A crypto wallet keeps your public and private keys. The private key is essential to sign transactions but think of it as a master password for all of your accounts. Anyone with access to your private key can steal all of your cryptocurrency. It is consequently critical to keep the private key hidden and secure. The concept of air-gapped wallets arose from the necessity for increased security in cryptocurrency storage. While it is difficult to credit the concept to a specific person or organization, the ideas of air-gapped wallets match with the wider concept of offline storage and secure key management.
What is an Air-Gapped Wallet
An air-gapped wallet (a type of cold storage wallet) is a type of cryptocurrency wallet that is completely isolated from any network, thus protecting it from unauthorized access, cyber hacks, and other vulnerabilities that a system connected to the internet would typically face.
The main idea here is to keep your private keys, which are used to access your cryptocurrency, safe and secure. By keeping a wallet air-gapped, the private keys never leave the device and are never exposed to a potentially compromised network, making it extremely difficult for a third party to steal the cryptocurrency.
Air-Gapped wallet offers a high level of security, but it also requires more effort to set up and maintain. It’s often used by long-term investors or people who hold large amounts of cryptocurrency. Remember, even with an air-gapped wallet, it’s crucial to keep your device (where the wallet is stored) physically safe and secure and to have a backup of your private key or recovery phrase in case the device is lost or fails.
Complete list of hardware wallets, price and features compared
5 Best Air-Gapped Cold Wallets
Air-gapped wallets provide the highest level of protection while remaining simple to use. Your private keys are stored on a separate device that is never linked to the internet or any other wireless connection like Bluetooth. Our list includes both free and paid options so that you can get top-notch security for your crypto assets.
Keystone Pro
Keystone Pro is an open-source, completely air-gapped wallet that comes with a 4.0″ OLED screen for simple transaction management and 1000mah battery. It allows offline transaction signature through QR codes, increasing security by removing the need for internet connectivity. The wallet includes an EAL 5+ certified Secure Element (SE) chip and open-source firmware, delivering the greatest level of security certification to safeguard digital assets against physical manipulation, side-channel attacks, and viruses.
Keystone wallet offers fingerprint security for device protection, an intuitive user interface compatible with multiple platforms, multi-factor authentication (MFA) for added security, integration with 20+ top software wallets, support for 5500+ assets, and multi-signature functionality for secure transactions are among the key features. Keystone Pro provides a complete and safe solution for your cryptocurrency management.
Ngrave Zero
Ngrave is a highly secure, completely air-gapped crypto hardware wallet with exceptional security features like EAL-7 certification. This wallet, like many of the greatest wallets available, is air-gapped. It is based on communication through transparent QR codes and supports more than 3500 crypto assets.
The Ngrave device, has a 4-inch touch screen, Biometric and Light sensors and can store up to 100 accounts in a wallet. Through QR codes, the device enables quick and smooth crypto coin and token transfers. The fact that it is powered by a custom-designed OS developed by Ngrave’s own security team is what actually makes it a remarkable wallet. As a result, the wallet is immune to all of the vulnerabilities that other wallets on the market are vulnerable to.
Ellipal Titan
Ellipal truly secure and completely air-gapped hardware wallet that provides powerful cryptocurrency control and protection. It stores private keys on a secure element chip, fighting against hardware and software assaults, and allows multi-signature (multi-sig) wallets for increased security. Users can check transaction legitimacy using a unique QR code scanning system, preventing phishing attacks and unauthorized transactions. The wallet’s 12-word mnemonic phrase enables quick recovery of private keys in the event of loss or theft.
The device has a touchscreen display, USB type-C charging, a camera, and a microSD card slot. for easy navigation, a mobile app for management, and supports 10,000+ cryptocurrencies on 130+ blockchains, including important ones like Bitcoin and Ethereum and NFTs. Furthermore, it is equipped with anti-tampering sensors for an added degree of security by detecting physical tampering attempts.
Safepal S1/S1Pro
Binance Labs’ SafePal S1 is an air-gapped cold storage hardware wallet that provides secure crypto storage. It protects private keys with a secure chip and encryption CC EAL5+, preventing unauthorized access to digital assets. Users may easily manage their cryptocurrency by pairing it with the SafePal mobile app for iOS and Android. This well-known air-gapped crypto wallet uses QR codes for transactions and buttons for signatures.
SafePal S1 comes with a 1.3’ Full-color screen with 320*320 resolution that provides a durable, portable, and versatile solution for safeguarding and accessing cryptocurrencies worldwide, and compatibility for storing NFTs and integrating with DeFi platforms.
Airgap Mobile Wallet
AirGap is a cryptocurrency self-custody and cold storage system that provides high security and easy usability. It employs a two-device strategy: AirGap Vault, which is placed on an offline smartphone, and keeps private keys, whilst AirGap Wallet, which is installed on any phone, handles transactions without access to secrets.
AirGap supports a variety of cryptocurrencies and includes functionality such as staking and trading within the app. The technology communicates via QR codes, making it both secure and user-friendly. AirGap, created by a reputable Swiss mobile security firm, is completely open source and supports recovery using recovery phrases. It offers a dependable and secure method of handling and protecting digital assets. Read a complete review of the Airgap Wallet
Conclusion
It’s simple to reach a (nuanced) conclusion after conducting a decent amount of study. Wallets that are air-gapped are safer than those that aren’t. Many typical wallet hacking techniques can be avoided by avoiding direct internet, Bluetooth, WiFi, RFID, NFC, or other sorts of broadcast connectivity. The study also demonstrates that even an air-gapped wallet doesn’t always present a barrier to the most determined of hackers. It does, however, make things much more difficult.
It is ultimately up to you whether you want to store your cryptocurrencies in a hot wallet, a cold, hardware wallet, or a fully air-gapped wallet. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but an air-gapped wallet combines the best of all types of wallets such as the private key is isolated and stored offline, no dependency on third parties due to the non-custodial nature, communication only through QR codes makes it much more difficult to hack the wallet.
