Is it cool to run Bitcoin full node on Android OS?

[simpic]

What about space taken and consumption requested by a netbook?

Looking at image shared by OP, space taken between used laptop/netbook and Android phone (including external storage, charging cable and converter cable) shouldn't be that different.

You can still use a MicroSD. You can buy it at uneconomical prices or wait for becoming cheaper.

What about mobile connectivity on Raspberry Pi? Do you have also to to buy a modem in addition to the battery?

That's good point, although if people buy Raspberry Pi, i expect most of them will use WiFi or ethernet cable.

I said "mobile"...
With a phone you have a builtin 3g/4g/5g modem, that makes your node portable if you need.

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[Accardo]

Testing node on an old phone of mine I can't figure out a thing: why the phone is always cold!

Sounds weird, but it depends on the room temperature and the position of the phone; keeping the phone on hard substance like tables could help regulate the phone temperature. On the other hand, if the phone, with enough memory space, is used to run only bitcoin node the program may not drain the processing power, therefore, maintaining a cool temperature.

They've been some responses that opposes the idea of running a full node on Android OS, but giving it a try, from your responses, better reveals the importance of utilizing a phone for the task. 

[NotATether]

Running a full Bitcoin node on your smartphone isn't something I would recommend, unless you have plans to replace your phone soon.

You do not have to use the phone you use everyday.
Just take that old phone you have in the drawer and give it a new life instead of throw it.

Maybe this will contradict my previous posts, but after watching a YouTube video about Apple's ARM chips, they (and other recent ARM processors) will *probably* have the required CPU performance to run Bitcoin Core, but memory is still a question mark. Disk is obviously a no-no of course.

[LoyceV]

I like the idea, but connecting a phone to an external USB drive seems ridiculous. A 1 TB microsd card costs well over €100.

You are probably going to kill your phone faster with this setup.

I don't think so, keeping it wall mounted makes it much less likely to drop it (which is how most phones break).

Get a used netbook and replace its hdd

I have several old netbooks, but they're limited to 1 or 2 GB RAM. That's makes Bitcoin Core very slow.

after watching a YouTube video about Apple's ARM chips, they (and other recent ARM processors) will *probably* have the required CPU performance to run Bitcoin Core, but memory is still a question mark. Disk is obviously a no-no of course.

My current Android phone is 2 years old, and was high end. It has 8 GB RAM and I'm pretty sure both the storage and CPU are much faster than my old netbooks. Possibly also faster than my (aging) laptop.

The main problem I see with this is the cost: powerful phones with enough storage are still expensive. I do have a pile of old phones that I don't use, but those lack performance. Give it a few more years, and many people will have old phones powerful enough to run this. Throw in $20 for a 1 TB microsd card by then, and it's a very cheap way to run a low-power node. So give it time

[simpic]

I like the idea, but connecting a phone to an external USB drive seems ridiculous. A 1 TB microsd card costs well over over €100.

In my previous post I said that "You can buy it at uneconomical prices or wait for becoming cheaper."

Even 32 GB MicroSd cards cost over 100€ some years ago...

[NotATether]

The main problem I see with this is the cost: powerful phones with enough storage are still expensive. I do have a pile of old phones that I don't use, but those lack performance. Give it a few more years, and many people will have old phones powerful enough to run this. Throw in $20 for a 1 TB microsd card by then, and it's a very cheap way to run a low-power node. So give it time

What a service that would be, if someone started selling smartphones doubling as Bitcoin Nodes. In fact, 512GB storage capacity is pretty common on high-end phones. Just waiting for 1TB to be more common and the SSD should run it fine.

I wonder if this kind of stuff is even allowed on the App Stores. Basically, wrap the Bitcoin Core full daemon (not the GUI) into an ARM64 module, which you then call from your own bootstrapping code, and then your user interface is just a bunch of RPCs.

It would need to be optimized to spin up and down quickly (something Core is very bad at doing at the moment).

[dkbit98]

I said "mobile"...
With a phone you have a builtin 3g/4g/5g modem, that makes your node portable if you need.

I saw there is a way to run internet on mobile phones even with ethernet sables, so simple adapter cable would work just fine, and you would probably get better speed.
It wouldn't be portable anymore, but you could always switch between option and choose what you prefer more.
People usually don't move bitcoin nodes with them all the time, but I guess you could also do that in extreme cases if you have unlimited internet.

I like the idea, but connecting a phone to an external USB drive seems ridiculous. A 1 TB microsd card costs well over over €100.

I don't understand what's weird about that, people are using exactly the same thing on Raspberry Pi running Bitcoin nodes, with external hard drives or with SD cards.
You could also use larger USB stick (maybe with adapter) that is usually cheaper than SD card, but it's more expensive than hard drives.

[LoyceV]

What a service that would be, if someone started selling smartphones doubling as Bitcoin Nodes.

Most people would complain it uses up their data

It would need to be optimized to spin up and down quickly (something Core is very bad at doing at the moment).

I tested it, and Bitcoin Core shuts down within 2 seconds. Starting takes less than 10 seconds, and my laptop isn't very powerful. On a phone, it could run in the background so it's always up to date.

I like the idea, but connecting a phone to an external USB drive seems ridiculous. A 1 TB microsd card costs well over over €100.

I don't understand what's weird about that, people are using exactly the same thing on Raspberry Pi running Bitcoin nodes, with external hard drives or with SD cards.

People don't bring their Pi with them

[chrysophylax]

The main problem I see with this is the cost: powerful phones with enough storage are still expensive. I do have a pile of old phones that I don't use, but those lack performance. Give it a few more years, and many people will have old phones powerful enough to run this. Throw in $20 for a 1 TB microsd card by then, and it's a very cheap way to run a low-power node. So give it time

What a service that would be, if someone started selling smartphones doubling as Bitcoin Nodes. In fact, 512GB storage capacity is pretty common on high-end phones. Just waiting for 1TB to be more common and the SSD should run it fine.

I wonder if this kind of stuff is even allowed on the App Stores. Basically, wrap the Bitcoin Core full daemon (not the GUI) into an ARM64 module, which you then call from your own bootstrapping code, and then your user interface is just a bunch of RPCs.

It would need to be optimized to spin up and down quickly (something Core is very bad at doing at the moment).

More than likely not ...

Too much data with little knowledge by the 'layman' as to what they are actually installing. Connectivity issues would be rife also. Unless of course you are mainly stationary in an office somewhere using their WiFi of course.

Though probably something to look at in future if worth the effort.

#crysx #cwi

[DaveF]

From something I posted 7 months ago: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5399730

It really is true about this. Just because you can, does not mean you should. Yes it can be done.
But, with the know how needed at the moment and the fact that you need a bunch of additional things the answer for now is no.

But as others have said, this is 'for now' you can get tablets with 4/5G and 1TB of SSD storage. Give it a bit and your phone will have it built in too.
NOT using SD cards (which are not the most reliable things in the world) NOT using dongles to attach drives. And so on. Just an app running on a phone eating up all your data and storage.

-Dave