Piso Net has been making quite a buzz in the metro since early 2010, but it’s not only until recently that the enterprise got the attention of business-minded folks. So what is Piso Net and how are things from a business standpoint? Is it really a viable source of extra income? YugaTech investigates.
Piso Net is basically a merge of PC rental and Arcade rental services wherein customers can pay the services by inserting coins to the machine. The rate is typically 4mins/peso which also amounts to the typical Internet Café rate of Php15USD 0.26INR 22EUR 0.24CNY 2/hr. This rate can be tweaked higher or lower either to be more competitive and entice customers or gain more income by decreasing the minutes/peso.
So if there’s not much difference in pricing, what is the advantage of Piso Net over traditional Internet Cafes? Well some internet cafés have a fixed rates and minimum minutes of usage, this makes for not-so ideal scenario for budget-conscious Pinoys. And although the rate is the same, Piso Net offers a much flexible alternative that most internet cafes don’t and that is to have more control on how much time and money a customer is willing to spend at a given time.
The setup is rather simple with the bare PC parts are inside a wooden box similar to that of an Arcade machine or Videoke machine. Much like the Arcade machine, it is activated by inserting coin/s which triggers the machine. Once the time is consumed, the machine cuts off the display and will resume when a coin is inserted. The bottom wooden part inside the machine has a carved hole to collect the coins.
Now that you have a better perspective of how it works, let’s delve in to the business side of things. PC Express is one of the known providers of Piso Net machines. They offer a variety of configurations pegged at different price points.
Here are the available configurations on their website.
Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz dual-core
120GB/250GB IDE HDD
4GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
NVidia GT430 1Gb DDR3 VRAM
18.5†BenQ LED Monitor
Creative 2W speakers
Php23,995USD 409INR 34,663EUR 389CNY 2,978
Intel Pentium dual-core G620 2.60GHz
120GB/250GB IDE HDD
4GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
Radeon HD5570 1GB DDR3 VRAM
18.5†BenQ LED Monitor
Creative 2W speakers
Php21,495USD 366INR 31,052EUR 349CNY 2,668
There are also other providers who offer the same configuration for a cheaper price. Depending on your market, which is most of the time your neighbors, you can choose a configuration that suits your market’s needs (internet, gaming and/or document editing). Needless to say that gauging your market and choosing the right configuration is crucial to the success of the business and the amount of time to spend to return the investment.
We did some research on how things are going on a revenue standpoint. We interviewed a housewife married to an OFW who runs a 3 Piso Net units business for little over six months now. She got it for Php20,000USD 341INR 28,892EUR 325CNY 2,482 apiece and placed it in small space inside their house. According to her the monthly revenue averages at Php17,000USD 290INR 24,558EUR 276CNY 2,110/mo. If we break down on a per week and per day, the revenues averages at Php4,265USD 73INR 6,161EUR 69CNY 529 and Php610USD 10INR 881EUR 10CNY 76 respectively. So a Piso Net unit generates more or less Php5,600USD 95INR 8,090EUR 91CNY 695/month, Php1,410USD 24INR 2,037EUR 23CNY 175/week and Php200USD 3INR 289EUR 3CNY 25 a day. This revenue is based on 16×7 operation on a not-so developed areas.
In terms of cost of operation, she said that the 3 units’ electricity consumption amounts to Php2,700USD 46INR 3,900EUR 44CNY 335/month and Php1,000USD 17INR 1,445EUR 16CNY 124 for the internet service. Since she’s not paying for the location, the total cost of operation only sums to Php3,700USD 63INR 5,345EUR 60CNY 459/month. So if we deduct the TCO from the monthly average revenue (17,000 – 3,700), you’d have an average net revenue of Php13,300USD 227INR 19,213EUR 216CNY 1,651/month. At this pace, the turnaround for the return of investment is only 5 months.
Another benefit of Piso Net is that it requires less effort to maintain unlike with Internet Cafes. All the personnel need to do is to make sure that he/she has more than enough stock of 1 peso coins and units are pretty much on auto-pilot. I only wish that the future iteration of the machine supports coin amounts bigger than a Peso because it can be a pain in the neck to drop a coin every now and then.
So is the Piso Net a lucrative business? Given the breakdown of revenue and the right circumstances, yes we think it is a viable source of extra income. But in any business there will be potential drawbacks, we’d like to hear your thoughts on what are the potential disadvantages of running a Piso Net business.
