Foundation Devices 'Passport Batch 2' hardware wallet review

[n0nce]

That's a great tip! However, I do believe that most users will probably not be that savy regarding knowing it and it would be better to make it available to everyone, straight when the QR codes appears. Perhaps with your tip the developers could figure out what is making the application get slower in that particular menu? Or you're just using the menu correctly and every user has to select a square (I don't own a Passport).

If memory serves correct, earlier versions of the passport2 firmware did default to a bigger QR code size (requiring scanning fewer codes to transmit the same amount of data).
But those early versions had issues with recognition speed, ironically, since the device wasn't picking up QR codes fast enough so it had to cycle through them multiple times to gather all the data.

At least this was the case when scanning QR codes with Passport. I'm not sure whether scanning from the Passport screen had any issues.

Anyhow, since the whole QR recognition code in general has been changed and optimized a lot, I do agree that defaulting back to a smaller number of larger-sized QR codes makes sense.

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[satscraper]

If memory serves correct, earlier versions of the passport2 firmware did default to a bigger QR code size .....

Anyhow, since the whole QR recognition code in general has been changed and optimized a lot, I do agree that defaulting back to a smaller number of larger-sized QR codes makes sense.

Sorry for misleading you on this matter.

Default remains large-sized QR code, i.e the smallest square I have mentioned in my previous post is selected on default.

Probably in my previous attempts to pair via QR I have touched somehow that joystick-button in the course of feeding data to WEB camera and thus changed the size of QR patterns.

Now I'm very cautious  as to  that button in  the course of pairing.

Corrected my previous post. Sorry once more.

[n0nce]

If memory serves correct, earlier versions of the passport2 firmware did default to a bigger QR code size .....

Anyhow, since the whole QR recognition code in general has been changed and optimized a lot, I do agree that defaulting back to a smaller number of larger-sized QR codes makes sense.

Sorry for misleading you on this matter.

Default remains large-sized QR code, i.e the smallest square I have mentioned in my previous post is selected on default.

Probably in my previous attempts to pair via QR I have touched somehow that joystick-button in the course of feeding data to WEB camera and thus changed the size of QR patterns.

Now I'm very cautious  as to  that button in  the course of pairing.

Corrected my previous post. Sorry once more.

No need to apologize, it's just very good to know, thanks for checking back on that!

[Flexystar]

This is by far way better version of hardware wallet. It looks so much premium as compared to my ledger. Now I’m feeling so down as compared to what I have and what is on the market. Honestly you can have first impression from the packaging and how a product is delivered to your doorsteps. Just scrolled through all the gallery posted by n0nce and I’m so impressed with how they made this product. It looks very lavish product by its appearance. Moreover, it has color screen man that’s even better than most of the Back LED type of screens. What  I mean is, it gives entirely modernist feeling. @n0nce must be premium when you are holding it in your hands? The technical details are already discussed in depth so yeah it has got one more vote for sure.

[Pmalek]

This is by far way better version of hardware wallet. It looks so much premium as compared to my ledger. Now I’m feeling so down as compared to what I have and what is on the market.

I initially wanted to say that even if you wanted to purchase it, it might be difficult for you. I am assuming you are Russian and many companies have stopped shipping to Russia and Ukraine due to the current situation. Foundation Passport is manufactured and assembled in USA, but they have a few resellers around the world. I was actually surprised to see that a Russian company is part of their reseller network. If you really want the wallet, here is one way to get it:

CrypToro
https://cryptoro.ru

All the other resellers are here:
https://foundationdevices.com/resellers/

[n0nce]

@n0nce must be premium when you are holding it in your hands? The technical details are already discussed in depth so yeah it has got one more vote for sure.

It does feel 'premium', indeed. It's quite heavy (both versions) since they have a piece of structural casing made out of cast metal on the inside. The shell (front and back) seems from rather good, durable plastic as well and due to open-source hardware, it should be possible to even 3D print replacement parts in the future.

I've wanted to try that from the day I got it, but just never got around to doing it.

[Pocketchange]

I'm torn between this wallet, cold card and Jade.

Do they ship discreetly? And if I read correctly passports are shipped UPS with tracking. correct?

Thank you

[Pmalek]

Do they ship discreetly? And if I read correctly passports are shipped UPS with tracking. correct?

