Honestly, it kind of makes me want to look elsewhere for another device. Why would you feel comfortable with your device connected during the most important part of setup(releasing seed phrase)?
I can see where you're coming from.
Even with open-source code, the difficulty of auditing all those lines; the client Trezor Suite and the firmware, isn't going to be simple.
Without time, expertise and/or effort, you'll just be trusting the verdict of other users/developers on the code.
If still in doubt, you may consider a full "
air-gap" hardware device which can be used for transaction signing (
PSBT) and initial setup without connecting to a computer.
E.g. Coldcard.
Thanks, everyone.
I currently use the Ledger Nano X and am very familiar with its features. One aspect I really appreciated was the ability to generate the seed phrase offline, before connecting the device to any internet-connected platform. That feature gave me a real sense of security.
However, with Ledger Recover becoming a concern and the closed source coding, I decided to purchase the Trezor Safe 5 as a more privacy-focused alternative.
To be clear, I’m not opposed to connecting a hardware wallet to the internet when performing transactions. But I’m genuinely puzzled by Trezor’s decision to require a connection to a computer just to generate the seed phrase. Why not allow for a basic power source — like a wall charger — for initial setup, so users can create the seed phrase without any data interface involved?
As someone else mentioned, yes, Trezor is open source, which is commendable. But unless you personally review the code — which I don’t — you're still relying on the assurance of others. They say the seed phrase is never shared with the computer, but how can we truly verify that? Just because it’s displayed on the device doesn’t guarantee it’s not being leaked or cached through some vector we’re unaware of.
Even if Trezor’s intentions are completely honest and the code is clean, is it really worth waking up two years from now to find your seed phrase was compromised — simply because you weren’t given the option to generate it offline using something as simple as a power outlet?
Now I’ve got the Safe 5 sitting here, and I’m reconsidering whether transferring all my assets from the Ledger Nano X is actually a safer move. I’m trying to figure out if I’m trading one set of risks for another.
So here’s my question:
Are there any hardware wallets that match the user-friendliness of the Nano X, but allow for true offline seed phrase generation — ideally without requiring a computer connection at the start? Again, I'm m fine with connecting for transactions and setup after that.
Thanks in advance.