KeepKey Review | Crypto Wallet Review For Casino Players

KeepKey is a USB device that stores and secures your bitcoins. In this guide, we’ll examine the KeepKey hardware wallet and weigh its pros and cons. By the end of this review, you should have a clear idea of whether or not KeepKey is the right choice for gambling.

What is KeepKey Wallet?

KeepKey wallet review

KeepKey is a hardware wallet designed to keep your cryptocurrencies safe. Upon entrusting KeepKey with your money, every bitcoin transaction you make is reviewed and approved via its OLED display and confirmation button.

KeepKey gives users full control over their crypto assets. In other words, no third party can freeze or lose your funds. Users, however, are still responsible for securing and backing up their wallets.

This wallet is open-source and built deterministically, meaning any developer can audit the code, and ensure the final software isn’t hiding any secrets. This wallet is loaded from a secure specialized environment provided by the device, thus providing strong protection against computer vulnerabilities and malware.

KeepKey Company Overview

ShapeShift is the company behind KeepKey. It was founded in 2014 by Eric Voorhees. Shapeshift started off as a crypto exchange company and one of its main attractions was the prospect of trading their own tokens absolutely free.

While this was a nice reason to open a ShapeShift account, the company wanted more. They introduced KeepKey, a hardware wallet that offers an additional layer of protection for ShapeShift online wallets.

Since its launch, KeepKey users have been very satisfied with the product. Even though KeepKey isn’t one of the top two hardware wallets (the top two being Trezor and Ledger Nano S), it provides a lot of features and an attractive price that many users will appreciate.

Pros and Cons of KeepKey Wallet

pros

Pros

  • Very affordable at only $49
  • Has a widescreen
  • Easy to use and very secure
cons

Cons

  • KeepKey supports only 40 cryptocurrencies
  • Only works with ShapeShift wallets
  • The device screen can get scratched

How to Create a KeepKey Account?

Making a KeepKey account is pretty straightforward. Follow these steps in order to create your wallet:

  1. Purchase your KeepKey Hardware wallet. You can buy it directly from the ShapeShift website or from various retailers.
  2. Open the Google Chrome browser and download the KeepKey Client App from the Google Chrome app store.
  3. Open the app and click on the [Initialize Keepkey] button.
  4. Plug in your KeepKey using the USB cable that came with the package.
  5. Name your device.
  6. The app is going to ask for a pin number which will be displayed on the hardware wallet.
  7. After successfully entering the pin number, the device is going to give you a recovery phrase. Write this phrase down on a piece of paper and store it somewhere safe. Never give out your recovery phrase to anyone.

Using KeepKey in Online Casinos

KeepKey, as well as Shapeshift, are great options for online casinos. The ShapeShift wallet is pretty easy to use when sending and receiving funds to and from online casinos and KeepKey simply makes the process even more secure.

Other hardware wallets may have restrictions when it comes to sending and receiving funds but KeepKey is not one of them. Many Casino players that use KeepKey say that they really enjoy how they have to physically press a button on the device in order to confirm transactions which is something that hackers wouldn’t be able to do.

KeepKey supported cryptocurrencies

One of the biggest problems for KeepKey is how it only accepts 40 cryptocurrencies. Fortunately, this probably won’t be a huge issue for casino players because the majority of the accepted currencies are available at almost all crypto casinos. These include:

bitcoin btc Bitcoin (BTC)
bitcoin cash bchBitcoin Cash (BCH)
litecoin ltc Litecoin (LTC)
dogecoin doge Dogecoin (DOGE)
ethereum eth Ethereum (ETH)
other Many other…

Unless you are planning to play at very specific crypto casinos (or at those that only use a specific cryptocurrency), you shouldn’t have any problems with the limited cryptocurrencies available.

PC App

KeepKey-pc-app

KeepKey works best when paired with the KeepKey client app and with the ShapeShift browser app. After successfully pairing your KeepKey with the client app, the rest of the process is simple where you can buy/trade/sell cryptocurrencies using the ShapeShift browser app.

Don’t forget that each transaction made may require that you press a button on your hardware wallet. The app works fast, sending and receiving funds is responsive and it works great with online casinos too.

Mobile App

Unfortunately, using KeepKey with a mobile phone isn’t ideal. The ShapeShift app does a good job of replacing the PC app, but it is very limited in what it offers. The KeepKey device can also be used with the KeepKey app but there are connection issues and other minor bugs. Most importantly, communication between the mobile app, the device, and the wallet providers is slow.

