BTCB2 Mining Pools: Where to Move Your Hashrate

Updated September 8, 2026. Pool details below come from operators’ published instructions, not a BT-Miners mining or payout test. BTCB2 is a separate BLAKE2b chain—not BTC on Bitcoin’s SHA-256 network.

If you’re mining BTCB2 on AlphaPool, take a look at the notice at the top of its website. The pool says it accounts for too much of the network and asks miners to send some work elsewhere. It names Lazarus, iohzrd, RIPTIDE, and CONVOY as alternatives.

For a farm running a large fleet, moving a few groups of machines is a reasonable place to start. That includes Chinese farms with substantial Sia hardware already installed. There’s no need to move everything at once, and certainly no need to buy more machines just to change pools.

The harder question is where to send that work. Some BTCB2 pools accept a normal Stratum connection; others expect you to run a node and gateway. Below are the addresses, fees, and setup differences worth checking before you touch the miner’s settings, followed by our five-model hardware comparison.

About the 80% Claim

Messages circulating among miners put AlphaPool above 80% of the network and suggest developers might change the algorithm again. We haven’t verified that percentage or found an attributable developer announcement confirming such a plan. AlphaPool’s own request to spread the work is enough reason to look at alternatives without treating either claim as settled.

If you share a concentration figure, include its date and measurement window. “80% of recent blocks” is not the same measurement as “80% of network hashrate,” particularly over a short period.

For the chain’s background, see our BTCB2 mining and ASIC guide. Use the current pool documentation linked below for connection details.

Why Concentration Matters

Too much mining power under one operator makes the network more exposed to censorship and chain-reorganization attacks. That is a risk, not an accusation against AlphaPool. Even majority hashrate does not let a pool spend someone else’s coins or force honest nodes to accept invalid blocks. The Bitcoin developer guide explains the underlying security model.

Moving machines to a different operator spreads control and reduces your dependence on one service. Running a compatible node and DATUM gateway goes a step further in another direction: it lets you choose your block’s transactions. A gateway still connected to the same pool does not, by itself, spread work across operators. Nor does switching between that pool’s US, European, or Asian servers.

Alternative BTCB2 Mining Pools

Start with the four pools AlphaPool mentions. We’ve also included B2Pool, which publishes direct ASIC setup instructions. We haven’t ranked these services on uptime or earnings—we haven’t run that test. Check who operates each one, its recent blocks, and its payment record before committing substantial hashrate.

Don’t choose from the fee column alone. Ask what the percentage applies to, whether a gateway adds a charge, and what happens to rewards below the payout minimum. Check the old pool’s remaining balance rules too.

Connection Settings and Gateway Requirements

In the examples below, replace YOUR_BTCB2_ADDRESS with your own receiving address from a wallet that supports this chain. Check the linked instructions again before saving: these are published settings, not a guarantee that every firmware version will work.

Use a separate, fresh wallet for BTCB2. The pool needs a receiving address—not your seed phrase or private key. Keep node RPC and miner administration interfaces off the public internet.

Lazarus: Two Ways to Connect

Lazarus publishes a direct ASIC endpoint in its public pool configuration:

Pool URL:  stratum+tcp://stratum.awokenlazarus.xyz:23334
Worker:    YOUR_BTCB2_ADDRESS.rig01
Password:  x

For its lower-fee gateway route, configure your own compatible DATUM gateway to use stratum.awokenlazarus.xyz, port 28915. Retrieve the current pool public key and complete configuration from Lazarus’s setup section; point ASICs at your gateway, not that upstream port. Its example forwards full payout-address usernames.

Lazarus uses TIDES-based rewards. Its static status message and live API did not agree during our check, so we wouldn’t draw an uptime conclusion from the homepage alone. Look at fresh worker credit and block records when you test.

RATUM Prime / iohzrd: Check the Gateway Version

For the self-hosted route, your gateway connects to pool.iohzrd.tech:28915. Copy the current public key and full configuration from the pool dashboard, then point your ASICs at your gateway’s Stratum listener.

The page recommends ratum-gateway 0.1.23 or newer and warns that some older builds truncate multi-output coinbase payouts. Its example enables pool_pass_full_users: true, with miner usernames in YOUR_BTCB2_ADDRESS.rig01 format.

There is also a public gateway; check its own fee and settings. Its page makes an important distinction: a share accepted by the gateway may still be rejected upstream. It also warns that work below the payout minimum may not carry into the next block. Check your credit at the pool, not just the miner’s green status light.

RIPTIDE: Watch the Username Settings

RIPTIDE documents this direct Stratum route, although the operator strongly prefers DATUM:

Pool URL:  stratum+tcp://sv1.riptide.maveth.ca:23337
Worker:    YOUR_BTCB2_ADDRESS.rig01
Password:  x

For DATUM, its upstream is tides.maveth.ca:28916, not an ASIC Stratum port. Follow its current gateway-build checklist and retrieve the current public key. The documented configuration sets the gateway payout address, disables Pool Pass Full Users, and sends miner names as workers; the ASIC username is then just rig01.

The username rules are different from iohzrd’s. Copying those settings here can cause rejected work. RIPTIDE also calls the service experimental and says there is no back-pay if it goes down—keep the first allocation small.

CONVOY: Run Your Own Node

CONVOY’s get-started guide starts with a synced node and DATUM gateway. Make sure both builds support the BLAKE2b chain; a standard SHA-256 setup won’t do.

Its gateway guide shows the ASIC-side pattern:

Pool URL:  stratum+tcp://YOUR_GATEWAY_LAN_IP:23334
Worker:    YOUR_BTCB2_ADDRESS.rig01
Password:  x

Use your actual gateway IP and configured listener port. Complete the upstream gateway configuration from current official instructions before connecting miners. The get-started page lists stratum+tcp://mine.convoy.xyz:3333 as failover, not the recommended primary connection. Check current BTCB2 model support for that fallback too.

