Since the release of Wasabi 2.0, many users have told us that they felt that hardware wallet integration had been put on hold. They were somewhat right. WabiSabi has made so many changes to the way coinjoins work that it has required almost exclusive focus for the past two years.

Fast forward to April 2024, WabiSabi coinjoins have largely stabilized and major performance improvements have been made to block filters. Because of this, active work on hardware wallet integration support has resumed.

In 2.0.6, two new wallets were added to Wasabi’s list of supported hardware wallets: BitBox02 and Blockstream Jade. 

With the latest release (2.0.7), we’re announcing that the newly released Trezor Safe 3 hardware wallet with secure element protection is now compatible with Wasabi Wallet. 

If you want to know all the details about this integration, keep reading. We will talk about what exactly is supported in this integration, how to use your Trezor with Wasabi, and finally how you can coinjoin directly from your hardware wallet using Trezor Suite. 

Why the Trezor Safe​​ 3?

The Trezor One and Model T do not rely on secure elements for protection, making them vulnerable to physical security attacks without the use of a passphrase. 

The Trezor Safe 3 introduces Secure Element Protection (EAL6+), and combined with a device-entry passphrase, it provides bulletproof security. 

It also features Trezor’s open-source design, on-device transaction confirmation, and an intuitive user experience. And as with all Trezor hardware wallets, you can use Shamir backups for added security. 

The most surprising thing about Trezor Safe 3 is how affordable it is: just $79 USD. If you don’t already have one, get yours here. 

What is Supported in Wasabi’s Latest Integration?

This integration is very similar to the existing integration for Trezor’s One and T models. Wasabi only uses one device management component, HWI (Hardware Wallet Interface), which limits the scope of what we can support.

You can add a wallet, send and receive bitcoin, and confirm your transactions and addresses on the device. You can also use and manage your passphrase directly from your Trezor Safe 3.

Keep in mind, device initialization and firmware updates are not supported and you’re better off using Trezor Suite for that. Finally, as with all our hardware wallet integrations, there’s no support for coinjoins directly from your hardware device with Wasabi.

Coinjoin on Trezor Suite

However, you can coinjoin on Trezor Suite using the Safe 3 and the other two devices. The best part of this feature is that you’ll be using the same coordinator as on Wasabi, the zkSNACKs coordinator based on WabiSabi technology.

To learn more about this integration made possible by our partnership with Trezor, read here. 

How To Use Trezor Safe 3 with Wasabi Wallet

Follow these easy steps:

1. Select ‘Add Wallet’ from the sidebar in Wasabi.
2. In the modal window, click on ‘Connect to hardware wallet‘.

3. Name your new wallet, then click ‘Continue’.

4. Connect your Trezor Safe 3 to your computer and unlock it with the PIN.
   1. If necessary, click on Rescan once your device is ready.

5. Wasabi will recognize your Trezor Safe 3. Confirm by clicking Yes.
6. A success message will confirm the connection. Click on Done.

Your Trezor Safe 3 is now ready for use with Wasabi Wallet!
Download and verify the latest version today.

The post Latest Hardware Wallet Integration: Trezor Safe 3 on Wasabi appeared first on Wasabi Wallet - Blog.

Wasabi has proven its reputation as the best privacy-focused bitcoin wallet, and now we’re on a mission to become the best desktop wallet for security-minded users. Integrating support for major hardware wallets is a fundamental step towards that goal.

Swiss-Made Exceptional Engineering

The BitBox02 offers a blend of user-centric design and state-of-the-art security features for Bitcoin cold storage. To learn more about the device or purchase one, check out Bitbox’s website. 

Read on if you want to know how to set up your Bitbox02 with Wasabi Wallet and also how to use it for sending and receiving bitcoin daily. 

How to Setup BitBox02 with Wasabi Wallet

Follow these easy steps to link BitBox02 with Wasabi.

Warning: You may need to disable the “Pairing code” feature or unlock the device with the BitBoxApp or hwi-qt before using it with Wasabi, as Wasabi currently does not support this function.

1. Select ‘Add Wallet’ from the sidebar in Wasabi.
2. In the modal window, click on ‘Connect to hardware wallet‘.

3. Name your new wallet, then click ‘Continue’.

4. Connect your BitBox02 to your computer and unlock it with the PIN.
   1. If necessary, click on Rescan once your device is ready.

5. Wasabi will recognize your BitBox02. Confirm by clicking Yes.

6. A success message will confirm the connection. Click on Done.

Your BitBox02 is now ready for use with Wasabi Wallet!

How to Receive Bitcoin with BitBox02 and Wasabi Wallet

Using your hardware wallet like the Bitbox02 on Wasabi is perfect to send your coins to secure cold-storage after you’ve used the coinjoin feature on your hot wallet.

Receiving Bitcoin is as simple as the following steps:

1. Click on Receive
2. Enter a label with the name of your choice for your receiving address.
3. Verify the address on your BitBox02 by clicking on the small icon shown below.
4. Scan the QR code or copy and paste the bitcoin address.

How to Send Bitcoin with BitBox02 and Wasabi Wallet

Here are the instructions to send bitcoin out of your secure cold-storage BitBox02 wallet. 

1. Click on Send
2. Enter the destination address and the bitcoin amount.
3. Enter a label with the name of your choice for the destination address. 
4. Most importantly, verify the details of the transaction on your BitBox02 before confirming. 

Congratulations!

You’ve made a successful transaction with your favorite hardware wallet from Wasabi. 

Ready to use BitBox02 with Wasabi Wallet? 

Download and verify the latest version today.

More on the Juggernaut Release

The Juggernaut Release of Wasabi Wallet introduces significant advancements in performance and privacy. 

This update extends support to two leading open-source hardware wallets: BitBox02 and Blockstream Jade. It also introduces the Safety Coinjoin feature, adds 11 new RPC calls, and implements numerous performance and user experience enhancements.

To dive deeper into the specifics of this update, including all the new features and improvements, read the full announcement article here.

The post How to Use BitBox02 (New) with Wasabi Wallet appeared first on Wasabi Wallet - Blog.

The latest integration allows users to protect their bitcoin holdings in cold storage with Jade while using the coinjoin feature from the hot wallet, all from the same Wasabi application. You will have to initialize your Jade with the Blockstream Green software wallet, but once that is done you will be ready to use it with Wasabi. 

Why Blockstream Jade?

Blockstream has a striking track record of state-of-the-art engineering, and Jade proves this once again.

