Get the extension What is an air-gapped wallet?
An air-gapped wallet keeps the private key on a device that is physically cut off from every network: no Wi-Fi, no mobile data, no Bluetooth, no cable. Transactions reach it and leave it as QR codes, so the key itself never travels.
Why it matters
Most thefts from crypto wallets happen remotely: malware on the computer, a malicious browser extension, a drainer script on a fake site. All of them need a path to the key. On an air-gapped device there is no such path, only a camera that reads a QR code and a screen that shows one.
How Locker Protocol Wallet handles it
Locker Protocol Wallet splits the job in two. The browser extension shows balances and talks to dApps but holds no key. The key lives in Locker Vault, a free app on a spare phone or tablet that stays offline, which decodes each request, shows it to you, and signs only after you approve it.
Questions
Is an air-gapped wallet the same as a hardware wallet?
Not quite. A hardware wallet is a dedicated device, usually linked by USB or Bluetooth. An air-gapped wallet has no data link at all and exchanges transactions by QR code or memory card. Some hardware wallets can work air-gapped; Locker Vault is an air-gapped wallet that runs on a phone you already own.
Can an air-gapped wallet use dApps?
Yes. The online side, here the browser extension, connects to the site and prepares the transaction. The offline device only signs: you approve on its screen and scan the signed answer back.