The homepage displayed delayed statistics during review. Confirm fresh block and worker information before assigning production capacity.

B2Pool: Direct ASIC Connection

B2Pool’s ASIC instructions publish:

Pool URL:  stratum+tcp://de.b2pool.io:3333
Worker:    YOUR_BTCB2_ADDRESS.rig01
Password:  x

Other regions include hel.b2pool.io, ord.b2pool.io, lax.b2pool.io, and ua.b2pool.io, using the same ASIC port. Test from your farm’s connection. The closest server on a map isn’t always the one with the fewest stale or rejected shares.

They all feed the same pool and balance. Also check the port carefully: 3333 is shared mining; 3334 is solo.

The homepage now labels shared accounting TIDES, though some older wording still describes individual rounds. Confirm the current calculation with the operator. Joining a shared pool doesn’t remove dry spells when that pool finds few blocks.

Five BLAKE2b-Sia Miners to Consider

Already own one of these machines? Start with that unit before considering a new purchase. If you’re comparing models, the main differences here are power per machine and energy per terahash. The figures below are our listed Siacoin-mode ratings, not BTCB2 test results; J/TH is calculated from those ratings and rounded.

Photos from the linked BT-Miners product listings. Some listings share enclosure photography; images do not verify a particular batch, firmware, or BTCB2 compatibility.

The BM-S3+ is worth a close look where electricity cost is the main constraint, provided you have the circuit capacity and cooling for 3.4 kW per unit. The BM-S3 draws less power overall. Check the full model name when ordering: this is the iBeLink 19 TH/s machine, not simply anything called “S3.”

The SC5 Pro also has a listed low-power mode: 8.8 TH/s at 2,020 W, or about 230 J/TH. For the SC5 Pro II, the 14 TH/s and 3,300 W figures are store ratings; independent manufacturer confirmation of this exact revision is still pending. Pro support does not establish Pro II support.

At 950 W, the SC Lite needs the least total power of these five. That makes it useful for a smaller test, but don’t read “Lite” as a promise of quiet operation. Check noise, ventilation, voltage, condition, and the exact variant before buying any of these models.

Project or pool documentation names BM-S3+, BM-S3, SC5 Pro, and SC Lite. SC5 Pro II still needs exact-model BTCB2 verification. We have not completed a BTCB2 mining-and-payout test for these five units; check the firmware and selected pool on one machine before scaling up.

How to Move Hashrate Safely

Save the Old Settings First

Export or screenshot the existing configuration. Record the model, firmware, hashrate, reject rate, and unpaid rewards. Find out what happens to pending or below-minimum balances when you stop mining, and keep access to the old payout wallet.

Move One Machine, Then Check Both Ends

Choose one representative unit and change its pool settings. Don’t install unfamiliar firmware just because a forwarded message recommends it. Watch the miner reconnect, then check whether the pool credits its work to the right address.

If you’re using a gateway, check the upstream pool as well as the gateway dashboard. Keep the node, gateway, and miner configuration from the same operator’s instructions rather than mixing examples.

Before moving more machines, you want to see accepted shares, correct pool credit and fees, and a completed payment that your BTCB2 wallet recognizes. Newly mined outputs must mature before they can be spent. A small pool may take more than a day to produce a payment, so set a test budget and decide in advance when you’ll switch back if the test is not working out.

Split the Fleet, Not Just the Backup Slots

Once the test checks out, move another group. Base the allocation on current pool size and the results you’re actually seeing. Sending the whole fleet to one small replacement pool could simply create the next concentration problem.

On firmware using priority/failover mode, Pool 2 and Pool 3 usually sit idle while Pool 1 is healthy. Filling those slots is not the same as splitting active hashrate. Give different groups different primary pools, or use a supported load-balancing mode you understand. Check where the machines land after an outage too.

Watch the Power Bill Alongside the Pool Dashboard

Your power bill keeps running while a pool waits for its next block. Track wall power, cooling, rejected shares, fees, payment delays, and whether you can actually sell or use the coins. Electricity cost is kW × operating hours × electricity rate. A cheaper pool fee is useful, but it won’t make up for every lost share or payment problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Switching Pools Prevent an Algorithm Change?

No. We haven’t verified an announcement committing to another change, and a software proposal would still need network adoption. Spreading hashrate addresses concentration; it does not guarantee that the algorithm will stay the same forever.

Would an Algorithm Change Make These Miners Worthless?

They could lose the ability to mine the BTCB2 branch adopting an incompatible algorithm. That would not automatically remove their other compatible-network uses. Whether those uses pay the bills is a separate question, depending on rewards, difficulty, coin price, and electricity cost.

Which of the Five Miners Should I Choose?

Start with your power capacity, electricity rate, purchase budget, and confirmed pool support. BM-S3+ has the best nominal energy efficiency here; SC Lite draws the least power per machine. Neither is a guaranteed profit winner. Confirm the Pro II’s exact-model support before buying it specifically for BTCB2.

Start With a Small Move

If all your BTCB2 hashrate is on AlphaPool, choose one alternative from the list and test a machine. Check the payment, compare the reject rate, and then decide how much more work to move. Keep checking pool sizes after that first switch.

If you’re also planning a hardware purchase, each model name in the comparison links to its BT-Miners product page. Ask us about the exact unit, power requirements, and available compatibility evidence before ordering. If you already own suitable hardware, start there.

Disclosure: BT-Miners sells the linked hardware. Mining returns and payback are not guaranteed. This article is educational, not financial advice; recheck pool settings and fees before use.