“Blockstream Jade is an easy-to-use, purely open-source hardware wallet that offers advanced security for your Bitcoin and Liquid assets.” – Blockstream

One of the key differences between Jade and other hardware wallets is that the device is fully open-source, it doesn’t have a security element BUT is still resistant to physical attacks. Jade achieves this by introducing a zero-knowledge oracle-enforced PIN protection system. Learn more about this innovative approach to physical security here. 

Get your Jade now for only $64.99 on the Blockstream Store. 

How to Connect Your Blockstream Jade with Wasabi Wallet?

Once you follow these simple steps, you should be able to connect your Jade with Wasabi.

1. First,click ‘Add Wallet’ on Wasabi’s sidebar.
2. Then, click on ‘Connect to hardware wallet‘ when the modal opens.
3. Name your new wallet. Click on ‘Continue’ when done.
4. Connect your Jade to your computer and unlock it with the PIN.
   1. Click on Rescan when your device is ready if needed.
5. Wasabi will detect your Jade. Click on Yes if it’s correct.
6. A success confirmation message will appear. Click on Done.

Your Jade is now ready to be used with Wasabi! 

Hardware Wallets that are Compatible with Wasabi

• BitBox02-BtcOnly1*
• Blockstream Jade
• ColdCard MK1, MK2, MK3, MK4
• Ledger Nano S, S Plus, X
• Trezor Model T

1* The device by default asks for a “Pairing code”, currently, there is no such function in Wasabi.Disable the feature or unlock the device with BitBoxApp or hwi-qt before using it with Wasabi.

More On the Juggernaut Release

Wasabi’s Juggernaut Release contains significant performance and privacy improvements and adds compatibility for two popular open-source hardware devices: Blockstream Jade and BitBox02.

To learn more about the details of this release such as the introduction of the Safety Coinjoin feature, the 11 new RPC calls and the performance and user experience improvements, read the announcement article here. 

Download and verify the new version now.

The post Introducing Support for Blockstream Jade on Wasabi Wallet appeared first on Wasabi Wallet - Blog.

Today, Trezor rolls out coinjoin for the original bitcoin hardware wallet, the Model One, the remaining hardware product. This takes place 9 years after the initial release of the (also) first ever of its kind. Trezor’s products remain the only to support hardware wallet coinjoin.

VIDEO HERE

To learn more about Coinjoin on Model One and how it works, check Trezor’s website here.

To read our initial announcement on the Trezor coinjoin release, read our blog post here that explains the motivation behind this effort, the real use cases of their users and how it works.

You might be asking you the following question:

How is Trezor’s Coinjoin Different from Wasabi Wallet?

Wasabi Wallet and Trezor Suite are distinct open-source desktop software wallet applications. You can use both Trezor hardware wallets with the Wasabi Wallet software interface for regular hardware wallet transactional usage. The core difference is that you can’t coinjoin with your Trezor connected to Wasabi Wallet.

Trezor’s Opt-In and Wasabi’s Opt-out

Wasabi Wallet automates coinjoin by default, a user only has to choose a profile between Maximize Speed, Minimize Fees, Maximize Privacy, receive coins and the privacy reclaim process would begin automatically. On the other hand, to coinjoin on Trezor Suite, you have to create a separate wallet account, send some bitcoin there, leave your Trezor connected and click on start. It’s opt-in instead of opt-out. 

Trezor Suite Coinjoin Account’s Network Privacy 

Trezor Suite comes bundled with Tor, as Wasabi, and a user will be prompted to enable it when setting up coinjoin, if he hasn’t done so already. Block Filters are also implemented, which is a different bitcoin network connection model from the regular non-coinjoin wallets in the Suite application.

Trezor’s Coinjoin Specifications

Trezor Suite uses the same default coordinator as Wasabi Wallet does, zkSNACKs. Everything related to the coinjoin protocol is the same, except the algorithms for input and output selection, which are client-side due to how the WabiSabi protocol works.

Finally, Trezor Suite only uses Taproot addresses for coinjoin. Read Trezor’s FAQ on the topic for further information. 

How to Get Started

To enjoy the best level of security for coinjoin at the best price, buy a Trezor Model One here. 

If you already have one, you should update your software and firmware to the latest version. For a step-by-step guide to setting up coinjoin on your Trezor, read here.

Trezor Suite Update August 2023

To learn more about all the improvements made on Trezor Suite 23.8.1, read the changelog here. 

We’ll leave you with a teaser.

About Trezor

Trezor is the independent Czech company behind the world’s first Bitcoin hardware wallet, the Trezor One in 2014. Both hardware wallets are open-source with over 200 contributors and are enhanced by the free Trezor Suite app which increases privacy and makes crypto more intuitive. Trezor has sold over a million devices.

About Wasabi Wallet

Reclaim your privacy with Wasabi Wallet, a free and open-source bitcoin wallet with built-in coinjoin. Coinjoins are collaborative bitcoin transactions to enable cash-like privacy features for bitcoin.

The post TREZOR ROLLS OUT COINJOIN FOR TREZOR MODEL ONE appeared first on Wasabi Wallet - Blog.

This article will first explain wallet recovery interoperability and how to check if your existing wallet is interoperable in case you lose your wallet and need to recover from the backup file. Then, we will go through the steps to use Wasabi for your Coldcard (or other hardware wallets) through a USB cable connection and in the air-gapped method.

What is Bitcoin Wallet Recovery Interoperability?

Bitcoin is a decentralized network, so there’s no one else responsible for your funds besides you. For this reason, when setting up a Bitcoin wallet, you must create a backup. There are many backup formats, ranging from rare methods like .dat files for Bitcoin Core to the popular BIP39 mnemonic seed phrases.

If you ever lose your hardware wallet, you want to ensure you can recover your funds on a new wallet. Bitcoin Wallet recovery interoperability is the ability to recover a wallet from your backup phrase into another wallet. Remember that you should avoid recovering the backup of a hardware wallet in another wallet unless it’s strictly necessary. When backing up your hardware wallet, you will notice that they all use the most common backup standard, a BIP39 mnemonic seed phrase. However, this isn’t sufficient enough data because there’s a follow-up concept called the wallet derivation path.

Modern Bitcoin wallets are Hierarchical Deterministic (BIP32), meaning they have many addresses that can be derived from the master key by specifying a path. A wallet derivation path is a sequence of fields used to organize a wallet in a multi-currency, multi-account, and multi-address system.

m / purpose’ / coin_type’ / account’ / change / address_index

Wasabi Wallet uses BIP39 mnemonic seed phrases as a backup method and the derivation path can be either m/84’/0’/0′ or m/86’/0’/0′ (since version 2.0.3).

How to Check if My Existing Wallet Backup is Interoperable?

