17 ms·

Flipper Zero: Multi-Tool Device for Geeks

685 points by thatxliner 3y ago

roughly 3y ago
I’ve had one of these guys sitting around for a while - love the hardware, love the concept, but I haven’t really found a lot of use for it - what are y’all using them for?
- AndrewKemendo 3y ago
  Yeah I’m in the same boat. Had it a few years and the whole Tesla port trick gets old quickly.
- twosdai 3y ago
  Just a party gag so far with some friends. Like if I'm at a friend's house and they're using their phone I'll Bluetooth spam them to lock up their phone for a second to mess with them.
- rubatuga 3y ago
  Some people are using them to break smart meters: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- gleenn 3y ago
  My friend found out the school he sysadmins for was using weak rfid card keys (despite the readers being smart enough to handle higher level encryption) and found he could clone his key and get in places. So basically he pen tested and then they decided to upgrade to the less or non-cloneable card keys. Security for the win.
  - Vegenoid 3y ago
    Before anyone tries this, doing this without first checking with security/facilities would likely be grounds for “disciplinary action, up to and including termination”
    - spacebacon 3y ago
      Termination is a favor if security is that lax.
      - spacebacon 3y ago
        [flagged]
        spacebacon 3y ago
        [flagged]
      - BizarreByte 3y ago
        > Termination is a favor Losing your job is never a favour. Would you prefer termination if any issue was found with your work place?
        spacebacon 3y ago
        Losing your job may not seem like a favor at first, it depends on how high you bounce after the fact. Being self employed for 20 years after being laid off was the best favor anyone ever did for me. I would have never taken that initial risk without being pushed into it. Now risk is comfortable.
    - WantonQuantum 3y ago
      I don't know why you're getting downvoted for this. It's 100% correct advice. The person you're replying to is a sysadmin so they are probably okay in this situation but cloning access cards without permission would be a serious breach no matter how well intentioned or how easy.
  - infinitedata 3y ago
    You can achieve this exact same use case with a $15 RFID reader/writer, supporting higher frequencies and encryption.
  - rekoil 3y ago
    Quite often the keycards have sequential IDs which means you can increase or decrease the number a few times and find a colleagues card with higher or lower privileges than you.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- boopmaster 3y ago
  I’m also in this place. I have the wifi card as well and I’ve not taken to writing any hobbyist software for mine. I had perhaps foolishly hoped to at least get a fun universal remote out of it, and it’s somewhat possible yet the software just isn’t there to bring a robust family of device RF and Bluetooth commands together. It’s no harmony remote.
- DigiDigiorno 3y ago
  Spoofing amiibos on TOTK
  - guiambros 3y ago
    Same! Pretty handy to have all amiibos in a single place, and quickly iterate through them.
    - dawnerd 3y ago
      You can likely use your phone. There’s some apps designed for it specifically.
      - rjh29 3y ago
        IIRC phones need to be rooted to pretend to be an NFC card, although they can write to blank ones. I've done this before. The Flipper Zero is a lot more convenient though.
        dawnerd 3y ago
        Ah yeah you’re right. What I’ve seen actually only lets you write to tags that can then be used.
- conradev 3y ago
  It's my backup key for my garage and my office door. I also use the universal remote to change TVs in public spaces occasionally. It's a chunker, so it's not a pocket carry, but I keep it in my backpack. I recently discovered this, which I want to try: https://electroniccats.com/store/flipper-add-on-magspoof/ https://electroniccats.com/store/flipper-add-on-magspoof/
  - 29athrowaway 3y ago
    What kind of garage opener do you have? I thought the Flipper zero won't provide that functionality unless you flash the firmware.
    - HanClinto 3y ago
      Not terribly difficult to flash the firmware.
      - 29athrowaway 3y ago
        But now you have to trust some random person from GitHub.
        speedgoose 3y ago
        Almost all software supply chains rely on random persons at some point.
    - Eji1700 3y ago
      The part I don't get is even if you flash the firmware, does that mean you can make sure it doesn't make all other remotes fail? My understanding of the whole rolling code system was that you could get a few uses and then you were screwed. If that's not the case I really need to do this because having it handle my tv's, ceiling fans, and garage door would be a nice trick.
      - ec109685 3y ago
- arthurcolle 3y ago
  I cloned my apartment key-fob The WeWork key-fob uses rolling codes so couldn't use it for that...
  - tpetr 3y ago
    Which WeWork do you belong to? Boston’s are all low-frequency rfid
    - arthurcolle 3y ago
      This is one in SF. I can clone the card, and it'll work, but then within a few days it won't work any longer.
      - ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
        Does the original keep working?
        arthurcolle 3y ago
        Yes
  - EricBetts 3y ago
    Do you recall any of the details? "Rolling code" is not a term often associated with RFID/NFC. The Portland Custom House WeWork used HID Prox.
    - hnav 3y ago
      Basically the reader writes data back to the fob and expects to see it the next time it reads it. This results in either the original or the copy getting de-synced. One interesting capability that this unlocks is that battery powered, offline readers (think apartment door that uses the same fob as the lobby) can write out things like battery state so that apartment maintenance knows when it's time to swap out batteries.
- robbiet480 3y ago
  Just used it + the MCT app on Android to clone my apartment key fob (Schlage 9691T) to a Dangerous Things Magic Ring https://dangerousthings.com/product/magic-ring/ https://dangerousthings.com/product/magic-ring/
- margalabargala 3y ago
  I use it as an easy voltage tester for various hardware projects. I wrote an app that can do GPIO input (the built in only does output) so I can check which parts of a given circuit I'm building are high or low at a given time. Basically like a parallel multimeter.
- gregshap 3y ago
  Nice try FBI agent
- Lwrless 3y ago
  Cloned a 125KHz RFID keycard on my Flipper as a backup, my Android phone is able to clone 13.56MHz MIFAREs, but not these 125KHz ones.
- sidmitra 3y ago
  My building charges USD 40+ to replace the white rfid cards if you lose it and something similar for the remote control for the parking gate. So i just cloned all my cards and remotes and keep them as backup, just in case.
- Havoc 3y ago
  That’s what keeps me hesitant. Can’t figure out what I’d do with it once unboxed
- sneak 3y ago
  I use the IR universal remote function to turn off distracting TVs in bars and restaurants.
  - bookofjoe 3y ago
    I had a TV-B-Gone [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone] back when they came out in 2004: good fun. They cost $15 and were hugely controversial. >Digging Deeper::TV-B-Gone Device Shuts Public TVs Down https://mediashift.org/2006/04/digging-deepertv-b-gone-device-shuts-public-tvs-down101/ https://mediashift.org/2006/04/digging-deepertv-b-gone-devic...
  - sureglymop 3y ago
    So you just take the liberty to turn off someone elses devices in someone elses establishment? That's... questionable.
    - sneak 3y ago
      So is forcing me to watch ads. TVs everywhere in public spaces in America is a cancer and I’ll happily turn them off or unplug them whenever and wherever I see them. This isn’t a thing in other countries, it’s part of American culture.
      - sureglymop 3y ago
        I have a hard time telling whether you are being sarcastic here. It's one thing to block ads when they have been loaded into your web browser that is in your room (completely morally and ethically fine). It's a completely different thing to go into someone elses space and start making decisions about what is or isn't running on a tv there. I like ads as little as you so what I can do is just boycott that restaurant or bar entirely or ask the staff to turn it off. I think it's part of being a well adjusted adult to know what you want or don't want and go about it in a reasonable way (such as asking staff). It's immature though to just do that forcibly. It is however not my duty to teach you that, so let's leave it at that.
- willis936 3y ago
  Well I found that my apartment NFC key is hardened against dictionary attacks and I'm not able to copy it. It also helped me learn that my parents' garage door is pretty secure. I'm able to have the opener learn my flipper like any other remote, but not crack it. This is even with the unleashed firmware that doesn't mind violating FCC regulations (some of the frequencies it hops to are restricted). I was able to copy my work NFC badge, but I'm not really interested in trying it out. It's handy as a pocket spectrum sniffer, but I don't have much day-to-day use for it outside of that. I'm glad it was given to me because I learned a lot. Potential future use for me might be an amiibo emulator, but I've grown out of those sorts of things.
  - AndrewKemendo 3y ago
    All garage doors have rolling keys which are non trivial to deal with unless you have pro stuff.
    - dawnerd 3y ago
      Besides easy to open garage doors with a metal shim to pop the emergency latch. Happened to me once before just zip tying the latch.
    - willis936 3y ago
      You can sync up on rolling codes with the flipper without too much effort. When there are a few private keys involved it gets more difficult.
    - epcoa 3y ago
      More like most garage doors sold in the last 20 years have a rolling code system, a few of which are non trivial to deal with. This is already Western centric, but even here there are a ton of older static and fixed frequency systems still chugging along. Of these rolling code systems most are not difficult to crack, especially those more than a decade old (and which are still sold today)
    - tzs 3y ago
      Speaking of garage door rolling codes I've noticed there is some sort of slack in the synchronization, probably so that if you press the remote button a few times while out of range your remote still opens the door. My guess is that the receiver looks not only for next code after the last one used, but also for several codes after that. Question: how many times would you have to press the button on the remote for it to get so far ahead of what the receiver looks for that the remote no longer works without reprogramming the receiver?
- peblos 3y ago
  Extra ceiling fan remote was my favourite use. Couldn’t find a ceiling fan remote one time ( I have 3 with the exact same remote ) and used it to manage fan speeds Still doesn’t justify the cost but I guess it’s like my leatherman. Hardly use it but handy when I do. I actually bought it when seeing the pwnagotchi comparison and expected functionality from the wifi/marauder dev boards to be included. Meaning I got my flipper in the first batch for my country but couldn’t get a dev board even months later
- rzazueta 3y ago
  I bought it in the hopes of causing mostly harmless mischief, but its capabilities in that realm are oversold. That said, I knew very little about UART communication or SPI until I started playing with this and an ESP32 device. I also knew very little about bluetooth, RF, and RFID/NFR type stuff until I started exploring the world with this. It's been a fun journey that's rapidly advanced my understanding of quite a few things. Others have said its overpriced or that you can build your own or whatever, but it's actually just the right price for a cool little educational tool that also works beyond the educational stage. It may even inspire me to build my own advanced version at some point. If you're already a hardware hacker or EE, this is probably not much more than a toy for you. If you've always wanted to explore some of these topics but had no idea how to start, the Flipper is a good introduction. I immediately flashed it with custom firmware and it was easier than flashing my BIOS.
- sli 3y ago
