Anyone can set up a **Lotus Node** and connect to the **Lotus Testnet**. This is the best way to explore the current CLI and the **Filecoin Decentralized Storage Market**.
In order to connect to the network, you need to be connected to at least 1 peer. If you’re seeing 0 peers, read our [troubleshooting notes](https://docs.lotu.sh/en+setup-troubleshooting).
Make sure that you have a reasonable "open files limit" set on your machine, such as 10000. If you're seeing a lower value, such as 256 (default on macOS), read our [troubleshooting notes](https://docs.lotu.sh/en+setup-troubleshooting) on how to update it prior to starting the Lotus daemon.
While the daemon is running, the next requirement is to sync the chain. Run the command below to view the chain sync progress. To see current chain height, visit the [network stats page](https://stats.testnet.filecoin.io/).
To see the latest network activity, including **chain block height**, **block height**, **blocktime**, **total network power**, largest **block producer miner**, check out the [monitoring dashboard](https://stats.testnet.filecoin.io).