In the past, the process of checking wallet backup interoperability was very complex: you had to check the documentation or sometimes the codebase of each wallet to find the wallet derivation path. Thankfully, this data is all documented nowadays on Wallets Recovery maintained by Rodolfo Novak (NVK), CEO at Coinkite, Coldcard’s manufacturer.

Most Bitcoin wallets and their respective information on the supported derivation paths, bip39 passphrase support, and links to their documentation are on the website. For example, we can observe that Blue Wallet and Green Wallet’s recovery is interoperable with Wasabi’s. On the other hand, Electrum isn’t because it doesn’t use BIP 39 mnemonic seed phrase as its backup method.

Now that we’ve defined wallet recovery interoperability and how to check for it, we want to accentuate the importance of backing up correctly your bitcoin wallet. We can proceed to the tutorial on connecting your hardware wallet to Wasabi Wallet.

How to Connect Your Hardware Wallet to Wasabi Wallet

For this section, we will show two methods of integrating your hardware wallet into Wasabi Wallet, in this case, Coldcard. The first one is with the hardware wallet connected to the computer, basically the same for other hardware wallets such as Trezor or Ledger. The second one is with the Coldcard air-gapped.

Method 1: How to Connect your Coldcard (or other Hardware Wallets) to Wasabi Wallet

We assume you have downloaded and installed Wasabi which you can do by following the steps listed here for Windows, Linux, and MacOS. There’s no need to check for recovery interoperability; you only need to ensure Wasabi Wallet supports your hardware wallet (list here). Here are all the steps to accomplish this:

1. Open Wasabi Wallet by clicking on its Application Icon, which looks like this.

2. When the Application opens, click ‘Add Wallet’ on the sidebar.

3. Click on ‘connect to hardware wallet‘ when the new smaller window opens.

4. Give a name of your choosing to your new wallet. Click on ‘Continue’ when done.

5. Connect your Coldcard (or another hardware wallet) to your computer and unlock it with the PIN. Click on Rescan when your device is ready.

6. Wasabi will detect your hardware wallet. Click on Yes if it’s correct.

7. A success confirmation message will appear. Click on Done.

You have successfully integrated Wasabi Wallet with your Coldcard (or another hardware wallet). You simply have to wait for syncing to complete. Let’s proceed to the Coldcard air-gapped tutorial.

Method 2: How to air-gap your Coldcard transactions with Wasabi Wallet

To complete this method, first, export a wallet file from Coldcard onto a MicroSD. Then, you need to import this file into Wasabi Wallet. Exporting it this way ensures that there’s never a physical connection between your Coldcard hardware wallet and your computer.

Steps to reproduce on Coldcard

1. Insert a microSD into your Coldcard’s slot.
2. Power the Coldcard and unlock it with the PIN.
3. On the main menu, select Advanced.
4. Select MicroSD card.
5. Select Export Wallet.
6. Select Wasabi Wallet.
7. Follow the instructions shown on the screen to complete the file export.
8. Safely remove the microSD from your Coldcard.

Steps to reproduce on Wasabi Wallet

1. Insert the microSD into your computer’s slot.
2. Open Wasabi Wallet by clicking on its Application Icon, which looks like this.

3. When the Application opens, click ‘Add Wallet‘ on the sidebar.

4. When the new smaller window opens, click on ‘Import a Wallet‘.

5. You will be prompted to select the wallet file from your microSD.

6. A success confirmation message will appear. Click on Done.

You’ve successfully integrated Wasabi Wallet with your Coldcard air-gapped. You simply have to wait for syncing to complete.

Conclusion

This article explains that Bitcoin wallet recovery interoperability applies not only on the wallet backup level but also on the wallet derivation path. Wallets Recovery is a tool to check if your existing wallet backup is interoperable with Wasabi Wallet.

This article presents all the steps to the two methods that exist to connect your Coldcard (or another hardware wallet), through a USB cable connection or the air-gapped method, to Wasabi Wallet.

The post How to Connect Your Hardware Wallet to Wasabi Wallet appeared first on Wasabi Wallet - Blog.

Trezor, the original bitcoin hardware wallet company, today rolled out the coinjoin feature for its devices allowing users to more easily enhance privacy and security on bitcoin transactions. Coinjoin is a process where users send their bitcoin as part of a large collaborative transaction and receive the same amount back, but with the transaction history obscured. Users’ balances and transaction history are then hard to track on the otherwise fully-transparent bitcoin blockchain. The feature is possible thanks to Trezor’s collaboration with Wasabi Wallet, the privacy-focused bitcoin wallet that specializes in coinjoin.

Trezor is the first and only hardware wallet to enable coinjoin transactions within a hardware wallet environment. The function is now live on Trezor Model T and Trezor plans to enable coinjoin for Model One in the near future. Coinjoin is the latest addition to a host of features found on Trezor devices for enhancing security and privacy, such as Tor, coin control, and Shamir backup.

Matěj Žák, CEO of Trezor, explained: “Trezor values privacy as an individual’s most important asset. Consequently, we’re delighted that we’ve found a way for our community to keep their bitcoin history private. Our coinjoin solution in Trezor Suite is intuitive and safe, making bitcoin privacy more accessible to the general public.”

Real use-cases

The coinjoin approach tackles a number of glaring privacy issues resulting from the inherent transparency of the bitcoin blockchain. For example, when people use exchanges, it’s easy to draw a link between their real-world identity and their bitcoin addresses. Exchanges can track user transactions even after they withdraw and can share this data with third parties. Through obscuring transaction histories, coinjoin prevents such surveillance.

Secondly, coinjoin offers welcome additional protection when using bitcoin for purchases. Ordinarily, merchants receiving bitcoin payments can see the total balance of an address from which the payment was sent, which some people consider an unacceptable breach of privacy. With coinjoin, users can safely break up their bitcoin balance into small amounts with no transaction history so as to obscure their total balance, like swapping a large dollar note for smaller denominations.

A third coinjoin benefit is in safeguarding privacy for donations made using bitcoin. By default, all bitcoin transactions can be analyzed and in some cases, real-world identities can be linked. This can put non-governmental organizations and their donors in great danger, especially under authoritarian regimes. Coinjoin protects the transactions of donors and recipients, and therefore, improves the safety of organizations and their supporters.

Matěj Žák further elaborated: “People who want to make private transactions can use cash without leaving any digital footprint, and without the need for the counterparty to store our identity. No one gets to see how much money they have left in their wallet or bank accounts. Trezor with coinjoin brings a similar level of privacy to bitcoin, with one click. The security of the process and ease of use help deliver privacy to a wider audience, which is one of the core values of the bitcoin community.”

