BitBox02 Experiences

[balladofjpeg]

Hi, I would like to upgrade from my ledger S to a new bitbox. I know the ledger S is supposed to be safe, but I've been thinking about it lately.
Do you think I can put the seed of the ledger in the bitbox?
Or is it safer to move the funds with some transactions? (so new seed for the bitbox)
what if I restore with the "ledger" seed, then add a passphrase and finally move them? (this last part is also unclear in my mind  )

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[dkbit98]

Hi, I would like to upgrade from my ledger S to a new bitbox. I know the ledger S is supposed to be safe, but I've been thinking about it lately.
Do you think I can put the seed of the ledger in the bitbox?

Sure, you can do it, if you already have coins there with addresses you actively use, and if you didn't expose old seed phrase anywhere.
But if you want to be more secure than I would suggest to start fresh and generate everything from zero.

Or is it safer to move the funds with some transactions? (so new seed for the bitbox)
what if I restore with the "ledger" seed, then add a passphrase and finally move them? (this last part is also unclear in my mind  )

I think this is safer, but you will have to pay transaction fees, that are not always cheap.

[SFR10]

what if I restore with the "ledger" seed, then add a passphrase and finally move them? (this last part is also unclear in my mind  )

If I understand correctly, you already have funds in your normal wallet so if you were to add a passphrase to your used seed phrase, it'd just lead to an empty passphrase-protected wallet!
^{- This should be done when you're setting up your wallet for the first time, but only do it if you "fully" understand everything about it.}

[balladofjpeg]

thanks for both your reply
I will generate a new wallet with new seed and then move funds.
In the meantime I will study a bit more passphrase option 

[Meuserna]

thanks for both your reply
I will generate a new wallet with new seed and then move funds.
In the meantime I will study a bit more passphrase option 

A passphrase creates a new wallet.  In a sense, a passphrase is sort-of like having a 2 of 2 multisig, since the wallet can only be accessed with both parts, the seed and the passphrase.  The danger is that if you lose either part, you lose your coins, so your passphrase needs to be precise.  I'm a fan of using 7 words or more with a space between each, all lowercase except for things that should be capitalized, like names.

Here's a video about how to choose a strong passphrase by Crypto-Guide.  The whole video is worth watching, but I'm linking to the part where he talks about how many words to use in a passphrase.

Crypto-Guide's youtube channel is fantastic.  Zero hype.  Just quality info.  I'm shocked his videos don't get tons more views.  His stuff is among the best of the best for Bitcoin.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Hi, I would like to upgrade from my ledger S to a new bitbox.

I'm no technical wizard by any stretch of the imagination, but from what I've heard from members here any device with a secure element (including the Bitbox wallets) is subject to the same problems Ledger revealed to the world--and all of you who do understand the machinations of key exfiltration by HW wallet manufacturers please correct me if I'm wrong.  However, I'd trust Bitbox over Ledger any day of the week, and if you've got to use a HW wallet the Bitbox02 isn't a bad one at all.  Whatever you decide, my advice--which you already seem to be leaning toward--is to ditch Ledger ASAP.  I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking they're a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off.

The only two problems I have with Bitbox is their UI (which you don't have to use) and the device itself which is more cumbersome to use than a Ledger, at least for a fat-fingered fumblebum like myself.  If you're not doing a lot of sending/checking balances/etc., it probably won't matter much to you.  Good luck, and fuck Ledger!

[cygan]

today the new BitBox 12.2023 Sustli update was released, which brings the following features:

• remember wallet - this allows the app to remember your wallet and display your balance without the BitBox being plugged in
• android screen lock - here you can now add a lock to the BitBoxApp to protect sensitive information from curious eyes
• hide amounts - here all displayed funds are hidden and replaced by star characters
• wallet connect - with this feature you can interact with Ethereum dapps without installing a wallet as a browser extension

further information and where to download the new update can be found in the following links:
https://bitbox.swiss/blog/bitbox-12-2023-sustli-update/
https://bitbox.swiss/download/

[Pmalek]

I'm a fan of using 7 words or more with a space between each, all lowercase except for things that should be capitalized, like names.

There is maximum length to the passphrases that you can use. At least, that's the case with Trezor. I remember that I couldn't use the full length of a passphrase I initially wanted to use, so I compromised and got rid of several characters. Trezor allows a maximum length of 50 characters when it comes to the passphrases. 

[cygan]

today BitBox released the first update of this year with Fletschhorn 02.2024
it offers features such as an improved account overview and a deactivated screensaver for interactive actions. in addition, a new type of Bitcoin insurance (with Bitsurance as a german startup), improved verifiable seed generation and self-transfer validation are available with the update.


further information and where to download the new update can be found in the following links:
https://bitbox.swiss/blog/bitbox-02-2024-fletschhorn-update/
https://bitbox.swiss/download/

[SFR10]

in addition, a new type of Bitcoin insurance (with Bitsurance as a german startup)

I have mixed feelings about this... In some cases, it might come in handy for those who don't know how to properly protect their devices but at the same time, if their servers get compromised, they'll be putting all of their users at a higher risk of having to deal with "burglary and extortion" attempts ^{[at this point, it doesn't matter it's insuring its users for such things]}:

• e.g.
  Based on the steps in "this video ^{[the steps on their website appear to be the same for the three supported hardware wallets]}", it requires giving your xPub and various other information ^{[name, birthdate, email, number, registered address, postal code]} to the third-party in question!

