As you may know, Zeus is launching soon a new version 0.12 with NWC server included.
What does this mean?
Apart from embedded LND node(s) you can run in your mobile device, now you can create sub-accounts with NWC (Nostr Wallet Connect) for family members and/or friends, also use this NWC wallet to any nostr client for zaps, or even here on SN as an external wallet. You literally can be a mobile LN bank.
So, to anticipate this release, I was testing for a while and I come here with a new guide for you, the new user that doesn't know too much about how to use Zeus LN app. This guide will cover some required tips and tricks that see many users still do not know or understand about Zeus.
Resources:
- Website from where you can download it directly - is also available on Zapstore app
- Zeus embedded node docs
- Getting started with Zeus enbedded node
- Advanced usage of Zeus node
- Managing private LN liquidity
- More resources about NWC - https://nwc.dev
Please pay attention to the following tips and tricks. It will help you a lot at using Zeus and avoid any frustration.
BE AWARE ! The vers 0.12 is still in beta testing phase, so do not run it yet, only if you really want to test and help the development team to find bugs before final release.
##1 - Keeping healthy sync for Zeus node
Remember: Zeus is a LND node ! Is not just a simple wallet or custodial account.
That means it require to be well synced with the chain and LN graph in order to be able to use it properly. In the resources guides I've explained more details about how to manage the neutrino peers. Please read them.
Here I will give more heads up about how to keep healthy your Zeus node, because I still see people that do not understand some aspects.
To remember:
- no blocks sync = LN node it doesn't start = no channels online = no onchain balance usable
- Zeus is using BIP157 / neutrino to sync the blocks headers, with compact block filters.
- Read more about Compact Block Filters here
- A good article about neutrino's privacy here
- There's NO NEED to use Zeus with Tor in order to sync. Tor is only adding more latency and can break the sync. Not even a VPN is necessary because also these could add more latency.
- Neutrino sync REQUIRE a good ping (low latency) in order to be able to sync fast. It doesn't matter if you locally have a high speed internet for downloading, but you have a shity ping to the neutrino peer. Remember that the ping is determined by the distance to the peer from your location. Adding more network layers and connection points will add more latency. That end up in failed sync.
- if you run a bitcoin node or a local friend is running it, you can connect to it to have a better ping. Here you have a guide about this aspect
- always before you start using the Zeus node, configure your neutrino peers accordingly. See the Zeus docs FAQ page or my guides. It is very well explained there how to do it.
- Neutrino + client side path finding (Express Graph Sync locally) offer a very good privacy to run a private LN node. Do not complicate things with Tor. Tor is not offering any other privacy on top of these, only make things worse.
- Client-side path finding: ZEUS constructs users' lightning payment paths on their devices, so we don't know the final destinations of our users' payments, even when they're forwarded through our channels. Not only do we not want to know how you're using your money, but we're building things in a way that we can't. Not all wallets can say the same.
Another aspect to keep in mind: if you are using quite often Zeus during a day, you could put it into "Persistent mode". That means the LND service will run in background and will keep the sync alive and well, being ready to make/receive payments any time. This is necessary also if you want to start using Zeus with the new NWC sub-accounts. Is like keeping alive a LN node, only that is in your mobile.
If you do not use itt so often during a day, but you still want to be ready, is better to sync it almost every day, even that you do not make any payments.
There's also a trick, if you do not make so often payments but want to keep it as most synced, activate in the embedded node - express graph sync - "enable EGS" and "reset EGS at startup". These 2 options will keep the LN graph updated, offering you the best payments paths, that are constructed locally by your own node, not by any LSP you have channels with.
Another trick - how to keep sane your Zeus data.
In time, the channels DB file get bigger, for more you use it, more updates is doing in the DB. So is a good practice to compact this database.
Go to embedded node - troubleshooting - activate compact database. It will ask to restart. Do it and wait, it will take few moments. Then you can consult in app info and see how much data was reduced. Is good to do this weekly or monthly, not daily. Reducing the DB size is also helping to use of battery.
Another trick, also in troubleshooting section is the option "delete neutrino files". Use that option ONLY if you notice some weird behavior in syncing even that you have good ping with your peers. Sometimes if you do not sync for a long time period, these files get corrupted or obsolete and is better to just wipe them and start over the sync. In general are like 400-500MB (are only the headers of the blocks).
You can safely delete them with the option from troubleshooting section and restart Zeus. BE PATIENT! It will start syncing from zero your node and also rescan the wallet. So better put it first in "persistent mode" and wait. Usually with a good neutrino peer is not taking more than 5-10 min.
2 - Using Zeus NWC server with sub-accounts
Coming with new vers 0.12 you can activate the NWC server in Settings - Nostr Wallet Connect and start creating multiple sub-accounts
Keep in mind:
- this is NOT the NWC client side, where you configure in Zeus some external custodial NWC accounts from other servers. That si something else, is like the LNDHUB account, but communicating over nostr.
- these NWC sub-accounts are using your Zeus embedded node liquidity or the cashu wallet liquidity
- you must keep active / persistent mode your Zeus device in order to be able to "serve" these NWC services.
For what are useful these NWC sub-accounts:
- you want to manage with Zeus a small family LN node, so you can create these sub-accounts, with limited budgets fro your kids and other family members, including for some close friends.
- you want to run a Zeus private node, but also want to use it with nostr, SN and other NWC services. So you can create specific sub-accounts for each of these services and set a specific budget to each. You can even set the time limit that a service is active. This offer a better security for your allocated funds.
- you want to setup a small shop with Zeus POS, and managed by some employees. So you can setup on a tablet in your office a Zeus node + some sub-accounts and these NWC sub-accounts configure them as NWC wallets in their mobile devices with Zeus POS. Now they can easily make orders and charge them directly, without being able to spend from it, only receiving.
Here are some screenshots from these NWC accounts creation:
As you can see you can give specific rights for each connection
More custom actions / rights:
Budget amount and time period to be active, that also can be renewd.
In the section of adding a new NWC connection, in the top right corner you will see a settings wheel, where you can configure the persistent mode of the NWC server and switch to cashu wallet as funding source for a NWC server.
The persistent mode is to keep the NWC service alive in your device. This is not consuming too much battery, is like a simple messenger app.
In the NWC account you can also configure the nostr relay that can be used for these accounts. Right now for testing are offered 3 well known nostr relays but in the final version will be also the option to use your own nostr relay if you run one.
So that's it for today, just presenting you these new features in Zeus.
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