  A bit different than the other replies, but I'm using mine like a very extensible input/output device for my own hardware projects and as a general STM board for fiddling with embedded on an STM chip (I usually stick to RP2040s and ESPs). I'm really interested in making expansion boards for the Flipper, especially ones built on the RP2040. Just sounds like a ton of fun.
- spookie 3y ago
  Cloning my NFC cards, being my garage opener (I wasn't given a key and couldn't be bothered getting one... and yes, it's my garage), testing equipment using the GPIO pins and what not. Last one is really handy tbh Edit: oh! I used it today to snap pictures with my phone every second for photogrammetry work, that was neat! Wish I had gotten better point clouds out of Gaussian splatting though
- brobinson 3y ago
  Mine is just a cool-looking paperweight now.
  - ekianjo 3y ago
    how much paper can it hold down?
    - thot_experiment 3y ago
      I would 100% spend an unreasonable amount of time looking at a website that did wind tunnel testing on paperweights.
- xyst 3y ago
  Scanned a pet microchip lol. I had planned to build out my own kit but not enough time
  - peblos 3y ago
    Interesting! What kind of animal? Everything I had read suggested it wasn’t strong enough to read these and I couldn’t read my small dog’s chip
    - jjav 3y ago
      I've succesfully read a few pet microchips with it. Of course, it wasn't useful to do, but hey it worked!
    - fullspectrumdev 3y ago
      I’ve had no problems reading chips from a few cats, but you do have to scan around a bit because often the chip has moved a bit from where you expect it to be
- selecsosi 3y ago
  A specific but satisfying use case, my apt building was being stingy* with handing out RFID tokens so I used it to copy and program a cheap RFID token for lending to a trusted visitor. * Stingy => security protocols that I agree with in sentiment but unfortunately I need to let my pet sitter in and it's nice to allow them to keep the keys as I travel frequently and key exchanges are less than optimal for my spouse and I
- INTPenis 3y ago
  I gave two of them away at a hacker con last year. During the event it was used to open up the charging lid of a Tesla and to remote control a fog machine. I'm not competent of interested enough to make full use of them but I get the impression that they still have a lot of use in a large part of the world where simple RF is used to open gates and garages. And of course you can copy and store RFID but you still have to get your hands on the tags. And that's where it falls down in certain more developed countries because they've mostly moved to RFID.
- la_fayette 3y ago
  You can emulate any tonie figurine for the toniebox.
- rjh29 3y ago
  I used it a lot at first and it taught me about NFC, IR, etc. I made a few remote controls on it, which is convenient to e.g. turn a fan on at night due to its backlight. I also clone Amiibos for Switch games. And make copies of hotel room keys and RFID tokens for backup purposes although some keys can't be cloned. You can monitor all kinds of wireless signals like garage doors getting fired off around you, which is fun. I know some people use the USB feature to somehow install Windows automatically when they have a bunch of laptops to set up.
deleted 3y ago
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kristopolous 3y ago
I really resent the marketing of this product. It's as if they invented the cheap RF chips they're using and are the exclusive distributors of it. It's rubbed me as thoroughly dishonest and fraudulent. I know this is currently a minority position, that's why I took the time to state it.
- ok_dad 3y ago
  They made a product that’s really easy to use out of a bunch off of the shelf components. What’s fraudulent about that? I haven’t seen them claim any features that the device doesn’t have. They literally have the chip product numbers they use for each module on their home page! They’re not hiding it!
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- fortran77 3y ago
  Really? I like mine. Learned a lot about RFID and was able to successfully copy and clone some hotel prox card. Sure, they didn't "invent" the chips inside, but they put the hardware and software in a nice package, included software, and grew a nice community of hackers around it. Because of the popularity of the device, there are third parties, some less reputable than others, trying to ride their coattails. Perhaps that's what you're reacting to?
  - brendoelfrendo 3y ago
    I was able to clone my apartment fob using a tool I got for $30 on Amazon, and it even came with extra blank fobs and cards to clone to. Flipper Zero can more than just clone RFID keys, but my point is that the tools exist to do all the things it does and do them cheaper, and they're just as easy to use. If you really need a tool that can do them all, though, I can't really argue with the utility; but I do kind of agree with the GP comment that Flipper didn't exactly do anything that hasn't been done before.
lvl102 3y ago
[flagged]
- ipsin 3y ago
  Yeah, I had the same thought. $169?! I get that it's specialty geekware, but with enough popularity that I would have guessed the price would be in line with the Arduino. Like, $50?
  - bsder 3y ago
    $169 implies a BOM cost of about $60. That seems ... about right actually?
    - ipsin 3y ago
      What fills out that $60 BOM? Obviously the stylish case isn't cheap, but I'm wondering what else makes it expensive.
      - bsder 3y ago
        Main microcontroller is $6--that's 10%. NFC micro is going to be a dollar or two. Case. PCBs. Display. Connectors. Voltage regulators. Crystals. Inductors. Speaker. You don't need very many of these to be a chunk of a dollar in order to hit $60 pretty quick. Everybody disregards semiconductor costs when they are under $1. Cheap doesn't mean free though. BOM costs add up really quickly. The necessity to control costs is one of the reasons why software people get so absolutely shocked and dismayed when they try to build hardware. Full schematics and BOMs are here: https://docs.flipper.net/development/hardware/schematic/ https://docs.flipper.net/development/hardware/schematic/ The BOMs have some wonkiness and errors, but they're in the right range.
dfc 3y ago
I have seen a lot of hardware addon boards lately. They are rarely, if ever in stock. Are there any good ones?
system2 3y ago
Hard to justify the cost. I see the ads everywhere for this device. If you have this product please review it for everyone.
Duanemclemore 3y ago
Oh man. If my friends and I had this in high school things probably would have gotten even more out of control.
- mtreis86 3y ago
  Yeah we found a remote control cloning app for a palm pilot that had IR and caused enough trouble randomly turning tvs on with that.
darig 3y ago
[dead]
LZ2DMV 3y ago
Apart from access control systems, it hardly has any good uses in the real world as a pen-testing device. If it was a pocket carry, true SDR, capable of recording RF signals as I/Q, performing actions on them, replaying them, etc, it would have justified its cost. But, with a limited set of modulations supported by the used RF chips, it is more like a toy for hacker wanna-be teenagers than a serious tool. An investment in something like HackRF+PortaPack clone is far better, IMHO.
- tkems 3y ago
  Totally agree that this isn't a good full pentesting device, but I also think that such a device doesn't need to be in order to be popular. Just look at the IM-ME when Samy Kamkar showed it off [0] and it sold out. Most people don't need a full SDR like a HackRF in order to explore their RF devices and a Flipper gives that too them without the headache of software and the bulk of a full PortaPack. (I love my HackRF and PortaPack for the record. The Flipper can't complete with the features and low-level access when you need it) [0] https://hackaday.com/2015/06/08/hacking-the-im-me-to-open-garages/ https://hackaday.com/2015/06/08/hacking-the-im-me-to-open-ga...
dang 3y ago
Related. Others? Apple Shuts Down Flipper Zero's Ability to Shut Down iPhones - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 - Dec 2023 (26 comments) Tiny device is sending updated iPhones into a never-ending DoS loop - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38125426 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38125426 - Nov 2023 (108 comments) Probably Buy a Flipper Zero Before It's Too Late - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38025786 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38025786 - Oct 2023 (27 comments) Flipper Zero can be used to crash iPhones running iOS 17 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 - Oct 2023 (33 comments) UK airport confiscates passenger's Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486 - Sept 2023 (44 comments) Flipper-Xtreme-Firmware: Give your Flipper Zero the power it is craving - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37519277 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37519277 - Sept 2023 (4 comments) Flipper Zero can spam nearby iPhones with Bluetooth pop-ups - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37397481 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37397481 - Sept 2023 (44 comments) Flipper Zero Controlling Traffic Lights [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36756787 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36756787 - July 2023 (3 comments) Flipper Zero Self Destructs an Electricity Smart Meter - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591 - June 2023 (210 comments) FlipperZero: 1 Month Battery Life with Firmware Update - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35735415 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35735415 - April 2023 (82 comments) Flipper Zero banned by Amazon for being a ‘card skimming device’ - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 - April 2023 (133 comments) Brazil seizing Flipper Zero shipments to prevent use in crime - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35109931 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35109931 - March 2023 (67 comments) Hacker Uncovers How to Turn Traffic Lights Green with Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34872104 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34872104 - Feb 2023 (4 comments) Trying Out Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34215390 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34215390 - Jan 2023 (99 comments) Hands on with Flipper Zero, the Hacker Tool Blowing Up on TikTok - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34102109 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34102109 - Dec 2022 (2 comments) FlipperZero hardware hacker released for US sales - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33720764 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33720764 - Nov 2022 (7 comments) Bad news: US Customs have seized a container with 15k Flippers Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33073141 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33073141 - Oct 2022 (13 comments) PayPal blocked Flipper Zero account with $1.3M - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32739950 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32739950 - Sept 2022 (105 comments) Flipper Zero – Portable Multi-Tool Device for Geeks - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32166058 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32166058 - July 2022 (263 comments) Quick Start Guide for Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31368209 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31368209 - May 2022 (137 comments) Flipper Zero: How it’s made and tested - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27704883 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27704883 - July 2021 (34 comments) Flipper Zero: Bringing Cases to Perfection - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27479684 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27479684 - June 2021 (6 comments) Case manufacturing behind the scenes - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27155584 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27155584 - May 2021 (1 comment) Flipper Zero: Tamagochi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26405919 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26405919 - March 2021 (48 comments) Flipper Zero Manufacturing and Shipping Plan - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25870255 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25870255 - Jan 2021 (14 comments) Flipper Zero – Tamagochi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23996733 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23996733 - July 2020 (53 comments) Show HN: Flipper Zero – Tamagotchi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22941733 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22941733 - April 2020 (10 comments) Tamagotchi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22859083 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22859083 - April 2020 (1 comment) Flipper Zero: Under Development Multi-Tool Device for Pen-Testers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21842830 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21842830 - Dec 2019 (1 comment)
