Safe Wallet Unplug; Trevor PIN Doubt; Gemini: Do not know how to buy BTC!!

[Noob_Is_Relative]

Hello All:

These are brief concerns, so I'm not posting separately. My concerns are numbered. Anythings else is informational.

I just completed setup for Trevor One. FYI, there is a loop that has not been rectified. When you plug in the device it tells you to go to trevor.io/start (and so do the printed directions) but when you do that, you find out that there is NO start process at this site, that you must use the application (Chrome browser only). And, by the way, before you receive your wallet in the mail, you can set up the app (called Suite) and explore part of the UI and adjust a few settings. Also the support section at trevor.io has a nice tutorial on the Suite application.

(1) When I'm in Suite with Trevor plugged in, I see no way to properly exit from the device without yanking it out of the port. I did find an "Eject" button but it doesn't work. So right now, I'm just pulling the device out. Leave it at that? I just realized I could try logging out of Suite, then pulling the device. I'll get back on that.

(2) Completing "seed" backup no issues. But helluva time setting PIN. The device generates 9 random digits. In the Suite, you can see the same 9 boxes. I see no choice other than inputting those digits, then re-confirming, however, mismatch every time, so I aborted that and have no PIN. This item is NOT about how I set the PIN. I can review the tutorial at the main site. What I'm thinking is that it might be a mistake to set a PIN. Besides the seed, that's one more item that must be kept secret and in a different place from the seed, offering more opportunities for errors and losing all.
What's your view?

FYI, I had no issues immediately transferring coin from Gemini to my wallet. However, Gemini, shame on them, makes it very hard in their UI to find out how to withdraw.

(3) I've had it drilled into me: "Not your keys, not your coin." That's why I figured that a cold wallet was the ONLY way to go . Now that I have set up my wallet, I have no idea what my private key is or even exactly what it means. In the setup process, the word "key" was never mentioned. I'm assuming that the seed backup is the backup to a lost key, but what key?

(4) At Gemini, in my Portfolio I have "X" USD available. Of course, I do not want fiat currency sitting there. I want to buy BTC--like everyone else! But I have no idea how to do it. I search the FAQ's, I search the menus and I can't figure it out. You could say that this is a really dumb question or you could say that Gemini is equally opaque on this most obvious item. If it's a dumb question, I take responsibility, but I still need an answer!

(5) I run a full node to support the blockchain. Can someone give a brief explanation on the relationship between my cold wallet Trezor and also setting up a hot wallet on the blockchain. Please check my assumption: A wallet on the blockchain is a hot wallet but it's very secure because the BTC blockchain has never been hacked and cannot be hacked unless > 50% of all nodes in thew world agree on the same hack. Meanwhile, I'm afraid to set up a wallet from my full node because there are no instructions and I don't know what I'd be getting into. (For example, will I receive a  public address?) I might be better sticking with my cold wallet but since I do have the option of a wallet from my full node, I at least want to understand its possibilities.

Subtractions, additions, comments and critiques are most welcome. Thank you!

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[nc50lc]

-snip- I just completed setup for Trevor One.

I'm not here to answer since I don't use Gemini or "Trevor", but is that a typo?
Because I haven't heard of a "Trevor One" hardware wallet and the site 'trevor.io' doesn't offer hardware wallet-related software

[Noob_Is_Relative]

-snip- I just completed setup for Trevor One.

I'm not here to answer since I don't use Gemini or "Trevor", but is that a typo?
Because I haven't heard of a "Trevor One" hardware wallet and the site 'trevor.io' doesn't offer hardware wallet-related software

You are exactly right. Thanks for catching these errors on my part. It is trezor.io (with a zed) and the device is Model One. It looks like I could have fallen prey to a phishing attempt. One can't be too careful with coin.

[Noob_Is_Relative]

OP:

Probably I made a mistake posting a group of questions. I was trying to be efficient.

Meanwhile, I have answered two of them.

(1) In the Trezor Suite on your PC desktop "ejecting" the device does NOT mean ejecting the hardware, which is the usual interpretation. It means ejecting the data that the Suite has maintained in the app from your device. That's a little strange. When you think about it, you are actually ejecting software. You can also pull the device directly from the port.

(2) I successfully set my PIN. I now think that a PIN is critical for security. Not having a PIN is the same as losing your smartphone on the street with NO security measures applied. If someone with knowledge found or stole your device, downloaded the Trezor Suite, and plugged in your device, they would have full access to your coin. Now it does make sense to me that you keep your PIN with your seed.

