains on miner health, longevity, and delivering the most hashrate at the power level you're already paying for.
What's different about miners running custom firmware vs. stock firmware?
Custom firmwares usually offer finer-grained control over how the miner operates than stock firmware: features like per-chip tuning, improved autotuning, and more detailed telemetry. The tuning profile is configured by our team during installation to ensure your machines deliver maximum hashrate while staying within the power allocation of your hosting plan without pushing the miner hardware beyond its limits.
Will my hosting costs change?
No, hosting fees are tied to power consumption and the slot's occupancy at the facility, and running custom firmware doesn't change these factors. Your monthly invoice stays the same whether your machines are running stock or custom firmware.
Which third-party firmware does Compass Mining support?
At the moment, Compass Mining only supports Vnish firmware. We plan to evaluate additional firmware options based on customer demand and compatibility testing, and we'll update this article when more become available.
How do I request Custom Firmware? Can I install it on my entire fleet?
You can contact customer support with your request, and we will help you to explore your options. Some facility operators may have limitations on network access and third-party firmware, making it difficult to offer this service to all miners.
Can I rollback to the stock manufacturer firmware?
Yes, a miner can be switched back to stock firmware at any time without issue. Please contact customer support with your request, and we’ll take care of it.
Will my miner be offline during installation?
There's a short downtime window while each miner is flashed and rebooted - typically only five minutes per unit. It's factored into our installation workflow, and you don't need to take any action on your end.
Are there any risks I should know about?
Installing any third-party firmware on your miner can carry risks. The miner’s warranty is voided, and the miner’s hardware could be damaged by improper optimization and setup. While Compass Mining has made significant efforts to test Vnish firmware and create a balanced optimization profile, we cannot guarantee the health, safety, or performance of your miner after installation. Running third-party firmware carries inherent risk, which must be accounted for. We ask every customer to review and accept the Custom Firmware Waiver before proceeding.
Still have questions? Reach out to our support team, and we'll be happy to help.