YugaTech.com is the largest and longest-running technology site in the Philippines. Originally established in October 2002, the site was transformed into a full-fledged technology platform in 2005.
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Gerard says:
Interesting article, I honestly thought the rental business is pretty much dead by now.
With the emergence of ultra-low budget tablets,
and availability of 3G solutions.
on a side note, anybody know if the Acer Iconia a110 would hit the local market? they seem to have upgraded to JellyBean
nwel says:
the same reason why eload is a hit.
i think piso net business will evolve even on cities, especially if you’re market are students. malaki kasing factor ung feeling ng customer mo na nakakatipid sila.
thanks for the info…
ronzkie23 says:
Ito yung business ko ngayon 6 units.. hindi nga lang yung BOX na parang Arcade sa akin kasi mahirap mag maintenance kasi nakatago sa ilalim.. still Piso Net parin sa akin pero Cubicle style nga lang siya with coin timer.. mas advantage cubicle kasi makakahinga ng maluwag system unit mo (liit chance maccra unit mo)at bukod pa dyan hindi hassle pag magmaintenance kasi madali lng tanggalin. oh by da way.. i’ve range almost 30k-35k profit ko a month lalo na pag saturday o walang pasok malakas kita ko. maganda pa nito mmay Printer at copier machine kame so lahat ng kailangan customer meron ako.. minsan ang nate-take home ko nasa 25-30k bawas na internet at kuryente nyan.. wala ako rental kasi nasa gilid lng ng bahay namin at may kubo na maliit with OPEN AREA (maaliwalas yung space) at 2 ceiling fan pa.. mga nsa 150k capital ko lahat2x at within 5 months lang bawi na capital ko.. kaya masasabi ko nakakabuhay talaga ito ng pamilya ito negosyo kasi nkakatipid ako sa technician dahil ako lng nag-aayos at my experience ako sa computer. ito lng masasabi ko sa inyo.. kung may skills ka sa computer, gamitin mo yan sa negosyo! goodluck!
ermita_rojo says:
A potential drawback for this venture is if this would replace machines with legitimate operating machines, then the authorities might have an idea of counterfeit copies running in these makeshift computers. If the owners would be required to install original OS, then it might pose a problem.
Unless of course the owners themselves are tech-savvy enough, they would install their machines with linux OS.
ronzkie23 says:
P.S mas mahal nga pala ang Computer box compare sa Cubicle kasi kpag bibili ka ng Computer Box (yung parang Arcade) nasa 5k+ depende sa style at pagkagawa. meron din mura pero simple lang.. 5,000x 6 units= 30,0000 yung Computer samantalang kung magpapagawa ka lng cubicle nsa 5k lng gastos mo kasama na materials at labor.. :) kapag meron nagtatayo ng ganito negosyo, unti-unti nman namamatay ang mga internet cafe/shop.. minsan nga ang 20 units sa internet shop 2-3 lng occupy.. samantalang yung sa akin 6 units puno lahat kada oras at may naka standby na customer na ready mag occupy sa units sa kaling may available.. oh yeah!! :D
Bob Freking says:
If this business goes wildfire, poor people will spend all their money on this thinking that it is cheap. Sa ibang bansa di naman uso ang internet shops e. This shows na pati yung mga mahihirap, mas gugustuhin pang makipagsosyalan sa internet kaysa mag-ipon.
Malaking advantage sa mga magtatayo ng business na ganito, kaso yung bansa natin, sa palagay ko, bababa pa lalo ang kalagayan. Sa Facebook pa nga lang rami na nagpapauto sa mga likes, shares atbp e. Ang iniisip kasi ng tao, internet na lang ang paraan para sumikat ngayon tulad ng nangyari kay Justin Bieber at Charice.
Yun lang opinion ko. Being on the internet, kung illiterate ka, will only do you and everyone else much worse.
Eme says:
I have 3 PC Piso net/multi-pc 1:2 set up at my own place.
My piso net are for pure internet only. No games installed like dota and other online games.
Di ko nilagyan ng online games kasi lalong dadami ang magiging addict sa games particularly mga bata.
Malaki income ko sana sa piso net kung meron games na kinahihiligan ng marami. Dami kumukulit sa akin na lagyan ko.But I decided not to installed games.
Sa income naman more or less ay 13k to 15k a month. Sa printing, scan,skype and other services dun me laki kita.