I found many very poor explanations for setting the PIN online and on YouTube. Even the Satoshilabs (Trezor) presentation on YouTube was poor. Every good teacher knows that when you introduce an idea that might be confusing, that you slow down your rate of speech. This presenter talked "a mile a minute." Further, she summarized steps but did not explain steps. I finally found directions that made sense. For anyone having problems, I will present them here.

When you start the PIN create function, on your device you will see 9 digits, 1 through 9, randomly generated. They will be in the form of a 3x3 matrix. This is the SAME matrix that appears on your PC in the PIN setup part of the suite but that matrix is blind. However, if you look a the position of the digits on your device, those SAME digits will be in the same location on the blind matrix on your PC.

Select the digits you want for your PIN from the device and write them down. Then click with your mouse those same digits in the blind boxes that are the same boxes that appear on your device. After entering you will repeat. But notice that you will get a new random set and new locations of your chosen PIN. No matter click the same numbers again on the Desktop Suite according to the new position on the device: same numbers but different positions from the first entry. When you click that entry you can go to your security section and see that your PIN has been set.

You will then be asked for your PIN when you re-connect your device and access the Suite. Hope this helps.

[witcher_sense]

(3) I've had it drilled into' me: "Not your keys, not your coin." That's why I figured that a cold wallet was the ONLY way to go . Now that I have set up my wallet, I have no idea what my private key is or even exactly what it means. In the setup process, the word "key" was never mentioned. I'm assuming that the seed backup is the backup to a lost key, but what key?

The seed words (12 or 24 English words) you were given upon the very first wallet installation are your main key which you should back up and keep safely. Seed words allow you to restore your wallet in case you lose your Trezor One: without them, you won't have access to your coins, and you won't be able to spend what you have received. What are these words used for? Your wallet takes these words, and from them, it generates private keys, public keys, and addresses, with which you can send and receive your coins. One specific seed always results in the same set of keys, which means you don't need to back up thousands of single keys (private keys), but only one seed.

[Noob_Is_Relative]

OP:

I just answered Question #4: Where is the Buy function on the Gemini website?

It's kind of amazing that something as obvious as buying cryptocurrency should be so hidden on a currency exchange. I spent hours reading FAQ's and searching menus on the site to find out how I buy BTC with my fiat currency that is in my account.

It turns out that it is under the Market tab. When clicking on that, you then click on a chosen currency. When you do that, you have the option to buy and all is straightforward from then on.
But you first have to drill down two hidden unobvious levels to get there. That's a poor UI design for such a critical function.

Hope this helps someone . . .

[dkbit98]

I successfully set my PIN. I now think that a PIN is critical for security. Not having a PIN is the same as losing your smartphone on the street with NO security measures applied. If someone with knowledge found or stole your device, downloaded the Trezor Suite, and plugged in your device, they would have full access to your coin. Now it does make sense to me that you keep your PIN with your seed.

PIN code is only connected with specific device but it means nothing if someone finds your seed word backup written on paper, with this anyone can take ownership of your coins without the need for using PIN code at all.
If you are not using trezor device all the time I would even go so far to delete/wipe device and really more on protecting seed words, or adding passphrase.
You can change PIN code anything you want, but it's not that easy with passphrase and seed words.

I found many very poor explanations for setting the PIN online and on YouTube. Even the Satoshilabs (Trezor) presentation on YouTube was poor.

It's not poor explanation if you can't find it.
I found multiple well explained articles, blog posts and videos made by Trezor, but PIN code is nothing new that needs special explanation, unless you lived in a cave or under the rock all your life.
Few examples I found in just few seconds:
https://wiki.trezor.io/PIN
https://wiki.trezor.io/User_manual:Entering_PIN
https://blog.trezor.io/seed-pin-passphrase-e15d14a0b546?gi=22756f7811a8

PS
You are not helping anyone with confusing topics like this, and you are not efficient at all  

[SFR10]

FYI, I had no issues immediately transferring coin from Gemini to my wallet. However, Gemini, shame on them, makes it very hard in their UI to find out how to withdraw.

I spent hours reading FAQ's and searching menus on the site to find out how I buy BTC with my fiat currency that is in my account.

You also have the ability to buy BTCitcoin through Trezor Suite: Compare crypto exchanges and buy bitcoin instantly with Trezor

In the setup process, the word "key" was never mentioned.

In addition to answers on both of your threads, it's worth noting that Trezor has a "blog post" in regards to the term in question.

It is trezor.io (with a zed)

You should probably consider editing/correcting those parts in the OP.

(2) I successfully set my PIN. I now think that a PIN is critical for security.

• or adding passphrase.
  ~Snipped~
  https://blog.trezor.io/seed-pin-passphrase-e15d14a0b546?gi=22756f7811a8
  

  +1
  The following link gives slightly more information: Passphrase