As we all know, the crypto industry is a space where security must prevail to safeguard your hard-earned digital assets. As a result, many crypto-related companies are constantly working to improve the safety of their projects through software and hardware products that will alleviate a crypto investor strategy and make the journey much more seamless.
When it comes to digital asset storage solutions, there are so many options on the market that users may find it hard to decide which is best for their needs, yet in today’s article, we are going to make things much more accessible by presenting a comprehensive Arculus wallet review, discussing the Arculus App, and how this crypto cold storage wallet differentiates itself from other hardware wallets on the market.
It is okay if you get overwhelmed, yet as we take it step by step, we will discuss some of the essential features that Arculus Wallet brings, such as biometric authentication, NFC technology, the phone app, and many other essential aspects.
Arculus Wallet Review – Key Takeaways
- Safeguarding crypto private keys and NFTs through secure cold storage.
- A companion application designed for efficient management of cryptocurrency assets.
- Compatibility with over 50 cryptocurrencies.
- Utilizes an exclusive three-factor authentication (3FA) system.
- Features a premium metal keycard for added security.
- Includes an integrated gateway for purchasing cryptocurrency within the application.
- No extra charges for deposits or withdrawals.
What is Arculus Wallet?
Arculus is a cold storage hardware wallet designed for securing crypto and NFTs assets and supports over 40 cryptocurrencies and NFT chains. The hardware wallet was developed by CompoSecure, a company specializing in secure payment solutions with over 20 years of experience in the field. Even the largest banks in the world trust them to protect their customers and can be trusted to protect you, too.
Launched in 2021, the Arculus Key™ Card, the hardware wallet, and the Arculus Wallet™ App, the software wallet, are used to secure your own private keys and manage your crypto wallet safely and securely.
Furthermore, along with the top-tier security, the Arculus project aims to provide both speed and convenience, thus combining some of the essential features a crypto cold storage wallet solution needs to be convenient and instantly usable.
Besides integrating some of the best features a cold storage wallet can have, they also bring an interesting concept. As the Ancient Romans used the term “Arculus” for the guardian god of safes and strongboxes, the company remixed this classic concept into their product, highlighting that it could be the safeguard of your digital assets and identity.
How Does the Arculus Wallet Work?
As mentioned, Arculus provides users with a physical metal card alongside the Arculus mobile app. This way, crypto enthusiasts can keep their digital assets safe while benefiting from an easier and quicker way of checking their wallets.
Arculus supports USD fiat money and allows users to send, receive, buy, swap, and store crypto and NFTs while giving them an easy way of accessing them, thanks to the Arculus app, which operates with the Arculus card, a physical key card.
The Arculus Key Card has a CC EAL6+ Secure Element built-in to keep digital assets safer than ever, meaning that as long as it’s not connected through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or the internet in general, and anything happens to it, only you can regain access to it.
Moreover, the Arculus team developed one of the most exciting things about their project: the 3-factor authentication, which keeps your crypto private keys safe and secure. For example, suppose you want to make secure transactions on your Arculus mobile app. In that case, you just need to tap your Arcuslus Card on your mobile device, as communication between devices is made simple to ensure great security.
Whenever an Arculus owner wants to complete a transaction, they must hold the card to their mobile device. The card communicates with the mobile app through a tap-to-transact secure NFC technology communication.
How Secure is Arculus Wallet?
As we all know, a crypto cold storage wallet is considered one of the most trusted crypto wallets since it keeps anything offline, compared to its competition, the non-custodial hot wallet connected online.
In our case, the Arculus hardware wallet integrates some of the most secure features that any hardware wallet could have. We have the 3-factor authentication, the biometric lock, the pin authentication, and the Arculus key card system.
Moreover, the cold storage wallet is made from metal and incorporates an NFC chip that communicates with your devices, regardless of the operating system, iOS or Android. Thus, the Arculus Wallet keeps your NFTs and cryptocurrencies safe. The NFC technology stores private keys and signs transactions as a protective layer.
But let’s analyze its security features individually as we let you decide if this advanced cold storage wallet addresses your pain points and brings a new perspective to your most unanswered questions.
Enjoy the Three-Factor Authentication with Arculus Wallet Features
Arculus had carefully designed and developed the Arculus mobile app that offers secure payment solutions, and users find it easy to work with it. To unlock the app and to complete a transaction with Arculus, they must pass a three-factor authentication process, which requires both the Key Card and the Wallet App to ensure inherence, knowledge, and possession.
The Biometric Authentication
Nowadays, every mobile phone is designed to have various safety features for its users, and one can set a security system such as fingerprint or facial recognition when unlocking it. This is the case with the Arculus Wallet, which also uses these features for the app.
Thus, the first step to unlocking the app is to open the biometric security access set up on your phone. We are talking about facial recognition or fingerprints, and it is unlikely for thieves to get ahold of these.
The Personal PIN
The following authentication step a user must pass is entering a 6-digit PIN on the app, as this type of authentication, knowledge base or KNB, is considered one of the most secure.
The PIN is set up when initially signing up on the Arculus app and protects the Arculus Cold Storage Wallet from thefts and malware attacks, and it’s part of the three-factor authentication process.
The Arculus Key Card
The final step to complete the three-factor authentication process for a transaction is to hold the key card to the back of the smartphone. Thanks to the CC EAL 6+ secure element embedded in the card, transactions are enabled with its encrypted keys.
