OG needs help buying first hardware wallet

[adaseb]

So I’ve been involved with crypto for over a decade. Took security very seriously and never used a hardware wallet because I just didn’t think they were secure enough. I did my cold storage the old fashion way.

Come 2025 and I want to play around with networks such as Solana where I can really use an old offline laptop to sign every transaction.

So I have been looking at wallets and best buy seems to sell the Ledger Nano S plus locally.

I have a few questions. I watched YouTube videos and read reviews but I find they are bias and just want revenue from you giving them affiliate income.

The way the wallet is secure I am assuming the seed is never shown on the online computer just the wallet screen?

How do I make sure the unit was not tampered with? Someone could have returned it at Best Buy and shrink swapped it themselves?

Any security issues with the Ledger Nano wallet I should be aware of? I will never use the cloud seed storage obviously.

[OmegaStarScream]

The Nano S has been discontinued (with other models too): https://support.ledger.com/article/360010500620-zd

Personally, I wouldn't buy a ledger device especially after the whole recovery system they pushed some time ago (not sure how things are right now, and if they have made any more clarifications, etc. I haven't been following).

As for your second question, you can check this article: https://support.ledger.com/article/4404389367057-zd

Here is something you can read as well (ongoing discussion): https://asktom.cf/index.php?topic=5370521.0

[PX-Z]

So I’ve been involved with crypto for over a decade. Took security very seriously and never used a hardware wallet because I just didn’t think they were secure enough. I did my cold storage the old fashion way.

Hardware wallets especially from Trezor are already tested as secured on its own, especially compared to your any kind desktop, and mobile wallets that can interact the internet.

How do I make sure the unit was not tampered with? Someone could have returned it at Best Buy and shrink swapped it themselves?

The device should not be setup already when it arrives. Seriously, i only suggest buying from official store or official retailers of HW you are going to buy.

Any security issues with the Ledger Nano wallet I should be aware of? I will never use the cloud seed storage obviously.

Just like the above mentioned, I won't suggest Ledger as well, aside from their data breach of their customers data (not related to HW device) and heir decision to have such cloud seed storage service defeats the whole thing of having HW is enough for me not to trust them anymore. Trezor is the oldest HW, open source and is really recommended by almost everyone.

[SFR10]

The way the wallet is secure I am assuming the seed is never shown on the online computer just the wallet screen?

That's correct... The generation & verification parts of the seed phrase are only displayed on the device ^[source].

I will never use the cloud seed storage obviously.

Regardless of the device in question having the v1.1.1 firmware ^{[firmware that enabled Ledger Recover on Nano S Plus devices]} or not, at some point, you'll probably have to update your device... In other words, it doesn't matter if you'd be using the Ledger Recover or not ^{[if that feature exists, the damage is already done (based on how they operate, you can't be sure they don't have any access to it before the activation part)]}!

[Meuserna]

You can't prove the Ledger Nano doesn't have any of the code that gives Ledger and their partner companies (and potential hackers) the ability to access to your seed.

I know some would respond by saying "But it's not compatible with Ledger Recover" as if that means it doesn't still have any of the code even if it doesn't use that code.

I wouldn't use a Ledger even if I got one free.  Not even if they paid me to use the thing.  Short term, it's probably...  fine.  Long term?  Are you kidding???

The only provably safe use for a Ledger device is as a decoy wallet.

Never trust your coins to closed source code.  That defeats the entire purpose of Bitcoin.

[adaseb]

The issue I am having with the other manufactures is that if I bought any of those wallets I would need to get it shipped to my home address. I cant ship it to work and dont want to ship it to a friends or family house.

Sure I can rent a PO box, but the issue is that most of the main carriers cannot deliver to a PO Box because Canada's main postal service.

The Ledger is local at the bestbuy, I can go there and buy it with cash. I wouldnt need to worry about any leaks in the future because I would buy it in person.

[apogio]

Hello, I won't suggest any wallets because I am not into altcoins and don't have a proper idea, but I wanted to guide you to this post:

Why I wouldn't buy Ledger Nano S ever again?

This thread was released in 2021, which means it's a long-going issue.

[SFR10]

The issue I am having with the other manufactures is that if I bought any of those wallets I would need to get it shipped to my home address.[...] main carriers cannot deliver to a PO Box because Canada's main postal service.[...] I can go there and buy it with cash.

I just finished checking Trezor's authorized resellers in Canada and it appears that "QuickBit" has a brick-and-mortar store, so you can go there and pay with cash:
^{- I'm not sure how close you are to them and which manufacturer you've already checked, but you might find more of them on the following website: TheBitcoinHole}

[rdluffy]

OP, do you know if Amazon offers locker delivery in Canada?
It might be a solution for you

When I was in the United States, I bought a Trezor on Amazon and had it delivered to a locker. It was very fast and secure
Trezor and Ledger are officially sold on Amazon

My first wallet was a Ledger Nano S, which I coincidentally bought at Best Buy. I've had it for a few years now, and when I went to use it, I checked its authenticity using the Ledger software and also opened my wallet to check the chips

[adaseb]

OP, do you know if Amazon offers locker delivery in Canada?
It might be a solution for you

When I was in the United States, I bought a Trezor on Amazon and had it delivered to a locker. It was very fast and secure
Trezor and Ledger are officially sold on Amazon

My first wallet was a Ledger Nano S, which I coincidentally bought at Best Buy. I've had it for a few years now, and when I went to use it, I checked its authenticity using the Ledger software and also opened my wallet to check the chips

Yes it does offer locker delivery but the issue is that I want to buy directly from the manufacturer. You know how Amazon is. Someone can buy it, tamper with it, shrink wrap it and just send it back for refund. I think someone from Amazon had an issue where they bought a hardware wallet and the seed was already created.