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ChuckMcM 3y ago
This is a super fun gizmo, it's discord channel is, uh, not great. One cool thing is that you can talk to it serially. I pretty quickly had it organized with an IoT temperature sensor so that it could send commands to my ceiling fan given the temperature in my office. I have also used it to capture the NFC code on a hotel card key so that I could still get into my room even after my key was inevitably "damaged" by nearness to other fields. Some parts of it are silly, like the Tomagachi type game with the dolphin. Doesn't add value for me, but I can see how it might be something for someone. There is also growing awareness with agencies about its flexibility, some apocryphal stories of them being confiscated by TSA checkpoints have come in. Writing your own apps for them has a fairly high learning curve.
- m0llusk 3y ago
  The dolphin annoyed me immediately, but it turns out that all of the graphic assets are simple to find in the firmware so it should be quite easy to change the look and feel of operation into something other than fun time with dolphin friend.
- justsid 3y ago
  The Discord server is terrible. It’s both overrun with kids and yet also weirdly harshly moderated. The device itself is fantastic though. Gives me some real Pebble vibes in all of the best ways. It’s very hackable and even though I don’t do crazy pentest things with it, it’s just an overall fun device.
  - MOARDONGZPLZ 3y ago
    The reddit is the same way. All the threads are new people asking how to use it to “have fun” by “hacking” vending machines and stuff, or for help convincing their parents to let them get one, or whether it’s worth their allowance to get. I do have one, I think it’s a fun thing to have in my bag, but haven’t had any luck finding forums of responsible adults, or even just adults, discussing development or things to do with it. Even the “adults” who post about it inevitably do something like get fired because they take it to work and try to clone their own badges and the enter their work with the flipper. Sorry for the rant.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
ChrisArchitect 3y ago
Recent news discussions: Flipper Zero can be used to crash iPhones running iOS 17 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 Apple Shuts Down Flipper Zero's Ability to Shut Down iPhones https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 Flipper Zero banned by Amazon for being a ‘card skimming device’ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 UK airport confiscates passenger's Flipper Zero https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486
- _v7gu 3y ago
  The last one is hilarious, just endless speculation on how the guy could have handled it better, the guy coming in with the account of how he handled thing pretty nicely, and then just crickets.
  - pugworthy 3y ago
    Good read indeed - a lot of conclusions being jumped to there.
- Alifatisk 3y ago
  Someone on Twitter mentioned how some kid managed to crash and shutdown their insulin pump using the flipper zero.
  - Mad_ad 3y ago
    source? sounds fishy to me, can't believe insulin pumps are so vulnerable.
    - ablation 3y ago
      I don't have a source for OP's Flipper Zero story, but insulin pumps are surprisingly vulnerable: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-medical-advisories/icsma-22-263-01 https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-medical-advisories/icsm...
geor9e 3y ago
$169 is a bit steep for me, so I went on Temu and bought a $8 125KHz RFID programmer & a $5 USB-C IR Blaster. Combined with my Samsung phones native NFC writing, bluetooth, etc I feel like it scratched the itch of 90% of what people do with Flipper for 10% the cost.
- moolcool 3y ago
  The M5Stack Cardputer seems like it would scratch the same itch as the Flipper Zero.
  - s17n 3y ago
    the whole point of the flipper is the sub-1ghz radio and nfc/rfid capabilities. It's not really intended to be used as a general purpose computer, it's more like a really extensible radio
    - lolinder 3y ago
      Yeah, but for me (and I imagine a lot of people on here) the itch that Flipper Zero teases is that of a hackable computer in a neat form factor, not the specific radio capabilities that it's actually meant for. I didn't know about M5 before and now I'm hooked exploring M5's store, so I appreciate OP's pointing me there!
      - s17n 3y ago
        I think there are a lot of better options if that's what you want. From what I've seen the appeal of the Flipper is that you can do a bunch of fun stuff with a super easy to use interface (just select the thing you want to do and press go!) It's like the iPod of radio/rfid hacking.
        lolinder 3y ago
        Yeah, for sure—I looked at the Flipper when it first came out and decided it was overkill for me.
dymk 3y ago
Bad actors are going to ruin this cool little device for everyone else. For every story I hear about a cool usecase for it, there's another about it being used to annoy or harm others.
- sneak 3y ago
  Tools can be used for good and bad. This isn’t anything new and doesn’t “ruin” a device.
  - karaterobot 3y ago
    The person you're responding to probably means that bad actors will cause the device to become illegal to buy or use in certain areas as a result of being associated with illegal or harmful behavior.
    - goshx 3y ago
      It’s already banned in Brazil, for instance
    - mihaaly 3y ago
      It is true, tools will be misused, banning already happened to knifes and scissors in narrow or broader context for example. Will see how this one will be regulated, if will be at all. If they are smart - usually not, but at least less smart than paranoid - then it will not be a blanket rule, actually cannot be without unplugging all computation and wireless devices.
  - dymk 3y ago
    thanks sneak, very insightful
- neilv 3y ago
  Flipper Zero is/was banned on eBay. I tried repeatedly to sell mine there, because I'd see some auctions for them complete. Then they told me it was definitely banned, because it could be used for (IIRC) RFID hacking. (Fair enough. I ended up having to sell mine locally, for a lot less money than what the occasional auction would complete for on eBay. And finding a buyer locally was harder, and with much higher rate of flaking. As someone with deep frugal influences, who likes to save money when buying things, and to sell things once not really needed, I really like eBay when it works OK.)
philip1209 3y ago
I've mainly use Flipper Zero to duplicate my digital apartment keys (iButton then later RFID fobs). It's so easy to duplicate a physical apartment key, but making backups of the digital equivalents is annoyingly tedious. Plus, apartment managers treat them as scarce commodities and refuse to give backups. With Flipper Zero I now have backup keys in my backpack, on my dog's leash, in my running belt, and with close friends. It's great.
127361 3y ago
Flipper Zero was designed in Russia, the company moved since the start of the war.
tehwebguy 3y ago
I love this thing but I mostly just use it to avoid touching hotel TV remotes.
tkems 3y ago
I got one not too long after the official launch and I've used it a decent amount (granted I am in cybersecurity and have a more real-world use cases then the average person). My favorite use case is the IR remote since phones no longer have IR blasters. It's saved me twice so far in having to buy/find a remote for something. One thing people don't realize is that the custom firmware [0] that you can run allows you to receive and transmit on a wide range of frequencies under 1Ghz. Lots of things use that range (garage doors, gates, fan remotes, etc.) and are not very secure. I think that this will be a time looked back on where it's possible to interact with those devices without having to buy a custom PCB transmitter or somewhat expensive and complex SDR. [0] https://github.com/DarkFlippers/unleashed-firmware https://github.com/DarkFlippers/unleashed-firmware
- dheerajvs 3y ago
  > phones no longer have IR blasters Plently of phones still do [0]. I've configured mine to operate all my devices at home. [0] https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2023&chkInfrared=selected https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2023&chkInfra...
  - BossingAround 3y ago
    In other words, Chinese brands still have IR blasters. I don't know I would trust Chinese-brand of phones though.
    - sofixa 3y ago
      Why not? Most phones are manufactured in China anyways, and Xiaomi, OnePlus, Honor, Oppo are major and very widely popular and used brands all over the world (outside of the US which is allergic to Chinese brands unless it's for cheap crap or to outsource manufacturing to).
      - dangus 3y ago
        Outside of the US is a problem when it comes to availability and usability. I’m not going to buy a phone that doesn’t play nicely with my carrier or receive regionally relevant support. OnePlus is the only brand on that list that makes sense buying in the US. (Personally I can see why the IR blaster was removed as a feature in US phones. I can’t think of a time I wanted or needed it. How often are y’all losing remotes? My current remote doesn’t even really use IR for anything since the streaming box is controlled by Bluetooth and connected devices including the sound system are controlled by HDMI-CEC. My phone already controls the entire setup via a remote app that utilizes WiFi/Bluetooth).
hemanthb 3y ago
“Outside” perspective after I was recently gifted one for my birthday: it’s a fun and easy tool to learn about hardware. I became a programmer through the “Applied Math” route (Causal Inference -> Probability -> UL -> DL -> CS). Never owned a Raspberry Pi/Arduino and too busy to get into hobbyist electronics. The Flipper is accessible and low friction, motivates learning eg about GPIO, and is the first time I’ve messed with firmware and signals.
holografix 3y ago
Anyone tried to crash Bluetooth speakers with this? I’d buy one immediately if I can mute loud tvs and harmlessly disable Bluetooth speakers from a distance. My new rental only provided us with one garage door remote and it looks ancient. Fairly certain this could an overly expensive extra garage door remote.
- beala 3y ago
  It doesn't operate at bluetooth's frequency. You could definitely mute TV's with the IR blaster.
dr_kiszonka 3y ago
I'd love to have one to learn more about radios with my kids. Some of Flipper's apps look pretty interesting too. Probably out of scope, but I hope FlipperOne has a few environmental sensors too. (In a perfect world, it would also have thermal imaging, but these sensors are way too expensive.)
dzink 3y ago
The initial marketing mentioned that flippers can exchange collected data as a social interaction. The reason I haven’t bought it is that I don’t want private stuff used and home being leaked to flippers nearby or to a central server. Any experience with that?
- DHowett 3y ago
  As of firmware version 0.97.1 (current at the time of this comment,) no such feature exists.
- sharperguy 3y ago
  Everything is recorded on an SD card, so you could copy the files online somewhere and download others files. There is no automatic sharing.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
xyst 3y ago
I got one. Only thing I used it for was scanning my dogs microchip
smcleod 3y ago
$310 AUD... that's insane!
slotfi64 3y ago
[dead]
notatoad 3y ago
this seems like a cool device that people actually like, but it's crazy that i've still never seen a blog post of "hey check out this cool thing i did" that just happens to use a flipper. it's always the other way around, the point is to have a flipper and find things to do with it, not to have a flipper because it does something you want. i buy lots of nerdy toys, but can we all just admit that this is a toy, not a tool?