“Making bitcoin privacy tools easy to use and secure is essential, as this is what drives people to use products, which increases the privacy for everyone. That’s why we see Trezor’s integration of coinjoin as such a major milestone. A coinjoin is inherently non-custodial and now for the first time, coinjoin transactions can be signed with the keys on a hardware wallet. This is a major security improvement,” says Max Hillebrand, contributor to Wasabi Wallet and CEO of zkSNACKs (the company sponsoring the development of Wasabi Wallet and operates the coinjoin coordinator).

How does it work?

With the Model T, Trezor users can now see a new coinjoin account type in their Trezor Suite and simply click on the “anonymize” button. Users then choose the number of coinjoin rounds — with every round increasing the level of privacy — confirm their choices on the Trezor device and then leave the Trezor connected with the Trezor Suite running. The rest of the coinjoin process is automated and requires no active user participation. The time needed to complete the coinjoin depends on the number of rounds – one round takes approximately 10 minutes. After completing the procedure, users will receive a confirmation dialogue with the transaction details. The fees for the transaction consist of the coordinator fee of 0.3% of the coinjoined amount and a network mining fee. The coordinator fee is paid just once, and for further remixes users pay only the mining fee.

For more information about coinjoin, please visit: https://trezor.io/learn/a/coinjoin-in-trezor-suite

About Trezor

Trezor is the independent Czech company behind the world’s first Bitcoin hardware wallet, the Trezor One in 2014. Its flagship product, the Trezor Model T comes with a full-color touchscreen and many advanced features. Both wallets are open-source and enhanced by the free Trezor Suite app which increases privacy and makes crypto more intuitive.

About Wasabi Wallet

Reclaim your privacy with Wasabi Wallet, a free and open-source bitcoin wallet with built-in coinjoin. Coinjoins are collaborative bitcoin transactions to enable cash-like privacy features for bitcoin.

The post Trezor Rolls Out Coinjoin Feature for its Devices in First for Hardware Wallets appeared first on Wasabi Wallet - Blog.

Coldcard was the first hardware wallet to implement PSBT – and through it, the device managed to function without requiring a connection to a computer. This “airgapped” setup soon increased in popularity among bitcoiners who became aware of their potentially compromised computers and the possibility of using faulty USB cables. Even though the amount of security being added through this airgap is debatable, setting up PSBT does make the bitcoins more difficult to spend – to some HODLers, this is an extra impediment which prevents them from panic selling.

Ever since, other hardware wallet manufacturers (KeyStone, Foundation Devices) and DIY projects (Specter DIY, Seedsigner, Bowser Wallet) have implemented PSBT as a way to create simple and secure devices that are compatible with existing Bitcoin wallets and don’t need desktop software of their own. It isn’t just convenient for the developers to not create and maintain a friendly platform like Trezor Suite, BitBox Base or Ledger Live, it’s also more secure to rely on desktop and mobile wallets that already exist, are being used every day and have been scrutinized heavily by hackers and code reviewers.

Wasabi is one of the desktop Bitcoin wallets that work with every PSBT hardware wallet. Not only that, but thanks to the Tor routing and trustless onboarding, it’s also the most private desktop wallet for your Bitcoin transaction signing device. There’s a small detail that you should consider, though: due to PSBT being a universal standard, Coldcard’s first adopter status, and the lack of a direct connection between the hardware wallet and the computer, all PSBT signing devices will be recognized as Coldcards.

Now that we got these details out of the way, let’s talk about how you can send a Bitcoin transaction in Wasabi Wallet, by using the PSBT standard. There are four steps involved: registering the master public key file to Wasabi, building a transaction, signing the transaction, and broadcasting this transaction to the Bitcoin network. The first step needs to be completed only once for every wallet setup and is unique for every BIP39 backup you create with your device. So, in theory, you can have an unlimited amount of PSBT setups for every hardware wallet, but you can only use one at a time.

Furthermore, it should be mentioned that in order to enable communication between the hardware wallet and Wasabi, you need a durable SD card. You don’t have to purchase one which can hold big files, but you do need ruggedness and the ability to write and rewrite many times. Though any SD card of any size larger than a few megabytes works just fine, the industrial-grade ones will last longer and perform more predictably over the years.

So first of all, you need to insert the SD card in your hardware wallet and export the xpub file to it. This is the only part which varies according to the hardware wallet manufacturer. For example, in the Coldcard interface you need to access the “Micro SD Card” menu, pick “Export Wallet”, and then select “Wasabi Wallet” from the list. On the KeyStone, you need to choose Wasabi as your watch-only wallet, and then export the wallet. This pairing is even easier to do on the Foundation Devices Passport: from the main menu you go to “Pair Wallet” and choose Wasabi, insert the SD card and follow the file generation process.

Once you have the .json file written by your hardware wallet to the SD card, you insert it inside your computer and open Wasabi Wallet. Then from the “Wallet Manager” tab (on the top-left side of the interface) you pick “Hardware Wallet”. The next step is to press the “Import Coldcard” button on the bottom right corner and point the wallet to the public key file that you stored on the SD card.

As previously mentioned, it really doesn’t matter if your hardware wallet is a KeyStone, a Passport, or a Seedsigner. All of them use the exact same file format, so the “Import Coldcard” button shouldn’t deter you from using this PSBT function only because your hardware wallet is of a different brand.

After you import your public key file into Wasabi Wallet, you’re going to see how the new “Coldcard” gets added to the “Wallet Explorer” menu on the right side of the screen.

Double click it or right click and select “Open Wallet” from the drop-down menu. Now we must build the transaction. From the same “Wallet Explorer” side of the Wasabi menu, click on “Advanced” – it should be just below your wallet of choice. Then pick “Build Transaction”.

Now you will have to select the Bitcoin UTXO that you want to spend, designate the recipient of your transaction, set the fee and then finally click the “Build Transaction” button. It’s the same as sending a regular transaction, except that instead of broadcasting the instruction to the Bitcoin network, it generates a PSBT file that needs to be signed with your hardware wallet.

The next step is to insert the SD card back inside your hardware wallet’s port and use the internal user interface to validate the transaction with a signature. On the device’s screen, you should see information about the transaction inputs, outputs, amounts and fees. So make sure that you verify everything before you proceed with the signature. Once again, the way of generating the signed PSBT file varies on every device. For example, the Foundation Devices Passport has the “Sign with Micro SD” option in the main menu and everything is very simple. On the Coldcard, you must choose “Ready to Sign” and follow the on-screen instructions. And on the KeyStone you simply touch the screen in the area where the BTC address gets displayed and pick the right unsigned transaction file.

This part is very important, as you verify all the details about the transaction and can either sign it or invalidate it. The funds don’t leave your wallet until you sign the transaction and broadcast it. So even if you do sign it, one final step is still required.