Regarding local brick store. Again I am having issues with those. They all look sketch to me. Not saying they aren’t honest but they aren’t as large and trusted as BestBuy.

[rdluffy]

...

Yes it does offer locker delivery but the issue is that I want to buy directly from the manufacturer. You know how Amazon is. Someone can buy it, tamper with it, shrink wrap it and just send it back for refund. I think someone from Amazon had an issue where they bought a hardware wallet and the seed was already created.

Regarding local brick store. Again I am having issues with those. They all look sketch to me. Not saying they aren’t honest but they aren’t as large and trusted as BestBuy.

I understand you perfectly, it's good to be paranoid about your wallet 
Even when buying a wallet in a physical store, you can buy a wallet that has already been opened. Whether the store is online or physical, it makes no difference in this regard

However, just remember that Trezor officially sells through Amazon, not third parties, and you can verify the authenticity of the wallet using Trezor's software. In addition, the website itself has images of what it looks like when you receive your wallet so you can check that everything is OK according to the manufacturer

If it is the Safe 3 model, for example: https://trezor.io/guides/trezor-devices/trezor-safe-3/authenticate-trezor-safe-3

      

[Forsyth Jones]

There's a YouTube channel I highly recommend: Ben from BTCSessions. He's reviewed and provided tutorials on 90% of the hardware and software wallets available, and his videos are very informative. I've been following him since 2017.

So, if you have any questions about a particular wallet, I recommend watching his videos.

https://www.youtube.com/@BTCSessions

In my personal opinion, don't waste your time with Ledger. If you want to use altcoins like Solana, the Trezor Safe 5, Safe 3, or Model T are simply the best options. If you have an Android, you can use it directly on your phone via the USB-C connection.

[OmegaStarScream]

Yes it does offer locker delivery but the issue is that I want to buy directly from the manufacturer. You know how Amazon is. Someone can buy it, tamper with it, shrink wrap it and just send it back for refund. I think someone from Amazon had an issue where they bought a hardware wallet and the seed was already created.

Regarding local brick store. Again I am having issues with those. They all look sketch to me. Not saying they aren’t honest but they aren’t as large and trusted as BestBuy.

The only thing I could think of is using a package forwarding company. I don't believe they would have issues shipping there, it should not be treated the same as PO boxes. Obviously, you could also be paranoid about the workers at the company's warehouse... but that's just too much.

[Cricktor]

A genuine new Trezor hardware wallet doesn't have firmware on them, only a bootloader that accepts genuine firmware or would very clearly display when non-genuine firmware has been put on the device.

If you buy a Trezor 3 or 5 and it already has firmware uploaded, then it's not a brand new Trezor. Easy to detect.

I don't consider any stickers to be something to provide strong and valid evidence that something hasn't been tampered with.


I wouldn't buy any Ledger crap out there, simply forget that this shitty company exists. They are not worth to get any money for their closed-source shit.

[adaseb]

Does anyone know if its possible to use those Browser wallets like Metamask or Phantom offline?

Basically you would have Metamask/Phantom on 2 computers. One online and one offline. The online one would load the transaction, and you would get the offline one to sign it. Similar to using Electrum with cold storage.

Only issue I can find is that you need internet first to create an account to get the seed. This would make things much easier than having to source hardware wallets.

[bitbollo]

I would use some standard guides like glacier protocol for setup a proper cold wallet (that off course could be used in a signing only device)
If you need hardware wallets, but you are already able (and know) the basic of bitcoin you don't need these devices.
I have many of thems but literally no used - some are still sealed like a "collectible". Never. Even because I am really lazy even because I don't find these are "unique" tools

[rdluffy]

I posted here and ended up deleting the post 

The user Cricktor made a good point: Trezor wallets do not come with firmware installed
By taking the necessary precautions, checking your wallet externally, and installing the firmware yourself, I believe you would be sufficiently secure
And your data would still not be in the Trezor store

Be almost certain that Metamask and Phantom do not work the same as Electrum, which allows you to sign transactions offline

When using a hardware wallet with both wallets, your seed remains in the hardware wallet and will not be exposed to any wallet

[adaseb]

I would use some standard guides like glacier protocol for setup a proper cold wallet (that off course could be used in a signing only device)
If you need hardware wallets, but you are already able (and know) the basic of bitcoin you don't need these devices.
I have many of thems but literally no used - some are still sealed like a "collectible". Never. Even because I am really lazy even because I don't find these are "unique" tools

I did some research and Glacer protocol seems to only be for bitcoin. But Bitcoin is very easy for cold storage, you can even use the bitcoin core software to sign transactions offline.

I am looking for a wallet of some sort which works with defi that you can keep offline and use an online computer to generate an unsigned transaction, take it to the offline computer, sign and bring back to online to broadcast? Do you know if this is possible yet?

[apogio]

I did some research and Glacer protocol seems to only be for bitcoin. But Bitcoin is very easy for cold storage, you can even use the bitcoin core software to sign transactions offline.

Yes, the Glacier protocol is super strong and effective protocol, which has been around literally forever since Bitcoin was invented. But, for me it's too complicated. I mean, I 've tried it for fun with some spare computers (and USBs) I used to have, just to set it up and see how it works, but the first thing that I thought was "ok, you did it, but would an average user do it easily?" and the answer is definitely no.