Activation and first use

A brand-new (or freshly reset) Seclave must be activated before it can hold passwords. During activation the device gathers randomness, creates your master password, and formats its storage.

Your master password is two words. You will need these two words every time you turn the device on, so it is essential that you remember them. They cannot be recovered if you forget them.

Activation step by step

  1. Turn the Seclave on. Hold the power switch and press the joystick in, as you will do every time you power up the device.

  2. Create randomness. Before the device can be activated it needs randomness. Move and press the joystick as prompted; a counter on the screen counts down. Keep going until the counter reaches zero.

    Device display showing "Create randomness" and a counter

    The randomness counter. Keep pressing and moving the joystick until it reaches zero.

  3. Note your two words. When enough randomness has been gathered, Seclave generates and shows the first word of your master password. Move the joystick right to see the second word. Make sure you remember both words.

    Device display showing word 1 of 2 of the master password

    The first word of your master password. Move right to see the second.

    Device display showing word 2 of 2 of the master password

    The second word. Remember both, then press the joystick to continue.

  4. With the second word shown, press the joystick to continue.

  5. Enter the two words back. Seclave now asks you to enter the master password so it knows you have it right. Enter each word by moving the joystick left and right through the word list and pressing it to confirm the word. The list is arranged so that you home in on the right word in a few steps. Enter the first word, then the second.

    Device display showing a master-password word being entered from the word list

    Entering a word back: move through the word list and press to confirm.

  6. Confirm once more. Seclave asks you to enter the two words a second time. Do so exactly as before.

  7. Seclave formats its storage and is then ready to use.

Note

There is nothing to write down except your two words. Keep them somewhere only you can reach, or memorise them. Without them the device cannot be opened.

Note

During these confirmation steps the device keeps the same two words it generated; it does not choose new ones. If either entry does not match those words, Seclave simply shows the same two words again and asks you to enter them once more.

Warning

If a later login fails four times in a row, the device protects itself by erasing all of its stored passwords along with the master key. Every entry on the device is destroyed, and the device cannot be opened again with the old words. Afterwards it can be activated afresh as an empty device, but the erased passwords can only be brought back from a backup together with its backup key (see Backup and restore). See Admin (Auth zones) for checking how many attempts remain before this happens.