some-natalie 3y ago
It's good as a bluetooth presentation remote, sharing QR codes or NFC contact info at conferences, and jiggling your mouse so your VPN connection doesn't die when your laptop locks up. It was handy around the house over the holidays too (https://some-natalie.dev/blog/flipper-at-home/ https://some-natalie.dev/blog/flipper-at-home/). It's a decent multitool. :-)
futhey 3y ago
When people realized anyone with a sophisticated police scanner could listen in on cordless (and then early cellular) phone calls, it forced manufacturers to actually implement a bare-minimum level of security on those devices. I hope this pushes more manufacturers to switch to rolling-code algorithms (like the key fob your car uses), in place of simpler, less secure codes that can be captured and replayed.
- w-ll 3y ago
  [flagged]
- IshKebab 3y ago
  Sure though in some cases it isn't worth the cost or effort, e.g. kinetic light switches. In some cases it's appropriate to expect people to not be arseholes.
- forinti 3y ago
  In the 1980s a friend of mine had a German radio which had a larger array of frequencies than that available in my country. It allowed us to listen to the police. Curious, but not interesting. In the 90s my brother had a portable TV/Radio which we managed to tune into cellphone conversations. Those were the days you could still telnet 25 to send emails with whatever sender you wanted. I used to send Christmas greetings from Santa to my colleagues at uni.
- tivert 3y ago
  > When people realized anyone with a sophisticated police scanner could listen in on cordless (and then early cellular) phone calls, it forced manufacturers to actually implement a bare-minimum level of security on those devices. Did it? IIRC, the biggest thing to fall out of that is the US government banned scanners that could pick up the frequencies commonly used by cordless phones.
  - cruffle_duffle 3y ago
    > IIRC, the biggest thing to fall out of that is the US government banned scanners that could pick up the frequencies commonly used by cordless phones. I recall that. I think the age of SDR's made such a ban (law?) almost impossible to enforce.
byb 3y ago
I tried using a Flipper with some NFC stickers so I wouldn't have to carry around so many FOBs and cards. It turns out that the Flipper does not excel at this task. It complained that the NFC stickers I bought were non-writable. And it couldn't read all the sectors on some NFC tags. However, I was able to use the Android MCT app to write to the same stickers and read the tags the flipper couldn't read. Cloning required copying strings to the clipboard, which is something the Flipper's UI is not really designed for.
- blep-arsh 3y ago
  Yeah, Flipper as a concept sounds cool but then I found out the current implementation is rather half-baked and comes with a lot of limitations. And the community is not that welcoming either.
- cruffle_duffle 3y ago
  > It complained that the NFC stickers I bought were non-writable. I'm not an expert at NFC but after playing around with Flipper I've learned that there are different types of NFC devices and they aren't at all interchangeable. They aren't just dumb devices but actual computers that power up and do shit (I think).
iceflinger 3y ago
Even beyond the wireless stuff it's focused on, it's super useful as a combined UART bridge, SPI Flash dumper, DAPLink debugger and other hardware tools.
bilinguliar 3y ago
[flagged]
vivak6223 3y ago
Mj
yakshaving_jgt 3y ago
My Flipper Zero has been useful for me while living in Ukraine. For some reason, many apartment buildings require the use of a little electronic tag not only to open the outside gates, but also to operate the elevator to reach someone's apartment. This also includes trying to use the elevator to reach the ground floor, e.g., when you leave your friend's apartment and you are going home. So you can't leave the building with the elevator without your friend coming out and unlocking it for you. It's madness. So, I clone my friends' tags (with their knowledge) and come and go as I please.
FrustratedMonky 3y ago
I don't even do hardware and want one. Is it as great as it seems?
cactusplant7374 3y ago
The problem with the Flipper is it's missing documentation. And new learners need documentation. The response from the Flipper team has been telling people to read the source code.
supreme_berry 3y ago
[dead]
pnw 3y ago
I would love to get one but articles like this about the Russian connection put me off. https://simovits.com/flipper-zero-zero-trust/ https://simovits.com/flipper-zero-zero-trust/
- squarefoot 3y ago
  The device is nothing more than a quite powerful STM32 board with some interesting peripherals added and of course a very powerful firmware/software, which is what makes the difference. However, as everything is Open Source, it can be ported to a similarly designed, possibly different looking, device without the code that phones home, an it probably is what hackers should consider since the Flipper Zero has been banned in some places and being caught with it say in a airport could be enough for confiscation and/or interrogation. Also, it is overpriced for what it contains; they could sell it at half the price and still make a significant profit. And frankly, as someone who is 100% on Ukraine's side against the barbaric Putin invasion, I'd rather use my money to buy some electronics from Ukrainian surplus shops on Ebay.
  - Jibbedeyeah 3y ago
    [dead]
- Gormo 3y ago
  Interesting. Do you have any sources that substantiate the claims made on this blog post?
  - sev1 3y ago
    I wasn't aware of a Russia connection until this post. On flipperzero.com near the top it says: >Our team was originally formed in Neuron Hackspace by collaborating with industrial design and manufacturing experts Design Heroes. A quick Google search for Neuron Hackspace and Design Heroes shows their location as Moscow. I'm inclined to believe the detailed report from that blog post and am glad I did not end up buying the device.
shantnutiwari 3y ago
I got one some time ago, and like my rpi, has been sitting in teh drawer since. Another one of those "Sounds cool, but not really useful" tools
- jpcfl 3y ago
  A lot of people buy tools and then never use them, just like people buy trucks and 4x4's, but never use them to haul cargo or go off-road. When you buy a tool, you generally want to have a job in mind, and then have the follow-through to do that job.
rjcrystal 3y ago
They're never in stock! They need to fix the logistical issues with supply.
lawlessone 3y ago
I have one, honestly too expensive in hindsight for what it is. I make impulsive buys.
hnthrowaway0328 3y ago
I'm thinking about building gadgets that serve parallel functionalities: 1. Relatively small to carry around. 2. Specifically built for one topic of purposes. 3. Can be achieved by a single hacker with on market tools. What kind of tools have you built for yourself? Here are some examples I have in mind: Hardware debugging dongles, rom burning boards and of course Flipper zero itself.
spacecadet 3y ago
The flipper has great size/capabilities. I mainly use it for NFC/NF wireless pen-testing. Some clients use NF payments and this gives me a single click testing tooling. As others have said, if you want real capabilities get into SDR. My real kit includes HackRF piped into wireshark. Lastly, a community that has seen a bump recently, Pwnagotchi. Its worth checking out and to me has alot of potential.
tamimio 3y ago
I have one, loaded it with Xtreme firmware (better than unleashed etc.), and works great! some people are missing the point of this device and start comparing it to an advanced NFC tool or other SDR, that’s not its intended use, it is AIO swiss army tool style that you will (might) find it handy in situations that other advanced tools aren’t around, for example I have some advanced SDR like BladeRF and limeSDR, far better in terms of everything than the flipper, but in many situations it would be impossible to use one of these SDR, not just how suspicious it will look with all that gears, but simply you just don’t have it at that time. So I have my flipper loaded with all fobs keys, garage (yes it does work with rotating key if you pair it), all my home sub-ghz, IR, are all backed up as well, and as someone who works in robotics I find the quick access to GPIO is handy sometimes, among other usages, for example, I have a friend who lives inside a uni dorm, and if you happen to lock your keycard inside your apartment, the cost to just open that door is $50, not even replacing the card.. so after he paid it few times I took a backup of his card, and whenever he locks it, he will call me and I open it for him.
Deprogrammer9 3y ago
fun toy to get people into security.
AlbertCory 3y ago
I saw this and thought "I need this toy!" Their website wouldn't take my credit card. Needless to say, it's a good card and I used it on other sites that same day and after. I wrote to Support. Three days later, they wrote back and suggested I try a different card. Sorry, Flipper, you lose. Nice idea, but a company is more than a piece of hardware.
rabbitofdeath 3y ago
I have found it pretty useful in a few situations: - USB/Mouse keyboard when the iMac you are working on has totally dead batteries for the mouse/keyboard- its not fun but works in a pinch. - Cloning weird ceiling fans/lights. Apparently I've bought horrible remotes but this helped. - Used this as a nightstand clock while traveling. - Used the authenticator app as a backup Yubi key - Mouse jiggler to keep a computer awake - blasting tvs at restaurants is a ton of fun and my kids like that. - And the IR functionality for Nerf Laser Ops Pro (IR laser tag) is an absolute blast - the actual Nerf guns have a delayed trigger, but with Flipper there is no delay or need to "reload" so you are an unstoppable beast.
- tkems 3y ago
  Just a heads up about the Flippers U2F implementation [0] and the possible weaknesses compared to a Yubikey/other U2F key. [0] https://modusmundi.com/posts/u2f-flipper/ https://modusmundi.com/posts/u2f-flipper/
  - rabbitofdeath 3y ago
    Thank you for this - It is really more of a backup/testing since I leave my Flipper at home 99% of the time and rely on my real Yubi for a few things. Mainly Github which was just because I can.
- bcks 3y ago
  I had a lot of fun playing with the Flipper's Bad USB DuckyScript to automate some repetitive and tedious CMS workflow for a client, filling in a lot of input fields on multiple browser windows with a single press of a button. It improved my productivity and happiness. I've since graduated to Playwright, but it was the Flipper that sparked the idea.
- crtasm 3y ago
  > blasting tvs at restaurants is a ton of fun and my kids like that. You can likely still buy those "every TV" $5 power/volume remotes that fit on a keychain, if they're asking for their own.
bastardoperator 3y ago
I bring this when travelling so I can dupe remotes and door keys.
5440 3y ago
My son was just arrested for using this in his hacking club at high school. Be careful if you have kids with one. According to witnesses in the room, he was showing it to kids in his hacking club and they all thought it was just turning off Apple phones in the classrooom. Apparently, it turned off phones including several teachers in adjoining classrooms. Anyways. The police came to the school and arrested him and are threatening him/us with federal crimes. They also executed a search warrant in our house and took all electronics. Its been a little traumatising to say the least.
- jmrm 3y ago
  I find really excessive having the police involved in those things, specially when are child doing dumb things that hurts nobody. I done a worse "hacking" actions when I was 12 and I were grounded without any access to any electronic device outside TV at lunch/dinner
  - d1str0 3y ago
    They didnt know who was causing it or why. Blocking a persons ability to contact emergency services, by DoSing their phone can be devastating.
    - OOPMan 3y ago
      Right, but did anyones attempts to contact emergency services get affected in this case? I'm guessing not. No matter how you paint it, this was probably rather excessive on the part of the police.
      - lobocinza 3y ago
        And on the part of who called the police in the first place. In my experience teachers and school management are just too paranoid/neurotic and will escalate everything so they can't be blamed.
        3y ago
PEDRO0147 3y ago
[dead]

