MinersHub

How to Choose a Mining Host

BUYER GUIDE · EIGHT QUESTIONS · WRITTEN BY AN OPERATOR

Choosing a mining host comes down to eight questions: what the all-in rate actually includes, who owns the floor, how the site is cooled, what the uptime number means contractually, how repairs are handled, what the contract does if power price moves, how fast you can leave, and whether the operator will show you the site. This guide is written by an operator, so read it as informed and interested rather than neutral.

1. What is inside the all-in rate

Two hosts can quote the same $/kWh and mean very different things. Ask explicitly which of these are inside the number: transformers and electrical distribution, security, monitoring, repair labour, spare part float, customs handling, network, and rack or tank space. Ask what is billed separately, and ask for one worked example bill for a fleet the size of yours.

Our published entry rate is $0.067/kWh and it includes power, cooling, 24/7 monitoring, on-site repair, and customs handling. Setup is separate and stated up front: $50 per miner on air, from $600 per slot on hydro and immersion.

2. Do they own the floor

Many hosting offers are resold capacity in someone else’s building. That is not disqualifying, but it changes who answers at 3am and how fast a hardware problem gets hands on it. Ask directly: do you own or lease this facility, and who employs the technicians on site. If the answer involves a third party, ask what the SLA between them looks like, because yours cannot be stronger than theirs.

3. How the site is cooled, and what happens in August

In the GCC this is the question that separates real capacity from spreadsheet capacity. Air cooled rooms lose headroom as ambient climbs, and machines protect themselves by throttling. Ask what fleet-level hashrate the site held through the hottest month of last year, not what it holds in January.

Hydro and immersion exist to make that question boring. A sealed water loop on cold plates, or hashboards submerged in dielectric fluid, both hold rated hashrate through summer and extend hashboard life by keeping junction temperatures down. If a host offers air only, that is a fine answer for an efficient fleet on a short hold; it is a poor answer for a hydro machine you just bought.

4. What the uptime number means in the contract

Uptime figures are marketing until they appear in a contract with a remedy attached. Ask three things: is the figure measured per machine or fleet-level, what window is it averaged over, and what happens when it is missed. A 99.9% number with no remedy is worth less than a 97% number with a written credit.

For scale: 97% over a year is about 11 days of lost production. 98% is about 7. That difference is usually the whole argument between an air deployment and a liquid one. Our tiers target 97% on air and 98% on hydro, immersion and large scale, with remedy terms written into the colocation contract.

5. How repairs actually work

Machines fail. The question is what the failure costs you in downtime. Ask where the repair bench is, whether technicians are in-house or subcontracted, what the turnaround is for a hashboard, and whether the host keeps a spare float so your slot keeps earning while your unit is on the bench.

Ours is in Al Ain, staffed in-house, 24 hour diagnostic with a fixed cost estimate and a 1 to 5 day turnaround. Fleets in Oman ride a weekly route to the same bench.

6. What happens when power prices move

A two year contract at a fixed rate is a bet by both sides. Ask whether the rate is fixed, indexed, or subject to pass-through, and if it is pass-through, ask to see the mechanism and the index in writing. A host who cannot explain their own tariff exposure will discover it at your expense.

7. How fast you can leave

Exit terms tell you how confident a host is. Ask about notice period, any de-racking or handling fee, and how long it takes physically to get your machines back in your possession. A host that makes leaving expensive is pricing in the fact that you might want to.

8. Will they show you the site

The simplest filter. An operator with real capacity will arrange a visit or a live walkthrough. If every request for a site visit turns into a rendering and a capacity claim, treat the capacity claim as unverified.

Red flags worth naming

A rate quoted without stating what is included, then revised after you send fleet details
Uptime figures that do not appear anywhere in the draft contract
No named entity, no licence number, no physical address you can visit
Pressure to sign before a site visit or a written proposal
A host asking for a share of your mining rewards rather than charging for power and operations
Vague answers about who clears customs and who is liable if hardware is held at the border

A short due diligence list

Written proposal with all-in $/kWh, setup, and everything excluded stated explicitly
Named legal entity and licence, with an address that matches
Cooling type per tier, and last summer’s fleet-level performance
SLA figure with measurement method and written remedy
Repair location, staffing model, turnaround time, spare float policy
Rate mechanism: fixed, indexed or pass-through
Notice period and exit handling costs
Site visit or live walkthrough completed

Questions

What should I look for in a crypto mining hosting service?

An all-in rate with a written list of what it includes, an operator that owns the facility, cooling that holds rated hashrate through summer, an uptime figure with a contractual remedy, an in-house repair bench with a stated turnaround, a clear rate mechanism, reasonable exit terms, and a willingness to show you the site.

Is the cheapest hosting rate the best deal?

Usually not. A low headline rate with setup, repair, customs and monitoring billed separately often lands above a higher all-in number. Compare a worked twelve month bill for your actual fleet rather than the per kWh figure alone, and weigh the uptime difference, because four days of lost production a year is worth more than a fraction of a cent per kWh.

Should I host on air or liquid cooling?

Air is cheaper to set up, faster to deploy, and appropriate for efficient machines on a shorter hold. Hydro and immersion hold rated hashrate through GCC summer and extend hashboard life, at a higher setup cost and a 4 to 12 week build. If you bought a hydro or factory immersion machine, the decision is already made for you.

What contract length is normal?

Terms vary by tier and deployment size, and longer commitments usually buy a lower per kWh rate. What matters more than the length is whether the rate mechanism and exit terms are written plainly, so ask for both in the draft rather than after signature.

Do hosts take a share of mining rewards?

Reputable colocation does not. You point the machines at your own pool and wallet and keep 100% of production; the host is paid for power, cooling and operations. Treat a revenue share request as a different product with a different risk profile.

Use this list on us too. Bring these eight questions to a discovery call and we will answer all of them in writing, including the ones where the honest answer is that another setup fits you better.

Our tiers, rates and minimums: crypto mining hosting
Bitcoin specific economics: Bitcoin mining hosting
Buying the hardware first: buy ASIC miners in the UAE
Where we operate: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman

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