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4 Best Monero Wallets To Store Your (XMR) Offline (2020)
In this article, I am going to go over the 4 best monero wallets to store your Monero (XMR) offline in (2019). As an advocate for privacy, I strongly believe in the value proposition of this coin. Monero is a unique flavor of privacy and being able to have coins on a blockchain, while still remaining completely anonymous and untraceable. This coin has been in and around the top 10 market cap for the past several years and is currently hovering around number twelve at the time of this writing.
The problem we’ve had for a while is the fact that if you wanted to store your Monero on your own desktop wallet, you needed to know how to use a command line and we did not have a GUI (graphical user interface) wallet for the longest time. Those days are now over as there has been added support for desktop, mobile, and now hardware wallets.
I am going to discuss below the 4 best wallet options for using and storing your Monero offline (and one online option, due to the fact the wallet has a fantastic user experience). I have been highly cautious of keeping my Monero (until recently) on any wallets off of the exchange, due to the fact that it was extremely cumbersome and not very easy to manage in an easy way. Luckily you can now use XMR in your day-to-day transactions as well as securely store them offline. Below are the list of wallets that I have personally used an recommend. Let’s get to it!
#1 LEDGER NANO S
The Nano S is the first hardware wallet to support this coin in being able to keep your private keys offline. When dealing with Ledger Live, it requires you to download the app and then you can use the official desktop wallet from Monero’s website to link it with to manage your funds via graphical user interface. This will ensure that your private keys never leave the device (safest way) yet you can manage balances and authorize transactions from the official wallet when the device is present.
Keep in mind, this will require you to setup a node. What does that mean? It means it will download the entire blockchain onto your computer and index it properly for you to operate the wallet and contribute to the blockchain verification. This does not mean you will “mine” Monero, but it will require your hard drive to stay up to date with the latest version and blocks of the current blockchain.
This is a downside, however, nothing is safer than keeping your private keys offline, so make sure you have enough room on your computer for this task to run and operate. I also wrote a recent article with how this works with Tezos as well, as the process is similar, but still easier than this.
The steps to do this are listed Below:
- Download the Monero wallet for your platform.
- Extract the package you’ve just downloaded.
- Open the monero-gui-v0.14 folder.
- (optional) Move the monero-wallet-gui file to your applications folder.
- Launch the Monero wallet by opening monero-wallet-gui.
On Windows: Click Allow access so the firewall does not block the Monero wallet. - Choose your language.
Set up with Ledger Nano S
- Unlock your Ledger Nano S and open the Monero app.
- Click Create a new wallet from hardware device in the Monero wallet.
- Enter a wallet name.
- Enter 1720000 in the restore height field, then enter 3:100 in the subaddress lookahead field.
- On your Ledger device, choose whether to export the private view key to your computer:
- Approving view key export enables your computer to identify your transactions. However, if your computer is compromised, your transaction privacy might be at risk.
- Rejecting view key export optimizes privacy protection since the view key remains secure on your Ledger device. However, identifying your transactions will be slower.
- You may have to press the device button twice, then wait for your addresses to be generated.
- Enter and confirm an optional password. Then continue to the next page.
- Choose an option for the Daemon settings:
- Start a node to download and validate the full blockchain. This offers the optimal level of privacy and contributes to the strength of the Monero network. This requires at least 60 GB of disk space, and initial synchronization may take several days.
>> Select the first option and leave the rest blank. - Connect to a remote node to immediately use the wallet and preserve your computer resources. However, you will not benefit from the optimum level of privacy, nor will you contribute to the strength of the Monero network.
>> Tick Connect to a remote node, choose a remote node and enter its Hostname and Port. - Start a local node, but use a remote one while your local node synchronizes.
>> Tick Start a node and also choose a remote node and enter its Hostname and Port.
- Start a node to download and validate the full blockchain. This offers the optimal level of privacy and contributes to the strength of the Monero network. This requires at least 60 GB of disk space, and initial synchronization may take several days.
#2 LEDGER NANO X (Best Monero Wallet)
This is the newest iteration of the Ledger hardware wallet and is designed to handle over 100 apps on the device at once, as opposed to the current limit of about 2-4 apps on the Nano S (it depends on the apps you use). You can also manage this wirelessly via bluetooth and the new iOS mobile app for Ledger Live that was recently released.
The same rules and steps apply above, however, once you install the desktop wallet and sync it up, you will be able to manage your Monero from the mobile app and send and receive transactions wirelessly, which is powerful if you use this as an actual currency, as most enthusiasts do.
The device is now currently $119 and is shipping at the end of May 2019, as it will be caught up with it’s inventory by then. I look forward to doing a review for this device in the very near future.
#3 TREZOR MODEL T
The Trezor Model T is a slick device and has some unique security features enabled on the device, including PIN verification on the device itself instead of the web application that is required by it’s predecessor. This device only has one caveat at the moment. Even though the firmware does technically support Monero at this time, there is no GUI to access or manage it, like you can with the Ledger devices above.