Kilbaine says:
We have a dual slot piso net machine, 1 slot for 1 peso coin and the other is for 5 peso coin :)
vince says:
from a legal standpoint, diba you need to first secure a business permit and other permits and pay income tax just like any other internet cafe?
Martin Dy says:
@vince
oo nga. kailangan pa ba nito ng business permit? kung sa bahay ka lang ba nag o.operate hindi na kailangan? i’m also thingking of this kind of business.
shryock says:
@ vince and martin
Im not sure, but I think you dont need to secure a business permit for this one.
If you apply as BMBE: BARANGAY MICRO
BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, you just need a Certificate of Authority of some sort.
read here for more info:
http://www.bsp.gov.ph/downloads/laws/RA9178.pdf
rotogold says:
looks interesting!
blankpixels says:
I have a computer shop business here and all my competitors just recently switched to PisoNet.
Yes, you still have to secure a business permit as the licensing office here has a different fee range for those PisoNet Shops. Mas mahal pa yung fees namin na regular computers ang gamit. Most of my competitors don’t have a business permits, by the way, and they’re still operating. :( Sana lang kasing higpit din sila sa kanila.
My customers have been asking me to setup PisoNet machines here, and I probably would give in before Christmas. Lumiit kasi ang kita ko ever since PisoNet na nakapaligid sakin. But, for printing, they still go to my shop.
Jepdom says:
Nice Idea, How About This Business What Do you Think? http://bit.ly/MRsqV8
Alwell says:
If you are renting the place I think its almost the same on how regular icafe operates. Pamatay talaga ang rental fee ng lugar.
Ang nakikita ko lang advantages sa piso net ay yung di mo na kailangan e audit pa ang bantay mo kung may bantay ka pa rin nilagay doon kasi hanggat di puno ang box ng coins di mo kailangan ipabukas sa bantay mo yun. Bale ikaw lang may susi doon. Damihan mo nga lang ang reserve coins mo sa labas para pampalit. Another one tulad ng sabi sa taas kahit di umabot ang pera ng customers mo ng 8 pesos for half hour sa regular icafe pwede pa rin sila maka rent kahit saglit sa piso net.
Actually curious din ako kung kumusta na ang industry ng Icafe ? Kumpitensya na kasi ngayon ang mobile surfing eh. Dati mag FB lang kailangan pa nila mag rent sa Icafe pero now yung iba na may mga smartphones surf na lang sila sa phone nila.
jp says:
daming nagsulputan samin nito, paano kaya kapag naipasa ni sen. lapid yung coin hoarding bill?
huh says:
I dont see the point? Why would someone want this when the regular fee is already p15 an hour or whatever. Seems like extra overhead for no gain.
I think the company is just trying to cash in and offers no value really. A waste of time
nyenye says:
saka sa piso net, ilang minuto sa piso?
Paz says:
If i have a computer shop ill be placing a few units of these kind since piso lang ang tinatangap nya na barya eh mas ma inam parin na meron kang units na pang adik type at meron ding pang tingi na pc naka standby just a thought lang nmana ^^
Demney says:
I haven’t seen one yet so I can’t verify if it’s true but I remember someone telling me that you can exploit pisonets by using programs like Cheat Engine to “freeze” the timer. That way you could play non-stop using only a single peso.
sam says:
yes it is a viable business if you don’t have any competitor around. My brother-in-law has this business. Initial month is ok pero noong nagkaroon na siya ng mga competitor medyo bumagsak yong earnings niya.
Ryan says:
I have a shop sa cavite, I have 12 units and a server. Matindi ang competition sa lugar nmin kaya ang labanan tlga eh bilis ng PC. Meron kmi kalaban nka PISO net pro bulok PC nya kya wlang pumupunta dun. I think same lang nmn e2 ng may server disavantage lang eh mas mahal pa sya kesa regular unit ng PC. Sama pa rin need mo pa rin ng tao pra taga palit ng coins. Kya I rather upgrade my PC kesa bumili ng Box for this.
Rus says:
@sam
you can disable naman yung admin rights ng user para ilimit yung pwede nyang gawin sa pc mo..
hindi na sya makakapaginstall ng kahit na ano.
Binkable says:
Akala nyo ok yan? Software piracy ang kaso dyan. Kung legal ang operating system ok, halos lahat hindi eh. Hanapin nyo sa Facebook ang Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team at mag isip isip kayo at baka kumpiska at kulungan lang ang aabutin nyo sa negosyong ilegal.