685 points by thatxliner 3y ago

I’ve had one of these guys sitting around for a while - love the hardware, love the concept, but I haven’t really found a lot of use for it - what are y’all using them for?

AndrewKemendo 3y ago
Yeah I’m in the same boat. Had it a few years and the whole Tesla port trick gets old quickly.
twosdai 3y ago
Just a party gag so far with some friends. Like if I'm at a friend's house and they're using their phone I'll Bluetooth spam them to lock up their phone for a second to mess with them.
rubatuga 3y ago
Some people are using them to break smart meters: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
gleenn 3y ago
My friend found out the school he sysadmins for was using weak rfid card keys (despite the readers being smart enough to handle higher level encryption) and found he could clone his key and get in places. So basically he pen tested and then they decided to upgrade to the less or non-cloneable card keys. Security for the win.
- Vegenoid 3y ago
  Before anyone tries this, doing this without first checking with security/facilities would likely be grounds for “disciplinary action, up to and including termination”
  - spacebacon 3y ago
    Termination is a favor if security is that lax.
    - spacebacon 3y ago
      [flagged]
      - spacebacon 3y ago
        [flagged]
    - BizarreByte 3y ago
      > Termination is a favor Losing your job is never a favour. Would you prefer termination if any issue was found with your work place?
      - spacebacon 3y ago
        Losing your job may not seem like a favor at first, it depends on how high you bounce after the fact. Being self employed for 20 years after being laid off was the best favor anyone ever did for me. I would have never taken that initial risk without being pushed into it. Now risk is comfortable.
  - WantonQuantum 3y ago
    I don't know why you're getting downvoted for this. It's 100% correct advice. The person you're replying to is a sysadmin so they are probably okay in this situation but cloning access cards without permission would be a serious breach no matter how well intentioned or how easy.
- infinitedata 3y ago
  You can achieve this exact same use case with a $15 RFID reader/writer, supporting higher frequencies and encryption.
- rekoil 3y ago
  Quite often the keycards have sequential IDs which means you can increase or decrease the number a few times and find a colleagues card with higher or lower privileges than you.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
boopmaster 3y ago
I’m also in this place. I have the wifi card as well and I’ve not taken to writing any hobbyist software for mine. I had perhaps foolishly hoped to at least get a fun universal remote out of it, and it’s somewhat possible yet the software just isn’t there to bring a robust family of device RF and Bluetooth commands together. It’s no harmony remote.
DigiDigiorno 3y ago
Spoofing amiibos on TOTK
- guiambros 3y ago
  Same! Pretty handy to have all amiibos in a single place, and quickly iterate through them.
  - dawnerd 3y ago
    You can likely use your phone. There’s some apps designed for it specifically.
    - rjh29 3y ago
      IIRC phones need to be rooted to pretend to be an NFC card, although they can write to blank ones. I've done this before. The Flipper Zero is a lot more convenient though.
      - dawnerd 3y ago
        Ah yeah you’re right. What I’ve seen actually only lets you write to tags that can then be used.
conradev 3y ago
It's my backup key for my garage and my office door. I also use the universal remote to change TVs in public spaces occasionally. It's a chunker, so it's not a pocket carry, but I keep it in my backpack. I recently discovered this, which I want to try: https://electroniccats.com/store/flipper-add-on-magspoof/ https://electroniccats.com/store/flipper-add-on-magspoof/
- 29athrowaway 3y ago
  What kind of garage opener do you have? I thought the Flipper zero won't provide that functionality unless you flash the firmware.
  - HanClinto 3y ago
    Not terribly difficult to flash the firmware.
    - 29athrowaway 3y ago
      But now you have to trust some random person from GitHub.
      - speedgoose 3y ago
        Almost all software supply chains rely on random persons at some point.
  - Eji1700 3y ago
    The part I don't get is even if you flash the firmware, does that mean you can make sure it doesn't make all other remotes fail? My understanding of the whole rolling code system was that you could get a few uses and then you were screwed. If that's not the case I really need to do this because having it handle my tv's, ceiling fans, and garage door would be a nice trick.
    - ec109685 3y ago
arthurcolle 3y ago
I cloned my apartment key-fob The WeWork key-fob uses rolling codes so couldn't use it for that...
- tpetr 3y ago
  Which WeWork do you belong to? Boston’s are all low-frequency rfid
  - arthurcolle 3y ago
    This is one in SF. I can clone the card, and it'll work, but then within a few days it won't work any longer.
    - ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
      Does the original keep working?
      - arthurcolle 3y ago
        Yes
- EricBetts 3y ago
  Do you recall any of the details? "Rolling code" is not a term often associated with RFID/NFC. The Portland Custom House WeWork used HID Prox.
  - hnav 3y ago
    Basically the reader writes data back to the fob and expects to see it the next time it reads it. This results in either the original or the copy getting de-synced. One interesting capability that this unlocks is that battery powered, offline readers (think apartment door that uses the same fob as the lobby) can write out things like battery state so that apartment maintenance knows when it's time to swap out batteries.
robbiet480 3y ago
Just used it + the MCT app on Android to clone my apartment key fob (Schlage 9691T) to a Dangerous Things Magic Ring https://dangerousthings.com/product/magic-ring/ https://dangerousthings.com/product/magic-ring/
margalabargala 3y ago
I use it as an easy voltage tester for various hardware projects. I wrote an app that can do GPIO input (the built in only does output) so I can check which parts of a given circuit I'm building are high or low at a given time. Basically like a parallel multimeter.
gregshap 3y ago
Nice try FBI agent
Lwrless 3y ago
Cloned a 125KHz RFID keycard on my Flipper as a backup, my Android phone is able to clone 13.56MHz MIFAREs, but not these 125KHz ones.
sidmitra 3y ago
My building charges USD 40+ to replace the white rfid cards if you lose it and something similar for the remote control for the parking gate. So i just cloned all my cards and remotes and keep them as backup, just in case.
Havoc 3y ago
That’s what keeps me hesitant. Can’t figure out what I’d do with it once unboxed
sneak 3y ago
I use the IR universal remote function to turn off distracting TVs in bars and restaurants.
- bookofjoe 3y ago
  I had a TV-B-Gone [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone] back when they came out in 2004: good fun. They cost $15 and were hugely controversial. >Digging Deeper::TV-B-Gone Device Shuts Public TVs Down https://mediashift.org/2006/04/digging-deepertv-b-gone-device-shuts-public-tvs-down101/ https://mediashift.org/2006/04/digging-deepertv-b-gone-devic...
- sureglymop 3y ago
  So you just take the liberty to turn off someone elses devices in someone elses establishment? That's... questionable.
  - sneak 3y ago
    So is forcing me to watch ads. TVs everywhere in public spaces in America is a cancer and I’ll happily turn them off or unplug them whenever and wherever I see them. This isn’t a thing in other countries, it’s part of American culture.
    - sureglymop 3y ago
      I have a hard time telling whether you are being sarcastic here. It's one thing to block ads when they have been loaded into your web browser that is in your room (completely morally and ethically fine). It's a completely different thing to go into someone elses space and start making decisions about what is or isn't running on a tv there. I like ads as little as you so what I can do is just boycott that restaurant or bar entirely or ask the staff to turn it off. I think it's part of being a well adjusted adult to know what you want or don't want and go about it in a reasonable way (such as asking staff). It's immature though to just do that forcibly. It is however not my duty to teach you that, so let's leave it at that.
willis936 3y ago
Well I found that my apartment NFC key is hardened against dictionary attacks and I'm not able to copy it. It also helped me learn that my parents' garage door is pretty secure. I'm able to have the opener learn my flipper like any other remote, but not crack it. This is even with the unleashed firmware that doesn't mind violating FCC regulations (some of the frequencies it hops to are restricted). I was able to copy my work NFC badge, but I'm not really interested in trying it out. It's handy as a pocket spectrum sniffer, but I don't have much day-to-day use for it outside of that. I'm glad it was given to me because I learned a lot. Potential future use for me might be an amiibo emulator, but I've grown out of those sorts of things.
- AndrewKemendo 3y ago
  All garage doors have rolling keys which are non trivial to deal with unless you have pro stuff.
  - dawnerd 3y ago
    Besides easy to open garage doors with a metal shim to pop the emergency latch. Happened to me once before just zip tying the latch.
  - willis936 3y ago
    You can sync up on rolling codes with the flipper without too much effort. When there are a few private keys involved it gets more difficult.
  - epcoa 3y ago
    More like most garage doors sold in the last 20 years have a rolling code system, a few of which are non trivial to deal with. This is already Western centric, but even here there are a ton of older static and fixed frequency systems still chugging along. Of these rolling code systems most are not difficult to crack, especially those more than a decade old (and which are still sold today)
  - tzs 3y ago
    Speaking of garage door rolling codes I've noticed there is some sort of slack in the synchronization, probably so that if you press the remote button a few times while out of range your remote still opens the door. My guess is that the receiver looks not only for next code after the last one used, but also for several codes after that. Question: how many times would you have to press the button on the remote for it to get so far ahead of what the receiver looks for that the remote no longer works without reprogramming the receiver?
peblos 3y ago
Extra ceiling fan remote was my favourite use. Couldn’t find a ceiling fan remote one time ( I have 3 with the exact same remote ) and used it to manage fan speeds Still doesn’t justify the cost but I guess it’s like my leatherman. Hardly use it but handy when I do. I actually bought it when seeing the pwnagotchi comparison and expected functionality from the wifi/marauder dev boards to be included. Meaning I got my flipper in the first batch for my country but couldn’t get a dev board even months later
rzazueta 3y ago
I bought it in the hopes of causing mostly harmless mischief, but its capabilities in that realm are oversold. That said, I knew very little about UART communication or SPI until I started playing with this and an ESP32 device. I also knew very little about bluetooth, RF, and RFID/NFR type stuff until I started exploring the world with this. It's been a fun journey that's rapidly advanced my understanding of quite a few things. Others have said its overpriced or that you can build your own or whatever, but it's actually just the right price for a cool little educational tool that also works beyond the educational stage. It may even inspire me to build my own advanced version at some point. If you're already a hardware hacker or EE, this is probably not much more than a toy for you. If you've always wanted to explore some of these topics but had no idea how to start, the Flipper is a good introduction. I immediately flashed it with custom firmware and it was easier than flashing my BIOS.
sli 3y ago
A bit different than the other replies, but I'm using mine like a very extensible input/output device for my own hardware projects and as a general STM board for fiddling with embedded on an STM chip (I usually stick to RP2040s and ESPs). I'm really interested in making expansion boards for the Flipper, especially ones built on the RP2040. Just sounds like a ton of fun.
spookie 3y ago
Cloning my NFC cards, being my garage opener (I wasn't given a key and couldn't be bothered getting one... and yes, it's my garage), testing equipment using the GPIO pins and what not. Last one is really handy tbh Edit: oh! I used it today to snap pictures with my phone every second for photogrammetry work, that was neat! Wish I had gotten better point clouds out of Gaussian splatting though
brobinson 3y ago
Mine is just a cool-looking paperweight now.
- ekianjo 3y ago
  how much paper can it hold down?
  - thot_experiment 3y ago
    I would 100% spend an unreasonable amount of time looking at a website that did wind tunnel testing on paperweights.
xyst 3y ago
Scanned a pet microchip lol. I had planned to build out my own kit but not enough time
- peblos 3y ago
  Interesting! What kind of animal? Everything I had read suggested it wasn’t strong enough to read these and I couldn’t read my small dog’s chip
  - jjav 3y ago
    I've succesfully read a few pet microchips with it. Of course, it wasn't useful to do, but hey it worked!
  - fullspectrumdev 3y ago
    I’ve had no problems reading chips from a few cats, but you do have to scan around a bit because often the chip has moved a bit from where you expect it to be
selecsosi 3y ago
A specific but satisfying use case, my apt building was being stingy* with handing out RFID tokens so I used it to copy and program a cheap RFID token for lending to a trusted visitor. * Stingy => security protocols that I agree with in sentiment but unfortunately I need to let my pet sitter in and it's nice to allow them to keep the keys as I travel frequently and key exchanges are less than optimal for my spouse and I
INTPenis 3y ago
I gave two of them away at a hacker con last year. During the event it was used to open up the charging lid of a Tesla and to remote control a fog machine. I'm not competent of interested enough to make full use of them but I get the impression that they still have a lot of use in a large part of the world where simple RF is used to open gates and garages. And of course you can copy and store RFID but you still have to get your hands on the tags. And that's where it falls down in certain more developed countries because they've mostly moved to RFID.
la_fayette 3y ago
You can emulate any tonie figurine for the toniebox.
rjh29 3y ago
I used it a lot at first and it taught me about NFC, IR, etc. I made a few remote controls on it, which is convenient to e.g. turn a fan on at night due to its backlight. I also clone Amiibos for Switch games. And make copies of hotel room keys and RFID tokens for backup purposes although some keys can't be cloned. You can monitor all kinds of wireless signals like garage doors getting fired off around you, which is fun. I know some people use the USB feature to somehow install Windows automatically when they have a bunch of laptops to set up.

