TL;DR: PiWalletSV is the first real attempt at an air-gapped hardware wallet for BSV cold storage, built by developer Monty Ohrt as a DIY kit with open-source software. It signs transactions through animated QR codes paired with a web-based companion app, so the device itself never touches a computer or network. It is not practical as a daily driver and was never meant to be: it is a safe for large balances, not a spending wallet. For a BSV ecosystem with essentially no consumer hardware wallet options, it is a genuinely useful proof of concept.
Key Takeaways
- First BSV cold storage hardware wallet: PiWalletSV fills a long-standing gap, as no mainstream consumer hardware wallets (Trezor, Ledger, KeepKey) support BSV.
- Air-gapped by design: No wifi, Bluetooth, or wired data connection. The device communicates only through animated QR codes, which never contain private key information.
- Not a daily driver: It is built for long-term cold storage of large balances in a physically secure place. Everyday, BSV use is better served by wallets like HandCash, Yours, Metanet Desktop, or BSV Browser.
- DIY hardware, open-source software: Pre-built units are largely sold out, but the device can be assembled from off-the-shelf parts using the guides on the website. All software is open source and based on open specifications.
- Familiar setup: Choose a PIN, write down a 12- or 24-word seed phrase, and optionally add extra entropy with the camera or dice rolls.
- Sending requires a companion app: Transactions are built in the web app, signed on the Pi, and completed by scanning QR animations both ways before broadcasting. Awkward, but acceptable for infrequent cold storage sends.
BSV users who want to keep a meaningful amount of coins offline have been stuck. There are basically no consumer hardware wallets that support the network, leaving most people to choose between keeping their savings in online wallets and finding another workaround. PiWalletSV is the first real attempt at filling that gap, and while it’s not perfect, it’s a good start.
We already covered the technical side in our previous article, so this time we’re talking about the actual experience of using the thing. Is this a wallet you could carry around and use as an air-gapped daily driver? The short answer is no, and it’s not supposed to be. It’s more like a safe you’d keep in a physically secure place.
If you want to know what it’s actually like to set up, send, and receive with it, the long answer is below. I also made a video showing the device in action, which you can watch first if you prefer.
Let’s clear this up first: PiWalletSV isn’t practical as a daily driver, and it’s not supposed to be. The ideal daily driver BSV wallet is one you can use to sign in to apps, send and receive transactions directly, and even use your address as a login identity. For that, you’re far better off using something like HandCash, Yours, or the wallets in Metanet Desktop and BSV Browser.
Cold storage is about finding a secure place to stash large balances, one that never connects to any computer or network, and one that keeps its private keys private on its own hardware. That’s what the word “cold” refers to. Cold storage doesn’t even need a hardware component; it’s any address and set of keys that stays permanently offline. Responsibility for security lies with the software that creates them, as ColdCard’s BTC hodlers discovered the (very) hard way recently. This is also your regular reminder not to trust any online “paper wallet generator” service either.
PiWalletSV is “air-gapped.” What does that mean? It means there’s never any physical connection between the device and your computer or any network. It never talks to the internet and has no functionality to do so. There’s no wifi, Bluetooth, or anything else. It signs and sends transactions by generating animated QR codes that deliver the final approval to a “companion”—a web-based app that pairs with the PiWalletSV and handles the actual transaction building and communication with the network. The animated QR codes don’t contain private key information, and the companion app only sees what it needs for one specific transaction.
While the PiWalletSV hardware is a DIY kit made from self-assembled parts, the software is elegant. Monty Ohrt has made everything open source, and it’s all based on open specifications. Anyone capable of doing so could create their own fork of it, or run Ohrt’s software on their own version of the hardware.
Using the hardware
Developer Ohrt sold pre-built units for as long as he could source all the parts. Demand for these kits means that, at the time of writing, few (if any) are still available. The components required to build your own are off-the-shelf consumer electronics parts, and if you can acquire them, it’s still easy to build your own DIY PiWalletSV using the guides on the website. Ohrt also sells a 3D-printed case to hold everything together, and these are still available.
We were lucky (or quick) enough to get one of the first pre-built units. While it’s not as compact or polished as a mass-produced Trezor, Ledger, or KeepKey hardware wallet, it’s still small enough to keep in a drawer (jeans pocket might be a bit trickier).