Insert the SD card back into your computer. Now you should find a PSBT file which has “signed” in the name. What you need to do next is open it with Wasabi and broadcast it to the entire Bitcoin network to make the transaction possible. Go to the “Tools” menu at the top of the Wasabi wallet window, and pick “Transaction Broadcaster”. Then click the “Import Transaction”, check the input data one last time on the screen, and then finally click on “Broadcast Transaction”. Congratulations, you have just sent a PSBT transaction with Wasabi, while also boosting your network-level privacy and using an airgapped setup for your hardware wallet.

PSBT is a complex and debated topic among bitcoiners. Like everything else, it can have both advantages and disadvantages. Whether or not you choose to use it depends entirely on your HODL strategy and your threat model. To hear opinions in favor of the setup, listen to Specter creator Stepan Snigirev on the Bitcoin Takeover Podcast. Another similar opinion is shared by Blockstream Chief Architect Lawrence Nahum. To hear criticism about the use of PSBT in your setup, listen to ShiftCrypto developer and researcher Benma, as well as former Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd.

The post Sending PSBT Transactions with Wasabi Wallet appeared first on Wasabi Wallet - Blog.

There are two important categories of DIY hardware wallets that you can build from general-purpose electronic devices: the ones that run a ported firmware (a group of coders make a well-tested software available on more common hardware), and the ones that run original code.

Both of them are fairly easy to build and have very few moving parts that you need to put together. But from the get-go, you should understand the tradeoffs: a project like PiTrezor might be a convenient port which allows you to run the most tested hardware wallet software on a Raspberry Pi, but it doesn’t mean that the port itself is vetted by security professionals or maintained to include the latest updates from Trezor Wallet. Conversely, a project like SeedSigner or Specter DIY might be original and open source, but this doesn’t mean that many experts have verified the code either.

This is why the recommendation regarding these devices that you can build yourself is to check the code or pay a professional to do it for you. If you’re going to use DIY hardware wallets to protect large amounts of bitcoin, then it’s better to take the multisig part. If each device is nothing but a key to your coins and there is no single point of failure that can make you lose your funds, then it’s generally safer to use something with a higher risk profile).

At this point, we should ask two important questions: first of all, why build a DIY hardware wallet at all if the security is questionable? Well, some of the two best arguments include your ability to survive political authoritarianism, and the avoidance of supply chain attacks. Something that you build yourself from common parts is going to help you maintain your privacy and plausible deniability in relation to your government – and the delivery company won’t know what you’re up to either.

The other important question that we should ask at this point is: will your DIY hardware wallet work with Wasabi? Well, the answer depends on the hardware wallet model. Something like PiTrezor should work as it’s essentially the Trezor firmware on a different and more accessible system. Specter DIY and Bowser ought to also work since they use standards included in the HWI and PSBT standard specifications. In the case of the SeedSigner, single sig setups are still on the roadmap for development; therefore, Wasabi compatibility will have to wait for a little while.

Once again, these open source DIY hardware wallets are still in an early phase of development and mostly recommended in multisig setups. Don’t take reckless risks with your bitcoins. If you’re a hardware wallet hobbyist or an individual who’s trying to gain financial sovereignty in an authoritarian environment, consider creating more elaborate setups which don’t rely too much on a single device – even if this means that you’re going to do a Shamir backup or multisig setup that isn’t compatible with the Wasabi software.

After having presented the warnings, let’s take a look at the four DIY hardware wallets in order to determine the costs, the difficulty, and the complexity of the task.

Read here the blog post to learn how to build your own Trezor One, Trezor Model T, and BitBox02.

Building your own PiTrezor Wallet

A rule of thumb in security is to follow the most tested path. This way, you know more about the experiences of others and have a better understanding of all the tradeoffs involved. And since Trezor Wallet has been around since 2014 and the code has been under constant scrutiny since inception, it’s pretty safe to assume that the firmware works well and has constantly been hardened by disclosures.

PiTrezor is a port of the original code, which makes the STM32F10XRXT6-optimized firmware run on the more common and popular Raspberry Pi Zero. You can buy a Pi for virtually everything, from video game emulation to IoT experimentation, robotics and Tor relays. Also, the Raspberry Pi Zero only costs $5 and is among the most accessible mini-computers in terms of both price and the ability to find one in every corner of the world. Compared to the default Trezor microcontroller, the Pi Zero is a lot more popular and it’s easier to source compatible accessories.

Furthermore, the PiTrezor port also works on the Raspberry Pi 4 – the more powerful device which is mostly used by individual Bitcoin node operators. One major advantage of these devices is that they come with full USB ports which allow you to connect your keyboard to use as inputs. This means that you don’t need to worry about finding buttons that fit to some kind of enclosure, as you have the option to operate the PiTrezor with a peripheral you already have.

Therefore, the process is a lot easier and requires no soldering or parts assembly if you run PiTrezor on a Raspberry Pi 4. However, the costs are higher by about $30. For the entire guide go to the PiTrezor website.

Now let’s talk about the parts and costs. There are two versions of the Raspberry Pi Zero, and you should get the more affordable one which has no bluetooth and WiFi. Not only because these ports are useless, but because they can represent extra attack vectors to break the device or extract information. Although the PiTrezor maintainer suggests that the Zero W is just as secure because the firmware has no drivers loaded for the communication ports, a competent hacker can still exploit them if he gains physical access. Hence, for security and money-saving purposes, it’s better to purchase the basic $5 Pi Zero.

Other parts include an SD card larger than 100 MB (basically any that you’ll find nowadays for a couple dollars), a micro-USB to USB cable (about 1 dollar), a mini HDMI cable which connects to a monitor, TV or dedicated screen (costs about $3 assuming that you already have a monitor or TV), two push buttons that are compatible with the Raspberry Pi (about 2 dollars and you only need them for the Pi Zero configuration, as the Pi 4 can make use of your USB keyboard) and some wires to solder the buttons to the board (roughly 1 dollar). Optional parts include a dedicated screen which is useful for portability reasons, and an enclosure which protects the board and circuits from dust, physical damage and other factors.

Assuming that you pay 5 dollars for the Raspberry Pi Zero and 9-10 dollars for the remaining parts, we’ll conclude that building the most basic yet electronically-demanding version of the PiTrezor will cost you about $15. Keep in mind that the screen, the enclosure, the soldering iron and the shipping of all these parts are not taken into account and can easily double the costs.