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kristopolous 3y ago

I really resent the marketing of this product. It's as if they invented the cheap RF chips they're using and are the exclusive distributors of it. It's rubbed me as thoroughly dishonest and fraudulent. I know this is currently a minority position, that's why I took the time to state it.

ok_dad 3y ago
They made a product that’s really easy to use out of a bunch off of the shelf components. What’s fraudulent about that? I haven’t seen them claim any features that the device doesn’t have. They literally have the chip product numbers they use for each module on their home page! They’re not hiding it!
- deleted 3y ago
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fortran77 3y ago
Really? I like mine. Learned a lot about RFID and was able to successfully copy and clone some hotel prox card. Sure, they didn't "invent" the chips inside, but they put the hardware and software in a nice package, included software, and grew a nice community of hackers around it. Because of the popularity of the device, there are third parties, some less reputable than others, trying to ride their coattails. Perhaps that's what you're reacting to?
- brendoelfrendo 3y ago
  I was able to clone my apartment fob using a tool I got for $30 on Amazon, and it even came with extra blank fobs and cards to clone to. Flipper Zero can more than just clone RFID keys, but my point is that the tools exist to do all the things it does and do them cheaper, and they're just as easy to use. If you really need a tool that can do them all, though, I can't really argue with the utility; but I do kind of agree with the GP comment that Flipper didn't exactly do anything that hasn't been done before.

lvl102 3y ago

[flagged]

ipsin 3y ago
Yeah, I had the same thought. $169?! I get that it's specialty geekware, but with enough popularity that I would have guessed the price would be in line with the Arduino. Like, $50?
- bsder 3y ago
  $169 implies a BOM cost of about $60. That seems ... about right actually?
  - ipsin 3y ago
    What fills out that $60 BOM? Obviously the stylish case isn't cheap, but I'm wondering what else makes it expensive.
    - bsder 3y ago
      Main microcontroller is $6--that's 10%. NFC micro is going to be a dollar or two. Case. PCBs. Display. Connectors. Voltage regulators. Crystals. Inductors. Speaker. You don't need very many of these to be a chunk of a dollar in order to hit $60 pretty quick. Everybody disregards semiconductor costs when they are under $1. Cheap doesn't mean free though. BOM costs add up really quickly. The necessity to control costs is one of the reasons why software people get so absolutely shocked and dismayed when they try to build hardware. Full schematics and BOMs are here: https://docs.flipper.net/development/hardware/schematic/ https://docs.flipper.net/development/hardware/schematic/ The BOMs have some wonkiness and errors, but they're in the right range.

dfc 3y ago

I have seen a lot of hardware addon boards lately. They are rarely, if ever in stock. Are there any good ones?

system2 3y ago

Hard to justify the cost. I see the ads everywhere for this device. If you have this product please review it for everyone.

Duanemclemore 3y ago

Oh man. If my friends and I had this in high school things probably would have gotten even more out of control.

mtreis86 3y ago
Yeah we found a remote control cloning app for a palm pilot that had IR and caused enough trouble randomly turning tvs on with that.

darig 3y ago

[dead]

LZ2DMV 3y ago

Apart from access control systems, it hardly has any good uses in the real world as a pen-testing device. If it was a pocket carry, true SDR, capable of recording RF signals as I/Q, performing actions on them, replaying them, etc, it would have justified its cost. But, with a limited set of modulations supported by the used RF chips, it is more like a toy for hacker wanna-be teenagers than a serious tool. An investment in something like HackRF+PortaPack clone is far better, IMHO.

tkems 3y ago
Totally agree that this isn't a good full pentesting device, but I also think that such a device doesn't need to be in order to be popular. Just look at the IM-ME when Samy Kamkar showed it off [0] and it sold out. Most people don't need a full SDR like a HackRF in order to explore their RF devices and a Flipper gives that too them without the headache of software and the bulk of a full PortaPack. (I love my HackRF and PortaPack for the record. The Flipper can't complete with the features and low-level access when you need it) [0] https://hackaday.com/2015/06/08/hacking-the-im-me-to-open-garages/ https://hackaday.com/2015/06/08/hacking-the-im-me-to-open-ga...

dang 3y ago

Related. Others? Apple Shuts Down Flipper Zero's Ability to Shut Down iPhones - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 - Dec 2023 (26 comments) Tiny device is sending updated iPhones into a never-ending DoS loop - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38125426 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38125426 - Nov 2023 (108 comments) Probably Buy a Flipper Zero Before It's Too Late - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38025786 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38025786 - Oct 2023 (27 comments) Flipper Zero can be used to crash iPhones running iOS 17 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 - Oct 2023 (33 comments) UK airport confiscates passenger's Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486 - Sept 2023 (44 comments) Flipper-Xtreme-Firmware: Give your Flipper Zero the power it is craving - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37519277 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37519277 - Sept 2023 (4 comments) Flipper Zero can spam nearby iPhones with Bluetooth pop-ups - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37397481 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37397481 - Sept 2023 (44 comments) Flipper Zero Controlling Traffic Lights [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36756787 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36756787 - July 2023 (3 comments) Flipper Zero Self Destructs an Electricity Smart Meter - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36253591 - June 2023 (210 comments) FlipperZero: 1 Month Battery Life with Firmware Update - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35735415 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35735415 - April 2023 (82 comments) Flipper Zero banned by Amazon for being a ‘card skimming device’ - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 - April 2023 (133 comments) Brazil seizing Flipper Zero shipments to prevent use in crime - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35109931 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35109931 - March 2023 (67 comments) Hacker Uncovers How to Turn Traffic Lights Green with Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34872104 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34872104 - Feb 2023 (4 comments) Trying Out Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34215390 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34215390 - Jan 2023 (99 comments) Hands on with Flipper Zero, the Hacker Tool Blowing Up on TikTok - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34102109 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34102109 - Dec 2022 (2 comments) FlipperZero hardware hacker released for US sales - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33720764 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33720764 - Nov 2022 (7 comments) Bad news: US Customs have seized a container with 15k Flippers Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33073141 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33073141 - Oct 2022 (13 comments) PayPal blocked Flipper Zero account with $1.3M - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32739950 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32739950 - Sept 2022 (105 comments) Flipper Zero – Portable Multi-Tool Device for Geeks - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32166058 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32166058 - July 2022 (263 comments) Quick Start Guide for Flipper Zero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31368209 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31368209 - May 2022 (137 comments) Flipper Zero: How it’s made and tested - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27704883 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27704883 - July 2021 (34 comments) Flipper Zero: Bringing Cases to Perfection - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27479684 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27479684 - June 2021 (6 comments) Case manufacturing behind the scenes - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27155584 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27155584 - May 2021 (1 comment) Flipper Zero: Tamagochi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26405919 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26405919 - March 2021 (48 comments) Flipper Zero Manufacturing and Shipping Plan - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25870255 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25870255 - Jan 2021 (14 comments) Flipper Zero – Tamagochi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23996733 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23996733 - July 2020 (53 comments) Show HN: Flipper Zero – Tamagotchi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22941733 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22941733 - April 2020 (10 comments) Tamagotchi for Hackers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22859083 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22859083 - April 2020 (1 comment) Flipper Zero: Under Development Multi-Tool Device for Pen-Testers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21842830 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21842830 - Dec 2019 (1 comment)

deleted 3y ago

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ChuckMcM 3y ago

This is a super fun gizmo, it's discord channel is, uh, not great. One cool thing is that you can talk to it serially. I pretty quickly had it organized with an IoT temperature sensor so that it could send commands to my ceiling fan given the temperature in my office. I have also used it to capture the NFC code on a hotel card key so that I could still get into my room even after my key was inevitably "damaged" by nearness to other fields. Some parts of it are silly, like the Tomagachi type game with the dolphin. Doesn't add value for me, but I can see how it might be something for someone. There is also growing awareness with agencies about its flexibility, some apocryphal stories of them being confiscated by TSA checkpoints have come in. Writing your own apps for them has a fairly high learning curve.