[The Sceptical Chymist]

• e.g.
  Based on the steps in "this video ^{[the steps on their website appear to be the same for the three supported hardware wallets]}", it requires giving your xPub and various other information ^{[name, birthdate, email, number, registered address, postal code]} to the third-party in question!

Hm.  I'm puzzled as to why anyone who'd get a HW wallet would also sign up for insurance like that, especially when it requires all sorts of personal information.

And I have to say that when it comes to wallets--from software ones to hardware--the simpler, the better.  I'm not a big fan of all of these services a lot of them are offering, and in some cases who the wallet maker is partnering with.  I suppose you don't have to see any of that on HW wallets if you're not using the manufacturer's app (like Ledger Live), but it'd be so nice if you could use their apps without it looking like there's someone on the other side actively trying to sell you a bunch of shit.

I'm a fan of Bitbox, though, at least until or unless they lose people's trust like Ledger.  Hope that doesn't happen.

[SFR10]

Hm.  I'm puzzled as to why anyone who'd get a HW wallet would also sign up for insurance like that, especially when it requires all sorts of personal information.

Their target audience is only those who have invested a significant amount without having the proper knowledge of protecting their assets ^{[these are the type of people who only care about results, so they tend to throw away money for any type of protection (even if the trade-off is between convenience and privacy)]}.

• It's quite frustrating to see BitBox and some of the other known brands have chosen the route of offering solutions that rub more salt into the wound!

And I have to say that when it comes to wallets--from software ones to hardware--the simpler, the better.

I completely agree with the above line ^{[If it doesn't mean sacrificing some of the necessary features]}.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

And I have to say that when it comes to wallets--from software ones to hardware--the simpler, the better.

I completely agree with the above line ^{[If it doesn't mean sacrificing some of the necessary features]}.

Well, I've played around with a lot of wallets, and the ones that stick out to me are Mycelium, Trust, and Ledger.  Over time it seemed like the wallet devs just kept adding all of this extraneous stuff that's just bloat to me, and it always gave me an icky feeling seeing it.  I mean can you imagine if the bitcoin core wallet suddenly contained a link to some partner's site where you could exchange BTC (or whatever service you can think of)?

Hopefully the people at Bitbox don't start going down that road.  We can debate the merits of that insurance service all day long, but where does that kind of partnering end?

[dkbit98]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think BitBox is the first hardware wallet that is adding Lightning Network support on their BitBox02 devices.
They are using static invoices with inbound liquidity from Breez wallet, but there is no need to create any additional backups.
This is currently in closed alpha stages, but I think we can expect to see official release later this year.
Few months ago they released a blog article about adding Lightning to BitBoxApp.

Check out few minute long video demonstration how everything works:
https://twitter.com/BitBoxSwiss/status/1767488957770551400

[Pmalek]

I couldn't find a dedicated thread for Bitbox hardware wallets, so this one will do.

The company has releases a new BitBox app update that introduces a few changes and improvements. One new feature that was added is child keys following the BIP85 standard. The BitBox02 can now generate separate child keys of 12 or 24 words derived from your main (parent) seed. Lost child keys can always be recovered by the holders of the parent seed.   

Source:
https://bitbox.swiss/blog/bitbox-04-2024-brienz-update/

[satscraper]

I couldn't find a dedicated thread for Bitbox hardware wallets, so this one will do.

The company has releases a new BitBox app update that introduces a few changes and improvements. One new feature that was added is child keys following the BIP85 standard. The BitBox02 can now generate separate child keys of 12 or 24 words derived from your main (parent) seed. Lost child keys can always be recovered by the holders of the parent seed.   

Source:
https://bitbox.swiss/blog/bitbox-04-2024-brienz-update/

Wow, they move in the right direction. BIP 85 eligible child keys are very convenient feature that allows to disseminate them among different wallets and at the same time to have care about single SEED, solely, namely master SEED from which they were generated.

I use my child seeds generated by Passport 2 to setup wallets on a few hardware devices in my possession.

[Pmalek]

Wow, they move in the right direction. BIP 85 eligible child keys are very convenient feature that allows to disseminate them among different wallets and at the same time to have care about single SEED, solely, namely master SEED from which they were generated.

It's a great way to remain in control in situations where you want to give bitcoin to someone who is prone to losing stuff or misplacing them. I have such irresponsible people in my family circle. They would lose their feet if they could take them off. There is still the issue with them getting hacked or leaking the seed somehow, but at least you could protect them from losing their keys.

I use my child seeds generated by Passport 2 to setup wallets on a few hardware devices in my possession.

The Jade can be used for that as well. I haven't looked into it though.