If you take the Raspberry Pi 4 route, you’re going to only need the $35 device (go for the entry-level 2 GB model, you’re not going to need that much memory for a Trezor Wallet), the 2 dollar SD card and the micro-USB to USB and mini-HDMI male to HDMI female cables. These should cost about 6 dollars. And while the approximated total of 41 dollars might sound like it’s pretty expensive, at least you don’t need to do any wire soldering and it doesn’t require any special equipment for this task. You flash the firmware on the SD card, plug the Raspberry Pi to a power outlet, connect the external video port to your HDMI-compatible monitor or TV screen (anything newer than 10 years has it), and use your USB keyboard as input. It’s pretty geeky, but somebody living in a place where Trezor hardware wallets have no official distribution is going to really enjoy the power of DIY sovereignty.

Before we move on to the next part, here’s another reminder that while the PiTrezor code is open source and basically a port of the official Trezor Wallet release, you should be cautious and avoid putting too many coins into this device without properly verifying the code. The safest way to use a PiTrezor is to make it one of your multisig devices, so there is no single point of failure. But you should always be cautious as Trezor CEO Marek “Slush” Palatinus said in S4 E8 of the Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, there are around 40 Trezor clones worldwide and their modified code doesn’t always get the scrutiny that it should.

Building your own Specter DIY

Specter creator Stepan Snigirev has started an entire DIY revolution in the Bitcoin hardware wallet space. Thanks to his micro-bitcoin and micro-arduino projects, low-powered devices are now able to run a lightweight version of the Bitcoin client. Most remarkably, he has created a hardware wallet which can be built using off the shelf parts which runs non-Trezor code. While every commercial secure key management electronic device, from KeepKey to Coldcard and Foundation Devices Passport makes use of Trezor’s open-source firmware in some capacity, the Specter DIY dares to be different.

To build your own Specter DIY, you only need an STM32F469I-DISCO developer board that you can buy for about $62, as well as a 1 dollar mini USB and a 1 dollar micro USB cable (both of which you most likely already have from phones or other hardware wallets). The device itself has everything you need, from touchscreen input to flash memory that you use to install the Specter firmware. So it’s an all-in-one solution, which at best, only requires an enclosure to keep dust away.

Today, lots of Bitcoin power users build their own Specter DIY hardware wallet to avoid supply chain attacks. But since the code is not as vetted as Trezor’s and may have vulnerabilities that weren’t discovered thus far due to a lack of incentives (the Specter DIY is still a niche product that is hard to find and the reward for cracking the code doesn’t match Trezor’s bounty program), it’s best to keep the device for multisig. This is exactly what the developers of Specter recommend: they see their DIY project as something that’s complimentary to other hardware wallets. You can still use it as a single-sig device, but the use case where it shines is multisig.

One recommendation for the Specter DIY is that you also purchase an additional barcode scanner module which costs $40. It will make the device more usable in an air gapped way, as you can scan QR codes and confirm transactions without connecting your device to a computer. Additionally, you can make the Specter DIY self-contained with a battery. The complete assembly instructions are available in the project’s GitHub repository. Furthermore, you will also find a video tutorial on YouTube.

In total, the Specter DIY should cost anywhere from 64 to 120 dollars to build. And if you also want an enclosure, you can either 3D print it according to specifications or else purchase it from a professional like Richard from the Czech Republic (not a direct endorsement, but I did buy my cases from him). This may sound like the Specter is an expensive device, but if you buy it pre-built then it’s going to cost you 350 euros (414 dollars) for a full-featured enclosure 60 euros (71 dollars) to also have the STM32F-469I-DISCO board attached. So it’s definitely better to pay 150 dollars for a full-featured device that you build yourself from parts that you source from different vendors than to spend $485 on the Specter Shield.

To better understand the scope and purpose of the Specter DIY project, listen to Stepan Snigirev offer all the explanations in S8 E11 of the Bitcoin Takeover podcast.

Building your own SeedSigner

The SeedSigner is a simplified fork of the Specter DIY, which replaces the development board touch screen experience with the powerful affordability of the Raspberry Pi Zero. Its main goal is to offer a powerful device that anyone can build for approximately $50.

Unlike the Specter DIY, the SeedSigner is currently only optimized for multisig xpub generation and makes use of a more traditional layout with physical buttons. The main drawback of this design is that some soldering is required to put together the device. But since it relies on the popular Raspberry Pi architecture, one can easily buy GPIO hammer headers (which cost $7) to avoid all the hassle.

To assemble a SeedSigner, you need a Raspberry Pi Zero computer (once again, the 5 dollar basic version without the WiFi and bluetooth is recommended), a 1.3 inch square LCD screen with a resolution of 240×240 pixels (which costs about $14) and a camera that’s compatible with the Pi Zero system (the recommended model is the AuviPal 5MP 1080p, which is currently out of stock but should cost around 20 dollars).

The SeedSigner lead developer has also open sourced the specifications for the enclosure, so that anyone with a 3D printer can create their own. This is bad news for people who don’t have access to 3D printing, especially due to the fact that the input requires physical buttons that come with the case. However, there are vendors and hobbyists (again, like Richard from the Czech Republic) who will 3D print cases for about $20.

So while the electronics required to build a SeedSigner cost around $39 (below the 50 dollar goal), you’re going to spend slightly more to have the full experience. Nevertheless, putting together a SeedSigner is more affordable than the Specter DIY from which it borrows the code.

Speaking of the code, once you assemble the hardware you’re going to need an SD card and you must also type in a few commands on an external keyboard. The complete guide makes it simple to follow, so even if you don’t understand what you’re doing you will successfully set up the SeedSigner.

You should also keep in mind that the SeedSigner is an air-gapped device which is optimized to work with multisig-friendly wallets such as Specter Desktop, Sparrow, and BlueWallet. So you won’t be able to access it from Wasabi Wallet until single sig support gets added for PSBT setups. At the moment, it is still a geeky DIY project that casual users won’t find too friendly or accessible. But thanks to community contributions, it’s quickly improving.

To better understand the philosophy behind SeedSigner, listen to S8 E10 of the Bitcoin Takeover podcast. If you need help along the way, you can use this full assembly guide from YouTube.

Building your own Bowser wallet

Created by Ben Arc, the Bowser wallet is an even more simplified fork of the Specter DIY. All you have to do in order to build this hardware wallet is to buy a $40 M5Stack ESP32 Basic Core and install the firmware with a micro-SD card.

This means that the Bowser wallet is by far the most inexpensive and simple to configure DIY hardware wallet. You even get a full step by step YouTube guide which helps you along the way. However, there are a couple of geeky quirks that you should consider: first of all, the hardware wallet also works as a video game system which runs a stylized version of Tetris. This is great for plausible deniability, as nobody will guess that the generic-looking device in your hands is also a Bitcoin device – which is very useful for people who seek to maximize their privacy in places that may be hostile to the idea of financial sovereignty.