m0llusk 3y ago
The dolphin annoyed me immediately, but it turns out that all of the graphic assets are simple to find in the firmware so it should be quite easy to change the look and feel of operation into something other than fun time with dolphin friend.
justsid 3y ago
The Discord server is terrible. It’s both overrun with kids and yet also weirdly harshly moderated. The device itself is fantastic though. Gives me some real Pebble vibes in all of the best ways. It’s very hackable and even though I don’t do crazy pentest things with it, it’s just an overall fun device.
- MOARDONGZPLZ 3y ago
  The reddit is the same way. All the threads are new people asking how to use it to “have fun” by “hacking” vending machines and stuff, or for help convincing their parents to let them get one, or whether it’s worth their allowance to get. I do have one, I think it’s a fun thing to have in my bag, but haven’t had any luck finding forums of responsible adults, or even just adults, discussing development or things to do with it. Even the “adults” who post about it inevitably do something like get fired because they take it to work and try to clone their own badges and the enter their work with the flipper. Sorry for the rant.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

ChrisArchitect 3y ago

Recent news discussions: Flipper Zero can be used to crash iPhones running iOS 17 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37919396 Apple Shuts Down Flipper Zero's Ability to Shut Down iPhones https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38656607 Flipper Zero banned by Amazon for being a ‘card skimming device’ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35481580 UK airport confiscates passenger's Flipper Zero https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37707486

_v7gu 3y ago
The last one is hilarious, just endless speculation on how the guy could have handled it better, the guy coming in with the account of how he handled thing pretty nicely, and then just crickets.
- pugworthy 3y ago
  Good read indeed - a lot of conclusions being jumped to there.
Alifatisk 3y ago
Someone on Twitter mentioned how some kid managed to crash and shutdown their insulin pump using the flipper zero.
- Mad_ad 3y ago
  source? sounds fishy to me, can't believe insulin pumps are so vulnerable.
  - ablation 3y ago
    I don't have a source for OP's Flipper Zero story, but insulin pumps are surprisingly vulnerable: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-medical-advisories/icsma-22-263-01 https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-medical-advisories/icsm...

geor9e 3y ago

$169 is a bit steep for me, so I went on Temu and bought a $8 125KHz RFID programmer & a $5 USB-C IR Blaster. Combined with my Samsung phones native NFC writing, bluetooth, etc I feel like it scratched the itch of 90% of what people do with Flipper for 10% the cost.

moolcool 3y ago
The M5Stack Cardputer seems like it would scratch the same itch as the Flipper Zero.
- s17n 3y ago
  the whole point of the flipper is the sub-1ghz radio and nfc/rfid capabilities. It's not really intended to be used as a general purpose computer, it's more like a really extensible radio
  - lolinder 3y ago
    Yeah, but for me (and I imagine a lot of people on here) the itch that Flipper Zero teases is that of a hackable computer in a neat form factor, not the specific radio capabilities that it's actually meant for. I didn't know about M5 before and now I'm hooked exploring M5's store, so I appreciate OP's pointing me there!
    - s17n 3y ago
      I think there are a lot of better options if that's what you want. From what I've seen the appeal of the Flipper is that you can do a bunch of fun stuff with a super easy to use interface (just select the thing you want to do and press go!) It's like the iPod of radio/rfid hacking.
      - lolinder 3y ago
        Yeah, for sure—I looked at the Flipper when it first came out and decided it was overkill for me.

dymk 3y ago

Bad actors are going to ruin this cool little device for everyone else. For every story I hear about a cool usecase for it, there's another about it being used to annoy or harm others.

sneak 3y ago
Tools can be used for good and bad. This isn’t anything new and doesn’t “ruin” a device.
- karaterobot 3y ago
  The person you're responding to probably means that bad actors will cause the device to become illegal to buy or use in certain areas as a result of being associated with illegal or harmful behavior.
  - goshx 3y ago
    It’s already banned in Brazil, for instance
  - mihaaly 3y ago
    It is true, tools will be misused, banning already happened to knifes and scissors in narrow or broader context for example. Will see how this one will be regulated, if will be at all. If they are smart - usually not, but at least less smart than paranoid - then it will not be a blanket rule, actually cannot be without unplugging all computation and wireless devices.
- dymk 3y ago
  thanks sneak, very insightful
neilv 3y ago
Flipper Zero is/was banned on eBay. I tried repeatedly to sell mine there, because I'd see some auctions for them complete. Then they told me it was definitely banned, because it could be used for (IIRC) RFID hacking. (Fair enough. I ended up having to sell mine locally, for a lot less money than what the occasional auction would complete for on eBay. And finding a buyer locally was harder, and with much higher rate of flaking. As someone with deep frugal influences, who likes to save money when buying things, and to sell things once not really needed, I really like eBay when it works OK.)

philip1209 3y ago

I've mainly use Flipper Zero to duplicate my digital apartment keys (iButton then later RFID fobs). It's so easy to duplicate a physical apartment key, but making backups of the digital equivalents is annoyingly tedious. Plus, apartment managers treat them as scarce commodities and refuse to give backups. With Flipper Zero I now have backup keys in my backpack, on my dog's leash, in my running belt, and with close friends. It's great.

127361 3y ago

Flipper Zero was designed in Russia, the company moved since the start of the war.

tehwebguy 3y ago

I love this thing but I mostly just use it to avoid touching hotel TV remotes.

tkems 3y ago

I got one not too long after the official launch and I've used it a decent amount (granted I am in cybersecurity and have a more real-world use cases then the average person). My favorite use case is the IR remote since phones no longer have IR blasters. It's saved me twice so far in having to buy/find a remote for something. One thing people don't realize is that the custom firmware [0] that you can run allows you to receive and transmit on a wide range of frequencies under 1Ghz. Lots of things use that range (garage doors, gates, fan remotes, etc.) and are not very secure. I think that this will be a time looked back on where it's possible to interact with those devices without having to buy a custom PCB transmitter or somewhat expensive and complex SDR. [0] https://github.com/DarkFlippers/unleashed-firmware https://github.com/DarkFlippers/unleashed-firmware

dheerajvs 3y ago
> phones no longer have IR blasters Plently of phones still do [0]. I've configured mine to operate all my devices at home. [0] https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2023&chkInfrared=selected https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2023&chkInfra...
- BossingAround 3y ago
  In other words, Chinese brands still have IR blasters. I don't know I would trust Chinese-brand of phones though.
  - sofixa 3y ago
    Why not? Most phones are manufactured in China anyways, and Xiaomi, OnePlus, Honor, Oppo are major and very widely popular and used brands all over the world (outside of the US which is allergic to Chinese brands unless it's for cheap crap or to outsource manufacturing to).
    - dangus 3y ago
      Outside of the US is a problem when it comes to availability and usability. I’m not going to buy a phone that doesn’t play nicely with my carrier or receive regionally relevant support. OnePlus is the only brand on that list that makes sense buying in the US. (Personally I can see why the IR blaster was removed as a feature in US phones. I can’t think of a time I wanted or needed it. How often are y’all losing remotes? My current remote doesn’t even really use IR for anything since the streaming box is controlled by Bluetooth and connected devices including the sound system are controlled by HDMI-CEC. My phone already controls the entire setup via a remote app that utilizes WiFi/Bluetooth).

hemanthb 3y ago

“Outside” perspective after I was recently gifted one for my birthday: it’s a fun and easy tool to learn about hardware. I became a programmer through the “Applied Math” route (Causal Inference -> Probability -> UL -> DL -> CS). Never owned a Raspberry Pi/Arduino and too busy to get into hobbyist electronics. The Flipper is accessible and low friction, motivates learning eg about GPIO, and is the first time I’ve messed with firmware and signals.

holografix 3y ago

Anyone tried to crash Bluetooth speakers with this? I’d buy one immediately if I can mute loud tvs and harmlessly disable Bluetooth speakers from a distance. My new rental only provided us with one garage door remote and it looks ancient. Fairly certain this could an overly expensive extra garage door remote.

beala 3y ago
It doesn't operate at bluetooth's frequency. You could definitely mute TV's with the IR blaster.

dr_kiszonka 3y ago

I'd love to have one to learn more about radios with my kids. Some of Flipper's apps look pretty interesting too. Probably out of scope, but I hope FlipperOne has a few environmental sensors too. (In a perfect world, it would also have thermal imaging, but these sensors are way too expensive.)

dzink 3y ago

The initial marketing mentioned that flippers can exchange collected data as a social interaction. The reason I haven’t bought it is that I don’t want private stuff used and home being leaked to flippers nearby or to a central server. Any experience with that?