Navigating the menus is done with a small joystick and two buttons, and these controls are as easy as you’d expect from a device that’s home-built from various components and a 3D-printed shell. It’s not super snappy or ergonomically tuned, but it works. The user interface on the screen, however, compares well with that of any professionally produced gadget.
Setting up the PiWalletSV
The process for setting up a wallet will be familiar to anyone who’s ever set up a blockchain wallet before: you choose a PIN number, and write down the 12- or 24-word seed phrase it generates for you. And if you don’t completely trust the software’s ability to generate enough entropy for truly secure encryption (see “ColdCard” above), the Pi lets you add more by taking a photo with its camera, or rolling your own dice.
Pairing and using it
Users then pair the Pi with the companion app, again by scanning animated QR codes. This only needs to be done once.
Receiving transactions is done in the familiar blockchain-wallet fashion: the sender scans a QR code for the public address (on the companion app or on the device itself), or you can just copy and paste the address. Compare them on the companion app and the Pi first to make sure they match.
Sending transactions from the Pi is slightly more complex. You enter the transaction details (receiver, amount) in the companion app, then select “sign transaction” on the Pi. The companion app and the PiWalletSV then need to scan each other’s QR code animations to complete it; then you hit “broadcast” (i.e., send) in the app.
Shuffling the devices around to scan those codes is a bit awkward from a UX perspective, but “air-gapped” means that’s the only way the two components can communicate with each other. And since the PiWalletSV is intended as a long-term, cold storage solution, users probably won’t be sending transactions directly from the Pi very often.
Conclusion
If you’re lucky enough to have one of Ohrt’s PiWalletSV units, or you’re able to build your own from his guides, you can breathe easier than other BSV users who keep their entire savings in networked wallets. In a perfect world, there’d be several manufacturers competing for this market, and maybe someday, there will be.
Until then, PiWalletSV is a proof of concept (PoC) that BSV cold storage is possible without relying on proprietary, walled-garden hardware. It requires a degree of DIY and patience, but it delivers exactly what it promises: your keys, your coins, and a layer of security that actually stays offline. For a niche with so few options, that’s worth something.
FAQs
What is PiWalletSV?
PiWalletSV is an air-gapped hardware wallet for BSV cold storage created by developer Monty Ohrt. It is available as a DIY kit built from off-the-shelf consumer electronics parts, and its software is fully open source. The device stores private keys on its own hardware and signs transactions without ever connecting to a computer or network.
Does any hardware wallet support BSV?
Mainstream consumer hardware wallets such as Trezor, Ledger, and KeepKey do not support BSV. PiWalletSV is the first real attempt to fill that gap, offering BSV users a dedicated cold storage option to keep larger balances offline.
What does air-gapped mean for a hardware wallet?
An air-gapped wallet never makes any physical or network connection to a computer or the internet. PiWalletSV has no wifi, Bluetooth, or wired data capability. It communicates exclusively through animated QR codes scanned between the device and a companion web app, and those codes never contain private key information.
Can PiWalletSV be used as an everyday BSV wallet?
No, and it is not designed to be. PiWalletSV is intended as long-term cold storage kept in a physically secure place. For daily use, such as signing in to apps and regularly sending or receiving transactions, software wallets like HandCash, Yours, Metanet Desktop, or BSV Browser are more practical.
How do you send BSV from a PiWalletSV?
You enter the transaction details in the companion web app, then select “sign transaction” on the PiWalletSV device. The device and the companion app scan each other’s animated QR codes to complete the signature, and you broadcast the transaction from the app. The process is slightly awkward, but since the device is meant for cold storage, most users will not send from it often.
How do you set up a PiWalletSV?
Setup follows the familiar blockchain wallet pattern: choose a PIN number and write down the 12- or 24-word seed phrase the device generates. Users who want additional entropy for key generation can add more by taking a photo with the device’s camera or rolling their own dice.
Can you still buy a PiWalletSV?
Pre-built units were sold while the developer could source the parts, and few or none remain available at the time of writing. However, the device is built from off-the-shelf consumer electronics parts, and full build guides are published on the website. A 3D-printed case for the components is still available for purchase.
Is PiWalletSV open source?
Yes. All PiWalletSV software is open source and based on open specifications. Anyone with the capability can fork the software or run it on their own version of the hardware.
Watch: Want to develop on BSV? Here’s how you can build with Mandala
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