How to Earn Passive Income with a Raspberry Pi
- Team WAKE
- 7 minutes ago
- 10 min read
The Raspberry Pi isn’t just for tinkering, coding, or retro gaming. It can also be a surprisingly effective tool for generating passive income. Whether you’re running a mini server, contributing data to a network, or helping improve global infrastructure, your Pi can do more than just sit on your desk, it can actually make you money.
In this guide, we’ll cover several real ways to earn passive income with a Raspberry Pi, ranked by ease, setup requirements, and income potential. Some are as simple as sharing storage space, while others involve contributing valuable real-world data like weather reports or maritime signals.
1. Storj — Rent Out Your Storage Space
Turn your Raspberry Pi into a node for Storj, a decentralized cloud storage platform. You get paid for renting out your unused disk space to people and businesses that need secure file storage.
Setup: Raspberry Pi + external HDD/SSD + Storj Node software.
Earning Model: Paid in STORJ tokens based on how much storage and bandwidth you provide.
Income Potential: 💰💰 (Low to moderate. Great if you have lots of unused disk space but limited by internet bandwidth and demand.)
Difficulty: 🟧 Medium (Some port forwarding and networking setup needed.)
Best For: People with reliable internet and spare disk space.
2. WeatherXM — Get Paid for Weather Data
WeatherXM is building a decentralized weather station network. By setting up a small weather station connected to your Raspberry Pi, you provide hyper-local weather data in exchange for WXM tokens.
Setup: Raspberry Pi + WeatherXM weather station (hardware purchase required).
Earning Model: Rewards based on uptime, accuracy, and the uniqueness of your location.
Income Potential: 💰💰💰 (Moderate. Best returns if you live in an underserved area with low coverage.)
Difficulty: 🟧 Medium (Simple hardware setup plus basic blockchain wallet management.)
Best For: Anyone with outdoor space and interest in weather tech.
3. Pi-hole — Run Ad-Blocking as a Service
With Pi-hole, you set up a network-wide ad blocker on your Raspberry Pi. While many use it personally, some offer it as a service to friends, family, or small online communities in exchange for donations or a small subscription.
Setup: Raspberry Pi + Pi-hole software + basic networking (local or remote setup).
Earning Model: Donations, tips, or subscription fees.
Income Potential: 💰 (Low. More of a beer money model unless you aggressively market it to larger groups.)
Difficulty: 🟩 Easy (Very simple to set up.)
Best For: Privacy-conscious families or small communities.
4. WAKE — Get Paid to Track Ships
Here’s where it gets really interesting. WAKE (Worldwide AIS Network) is a decentralized maritime intelligence network that pays contributors for capturing AIS signals, the live location data that ships broadcast over radio.
Your Raspberry Pi acts as an AIS receiver, listening to ships passing nearby, validating that data, and sending it to the blockchain in exchange for WAKE tokens. This data powers real-world use cases like ship tracking, port logistics, environmental monitoring, and even supply chain intelligence.
Setup: Raspberry Pi + USB SDR dongle + VHF antenna + WAKE node software.
Earning Model: Paid in WAKE tokens based on data quality, coverage uniqueness, and uptime.
Income Potential: 💰💰💰💰 (High potential — especially if you’re in an underserved coastal region or near major shipping lanes.)
Difficulty: 🟧 Medium (SDR radio setup plus crypto wallet management, but highly beginner-friendly with guides.)
Best For: Anyone living near a coastline, river, or port who wants to contribute to a real-world data network with strong demand.
While projects like Storj, WeatherXM, and Pi-hole show just how versatile the Raspberry Pi can be for passive income, one of the most fascinating — and arguably most impactful — opportunities is WAKE. Unlike traditional data-sharing or digital services, WAKE taps into the physical world, turning your Raspberry Pi into part of a decentralized network that tracks ships in real time. It blends radio signals, blockchain technology, and real-world maritime data into a passive income model with global relevance.
So what exactly is WAKE, how does it work, and why are people getting paid to listen to ships?
