Reset umbrel.local Password and recover funds

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There are 4 methods to “restore” your Umbrel node.

A. In Bluewallet mobile app

Yes, now you can connect directly to a mobile app, the onchain AEZEED node wallet. Just use your Umbrel node seed in Bluewallet (adding it as new wallet) and done. Use cases:

  • you want to have at hand a way to deposit quick to your node wallet (onchain)
  • you need to have access to your onchain funds in case your node is crashed and want to recover / access the funds

REMINDER:

  • this is restoring ONLY onchain wallet, not also the LN channels!
  • to restore the funds from your LN channels you still need to follow the procedure for recovering, explained here.

B. In Blixt mobile app

This is a new excellent mobile app, using LND and neutrino blocks sync, also with many other features that none other mobile wallet put together. Worth having it in your phone as a pair node with regular other node.

It have the option to restore a LND node, right in the first steps of opening the app.

Use this option as EXPERIMENTAL test, for the time being. It was working to restore funds and channels with other LND nodes, but is not yet 100% tested with Umbrel backup channels. So far we’ve tested this procedure with 2 users and works.

If your Umbrel node is crashed and you are looking for a quick “restore” without closing the channels, and also want help testing a new way to restore a LND node, I would suggest to take this in consideration.

You will not lose funds in this test/scenario, the worst thing can happen is not recovering the channels and be online. It will just reject the “restore” and your channels will still be active in Umbrel node.

Requirements:

  • Your Umbrel node is dead and should not be online int his process.

  • you have a backup of your channels with the latest state. Use the backup file you get from Umbrel dashboard - Lightning page. Not RTL or Thunderhub. Also you can use the online backup from Umbrel servers (you will need to contact Umbrel devs for that)

  • you have a backup of your 24 words seed

Steps to do:

  1. Install Blixt wallet on your mobile, select restore wallet

  2. take your 24 words seed and insert it in the 1st field

  3. take your channels.backup file (that you previously saved from Umbrel LN dashboard) and upload it to your mobile and insert it into Blixt restore box.

  4. click restore and wait good amount of time to let the app to sync the neutrino node (a small version of the blockchain). Once is restored, funds in onchain should appear in balance and also channels. But remember, channels will be closed and funds back into onchain. Just be patient.

There are some ways to check the status in Blixt app but I will not enter in details here.

Let me know when/if you want to do this test and I can assist, but only if your Umbrel node is dead. Also you can enter in contact with Hampus, Blixt dev, using Telegram Blixt group

Don’t break things just to test others. Remember this is an experimental test and you do not have another way.

C. In Zap desktop app

This works only with desktop version of Zap, not mobile.

Just install the Zap app and use your 24 words seed to restore the AEZEED onchain wallet.

This WILL NOT restore the LN channels! To restore the LN channels, you will need to use the standard procedure.

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D. Experimental method, DANGER ZONE.

This method was confirmed only by one Umbrel user that did it with success. But remember, he wasn’t using the Raspberry Pi version of Umbrel, was on a machine with regular Linux and Umbrel installed on it.

This procedure is ONLY for experimented Linux users! If you don’t know to use Linux you better stay away.

The procedure is simple. Are only these 2 files and they are located in:

/data/chain/bitcoin/mainnet/wallet.db

/data/graph/mainnet/channel.db

You have to construct the data/… folders yourself and then copying the files to them, before starting up lnd.

  • So, take another machine/drive and install Umbrel, fresh. Use your 24 words seed to restore the onchain AEZEED wallet. Leave it to start the sync a bit and construct the rest of the folders for LND. Then stop it.
  • Go to the old drive and locate those 2 files.
  • Copy them into the same path in the new node.
  • Optional, if you have the blockchain data OK, files integrity is fine, you can copy also the blockchain so you can save time. If you think is corrupted, you better just forget it and let the sync to be done in normal/natural way.
  • Start the node, leave it to sync and… voila, your old LN channels are there alive and not closed.

REMINDER: these files have to be the latest version that was online! If you use an older backup you can lose funds being punished for cheating with an older version of your channels.

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