So how do you access it? I hope you know how to work the command line, as there are a few lines of code required to generate a wallet and start using it. The link above goes into those commands, but I do not recommend it for new or novice users, as it can get a bit technical.
The good news is, there has been word on their github page that there is currently work on a GUI wallet to be integrated with the Trezor Model T. This is serious progress, as the only other hardware wallets that currently support this is Ledger, and it would be lovely to have a native application built out for this coin.
That would be a HUGE advantage to whichever company can pull this off, but it requires intense collaboration and cooperation from the Monero camp to get this done. I am looking forward to see who get this done first, because I will dedicate a specific article to this, as I think it deserves it.
#4 (BONUS) EDGE WALLET
Now, the reason I included this as a bonus, is because this is technically not an offline solution. However, Edge is an amazing mobile and wallet that has an beautiful graphical user interface and supports Monero in an easy and convenient way. This is noteworthy, because I am not aware of any other mobile wallets that do this, and that means if there are any that exist, they are probably not that reputable.
At any rate, There are some screen shots listed here to show you how the user flow works and how this is probably your best solution for sending/receiving Monero in a very easy way.
It should also give your comfort that your private keys will be encrypted on your mobile device, so even if Edge servers do get hacked for any reason, your keys are safe on your mobile device, where only you have access to them. This is one of the more “secure” mobile or hot wallets on the market.
I keep some of my every day spending crypto on this wallet as it feels very robust and safe, but again I cannot stress this enough, nothing beats a hardware wallet in terms of security, and I only typically keep a small amount of crypto on a hot wallet like this at any given time.
CONCLUSION
So what’s the best Monero wallet? All in all, these are the best solutions for securing your Monero offline (and one “hot wallet” option as well). I highly recommend using a hardware wallet for all of your crypto storage solutions and I strongly recommend reading my free e-book, where I go in depth and provide you the 5 best ways to secure your cryptocurrency. It is absolutely free, so click the orange button at the top of the site to get your free download.
As mentioned above, I have a soft spot for privacy-focused coins and Monero is absolutely one of my favorites. Depending on your technical aptitude, you may just want to use a Ledger listed above, and I will update this article as time goes on with any relevant updates and changes as they develop. Thanks again for reading!
What do you think are the best ways to store your Monero offline? How do you store yours? Sound off below in the comments!
Cheers,
The Crypto Renegade
NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.
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BC VAULT vs KeepKey (2020) | How Important Is Multi-Sig, Really?
BC VAULT vs KeepKey! In this comparison, we are going to do a head-to-head of two of the most competitive and popular new cryptocurrency hardware wallets in this edition of the hardware wallet roundups.
I am going to dive into which of these hardware wallets is better and more secure. How big is your portfolio? Do you need mobile AND desktop support? Do you use any 3rd party wallets for integration? Do you need web-based access instead of a required download?
These are all questions you will need to consider when deciding which of these wallets will be best for you. At the end of the day, the coin support is one of the most important factors (besides security) when deciding which hardware wallet is best for you.
Ultimately, if it doesn’t support the coins you want to store offline, it won’t work for your particular situation. So keep that in mind as we dive into what I consider to be the most important factors when making such an important decision, such as choosing a cryptocurrency hardware wallet.
BC VAULT: Overview
Unlike most other popular cryptocurrency hardware wallets, like Ledger Nano X and Trezor Model T, you do not set up a recovery seed card before you initialize the device. In fact, there is a gyro sensor for you to randomly generate private keys by physically shaking the device (seriously).
You can also hold more than 2000 unique wallets within the web app, and can granularly set specific passwords for each one and setup multiple PIN’s to not only make it more secure, but also allows for an easy way to share the device and use Multi-Sig. In fact, this is the first device that natively allows you to use Multi-Sig on a per wallet basis and set multiple PIN’s.
This wallet does not use HD wallets, so each wallet has its own unique backup. This does make it more secure, however, if you lose or forget the global PIN and global password for the device, your funds are locked inside forever. They do have an encrypted QR code backup for each individual wallet, or you can create a backup on the included micro SD card that comes in the box.
BC VAULT: Security
The storage is reliable. The BC Vault’s private keys have complete encryption and they are stored in the FRAM device. The FRAM is fully tamper-resistant and thanks to the reversible USB 3.0 Type-C connector any damage occurring from mechanical error is fully prevented.
In addition to the secure FeRAM that is securely encrypted, and the large display which is useful when confirming transactions, you have peace of mind not having to worry about anyone locating or using a recovery seed phrase to render your funds useless.
You can also import any private keys you have elsewhere via the SD card as well, so you can easily interchange private keys from other wallets if you have them in the correct format.