What is WAKE? Decentralizing Maritime Intelligence
WAKE is a Web3 project aiming to decentralize maritime intelligence, specifically the global collection of AIS data. AIS (Automatic Identification System) is the system ships use to broadcast their identity and location via VHF radio, which is crucial for navigation, safety, and tracking of vessels. Traditionally, AIS data has been gathered by centralized services (like marine traffic tracking websites) that often rely on unpaid volunteers running receivers. The WAKE network “flips the model” by rewarding contributors with its WAKE crypto token for every validated ship signal they share. This creates a community-powered maritime data network that is open and tamper-proof, instead of one controlled by a few companies.
By using blockchain technology, WAKE ensures that the AIS data collected is verified and trustless. Each ship message your receiver picks up is cross-checked by multiple nodes and cryptographic algorithms so no single node can spoof data. Valid contributions are then recorded on-chain, creating what WAKE calls “the world’s most accurate AIS dataset” aggregated from thousands of nodes. In practice, this means better coverage (fewer ocean “dark zones” with no reception), more transparent data (harder for bad actors to fake a ship’s identity), and fair rewards for the people maintaining the system. Instead of paying hefty fees to access global ship tracking info, anyone could tap into this crowdsourced feed – and the folks running the receivers get a share of the value they create.
Why is this such a big deal? Maritime data is extremely valuable; 90% of global trade moves by sea, and AIS data powers everything from ship safety and logistics to environmental monitoring. Today, companies charge a premium for this data (it’s a billion-dollar industry), and volunteers who supply it see no compensation. WAKE changes that by aligning incentives: help build a verified map of global ship traffic and earn crypto in return. It’s a grounded use of Web3 tech, bringing the “people-powered network” concept (familiar from projects like Helium) to the maritime world.
How a Raspberry Pi Node Works in WAKE
So how can a Raspberry Pi participate in WAKE? In simple terms, your Pi becomes an AIS receiver node in the network. You set up a Raspberry Pi (even a modest Pi 3 or 4 will do) with a radio receiver that can tune into VHF frequencies around 162 MHz (the AIS channels). The Pi listens for AIS messages from ships near your area, decodes them, and then sends that data securely to the WAKE network over the internet. From there, the network’s algorithms validate the data and if the data is good, it counts toward your contribution, earning you tokens.
What hardware is needed? Fortunately, nothing too exotic:
Raspberry Pi (with USB and internet connectivity). A Pi 4 is recommended for best performance, but any model that can run Linux and connect online should work
AIS Receiver. Most WAKE users will use a low-cost USB Software-Defined Radio (SDR) dongle (like the RTL-SDR) that is capable of receiving 162 MHz signals. These cost around $20-30 and simply plug into the Pi’s USB port. (Alternatively, dedicated AIS receiver HATs or modules exist if you prefer.)
VHF Antenna tuned for ~162 MHz. This can be a marine AIS antenna or even a DIY antenna; the key is it’s designed for the AIS frequency band. Mount it as high and unobstructed as possible (e.g. an attic, roof, or balcony) for better range – typically ~20-40 nautical miles of coverage.
Stable Power & Internet for the Pi. You’ll want your node running 24/7 to maximize data captured, so use a reliable power supply and keep the Pi online (Wi-Fi or Ethernet both fine). An SD card (16+ GB, high endurance) is also recommended since the Pi will be running continuously
Accurate Time/GPS (optional). WAKE’s network uses precise timestamping to validate signals, so either syncing your Pi’s clock via NTP or using a GPS module for time can be helpful. This isn’t hard to set up and ensures your data is more easily verified.
A typical Raspberry Pi AIS receiver station, with a USB SDR dongle and an external VHF antenna (about 162 MHz). This modest setup is all you need to start capturing live ship broadcasts and relaying them to the WAKE network
Once you have the hardware, running the node is straightforward. You’ll install some software on the Pi to decode AIS signals (there are open-source tools like AIS-catcher or rtlAIS for this), and then connect that feed to WAKE’s network. The WAKE team provides an open-source node program that likely runs alongside the decoder, taking the parsed ship data and forwarding it to the blockchain system. In essence, your Pi acts like a small server: it listens to radio waves, turns them into digital AIS messages, and sends those to WAKE’s cloud/blockchain, acting as one “node” in the global network. In blockchain lingo, your Pi becomes a WAKE node – which just means a participant device in the decentralized network. Don’t let the terminology scare you; as WAKE’s site emphasizes, “you don’t need to be an expert or own a ship” to do this. With a small receiver and simple setup, anyone near the coastline can start earning.
