It doesn’t need an hdmi cord because it has a camera and screen. Not sure if that’s what you meant but I’ve never used it any other way. The statelessness of the SeedSigner is really good feature because it doesn’t matter if the device is lost/ stolen / confiscated. I’m sure the other option is fine…, till it is not. SeedSigners I’m confident is bulletproof. The accountability is in the code not the company 😞