Secondly, the Bowser wallet makes use of Morse code for input. This is by far the geekiest feature in any hardware wallet, as you must either carry a sheet of paper which tells you how to type every letter of the alphabet or memorize the code. Once again, since most people have no idea how Morse code works (and may even mistake it for Braille) this is excellent for privacy. But the feature effectively makes the device harder to use even by the hardware wallet owners, so depending on your threat model you should assess to which extent you need this extra complexity.

The Bowser hardware wallet is a pretty cypherpunk device as it mixes the privacy of video games and Morse code with the convenience of using a compact general-purpose computer. You can dispose of the unit at any moment and get a new one – just make sure that you have your backup in a safe place.

Currently, Bowser is designed to work with Electrum wallet and makes use of the PSBT standard to sign transactions. This means that it should also work with Wasabi Wallet, so long as you use the options associated with the Coldcard Wallet.

For more information and to better understand what the Bowser wallet is, listen to Ben Arc on S8 E9 of the Bitcoin Takeover podcast.

Read here the blog post to learn how to build your own Trezor One, Trezor Model T, and BitBox02.

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The Bitcoin community certainly took notice and turned some of these general-purpose chips into financial sovereignty machines. From the popular ARM Cortex STM32 chips to the amazingly-inexpensive Raspberry Pi Zero, there are lots of options that you can use to build your own hardware wallet. But before we talk about the options that you have in order to build your own hardware wallet, it’s important to mention the reasons why you should pursue this path.

Why is DIY better?

First of all, if you live in a country where there is no distribution of Trezor, Ledger or BitBox02, then building your own device is certainly the more affordable option. Secondly, if your government is hostile to Bitcoin and everything concerning it, then it’s strongly recommended to use some of the same parts that can also build a portable Tetris machine to secure your precious digital gold.

Even if you live in a country where commercial hardware wallet distribution is possible, pursuing the DIY route is still worth your consideration. If you’re concerned about privacy (and you should be), then you shouldn’t give your name and address to a vendor and a delivery company that will store your data in their records for multiple years – the case of the Ledger database hack is a very good example of why privacy and DIY hardware are important.

Furthermore, supply chain attacks are real: you don’t know who’s going to handle your hardware wallet from the moment it leaves the factory and until it finally gets delivered to you. If somebody knows what a Trezor is, they might compromise its hardware or its packaging (a very popular attack involves the insertion of already-generated BIP 39 seed phrases, in hopes that newbies would deposit their coins to addresses controlled by the malevolent actor). Sure, these companies make great efforts to prevent such attacks by layering their packaging and introducing cryptographic tricks to verify the integrity of the hardware and software. But if you know what you’re doing, then DIY is definitely safer: using general-purpose off the shelf hardware and free open source software that you can personally verify is definitely the power user approach.

Hardware wallets you can build yourself:

Now let’s talk about the hardware wallets you can build yourself. Essentially, there are two categories: the commercial devices whose circuitry and schematics have been open sourced (Trezor, BitBox02) and the non-profit community projects that were created specifically for DIY work. The Trezors and the BitBox02s come with the advantage of a more tested and scrutinized codebase and architecture since they are sold commercially. The teams behind the projects could afford to pay for bounties and security audits, but there’s also a greater incentive for hackers to break them.

On the other hand, DIY projects like SeedSigner, Specter DIY and Bowser offer an extra layer of convenience, as they can be built from very common parts and require almost no soldering or experience with electronics. They aren’t as tried and tested as their commercial counterparts and you shouldn’t expect to get much support in the process. Yet they have advantages of their own and give everyone the opportunity to become financially sovereign.

In this first article, we’re going to analyze what it takes to build your own Trezor and/or BitBox02. Naturally, the follow-up will focus on the Seedsigner, the Specter DIY, and the Bowser wallet. Read here the Part 2 blog post.

Building your own Trezor One:

During the 2014 Kickstarter campaign which led to the launch of Bitcoin’s first hardware wallet, Trezor co-founders Marek “Slush” Palatinus and Pavol “Stick” Rusnak presented their intention to create a device that could even satisfy the demands of Bitcoin creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. This meant that the software and the circuitry are transparent and 100% open source, so that anyone can see what the device is doing at any moment.

The Czech company’s GitHub repository offers the complete board, schematics, and bill of materials (BOM). According to these documents, you need 24 moving parts, the most important being the OLED display, the STM32F10XRXT6 microcontroller, the buttons, the case, the tactile switch, and the micro-USB port. The cost of everything should not exceed $20, though you also need a soldering gun and the dexterity to put it all together by yourself.

So even though the cost of producing a Trezor One hardware wallet is low, the assembly part can be difficult and intimidating for a newbie. But if you need to build yourself the most tried and tested hardware wallet in the world, you’re going to need to develop some practical skills. After all, it’s no surprise that the Trezor One is the most copied device in the world and there are hundreds of companies that sell it under different brands all around the globe. As a matter of fact, newer devices such as BitBox02, Coldcard, and Foundation Devices Passport use significant parts of the Trezor code and to some extent can be labelled as “clones”.

As soon as you’re done putting together your custom-made Trezor One, you can flash the firmware according to the instructions from the GitHub repository. Once you’re done, your new DIY hardware wallet will work perfectly with Wasabi wallet – and choosing Wasabi instead of Trezor Suite will bring you some privacy benefits concerning full node connectivity and the trustlessness of the onboarding process.

For more information about Trezor’s open source ethos and commitment, listen to this interview with CEO Marek “Slush” Palatinus on the Bitcoin Takeover Podcast.

Building your own Trezor Model T:

Launched in the fall of 2017, the second generation Trezor hardware wallet features some much-needed improvements. It replaces the two-button scheme with a color touch screen that’s easier to use, and also comes with a faster processor which allows for more complex backups such as Shamir Secret Sharing to be made. The device is also more reliable at handling complex multisig setups (such as 8 out of 8), as demonstrated by Jameson Lopp’s comparative review.

However, the Trezor T also comes with greater electronic complexity: the bill of materials lists 109 parts, while the schematics are more elaborate and sophisticated. This means that the Trezor Model T is a more difficult and demanding DIY project than its predecessor. To make up for it, the build instructions are also more detailed and feature more pictures to guide you along every step.

In terms of security, the Trezor T comes with the advantage of allowing you to type the passphrase directly from your device – which is a great feature to have, especially when you think that your computer keyboard might be compromised/logged. So even if you don’t care much about multisig reliability or Shamir backups, it’s still worth considering the Trezor T for its input upgrade.