Entrepreneur says:
Nice idea parang naalala ko yung mga arcade games noon mga 80’s piso piso rin ang hulog makakalaro ka na. Anyway yung monitor lang pala ang na-switch off kala ko yung computer ay mag-shu-shut down pag-naubos na oras mo. Mahirap din pala paano kung nakabukas yung facebook or email mo at naubos na time mo? Madaling ma-hack yung account mo ng susunod na user.
lurker says:
anyone think these as fire hazard equipments?
look how they mount the motherboard,hard drives and PSU on the wood?
Pisonet User says:
No USB support in this pisonet system…
Pisonet_pogi says:
i realy dont see the reason why pisonet owners need to put an i3 or a multi core processor a huge ram and a big capacity HDD in a pisonet system. most of the customers are just kids who play simple games that a single core can handle. browsing youtube and facebook does not need a rocket science PC.
Joey says:
Ok din ang piso net pero dapat di kailangan mataas ang SPECS para sa pisonet mostly piso net user yung mga gagamit lang mababa sa isang oras, kadalasan kung mas mataas pa dun di sa net cafe kana may promo pa minsan… isa pa browsing lang naman ang ginagawa ng mga user nyan pag games kasi kadalasan matagal sila gumamit….
Joey says:
Kung kukuha man ako ng Pisonet yung mababa lang ang specs para mas mura dagdag kita din yan sa mga may net cafe na para kung di afford ng costumer ang 1hr/P15 makakagamit padin sia sa pisonet…
Emil says:
kahit Pentium 4 na s478 pwede na sa pisonet lalo na kung counter strike at FB lang tapos onboard mo na lahat. nag uuto lang yan mga PC store para pagkakitaan ka
Jerome Felizardo says:
Good Day Sir. Interisado po ako mag karuon ganyang klase ng piso net pwede po ba malaman kung ano po ang contact no. nyo? salamat po.
Eme says:
where po location n’yo? sa internet shop ko improvised pisonet set up ginawa ko.
Nakatipid ako from cost of materials.
aron says:
ako din po interested magkaron ng ganyang bisnes..asap..may pwesto na ako..net connection din..please reply..
Wis says:
Hi, interested po ako to start my own. Anybody who can send in ideas or quotations from pisonet manufacturers or improvised pisonets, like the one of Eme?
Thank you!
molrak says:
i am interested in setting up a peso net business
are your units available in terms my capital is somewhat short for the moment
johh says:
nako! delikado ito, mapasukan at iihian lang ng Daga at Ipis ito sira na agad. dapat merong casing.
shirley t. gutierrez says:
magkano unit ng pisonet, interesDO AKO, my number is 091780*****,
Eplok says:
May i ask, if the owner cannot attend the shop personally , or hires someone to man the shop, paano po malaman kung magkano ang total sales for that day? Is there a machine that would count how many piso wer drop for that day
maricel says:
pisonet is a really good business, espcially sa mga public places.. kaylangan mataas ang specs kasi kahit bata naglalaro, marurunong din.. lalo na sa tondo area, lahat ng player namimili ng mga heavy games, pano kung mababa ang specs , sa iba sila pupunta.. kahit naman gastusan ng malaki ang isang unit.. tubong lugaw naman ito.. tulad sakin, i have 6 pisonet, sa bakod lang namin nilagay para walang monthly rental sa space, bill ko sa kuryente 3600 kasama na gamit sa bahay, pldt bill is 3700.. up to five mbps kasi kinuha ko para kahit mag crossfire di nag la log ang youtube .. coins out ko every 15 days.. 12000…take note two weeks pa lang po yan.. kaya mganda po tlga tong business na toh…
malou reverente says:
panu magkron ng businessn ganyan ang alamko kc pwedeng mag rent ng units hati s kita?
malou reverente says:
ate interesado ako how? 091595*****txt me nmn at pakilala k tnx
RJ says:
Meron b kaung mga list ng pisonet games jn?
allan says:
Bakit di nalang gamitan ng HANDYCAFE internet management software? Pareho lang namn, libre pa, mas flexible pa, pwede mong i time kung hanggang ilang minuto lang gusto nila.. makikita mo pa sa server kung ano pinaggawa nila secretly.. pwede mo i reboot, shutdown kung nag bbrowse sila ng porno or what.. for me dagdag lang to sa maintainance, pro kung bibilin mo buong unit na meron na nyan ok lang siguro, pro kung may unit kana palagyan mo nyan its just a waste of money…
RYAN says:
i have my own.. 2 pcs aku Narin gumawa ng box at nag assemble.. effective!! hassle free!! from leyte..
