What is ZeroTrace

ZeroTrace is a line of privacy-first security hardware and software. The devices are small, purpose-built instruments for radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB work; the software is a set of desktop and mobile applications that drive them and support open-source-intelligence and proxy investigations. Everything is designed, cased, tested and shipped from Germany.

The line is built for people who take privacy seriously, penetration testers, red teamers, OSINT investigators, security teams, researchers and journalists, and who are sceptical of tools that phone home. So ours do not.

What we promise#

These principles apply to every product in the line. We call it the brand floor because we never go below it.

• Buy once, updated for life. You pay for the device or the software one time. Firmware and feature updates are free for the life of the product.
• No subscriptions. Core hardware and firmware never sit behind a recurring fee.
• Strict no-log. We do not collect telemetry, usage data, or analytics. We cannot see what you capture, because it never reaches us.
• Local-first. Your captures, cases and results live on your own device. Any on-device intelligence runs on your hardware; your data does not leave it.
• No cloud, no account. There is nothing to sign up for. You do not create an account to use a ZeroTrace device, and nothing is stored on our servers on your behalf.
• Designed in Germany. Firmware and software are written in-house; every unit is fitted into its in-house printed case, tested, packed and shipped by us in Cologne, under EU jurisdiction.

The two ways you drive a device#

Most ZeroTrace hardware has no screen of its own. You control it from one of two applications, depending on where you are and what you are doing.

• The mobile app, over Bluetooth. The ZeroTrace mobile app for iOS and Android connects to a device wirelessly over Bluetooth Low Energy. It auto-detects which ZeroTrace device you have and shows the right controls. This is the way to work in the field, on the move, away from a computer. See Pairing the app to get started.
• The desktop app, over USB. The ZeroTrace desktop app connects to a device over a USB cable and gives you a full operations center on a larger screen, with room for live captures, maps, and longer sessions at a bench.

Some devices work with one, some with both. The device comparison shows how each one connects.