The chip that drives the Trezor Model T is the STM32F427VIT6 microcontroller – an ARM Cortex M4 unit which features 2 megabytes of flash memory and is clocked at 168 Mhz. You can find it for about $20, but you’ll definitely get better deals for bulk purchases. The display also costs about $5, and the remaining electronics should add another $20 (from case to the USB-C and micro-SD ports, and all the way to the various connectors). But before we judge Trezor for selling the device at a price which greatly exceeds production costs, we shouldn’t forget that the device requires significant soldering skills to build (greater than the ones needed for the Trezor One), the company is mostly focused on improving software security standards (so you pay for the research and development of the SLIPs) and there’s also a cost involved in offering customer support.

For a skilled DIY hobbyist, the Trezor Model T can be a fun weekend project. The fact that the parts are general-purpose and easy to find online should provide a great amount of plausible deniability in authoritarian states, and the extra features will make the supplementary effort worthwhile (as compared to the more simple Trezor One).

Just like the Trezor One, you can use your newly-built Model T with Wasabi Wallet. Keep in mind, however, that Wasabi won’t work with multisig setups and Shamir Secret Sharing. Only BIP39 setups will do.

Building your own BitBox02

Launched in the fall of 2019, the BitBox02 is a spin on the original Trezor design which brings some notable hardware and software modifications. Though it started from the same codebase, it’s different enough to deserve the spotlight. Philosophically speaking, the device aims to offer the compromise between open source auditability and physical security which makes it the middle ground between Trezor (100% open source) and Ledger (about 40% open source, with an opaque secure element chip).

The part that makes the BitBox02 less open source than the Trezor but more physically secure is the inclusion of the ATECC608B general-purpose security chip. This means that you can protect your device from a malevolent actor’s physical access without resorting to a software passphrase (that you may forget or lose if you’re not careful enough). So if you want to take your physical security to the next level, you should consider building a BitBox02.

Besides the secure chip, ShiftCrypto’s second generation hardware wallet features some interesting choices: the device uses a male USB-C connector which makes it easy to also plug into your mobile phone (no cable is required as long as you have the right port in your computer or phone), and the touch screen is replaced by touch sensors on the top and bottom of the hardware wallet.

In terms of software, the BitBox02 makes use of Schnorr signatures to verify the integrity of the software and prevent supply chain attacks. The system is called anti-klepto and, even though it may not seem very relevant for someone who builds their own hardware wallet, it is still a great self-verification tool which prevents outside meddling with the code. Learn more about this security mechanism from this interview with ShiftCrypto software developer and researcher Benma.

To help you build your own BitBox02, ShiftCrypto has published a bill of materials (which should be updated to include the ATECC608B chip which has replaced the 608A in 2021), an extensive datasheet, the circuit board schematics, and even an X-ray picture that should help you figure out how to connect every part to the board. The guide is not as detailed as in the case of the Trezor hardware wallets, but any experienced hobbyist should be able to figure it out.

Now let’s talk about the costs: in bulk, the ATECC608B secure chip can be bought for about $1. But due to supply chain issues in the microchip industry, it currently seems to be out of stock on some of the most popular retail websites (and will most likely sell at a premium due to scarcity). On the other hand, the 32-bit ARM Cortex M4F ATSAMD51J20A microcontroller chip costs approximately $6 and also appears to be hard to find. The PRTR5V0U2F suppression diodes and every other small part also adds up about $3 to the production cost. In total, purchasing the parts required to build your own BitBox02 should cost about $20 (including USB-C port, micro-SD card slot, touch sensors, and the OLED screen).

The BitBox02 has more parts than the Trezor One, but fewer than the Trezor Model T. It also features more affordable parts than Trezor’s flagship model and offers some physical security. So if you find these qualities desirable, then you should grab your soldering gun and start ordering the parts while they’re still in stock.

And yes, your BitBox02 will work with Wasabi wallet. But just like the Trezor devices, you will have to connect to the native software (in this case, BitBoxApp) in order to perform firmware updates.

Does building your own hardware wallet have to be so hard?

Well, no. Today we have the SeedSigner, Specter DIY, and Bowser devices and they are a lot more accessible to hobbyists who don’t want to solder diodes to a PCB while consulting complex schematics. However, they aren’t as tested as the commercial devices, so there’s always a tradeoff. Find out more about how you can build these hardware wallets and the costs involved in next week’s article!

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But regardless of how they’re built and to which extent their security is transparent and auditable, all hardware wallets should work very well with Wasabi. Not necessarily because the wallet software is maintained in a way which adds support for every new hardware release (though you can find separate optimizations for the Ledger Nano and the Coldcard), but by virtue of Andrew Chow’s HWI (Hardware Wallet Interface) library.

As described by Max Hillebrand on the Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, HWI is a powerful tool which allows Wasabi to keep up with the latest hardware developments wallet and provide privacy by default to a greater number of users. Unlike popular user interfaces such as Ledger Live, Trezor Suite and BitBoxApp, Wasabi wallet offers Tor routing by default, easy UTXO management (also referred to as “Coin Control”), and a trustless onboarding via automatic full node connectivity or block filter download. No other popular hardware wallet interface comes with all of these features enabled by default and there always seem to be tradeoffs and compromises involved – yet Wasabi is perfect to manage your single-sig setup.

But what about the future of hardware wallets? The devices that anyone can build and are 100% auditable? In the case of the Trezor, we expect the Tropic Square project to deliver transparent open source secure element chips by the end of 2022 – a rather ambitious promise which, if executed well, can turn into a game changer for the entire industry. And given Trezor’s excellent documentation and support, it’s very likely that the HWI libraries will get updated to support the new Trezor as soon as it gets launched.

In the case of DIY hardware wallets like Specter, SeedSigner and Bowser, there should be no compatibility issues. Specter uses PSBT, which means that you can use the wallet in the same way you would do with a Coldcard or a KeyStone. On the other hand, SeedSigner and Bowser are air gapped devices which deal with QR codes and offline signatures. You shouldn’t have any kind of problem when you plan to send or receive to Wasabi.

We’re living truly remarkable and exciting times when free markets prove their efficiency in making hardware wallets more efficient, more affordable, and accessible to non-technical people. Anyone who can afford a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero can build his own SeedSigner, while M5Stack enthusiasts can put together a Bowser wallet in only a few minutes. But as Trezor co-founder and CEO Slush mentioned, hardware will always lag behind software development. And Wasabi, as a software wallet which integrates the right tools to support hardware wallets, is part of this trend of being ahead of the curve. No matter what the future of hardware wallets holds, Wasabi will provide a stable and privacy-friendly interface which maximizes user sovereignty.

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