Money is the point, so this post walks the entire path from "a client used your node" to "rupees hit your UPI."
Step 1: per-GB metering
Every connection through your node is metered in the gateway. Bytes in plus bytes out count toward your earnings at your locality's rate — ₹7/GB in India, other localities on the landing page. The meter is connection-log grade: it's the same data the network uses for client billing.
Step 2: monthly roll-up
Earnings accumulate on your operator balance daily. Once a month, the balance rolls up into a payout batch. Two things to know:
- Uptime quality matters. Sustained, stable sessions earn the full rate. Choppy connections that keep reconnecting earn less per GB because they move less data per session.
- Rates are locality-aware and published. The network sets them; they're not negotiated per operator. The current schedule is always visible on the site and in your dashboard.
Step 3: settlement
The monthly batch settles to your UPI handle (or local payment method for other localities). Settlement timing:
- Roll-up runs on the monthly anniversary of the network's payout cycle.
- UPI transfers typically land same-day to 2 business days.
- Your dashboard shows the pending and settled amounts separately — no mystery math.
Minimums and fees
- There's a small minimum payout threshold so micro-amounts don't get eaten by transfer fees; it shows in the dashboard.
- Snowpad doesn't charge operators a payout fee. What the dashboard says you earned is what arrives.
What moves the number
The levers, in order of impact:
- Uptime — 24/7 nodes earn roughly double nights-only nodes.
- Line quality — stable upload > peaky download.
- Node type mix — mobile and residential IPs are in highest demand; a phone plus a fibre PC covers both.
- Location — India is the headline rate; other localities have their own schedules.
If a payout looks wrong
Check the dashboard's per-node traffic first — it reconciles to the byte. If the bytes are right but the amount isn't, contact support with your operator ID and the month; payouts are re-runnable and mistakes get fixed, not hand-waved.