Your lightning node is the same as your Bitcoin node. All “Lightning” Bitcoin is, is Bitcoin which has been sent to a 2/2 multi signature address with a peer, where the balance can be securely updated without creating an actual on chain transaction.
It’s still all there in your Bitcoin wallet, you’ve just added a layer to the payments structure.
Here are the steps to create a lightning channel:
1. Fund an on-chain wallet (on Umbrel, in the “lightning” app, there should be two wallets, one which is on chain and one which is lightning)
2. Use software to find peers - RTL works great and is the only one I’ve used, but I believe it has all the same features as thunderhub
3. Choose a node you’d like to connect to on a site like Amboss. You generally want to start by opening decent sized channels with well established nodes.
4. Find the address of the node. On Umbrel, you will only ever want to use a TOR address. As an example, here is mine: 022308f2ae4c5fde8d05ca8fa7a79b462e0e9c7d8f74cdfb1e08bbb51ff504bbc4@xipp6vr2urz52rmdsa64mlosvz6v32ouwholxotfi265u2e3sjequyqd.onion:9735
5. Connect to that peer (on RTL there is a button that just says add peer) and attempt to fund a channel to them. Some nodes have really big limits or other restrictions, so this may not always work, but if it doesn’t you can just find another node to connect to and repeat those steps again.
6. Watch the Bitcoin get locked up on chain and start using your lightning channel!
Ok, I will attempt in the morning…I love lightning, but this has definitely given me pause as to how incredibly difficult this can be to the avg user out there.
I understand your concern. It will 100% get easier. I think the app I recommend for you is something worth checking out. It’s very user friendly - just 12 words memorized and you can use Bitcoin and lightning.
On some level, this is a bit of a general human problem. We use so many complex things which we don’t understand, and yet there are certain things where understanding is critical to their proper functioning (like money).
Look at it this way though: think about where Bitcoin was 10 years ago and how far things have come due to adoption, greed, and technological advancements. Non-technical users are doing things right now that cypherpunks DREAMED of being able to do 20 years ago. And with every new user, we add a mind and an economic actor who is capable of creating new solutions to problems and making the system easier to user.
We are going to figure it out together 🫂
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