Summary

KeepKey is a second screen wallet that connects via USB. Each and every transaction must be approved on Keepkey’s OLED display. Keepkey makes it a virtual impossibility for hackers or viruses to steal your private key.

A fork of bitcoin trezor, which is the benchmark in hardwallet security, KeepKey offers a more sturdy feeling product with the same security – at a premium price. Both Trezor and Keepkey utilize the same logic to protect private keys and are compatible with the same external wallets – they are essentially different iterations of the same product. Trezor will get you to the same place just not in KeepKey style. Whether that is worth $140 is a matter of taste and budget.  For me it is not – we prefer trezor.

How it works

Keepkey works with two different chrome extensions – the keepkey wallet and the keepkey proxy. The former app is the actual wallet, while the latter app is the bridge connecting the wallet to the keepkey hardware. Why, one might ask, are two apps required in the stead of a single app, an app serving both as wallet and connector? I don’t know. Once you’ve downloaded both apps, a modified hamburger icon – it actually looks like a stack of pancakes – will appear in the corner of your chrome browser. Accessing the wallet is as simple as plugging in your keepkey and clicking on the pancakes.

Initializing KeepKey

So, after clicking on the pancakes for the first time, select “initialize keepkey” and name your device. You will then need to select your pin. You are protected against keystroke loggers, as keepkey randomizes nine digits on your hardware device in the shape of a dial pad, and setting the pin, and any subsequent entering of the pin, is done by clicking a corresponding position on the web wallet. You can see how this looks below.

Next, the keepkey will display a 12-word mnemonic backup. Be sure to write this down in the enclosed recovery booklet, and hit the confirm button. This will complete the installation of your private key, which has never exited the offline, air-gapped hardware product.

The Keepkey wallet interface

the keepkey wallet, which drops down from the top of the screen when clicking on the keepkey pancakes, presents an extremely simple interface with four different tabs – send money, receive money, transactions and device settings.

To send money, paste the recipient address in the appropriate field, and determine the speed at which you would like the transaction to process. You will see a choice of three different speed with corresponding fee amount – 1 hour, 30 minutes and 10 minutes. You’ll next be asked to input the pin code from the keepkey random pin generator.

After this, the transaction will show on the keepkey and you’ll need to confirm by pressing the confirmation button. When the transaction has gone through, it will be recorded within the transaction tab.