What do you consider discreetly? Unless something changed, Passport Foundation allows shipping to PO boxes. You can also pay for your hardware wallet with Bitcoin through BTCPay Server, which is another privacy boost. Regarding shipping methods, I guess it depends on your country/location. I know that Foundation works with USPS and UPS, maybe other couriers as well.

[Pocketchange]

Thanks for the info. I'm a little concerned on how the package is labeled. I'm pretty sure foundation isn't the most well known company anyway.

[Pmalek]

I'm a little concerned on how the package is labeled. I'm pretty sure foundation isn't the most well known company anyway.

You can read a bit more about the way the package looks in n0nce's unboxing part of his Foundation Passport (FE) hardware wallet review and walkthrough. As he explained, the Batch 2 is also shipped in the same white box with a security seal. Once you open it, you should see this:



There aren't any clear markings either on the outer box nor on the inner one that you are dealing with a hardware wallet. The Foundation logo is on the upper cover, but you would have to be familiar with it to know what it represents.

[RickDeckard]

There aren't any clear markings either on the outer box nor on the inner one that you are dealing with a hardware wallet. The Foundation logo is on the upper cover, but you would have to be familiar with it to know what it represents.

I think that the concern of Pocketchange is more related to what kind of information is placed on the outer box of the packaging unit. I imagine that OP doesn't want people to know that the sender of the package was a hardware wallet company, which would have a sender address something like "Foundation Devices ...". Do note that the shipping package may differ depending on where you bought the device from. I found this article[1] that has a picture of what appears to be the outer packaging box (it even has the shipping details removed).
As for verifying that the device wasn't tampered during the shipping process, Foundation has a validation[2] website that you can use to make sure your device wasn't altered in any way.

Thanks for the info. I'm a little concerned on how the package is labeled. I'm pretty sure foundation isn't the most well known company anyway.

While Foundation devices doesn't have the marketing level that other competitors in the market (such as Ledger and Trezor) do note that the comparison would be unfair - you are comparing a relative new company with both Ledger and Trezor that have been in the market for years. If you take a moment to look for feedback regarding Foundation devices in this forum - a pot of knowledge regarding Bitcoin - you'll find almost no negative feedback regarding their devices.
[1]https://bitcoinmagazine.com/guides/foundation-passport-bitcoin-wallet-guide
[2]https://validate.foundationdevices.com/

[n0nce]

The Foundation Passport comes in sort of two layers of 'tamper-evident seals' / stickers. This is how it should arrive (inside a larger box) at your doorstep.

Yeah, so I believe this (white box) was the 'outer box' and it did have some minor 'Foundation Devices' labeling on it as seen in the second picture. I also just checked and found a picture of the shipping label that I did not post, where the sender is labelled as 'Foundation Devices'.

[RickDeckard]

Yeah, so I believe this (white box) was the 'outer box' and it did have some minor 'Foundation Devices' labeling on it as seen in the second picture. I also just checked and found a picture of the shipping label that I did not post, where the sender is labelled as 'Foundation Devices'.

Thank you for validating my theory @n0nce. I really don't think you'll be able to disguise the sender information in your packaging @Pocketchange, if this is what you were concerned about. I think that the only way that you could disguise your purchase would use a mix of actions:

• Pay for your purchase using bitcoin acquired in a P2P market. Ideally see what payment processor the service uses (BTCPay Server would be great as Pmalek cited). If you want to further increase the privacy of your purchase, use Payjoin[1] or Coinjoin;
• If you are inclined to get a Foundation Device, have a look at their resellers[2] and see if you find some shop that doesn't sell only crypto related devices. For example this Slovenian reseller - Enna[3] - sell a plethora of technology devices - ranging from TV's, washing machines, laptops, monitors - and they also sell Foundation batch 2[4]. If you bought it from them, it would be very hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of device would be inside the packaging (as opposed as buying in a service that only sells hardware wallets);
• Get a PO box (as others have said) and ship the item to that address.

I know that, in the US at least, in order to get a PO box you have to provide some personal data[5] but you would avoid giving out your real address thus preventing your real address from any future data leak that the service may incur. For peace of mind do note that Foundation deletes your personal data 60 days after shipping your device[6]. Other providers may have different time frames that you can also check in their privacy policy[6].
[1]https://foundationdevices.com/2022/03/passport-coinjoin/
[2]https://foundationdevices.com/resellers/
[3]https://www.enaa.com/
[4]https://www.enaa.com/varni-in-pametni-kljuci/passport-batch-2-denarnica-za-bitcoin-foundation-devices
[5]https://about.usps.com/forms/ps1093.pdf
[6]https://foundationdevices.com/privacy/

[satscraper]

Confirming.