Security

Seeing how KeepKey is a hardware wallet, security is one of its best features. Hardware wallets, in general, provide the best possible security for any crypto wallet, because it stores your private keys offline. What’s more, users need to physically interact with the hardware wallet in order to authorize certain transactions.

KeepKey also issues unique private keys that only appear on the device itself, so hackers literally cannot gain access to it. When accessing your ShapeShift wallets, users also need to enter a pin code using their KeepKey device.

Fees

The exchange site behind KeepKey, ShapeShift boasts about not including any transaction fees whatsoever. Users are able to trade cryptocurrencies without any conversion fees. Gas fees are the only thing users need to consider when buying/selling crypto.

ShapeShift also has its own cryptocurrency, Foxcoins, which has no gas fees whatsoever. The reason for such generosity is that users need to own an actual KeepKey device in order to use the service.

KeepKey vs. Ledger Nano S

KeepKey-vs-Ledger-Nano-S

Seeing how the Ledger Nano S is one of the most popular and affordable hardware wallets in the world, we thought it would be a good idea to see if KeepKey can compare. KeepKey is better than the Ledger Nano S when it comes to its features. The KeepKey hardware wallet device has a screen while the Ledger Nano S doesn’t (only the Nano X model has one).

When it comes to price, KeepKey is cheaper (normally going for $49 as opposed to the Ledger Nano S which goes for around $79). Where KeepKey loses against the Ledger Nano S is with the number of cryptocurrencies accepted. KeepKey can only support around 40 different cryptocurrencies while the Ledger Nano S can support over 5,000. Both devices are also similar in size and are easy to use and carry around.

KeepKey Customer Support

keepkey customer support

KeepKey and ShapeShift have a fairly standard customer support program. Firstly, users are asked to check the lengthy FAQ page, in case they have common problems with their hardware wallets or the website itself.

If users aren’t able to solve their problems through the FAQ, ShapeShift has a discord page where users and developers can communicate. This is probably the best possible way to get direct help and interact with other KeepKey users.

Finally, users can submit tickets with specific problems regarding their hardware wallets and ShapeShift accounts. Customer support usually responds in less than a day. Unfortunately, KeepKey and ShapeShift do not offer any live chat customer support (other than their Discord server).

User Reviews

What Users Like

Users are generally happy with KeepKey. Many users say that they love the display screen when you consider how much the hardware wallet costs. When compared to the competition, KeepKey provides everything a hardware wallet should need and a few extra bits, for an amazing price, according to many users. KeepKey is also known for being a very user-friendly hardware wallet with an easy setup.

What Users Dislike

Many users dislike how KeepKey can only store very few cryptocurrencies. Many also complain about how there are problems with the wallet platform itself, where funds mysteriously disappear and that customer support is slow. From what it seems, most of those issues have been resolved by the company or many users simply didn’t know how to use their devices properly, so we won’t hold it against the company.

KeepKey Review Summary

KeepKey is a great hardware wallet when you consider the price and the features it offers. If you need to add another layer of security for your crypto casino winnings, KeepKey is a pretty good solution. It may not support as many cryptocurrencies as some other hardware wallets, but it’s still more than what most online casino players need.

FAQ

  • Is KeepKey safe?

    Yes, KeepKey is very safe. KeepKey provides unique private keys/recovery phrases that users can only access offline while also working with a pretty secure crypto exchange ShapeShift.

  • Is KeepKey good for online casinos?

    Yes, KeepKey is great for online casinos. If you want to keep your crypto winnings more secure, a hardware wallet is a pretty good solution. When it comes to the most affordable hardware wallets, KeepKey is one of the best.

  • Is KeepKey available in my country/region?

    KeepKey and ShapeShift are available worldwide. However, while anyone everywhere is able to use KeepKey, not everyone will be able to buy and sell cryptocurrencies using their ShapeShift platform. Users may have to buy their cryptocurrencies elsewhere before they send them to their KeepKey / ShapeShift account.

  • Is KeepKey better than other software wallets?

    Yes, KeepKey is better than a software wallet. While a software cryptocurrency wallet is pretty secure, its data is still present online which means that, with enough skill, hackers can crack down on the security. With a hardware wallet, like KeepKey, hackers would need the actual hardware device in order to gain access to the funds.

  • Are KeepKey Hardware wallets safer than Paper Wallets?

    While a paper wallet is the safest option for just keeping your cryptocurrency safe, a Hardware Wallet is a better option overall. Depending on how you look at things, nothing is as safe as a Paper Wallets. These wallets literally keep your cryptocurrencies locked on a piece of paper but don’t offer anything else. A hardware wallet like KeepKey allows you to enjoy all the benefits of both cold and hot storage while also keeping your cryptocurrencies safe.

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