BC VAULT: User Experience (UX)
This wallet has some pretty unique features I will admit, and it’s pretty refreshing. For example, you can use multiple cryptocurrencies at once. There are no “apps” you need to install or fear or worry of running out of space that most wallets have when upgrading the firmware.
Additionally, the amount of coins and wallets that can be used/stored simultaneously is astounding. As mentioned above, you can have up to 2000 unique wallets and can interchange multiple cryptos in multiple wallets.
BC VAULT: Coin Support
This is usually one of the most important factors when deciding on a hardware wallet (with the exception of security). If the wallet doesn’t currently support the coins you need to store offline, you can’t really take it too seriously as a deciding factor for purchase. Regardless of whether or not they claim to add more coins in the future.
Needless to say, they have some unique choices for coin support HERE.
KeepKey: Overview
KeepKey has been one of my absolute favorite hardware wallets to use in 2019. I was asked to test and report back issues with the ShapeShift beta that was a complete overhaul and utilized the KeepKey as it’s cornerstone of promoting keeping possession of your private keys under your control while you conduct trades, which has never been done before.
It was an ambitious goal, but they pulled it off in spades, and as a result it resulted in one of the best user experiences while using a hardware wallet I’ve ever encountered. It was quick, safe, and makes it easier than ever to manage your assets, portfolio, and trades all while keeping all your keys on a hardware wallet and never forfeiting custody. This is truly a game-changer and will pave the way for future hardware wallets moving into the next decade.
Let’s find out why below!
KeepKey: Security
KeepKey has a true random number generator (TRNG) for it’s PIN interface for extra physical security. In addition to offline storage, KeepKey’s PIN code and number randomization makes sure that
1) Your wallet is secure from physical theft.
2) That a hacker couldn’t steal bitcoins from your wallet with malware.
KeepKey is an HD wallet, meaning your entire wallet can be backed up with the 12 words generated on setup. 12 words is the default setting, although KeepKey supports seed lengths of 18 and 24.
The seed is generated using entropy from both the device itself and the computer used for setup. The seed is generated offline on the KeepKey and displayed on the device’s screen. The device’s offline screen makes sure the seed is never displayed on an internet-connected device.
KeepKey: User Experience (UX)
w,This is a complete overhaul that includes all of their services including: Instant Trades, Real-Time Market Data via CoinCap, In-App Crypto Purchases, and KeepKey Integration. That last part is of particular interest to me because I’ve wanted to find a way to execute purchases and trades while having my KeepKey connected, while ensuring that my private keys are protected throughout the entire process.
This is a very important detail, especially if you want to make purchases online with that extra protection and also ensure that my private keys are never compromised in a trade. This truly is the ultimate non-custodial hardware wallet solution. Here’s a few screenshots and user flows based on my experience using this web app.
KeepKey: Coin Support
Natively, this wallet in the current form supports over 40 assets with more on the way! Here is a current list of assets that are supported right now. Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty. For years, KeepKey only supported: Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Namecoin, Dogecoin, and Dash. For a hardware wallet that needs to compete in this market place, that needed a serious upgrade.
Luckily, they have been making some AMAZING changes and not only added a ton of ERC-20 Support, but more importantly, they are revamping their entire platform to have one fluid, seamless application that integrates all of their core services (See my previous post for details on this). This is extremely powerful, and a decision that I believe will catapult them ahead of the competition. They are currently in a closed beta, and it is expected that they will be releasing this later in 2019. Stay tuned for news on this.
Some of the notable coins that have been added are:
-Chainlink (LINK)
-DigixDAO (DGD)
-Binance Coin (BNB)
-Dai (DAI)
-Maker (MKR)
-TrueUSD (TUSD)
BC VAULT vs KeepKey: Conclusion
Honestly, this is a tough one. My experience has been extremely pleasant when using both of these hardware wallets and I use them both for different coins and different use cases. Having said that, I enjoy the trading and portfolio experience on the KeepKey better.
The BC Vault is a VERY unique and robust wallet, especially if you want to secure share this hardware wallet with multiple people and want to use multi-sig to have shared wallets with multiple “voters” required in order to spend a transaction.
As of the time of this writing, you can can get a Keepkey for under $50 during this holiday season special and comes in multiple colors, so you will get a high quality device that is easy to use and uniquely allows you to trade your assets without ever releasing custody of your private keys.
This is a VERY big deal, and has not been done yet on any other hardware wallet. Although, Shapeshift has recently added some limited support for Trezor and Ledger Nano S.
All this to say, if you want a robust “vault” that is very intricate and allows for multiple users to use it safely, go with the BC VAULT. If you like to trade and want a very user friendly way to manage your portfolio, you can’t go wrong with the KeepKey.
BC VAULT vs Keepkey! What do you think? Would you choose the BC VAULT over the D’CENT Wallet? Let us know down below in the comments!
Cheers,
The Crypto Renegade
NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. This adds no cost to you but it helps me focus on giving as much value as possible in every single post by being compensated for recommending products that help people succeed.
