2

I am setting up a Monero GUI on TAILS on a home PC or laptop and will run a full node with cold wallet but need some info about setting up on a Raspberry PI which I may do instead. I've seen the term 'raspberry pi' bandied about. Never used one of these. I'm not a comuputer code literate so don't get all the terms that geeks use. I will only use my node for synching and making transactions. No mining. The transactions will be payments from websites on clearnet, small sums. So I need a compatible system to set up.

  1. When setting up a Monero GUI node on a home PC or laptop without TAILS or TOR or WHONIX what is the IP and is it broadcasted when you do transactions? I don't understand how running your own node is better for privacy when the transaction has to be broadcast to the other monero nodes somehow? doesn't your home IP address which your ISP gives you get broadcasted

  2. Is it necessary to leave your Windows PC or laptop on if running a full node from home? What happens if you cannot and you just synch it now and then?

  3. How is running a full Monero node from home on a Raspberry PI better than doing so on a Windows laptop or PC? I'm assuming you can get a Raspberry PI with Windows?

  4. Is there a ready to use Raspberry PI with Monero installed? I have only ever used Windows. I'm not familiar with coding language or Command line prompts or know how to build from a motherboard. so would it be better for me to stick to a Windows PC or can you buy a Raspberry with Windows and use it with TAILS installed?

  5. can anyone recommend which Raspberry PI would be ideal for the latest Monero release? Where to buy?

Improve this question
2
  • it appears that RPi4 works on the ARMv8-A (which has the AES instructions) and there are 64bit linuxes
    – gent
    Commented Apr 9, 2020 at 15:28
  • They don't have hardware AES support.
    – jtgrassie
    Commented Apr 10, 2020 at 0:47

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

1)

what is the IP and is it broadcasted when you do transactions?

The IP is whatever IP your ISP assigned to you. If you use a remote public node when transacting, it is leaked. It is not however "broadcast" in the tx.

I don't understand how running your own node is better for privacy when the transaction has to be broadcast

Because when you create a tx and let your own full node broadcast it, other nodes have no way of knowing whether your node is the original node sending the tx (i.e. nodes just relay transactions to their connected peers).

Contrast this to using a public remote node instead of your own node. That public node knows you are the source of the tx. A malicious operator could log your IP address alongside the tx ID.

doesn't your home IP address which your ISP gives you get broadcasted

See previous point. Your node leaks your IP to other connected peers, but when you relay a tx, the other nodes have no idea if your node was the first/original node (i.e. whether you created the tx). So using your own node, all you are essentially leaking is the fact you are using Monero.

2) No you do not need to keep your node running 24/7. Every time you start it, it will sync up from where it was last.

3) The Raspberry Pi is a poor choice to run Monero on. It has no hardware AES. There are better equivalent SBCs such as Rock64/Rock64Pro, Odroid and others. Some obvious reasons people may prefer these to a full on Windows PC are because they the are low power, small size, cheap and silent - ideal to just setup, switch-on and leave running.

4) Probably, but why not just buy (but not an RPi, see previous point) and install your own? You're asking all the questions after all.

5) Answered in point 3.

Improve this answer
2
  • Thanks, that is much clearer. I will look at other SBC. So there isn't one that Monero makers recommend which comes ready boxed to use? I mean with monero installed? I have never built an SBC i've only ever used windows.
    – Kesta
    Commented Jan 1, 2020 at 0:21
  • There probably is someone already selling a ready made boxed node, but you're asking all the right privacy questions so why would you want to trust such a third party solution? Just buy something like the Rock64 (or something similar) and install yourself. It's not particularly difficult.
    – jtgrassie
    Commented Jan 1, 2020 at 0:54
0

By using a remote node you send all signed transactions of yours to a centralized server. If the server is malicious, it could log your IP address and TX hash together. Since the all people you send Monero also get the same transaction hash, there would be no meaning of using such a tool to be anonymous if one of them was also malicious or got tracked.

By using a full node, you download every transaction in the network and broadcast them to other nodes. Theoretically, if an attacker had a big amount of nodes, his/her chance of finding the IP address of the first broadcaster of transaction would increase. If you are so conscious about it, you can use the full node over Tor network to make things harder to track.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.