I'm moving to a new location; how do I do this with my Casa setup?
Moving to a new location can be an exciting experience, but can also be stressful, especially when you need to consider the security of your funds during your transition to a new home.
Below, we've outlined some guidelines about what to think about, as well as some "best practices" regarding moving part or all of your Casa setup to a new home, to make the transition as easy and stress-free as possible.
Consider your existing setup
There are different vault setups depending on your Casa membership level.
- Standard members use a 3-key vault using one or (optionally) two hardware devices.
- Premium members and Private Clients use a 5-key vault with three hardware devices.
Ideally, you've distributed your keys in such a manner that there are never sufficient keys to send your funds in the location where you currently reside.
For Standard members, this means that a hardware device key in your setup should be stored away from your home.
For Premium members and Private Clients, this means that at least two of your hardware devices should be stored away from your home.
The hardware device(s) should be kept in another secure location, such as a bank safe deposit box or in a safe at a family home.
Consider: Are these locations easy to access? Will these locations continue to be secure if I am away from their vicinity for a significant period of time? Do I really need to move this key? Your plans may change based on the answers to those questions.
Planning the move
While considering your moving plan, you should question if you want to change your setup at all.
If you're moving a short distance from your current home, you may decide that no changes need to be made to your existing setup, and that the locations that store your hardware devices away from your home don't need to be changed.
If you're moving a long distance and would like your hardware device(s) moved closer to your new location, you should keep a few things in mind when planning your move:
- If at all possible, you should plan not to travel while in possession of both your Mobile Key and your hardware key(s) simultaneously. In other words, never travel while possessing a sufficient key threshold (a "quorum") to send funds.
- Don't post your moving plans to social media or other public places.
- Set up a secure location (e.g., a safe) in your new home as soon as possible if you do plan to store one of your hardware devices in your new home.
- Consider leaving a key in its current secure location, at least temporarily, if you will be able to maintain access during and after your move.
How to move your hardware device keys
As mentioned above, you should avoid traveling with a quorum of keys.
If you are moving a long distance and need to move your hardware devices, some alternatives to transporting them yourself at the same time are:
- Make multiple trips. For example, if you move to a new location and plan on making another trip in a few weeks or months to retrieve additional items, consider taking only one hardware device per trip.
- If a member of your family is traveling to your new home separately, consider having them take a hardware device with them. Be sure they are a trusted person (e.g., a spouse) and also make sure that they clearly understand the value of the item they are traveling with.
- Send one hardware device separately with an insured moving company. You do risk the moving company stealing or losing your device. If you do this, make sure that you know exactly where to find your hardware device when your possessions are delivered to you in your new home, and that it's put in a secure location on its arrival.
- Send a hardware device via mail or packaging service. While sending a key through mail may be an additional risk, taking the extra precaution of having the item sent via registered mail, for example, will require additional security procedures by your postal service.
If you are sending your hardware devices with the help of another individual or service (e.g., a moving company or package delivery service), you should always send one key alone, by itself; never transport multiple keys via the same service. Also, always ensure that your device is PIN-protected whenever entrusting it (even temporarily) to any third party.
During the move
Some extra precautions you can take during your move are:
- Sign out of your Casa app or temporarily delete your Casa app altogether to prevent unauthorized access to the app and the mobile key stored on your mobile device (Standard members also have the option of locking login access to their account voluntarily for 72 hours via the Emergency Lockdown (Standard) feature, and Premium members and Private Clients can lock their accounts until they complete a video verification call using the Emergency Lockdown (Premium and Private Client) procedure.) This is good practice during any method of long-distance travel, and especially important if traveling on commercial flights; TSA or other airport authorities have been known to access digital information on travelers' devices without their consent. Consider the possibility that you may be forced to unlock your phone. If you do decide to delete the Casa app, make sure to perform a health check on the mobile key prior to deletion to ensure that the backup is safely encrypted in the cloud!
- Keep the hardware device in a lockbox or other hidden, secure location when traveling. If you're staying in a hotel, you can consider locking the device in your hotel room's safe. Be aware, though, that most hotels do have a way of accessing these lock boxes, so this should not be considered high-level security. Do not store multiple keys in the safe together!
- When possible, keep the hardware device(s) near you so that it can be better monitored, but again, not enough of them to send a transaction.
After the move
Once you arrive at your new home, some steps you can take are:
- Secure any keys that you plan on keeping at your new home in your home safe or other location as soon as they arrive.
- Secure any keys that you plan on keeping in a location outside your home in their new location as soon as they arrive.
- Once settled in, test your new setup by accessing each new location separately to perform a health check.
If you have any additional questions about an upcoming move, please feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to discuss your options!
