Get inbound liquidity

Enable receiving payments on the Lightning network.

For us to receive payments, other nodes must open channels to our node & lock BTC.

This is inbound liquidity, where locked funds are on the other side of the channel.

Unless you know other node operators who are willing to open a channel to your node, we’ll use a service called LNBig. With LNBig, you can have inbound channels opened to your node in exchange for a small fee.

To purchase am inbound channel, go to this page and follow the steps below:

1. Select how much BTC you want LNBig to lock into the channel

   1. The larger the channel, the higher the opening fee LNBig charges

2. Make a pre-payment via lightning

3. Enter your Lightning Node ID, which is exposed via Tor. To find it:

   1. In Umbrel open the Lightning Node application

   2. Click the three dots on the top right side

   3. Click on Node ID

   4. Select Network > Tor and copy the the Node ID

4. LNBig will now attempt to connect to your node; this may take some time

5. LNBig may ask you to open a channel to their node first before they open one on yours. This is usually required only the first time.
6. As soon as you’re done, you’ll see the incoming channel from LNBig opening.

The channel can take from a few minutes to a few hours to finish opening.

You can open a few channels like this until you're balanced. Being balanced means having approximately the same amount of inbound and outbound liquidity.