Get the extension What is a cold wallet?
A cold wallet is any way of holding crypto where the private key stays on a device that is not connected to the internet. The opposite is a hot wallet, whose key sits on an online computer or phone.
Why it matters
An online key can be copied by anyone who compromises the device holding it, from anywhere in the world. A cold key has to be reached physically. That is why exchanges keep most customer funds in cold storage, and why long-term holders move their savings there.
How Locker Protocol Wallet handles it
Locker Vault turns a spare phone into cold storage: set it up, switch off every radio and keep it offline. Unlike a paper wallet, it can still sign: the browser extension sends each transaction to it as a QR code, and it answers the same way.
Questions
Is a cold wallet safer than a hot wallet?
Against remote attacks, yes, because there is no network path to the key. It does not protect a recovery phrase written where others can read it, and it does not stop you approving a bad transaction, which is why the offline device should show you exactly what you sign.
Do I need to buy a device for cold storage?
No. A dedicated hardware wallet is one option. Another is an old phone kept permanently offline, running a signing app such as Locker Vault, which is free.