For some users, it may be necessary to conduct Bitcoin mining via a VPN in order to bypass network blocks or simply to “divert” attention from the real connection.
Basically, mining Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies does not generate a lot of data traffic. This means that it is possible to handle the data traffic via a VPN without any problems.
The problem to be solved is much more due to the fact that miners such as the Bitmain antminer and all other models cannot establish a VPN connection by themselves.
To solve this problem two things are needed:
- A VPN server
- A router that can act as a VPN client
There are numerous ready-made solutions for a VPN server, such as from NordVPN. Setting up your own VPN server on a rented VPS with e.g. Wireguard should normally not be a problem either.
It gets a bit more difficult when choosing a suitable router. Most routers offer VPN server functionality for IPSec VPNs, but most routers do not offer VPN client functionality.
At this point, we can recommend the inexpensive travel routers of the GLiNet brand. These routers are already available from about 30 USD and of course they can work as OpenVPN and Wireguard VPN clients. VPN rules can also be used to determine which clients on the network should be tunneled through the VPN (and which should not). It is also possible to cut the Internet connection if the VPN connection cannot be established or is disturbed (kill switch).
The simplest solution would be to buy a cheap VPN router. This can then be connected to the existing router and the VPN set up on the router. After this, the ASIC miner is connected to the VPN router and all miner traffic is routed through the VPN.
Sample settings for a Bitmain Antminer
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