Eden says:
Pede po bang wifi ang gamitin sa pisonet?
Pisonet Timer says:
Call or Text @ 092283*****
-support 2 coin slot (tested on ALLAN coin slot and other brands)
-automatically lock windows screen, turn-off speaker on timed out.
-customized background image on Lock Screen .
-automatically shutdown PC if not used.
-login and add time by just inserting a coins.
-can generate tickets and login or add time using username and password if ever the coin slot is temporarily unavailable.
-proven and tested on Windows 7, also compatible on XP (sp2, sp3) & Vista 32bit OS
-prevent hacking such as cheat engine & other hacking software.
-autostart time left when computer restart. (hang-ups) (brown-out)
-added more functionality, disable drives and other registry tweaks.
-added auto send income report to your email.
boxing-mad free says:
Hi are using Wordprewss for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m
trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any
coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would bbe really appreciated!
ERWIN says:
Regarding the picture of pisonet interiors there are many risks that you may face such as:
1)Safety Problem: Hardwares mounted on wood? Not grounded? Fire is inevitable.
2)Reliability Problem: Highly susceptible to shock or vibration that may cause intermittent or complete failure of PC operation.The hardware should be put in its usual metal casing
Renz says:
No Erwin, raise the motherboard a few millimeters higher and it is very unlikely for it to start a fire. Computer temperature can only go as high as 80-100 Celsius which is impossible to ignite the wood.
The only thing that is susceptible to shocks and vibration is the hard drive, because it has moving parts inside it, otherwise the rest of the computer parts are completely in tuck.
Piso Net Owner says:
Maganda pong business ang piso net cafe.
sa katunayan ako po ang guma ng PISO NET CAFE Bzness ko from scratch until operational..
kaya gumawa na rin ako ng blog para po sa mga gustong magsimula ng ganitong business.
I will help din po paano gumawa ng pisonet cafe DIY version…
yung mga interesado just drop lang po sa blog ko ..
“Strike the iron until it become hot.” dont wait for the perfect time… Kaya kung balak mo mag bzness ng ganito?.. simulan muna.
Thanks,
thomas mercado says:
cool & enterprising. maybe sari-sari stores can have tingi tablet usage for instant internet surfing.
Pisonet-internet says:
good luck to all investors
Angelyn says:
Hello :) anu bang ok na internet plan ang pwede kong kunin if I will buy 3units of pisonet? Globe broadband or mydsl pldt?
Thanks!
luisito saratan says:
paano ho maka avail nitong piso net..magkano namn ho ang 1 unit…nag bibigay din po ba kayo ng instalment.
linnlim says:
Ask k lng po, as 2 what is the best internet connection for 4 units of pisonet? Do you deliver in Tarlac? HM u charge for delivery and have the pisonet set up? Tnx po.
dawdawd says:
hindi nman gumagana e bobo
Joel Bulac says:
Magkano po ang unit dahil balak ko pong bumili ng sampo? Salamat po..
Brightbox Pisonet says:
Maganda ang pisonet business kasi kahit sino pwede magkaroon nito. Pwede magsimula kahit sa maliit na halaga lang na puhunan.
Tony says:
+Piso Net Owner
Yung anak ko gustong magtayo nitong netpiso cafe. Ano ang blog site mo?
Salamat
keycy may pajuelas says:
sir, can i have more details for this article.. i just really need it
Jer D. says:
Sinong merong BrandNew [Preferrably Intel or ASUS or AMD MBoard for Gaming (like: Dota2 / Call of Duty / Company of Heroes…)] 5kPhp package na PisoNet? Kung meron, ano ang Specs?
Cherry says:
How to avail po? Kindly email me for details. :)
Princess Rojanna Silongan says:
I am planning to stand a business like this. sino may ala na nag bebenta per set? yung all set na pati mga laro. Thanks! :)
Al says:
Is pisonet franchise or not?
Jonny Gonzales says:
Great guide! You should also add a piso wifi machine in your shop para dun sa gustong sa phone lang maglalaro. Maraming nagbebenta dyan online (builder po ako) pero pwede din kayo gumawa ng DIY na machine. Sa gustong mag try, check nyo Ado https://www.adopisoft.com/ para sa guides kung pano mag DIY.