Earning Rewards: Passive Income via WAKE Tokens
Now for the fun part - How do you actually earn, and what are the rewards worth? WAKE has its own cryptocurrency (the WAKE token) which is used to reward contributors and to eventually allow data customers to access the AIS data. Whenever your node submits AIS messages that pass validation, you become eligible for WAKE token rewards. The income is truly “passive” in that once your Pi station is up and running, tokens will accrue automatically in proportion to the usefulness of the data you provide.
It’s important to note that WAKE’s reward model is not simply about pumping out as many messages as possible. Instead, it rewards data quality and coverage. Factors that can increase your earnings include:
Unique data – e.g. picking up ships that few other nodes hear (such as in a remote harbor or an underserved coastline) will earn you extra, because you’re providing coverage the network lacks
Geographic need – the network incentivizes filling gaps. A node in a low-coverage region (say an isolated island or an Arctic passage) might get higher rewards per message than one in a saturated area with many receivers
Data freshness and consistency – nodes that are reliably online and feeding real-time data (with accurate timestamps and no delays) are valued more. Also, sending authentic data (no manipulation) over long periods can build your node’s reputation, boosting rewards
All of this happens behind the scenes. WAKE’s blockchain essentially crunches these factors and allocates tokens from a fixed reward pool to nodes according to their contribution impact. There is a capped supply of 500 million WAKE tokens, with about 2.5% of that emitted each year as mining rewards for nodes. This means the project is designed to run for decades, steadily rewarding those who keep contributing useful maritime data.
Crypto terminology in plain English: If you’re new to crypto networks, a few terms often come up:
Node – simply your device (the Raspberry Pi + receiver) that is part of the network. It has an on-chain identity (usually tied to a wallet address) and it submits data to the blockchain. In WAKE, setting up a node involves registering your Pi’s receiver with a WAKE wallet so the network knows what data (and rewards) are coming from you
Staking – WAKE requires each node operator to hold a small amount of WAKE tokens in escrow (think of it like a security deposit) to participate. This is done to discourage cheating; if someone tried to feed fake data, they could lose this stake (“slashing”). The required stake is designed to be minimal – just enough to keep everyone honest, not a big barrier to entry.
Reward Epoch – crypto networks often distribute rewards at set intervals (daily, weekly, etc.), often called epochs. WAKE uses a time-lock period of 10 days for rewards. In practice, when your node submits data, the tokens you’ve earned from that data will become spendable after ~10 days, once the network has finished verifying that data across multiple checks. Think of it as a 10-day earning cycle: you’re continuously earning every day, but each “slice” of rewards unlocks after the verification period. If no issues are found (and for honest nodes, none should be), the full reward is released to your wallet automatically. This delay is just an anti-fraud measure – it doesn’t reduce what you earn, it just postpones withdrawal a bit.
The end result is that contributors get a stream of WAKE tokens as passive income. You could compare it to BTC mining, but instead of expending heavy computing power, you’re providing useful real-world data and getting paid for it. WAKE tokens, once the network matures, can be used by data consumers (shipping companies, researchers, etc.) to access the verified AIS database, creating demand for the token. As a contributor, you can hold the tokens as an speculation in the network’s growth, or eventually trade them on exchanges for other crypto or fiat. The key point is that WAKE’s model directly ties token value to real maritime data utility, which aims to make the passive income more sustainable (and less speculative) in the long run.
1. How can I earn passive income with a Raspberry Pi?
By setting up a Raspberry Pi with an AIS receiver, you can contribute ship-tracking data to the WAKE network. In return, you earn WAKE crypto tokens based on the quality and uniqueness of the data your station provides. It’s a simple and sustainable way to generate passive income with a Raspberry Pi.
2. What is WAKE, and how does it work?
3. What equipment do I need to run a WAKE node?
4. How much can I earn by running a WAKE node?
5. Do I need to be near the ocean to earn with WAKE?