The aesthetically designed  inner box which contains Passport 2 device is shipped inside solid white  carton protected by a tamper-evidend   blue strip. The latter holds characters which indentify the batch of device manufacturing.

Below are Passport 2 boxes I have got.

[Pmalek]

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There is nothing wrong with your recommendations, but they will only be effective if a person follows all of them. For example, mixing your coins is a good idea. But mixing your coins and then having the device delivered to your home address under your real name defeats one of the purposes of mixing.

Delivering to PO boxes could be tricky depending on where you live and which courier does the shipping. When I order stuff online, I sometimes have to provide ID to the courier who feeds the information into the system. Staying anonymous doesn't work in that case. Some couriers in certain countries won't allow deliveries to PO boxes.   

[RickDeckard]

~
Delivering to PO boxes could be tricky depending on where you live and which courier does the shipping. When I order stuff online, I sometimes have to provide ID to the courier who feeds the information into the system. Staying anonymous doesn't work in that case. Some couriers in certain countries won't allow deliveries to PO boxes.   

The only alternative - that I'm aware - that could work is to have the package sent to a locker where you could later pick it up such as the service offered by GoLocker[1] (recently launched in NYC[2]). As far as I could see, you could provide a fake name and a temporary e-mail in the signup process. To receive the message to open the locker you would need to buy a SIM card just for that operation, but I suppose that it would be easily bought in a store. However I do reckon two problems with this process:

• You would have to pay to use this service by either a credit or debit card. Perhaps using a solution such as Privacy.com[3] would obfuscate the purchase? Or ask some friend/family of yours to pay for it?
• The places where these lockers are put are usually under CCTV. You probably would have to go with some kind of clothes that would help you hide your identity from the cameras.

[1]https://www.golocker.com/
[2]https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/new-york-city-is-testing-a-public-locker-program-to-help-with-package-deliveries-070323
[3]https://privacy.com/

[Pmalek]

The only alternative - that I'm aware - that could work is to have the package sent to a locker where you could later pick it up such as the service offered by GoLocker[1] (recently launched in NYC[2]). As far as I could see, you could provide a fake name and a temporary e-mail in the signup process. To receive the message to open the locker you would need to buy a SIM card just for that operation, but I suppose that it would be easily bought in a store.

It's a good solution, but just as I thought, not only is it only available in the USA, but it has very limited reach there as well. You can only use their lockers in Los Angeles and New York City. Everyone else in the States, not to mention the world, doesn't benefit from this option. As time goes by, I am sure it will incorporate more cities. They might even reach Europe or someone could create an alternative here. But I suspect it's again going to be something for the biggest countries to take advantage of, while the majority won't be able to use it.

[satscraper]

My job requires frequent business trips within EU, and I have used this as opportunity to have the package with Passport inside delivered to hotel where I stay. I made the purchase   from a local reseller in the country I visited, rather than from my country of permanent residence. While it may not be the ideal solution, I believe it is better than relying on the logistics of my own country.

[RickDeckard]

It's a good solution, but just as I thought, not only is it only available in the USA, but it has very limited reach there as well. You can only use their lockers in Los Angeles and New York City. Everyone else in the States, not to mention the world, doesn't benefit from this option. As time goes by, I am sure it will incorporate more cities. They might even reach Europe or someone could create an alternative here. But I suspect it's again going to be something for the biggest countries to take advantage of, while the majority won't be able to use it.

I totally understand your point of view, but my previous entry was more showing that there could be other services that could be used, and GoLocker would be just one example of a company that does it. I don't know about the US, but I do know that in Europe there are a lot of companies that offer this kind of service (providing a locker address to receive packages instead home addresses). But yeah, at the end of the day this isn't a really global solution that could be employed by everyone...

[dkbit98]

I'm torn between this wallet, cold card and Jade.

Jade is lower class budget device that doesn't have secure element, so it's less secure than other two wallets you mentioned.
Coldcard is not open source anymore, but code base is very similar and Passport is based on it's old code.
If I had to pick from this three wallets I would always pick Passport.

Do they ship discreetly? And if I read correctly passports are shipped UPS with tracking. correct?

I think Passport can sell wallets for cash if you live in United States, or you can get them delivered to Amazon lockers I think.
Another option is to buy hardware wallets at some bitcoin conference, and maybe you will find some additional discount.