A Practical Hardware Wallet for Financial Freedom
Unlike other cold storage solutions, Arculus uses the key card to store one’s private keys. While other products are hard to carry and require Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or charging, the Arculus Key Card works with NFC technology and can easily fit into a pocket or a traditional wallet. The communication between the app and the card happens almost immediately.
However, when it comes to other hardware wallets, users may have to wait until they have a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth stable connection, which makes it susceptible to malware attacks or allows hackers and other thieves to access your crypto assets.
What coins are supported by Arculus Wallet?
Currently, Arculus supports over 50 cryptocurrencies, and if you wish to see the full supported coins list, please check the Arculus website. At this point, it is essential to mention that not all cryptocurrencies are available for all the operations on the platform, such as store, send, receive, buy, and swap.
However, Arculus supports popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Chainlink (LINK), USD Coin (USDC), or Tether (USDT). Keep an eye on the Arculus website for more details, as more chains are constantly being added.
The Arculus Cost and Set Up of the Arculus Wallet App
While the Arculus Wallet App is entirely free, users need to purchase the Arculus Key Card for $99. Nonetheless, the price is similar to many other hardware wallets, and once a crypto investor has the card and the app, there will be no additional costs for managing them.
Other costs that users might encounter are related to buying and swapping crypto. However, the fees are charged by Arculus’ liquidity partners, which vary depending on the specific cryptocurrency bought or swapped and its features. This is also the case for all other crypto wallets, which charge network fees.
The Arculus App Set Up
Users wishing to manage their digital assets with the Arculus Wallet need to follow some simple steps to set it up:
Step 1: Visit the Arculus website and order your very first Arculus Key Card. Be sure to choose your favorite color.
Step 2: Download the Arculus Wallet App for iOS and Android devices.
Step 3: Proceed to create a new wallet and follow the instructions from the app. Be sure to read the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy.
Step 4: Create the six-digit PIN that will be used for the second step of the 3-factor authentication and for confirming a transaction.
Step 5: Create a 12-word recovery phrase
Make sure to write it down and keep it somewhere safe, as the recovery phrase will be required when trying to reclaim access to the wallet if needed. Arculus will not be able to recover your unique phrase for you as the company does not have it stored on any database.
Step 6: Start your crypto activity on the Arculus Wallet App
Now that the setup is done, you can explore sending and receiving crypto, buying or swapping new digital assets, or storing NFT collections with ease. You only need to input the wallet address, or you can scan the QR code for the account you wish to transact with.
From there, all that is left for you is to enjoy trading, strategizing your investment plan, and buying something nice for your loved ones with the hard-earned crypto gains.
What if I Lose my Arculus?
There is no need to panic whether you lost your Arculus card or your phone got stolen because the whole Arculus ecosystem has been designed with this in mind, hence the three-factor authentication method.
So, if things go down, no one can access your digital assets, but there are a couple of things that you can do, such as:
- Installing the Arculus app on a new phone;
- Hold the Arculus Card to the back of the phone and hit the “Restore Wallet” option;
- Proceed with a new setup;
As always, you can contact the Arculus support team and view the customer support page to further check that your assets and digital possessions are still in place.
Is the Arculus Wallet worth it?
Given all the innovative features that the Arculus ecosystem has to offer, like the three-factor authentication, the availability of over 50 supported cryptocurrencies, customer support, the NFC-enabled key card alongside the use of QR code, the private key control and, in general, the seamless way of working of your Arculus account adds up, and differentiate the Arculus Cold Hardware Wallet from other hardware wallets that can be found on the market.
Let’s take another popular hardware wallet, the Trezor wallet, as a side-by-side comparison example. Indeed, the Trezor Wallet supports more than 1000 cryptos, yet the full ecosystem forces its users to connect the hardware wallet via the USB device and use the browser app to buy, swap, or sell crypto.
Additionally, Trezor does not support NFTs, which can significantly impact an investor’s flexibility, yet you have to use a third-party software wallet like MetaMask. With Arculus, your Ethereum ERC721 and ERC1155 NFTs can be stored securely in the wallet, but you cannot view them in the gallery.
Moreover, Arculus ensures excellent security in protecting and storing your private keys inside the Arculus card. As a result, Arculus is one of the easiest ways in which you can keep crypto and reduce hacking attempts compared to most hardware wallets.
Another crucial aspect is the collaboration with one of the most renowned security hardware and financial payment solutions, CompoSecure, which aims to empower you and all the other crypto investors to achieve financial freedom away from the greedy hands of the centralized financial system through a cold storage crypto wallet.
For those who’ve just started with Arculus or any other crypto hardware wallet, we also recommend the Arculus support, as it offers many video tutorials and lessons to sharpen your knowledge base and increase crypto adoption overall. If you need additional crypto support, be sure to upgrade your crypto knowledge with educational guides, reviews, and blockchain technologies.
Arculus Wallet Review – Final Thoughts
Arculus is an excellent option for those seeking the ease of use of a generic crypto storage option while aiming to have a safe, simple, and well-developed mobile app to manage their digital assets.
While CompoSecure designed Arculus to be a cold storage solution, the team has always thought about how to combine the safety of a physical crypto storage option with the convenience and advanced technology of mobile apps. This way, Arculus provides both security and speed, and users enjoy these two features combined.
With a user-friendly Wallet App and a minimalist, NFC-based metal Key Card, Arculus revolutionizes the crypto storage industry. Equipped with a team of top-tier forward-thinkers, Arculus works around the clock to ensure that their product is consistently up-to-date in the rapidly expanding world of digital assets.
