Skip to content
AVADO

Ethereum solo staking with AVADO

Run your own Ethereum validator at home. You keep your keys, earn rewards directly from the protocol, and help keep Ethereum decentralised.

Last updated:

Choose your AVADO See how it works

What do you need to stake ETH at home?

The requirements for home staking are 32 ETH to activate your validator, a computer that runs around the clock and an internet connection with no data cap. According to the EthStaker hardware guide, the computer needs at least a quad-core CPU, 32 GB of RAM and a 4 TB SSD, and the connection at least 10 Mbps up and down. Every AVADO in the shop meets these minimums and ships with the software installed. You install an execution client (Geth or Nethermind) and a consensus client (Teku, Nimbus or Prysm) from the DappStore, and your validator keys stay on the box.

See Ethereum staking hardware requirements in 2026 for the details.

Why run your own validator?

Running your own validator is what the Ethereum community calls the gold standard of staking. Your ETH isn’t lent to an exchange or wrapped in a liquid staking token, and your rewards come from the protocol, not from a provider that takes a cut.

Every home validator also makes the network harder to censor or capture. AVADO takes care of the hardware and the software packaging, so running one doesn’t mean learning Linux server administration.

How staking on AVADO works

  1. Step 1

    Connect the box

    Plug your AVADO into your router with the network cable and into power. It starts by itself.

  2. Step 2

    Open the Admin

    Connect your computer or phone to the AVADO’s own Wi-Fi network and go to http://ava.do/start. After that, the AVADO Admin is at http://my.ava.do.

  3. Step 3

    Install an Ethereum node

    The Staking setup page in the Admin walks you through it: install an execution client (Geth or Nethermind) and a consensus client (Teku, Nimbus or Prysm) from the DappStore.

  4. Step 4

    Let it sync

    The node downloads the chain state. The Admin UI shows when it’s ready.

  5. Step 5

    Add your validator

    Create or import your validator keys, then deposit 32 ETH through the official staking launchpad.

  6. Step 6

    Keep it running

    Leave the box on. When client releases or network upgrades come out, the AVADO team packages them and your box installs the update automatically (auto-update is on by default). With Priority Care, AVADO also emails you if your box goes offline.

The AVADO documentation has step-by-step guides with screenshots for each client.

How you stake on AVADO

Solo staking with 32 ETH is how you stake on a new AVADO. Rocket Pool node operators who already run minipools on AVADO can keep them running.

Solo staking

Solo staking means running your own validator, with all its rewards going to you.

You stake
32 ETH to start a validator; since Pectra, one validator can hold up to 2,048 ETH
Rewards
All consensus and execution rewards
Clients
Geth or Nethermind, with Teku, Nimbus or Prysm
MEV-Boost
Optional, from the DappStore
Keys
On your AVADO

Rocket Pool: for existing node operators

Rocket Pool on AVADO is for existing node operators: minipools you already run on the box keep working. New Rocket Pool setups are on hold for now.

Existing minipools
Keep working on AVADO
New setups
On hold until the AVADO package supports megapools
Rocket Pool today
Megapools with a 4 ETH bond per validator, since 18 February 2026
Keys
On your AVADO

Rocket Pool moved to megapools with its Saturn 1 upgrade. The AVADO Rocket Pool package is being updated for megapools. Contact support@ava.do before starting a new Rocket Pool setup, and see the AVADO documentation for the current status.

After you’re staking

Watch your node

Grafana is in the DappStore. Install it to follow your box and your consensus client on local dashboards.

About monitoring

Get help when you need it

The docs and Discord community are there for everyone. Priority Care adds email alerts when your box goes offline or finds a serious problem, and faster help from the AVADO team. The first 14 days are free.

About Priority Care All support options

Questions and answers

Can I stake with less than 32 ETH?

Staking with less than 32 ETH is not possible on a new AVADO setup for now. Rocket Pool lets node operators run a validator with a smaller bond; since its Saturn 1 upgrade on 18 February 2026 the minimum is 4 ETH per validator, in “megapools”. Existing Rocket Pool minipools keep working on AVADO, but the AVADO Rocket Pool package is still being updated for megapools. Contact support@ava.do before starting a new Rocket Pool setup, and see the AVADO documentation for the current status.

Which Ethereum clients can I run?

The execution clients on AVADO are Geth and Nethermind, and the consensus clients are Teku, Nimbus and Prysm. All are in the DappStore. Picking a less common client helps Ethereum’s client diversity.

Does AVADO support MEV-Boost?

MEV-Boost is supported as an optional package in the DappStore: install it and turn it on in your consensus client’s settings. MEV rewards are execution layer rewards and go to your fee recipient address. The MEV-Boost guide covers relays and settings.

What happens if my internet or power goes down?

Being offline is not a slashing offence: your validator misses its duties while offline and loses roughly what it would have earned in that time. Slashing only happens when a validator signs conflicting messages, for example when the same keys run on two machines.

Can I move existing validator keys to my AVADO?

Existing validator keys are moved by importing their keystores. Stop the old validator first and make sure it can’t start again: running the same keys in two places at once gets you slashed.

Are rewards guaranteed?

Rewards are not guaranteed: they depend on the Ethereum protocol, network conditions and your validator being online. AVADO provides hardware and software; it doesn’t pay or guarantee rewards.

Further reading