While writing about the recent Linux 7.1 release, I came across the “OneThing Edge Cube” (OEC) based on the Rockchip RK3566 SoC. I assume it may have been some type of NAS, but instead it’s a box for the OpenThingCloud decentralized bandwidth sharing solution.
People purchase the OEC or OEC-Turbo device and install it at home to be part of a distributed P2P CDN (Content Delivery Network), caching data for other nodes operating nearby. As I understand it, there’s no user-facing functionality, and people install this type of hardware at home to get passive income.
OneThing Edge Cube (OEC) / Cube Pro (OEC-Pro) specifications:
- SoC – Rockchip RK3566
- System Memory – 2GB (OEC) or 4GB (OEC-turbo) LPDDR4X
- Storage
- 8GB eMMC flash
- SATA 3.0 connector
- Networking
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- 100+ Mbps upload bandwidth recommended
- USB – USB 3.0 port, USB 2.0 Type-C 2.0 port
- Power Supply – 12V DC Power supply
The DTS file implies it’s running Android since the model name is “Onething RK3566 BOX WXY4 V10 ANDROID Board”. If you’re interested in mainline Linux support, the submitter (Jun Yan) has successfully tested Ethernet, USB 3.0, and SATA 3.0 ports. Besides the OEC models, the company also offers EOA (quad-core, 1GB DDR, 128GB eMMC, 50+ Mbps upload bandwidth recommended) and EOS (hexa-core, 4GB DDR, 8GB eMMC, 100-300Mbps upload bandwidth recommended) and variants. The XIYING OS NAS is another platform making use of the company’s P2P technology, but for storage. They also have a mobile app, PC software, and a program for other NAS systems.
You’ll find all that on the smart devices and cloud pages, except nothing can be purchased or downloaded until you switch to the Chinese version of the website, since the company currently operates in mainland China with 20+ million registered users and 1 to 2 million active nodes.
Earnings depend on the bandwidth a user shares, so users will earn more in a city with a high population density than in a rural area. It will also depend on upload bandwidth and storage capacity, and it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, as 3 to 8 CNY per day is typical in cities, or about 44 cents to $1.2 a day.
A similar solution to OneThingCloud that operates outside of China is HoneyGain. It doesn’t require a specific box, and you can just install an app. Earnings appear to be even lower than OneThingCloud, with $2 to $20 reported per month. Some ISPs may also not appreciate it when their retail users are selling their upload bandwidth, so you may want to check your contract first, and it may not be worth the hassle considering the low earnings.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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“OpenThingCloud decentralized bandwidth sharing solution.”
OK, I’m willing to share bandwidth. But what problem does it solve? Because as soon as it’s on my system, the requester still needs it on his/her systems, for he/she still needs bandwidth.
Is it to circumvent the ISPs Internet bottleneck or Great Firewall of China?
And then: it’s my connection, so I’m legally responsible for what it’s used for. So if Bad Things are done via my connection, I might have a problem.
The main benefit for OneThingCloud (and their customers) is that it lowers bandwidth costs. Users benefit from small payments in exchange.
The question is whether the payment covers the electricity costs. The answer varies by the taarif.
It’s most likely Chinese PCDN scheme, based on the name of their OS.
Here’s a good overview what is that: https://www.ithome.com/0/748/924.htm
Smells like a residential proxy scheme
Especially since there is nearly no storage available … No real caching is possible. Maybe … Something like sensor data, etc. for business networks.
Another thing I thought about… Headless Android Bot Farms. Since Android is mentioned in the DTS file. But this is also just a wild guess. Still, if there is smartphone hardware inside, I am sure it it much better to circumvent detection because of multiple devices on the same location/IP, here it could be just another device in a residential home.
Edit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAegZmd3Ch0
Seems to contain a possible storage extension.
Soo … still NAS (in the video with xpenology)
You’re supposed to install a SATA drive inside. That’s why there’s a SATA interface…
Things like this (PCDN, P2P CDN) is what has driven Chinese ISPs to limit upload usage to the point of insanity. I’ve read horror stories of people who stream videos and cloud games getting their connection restricted or throttled because PCDN boxes are stressing their oversubscriptions or that they’re not willing to cover the cost of excessive transit.
If you seed Ubuntu ISOs via BitTorrent, you’ll notice lots of Chinese peers which constrantly download from you in a loop. That’s apparently because Chinese ISP look not for absolute DL/UL numbers only, but for the fraction of UL traffic compared to DL. That’s why they just “adjust” DL by constantly downloading anything 😀
Good to know that!
The concept seems similar to existing(?) web3 decentralized storage like storj or maidsafe from many years ago. I think their existence was meant to upset the centralized cloud storage of the big-3. You never really hear of any of that anymore.