DHowett 3y ago
As of firmware version 0.97.1 (current at the time of this comment,) no such feature exists.
sharperguy 3y ago
Everything is recorded on an SD card, so you could copy the files online somewhere and download others files. There is no automatic sharing.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

xyst 3y ago

I got one. Only thing I used it for was scanning my dogs microchip

smcleod 3y ago

$310 AUD... that's insane!

slotfi64 3y ago

[dead]

notatoad 3y ago

this seems like a cool device that people actually like, but it's crazy that i've still never seen a blog post of "hey check out this cool thing i did" that just happens to use a flipper. it's always the other way around, the point is to have a flipper and find things to do with it, not to have a flipper because it does something you want. i buy lots of nerdy toys, but can we all just admit that this is a toy, not a tool?

some-natalie 3y ago

It's good as a bluetooth presentation remote, sharing QR codes or NFC contact info at conferences, and jiggling your mouse so your VPN connection doesn't die when your laptop locks up. It was handy around the house over the holidays too (https://some-natalie.dev/blog/flipper-at-home/ https://some-natalie.dev/blog/flipper-at-home/). It's a decent multitool. :-)

futhey 3y ago

When people realized anyone with a sophisticated police scanner could listen in on cordless (and then early cellular) phone calls, it forced manufacturers to actually implement a bare-minimum level of security on those devices. I hope this pushes more manufacturers to switch to rolling-code algorithms (like the key fob your car uses), in place of simpler, less secure codes that can be captured and replayed.

w-ll 3y ago
[flagged]
IshKebab 3y ago
Sure though in some cases it isn't worth the cost or effort, e.g. kinetic light switches. In some cases it's appropriate to expect people to not be arseholes.
forinti 3y ago
In the 1980s a friend of mine had a German radio which had a larger array of frequencies than that available in my country. It allowed us to listen to the police. Curious, but not interesting. In the 90s my brother had a portable TV/Radio which we managed to tune into cellphone conversations. Those were the days you could still telnet 25 to send emails with whatever sender you wanted. I used to send Christmas greetings from Santa to my colleagues at uni.
tivert 3y ago
> When people realized anyone with a sophisticated police scanner could listen in on cordless (and then early cellular) phone calls, it forced manufacturers to actually implement a bare-minimum level of security on those devices. Did it? IIRC, the biggest thing to fall out of that is the US government banned scanners that could pick up the frequencies commonly used by cordless phones.
- cruffle_duffle 3y ago
  > IIRC, the biggest thing to fall out of that is the US government banned scanners that could pick up the frequencies commonly used by cordless phones. I recall that. I think the age of SDR's made such a ban (law?) almost impossible to enforce.

byb 3y ago

I tried using a Flipper with some NFC stickers so I wouldn't have to carry around so many FOBs and cards. It turns out that the Flipper does not excel at this task. It complained that the NFC stickers I bought were non-writable. And it couldn't read all the sectors on some NFC tags. However, I was able to use the Android MCT app to write to the same stickers and read the tags the flipper couldn't read. Cloning required copying strings to the clipboard, which is something the Flipper's UI is not really designed for.

blep-arsh 3y ago
Yeah, Flipper as a concept sounds cool but then I found out the current implementation is rather half-baked and comes with a lot of limitations. And the community is not that welcoming either.
cruffle_duffle 3y ago
> It complained that the NFC stickers I bought were non-writable. I'm not an expert at NFC but after playing around with Flipper I've learned that there are different types of NFC devices and they aren't at all interchangeable. They aren't just dumb devices but actual computers that power up and do shit (I think).

iceflinger 3y ago

Even beyond the wireless stuff it's focused on, it's super useful as a combined UART bridge, SPI Flash dumper, DAPLink debugger and other hardware tools.

bilinguliar 3y ago

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vivak6223 3y ago

yakshaving_jgt 3y ago

My Flipper Zero has been useful for me while living in Ukraine. For some reason, many apartment buildings require the use of a little electronic tag not only to open the outside gates, but also to operate the elevator to reach someone's apartment. This also includes trying to use the elevator to reach the ground floor, e.g., when you leave your friend's apartment and you are going home. So you can't leave the building with the elevator without your friend coming out and unlocking it for you. It's madness. So, I clone my friends' tags (with their knowledge) and come and go as I please.

FrustratedMonky 3y ago

I don't even do hardware and want one. Is it as great as it seems?

cactusplant7374 3y ago

The problem with the Flipper is it's missing documentation. And new learners need documentation. The response from the Flipper team has been telling people to read the source code.

supreme_berry 3y ago

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pnw 3y ago

I would love to get one but articles like this about the Russian connection put me off. https://simovits.com/flipper-zero-zero-trust/ https://simovits.com/flipper-zero-zero-trust/

squarefoot 3y ago
The device is nothing more than a quite powerful STM32 board with some interesting peripherals added and of course a very powerful firmware/software, which is what makes the difference. However, as everything is Open Source, it can be ported to a similarly designed, possibly different looking, device without the code that phones home, an it probably is what hackers should consider since the Flipper Zero has been banned in some places and being caught with it say in a airport could be enough for confiscation and/or interrogation. Also, it is overpriced for what it contains; they could sell it at half the price and still make a significant profit. And frankly, as someone who is 100% on Ukraine's side against the barbaric Putin invasion, I'd rather use my money to buy some electronics from Ukrainian surplus shops on Ebay.
- Jibbedeyeah 3y ago
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Gormo 3y ago
Interesting. Do you have any sources that substantiate the claims made on this blog post?
- sev1 3y ago
  I wasn't aware of a Russia connection until this post. On flipperzero.com near the top it says: >Our team was originally formed in Neuron Hackspace by collaborating with industrial design and manufacturing experts Design Heroes. A quick Google search for Neuron Hackspace and Design Heroes shows their location as Moscow. I'm inclined to believe the detailed report from that blog post and am glad I did not end up buying the device.

shantnutiwari 3y ago

I got one some time ago, and like my rpi, has been sitting in teh drawer since. Another one of those "Sounds cool, but not really useful" tools

jpcfl 3y ago
A lot of people buy tools and then never use them, just like people buy trucks and 4x4's, but never use them to haul cargo or go off-road. When you buy a tool, you generally want to have a job in mind, and then have the follow-through to do that job.

rjcrystal 3y ago

They're never in stock! They need to fix the logistical issues with supply.

lawlessone 3y ago

I have one, honestly too expensive in hindsight for what it is. I make impulsive buys.

hnthrowaway0328 3y ago

I'm thinking about building gadgets that serve parallel functionalities: 1. Relatively small to carry around. 2. Specifically built for one topic of purposes. 3. Can be achieved by a single hacker with on market tools. What kind of tools have you built for yourself? Here are some examples I have in mind: Hardware debugging dongles, rom burning boards and of course Flipper zero itself.

spacecadet 3y ago

The flipper has great size/capabilities. I mainly use it for NFC/NF wireless pen-testing. Some clients use NF payments and this gives me a single click testing tooling. As others have said, if you want real capabilities get into SDR. My real kit includes HackRF piped into wireshark. Lastly, a community that has seen a bump recently, Pwnagotchi. Its worth checking out and to me has alot of potential.

tamimio 3y ago

I have one, loaded it with Xtreme firmware (better than unleashed etc.), and works great! some people are missing the point of this device and start comparing it to an advanced NFC tool or other SDR, that’s not its intended use, it is AIO swiss army tool style that you will (might) find it handy in situations that other advanced tools aren’t around, for example I have some advanced SDR like BladeRF and limeSDR, far better in terms of everything than the flipper, but in many situations it would be impossible to use one of these SDR, not just how suspicious it will look with all that gears, but simply you just don’t have it at that time. So I have my flipper loaded with all fobs keys, garage (yes it does work with rotating key if you pair it), all my home sub-ghz, IR, are all backed up as well, and as someone who works in robotics I find the quick access to GPIO is handy sometimes, among other usages, for example, I have a friend who lives inside a uni dorm, and if you happen to lock your keycard inside your apartment, the cost to just open that door is $50, not even replacing the card.. so after he paid it few times I took a backup of his card, and whenever he locks it, he will call me and I open it for him.

Deprogrammer9 3y ago

fun toy to get people into security.

AlbertCory 3y ago

I saw this and thought "I need this toy!" Their website wouldn't take my credit card. Needless to say, it's a good card and I used it on other sites that same day and after. I wrote to Support. Three days later, they wrote back and suggested I try a different card. Sorry, Flipper, you lose. Nice idea, but a company is more than a piece of hardware.

rabbitofdeath 3y ago

I have found it pretty useful in a few situations: - USB/Mouse keyboard when the iMac you are working on has totally dead batteries for the mouse/keyboard- its not fun but works in a pinch. - Cloning weird ceiling fans/lights. Apparently I've bought horrible remotes but this helped. - Used this as a nightstand clock while traveling. - Used the authenticator app as a backup Yubi key - Mouse jiggler to keep a computer awake - blasting tvs at restaurants is a ton of fun and my kids like that. - And the IR functionality for Nerf Laser Ops Pro (IR laser tag) is an absolute blast - the actual Nerf guns have a delayed trigger, but with Flipper there is no delay or need to "reload" so you are an unstoppable beast.

tkems 3y ago
Just a heads up about the Flippers U2F implementation [0] and the possible weaknesses compared to a Yubikey/other U2F key. [0] https://modusmundi.com/posts/u2f-flipper/ https://modusmundi.com/posts/u2f-flipper/
- rabbitofdeath 3y ago
  Thank you for this - It is really more of a backup/testing since I leave my Flipper at home 99% of the time and rely on my real Yubi for a few things. Mainly Github which was just because I can.
bcks 3y ago
I had a lot of fun playing with the Flipper's Bad USB DuckyScript to automate some repetitive and tedious CMS workflow for a client, filling in a lot of input fields on multiple browser windows with a single press of a button. It improved my productivity and happiness. I've since graduated to Playwright, but it was the Flipper that sparked the idea.
crtasm 3y ago
> blasting tvs at restaurants is a ton of fun and my kids like that. You can likely still buy those "every TV" $5 power/volume remotes that fit on a keychain, if they're asking for their own.

bastardoperator 3y ago

I bring this when travelling so I can dupe remotes and door keys.

5440 3y ago

My son was just arrested for using this in his hacking club at high school. Be careful if you have kids with one. According to witnesses in the room, he was showing it to kids in his hacking club and they all thought it was just turning off Apple phones in the classrooom. Apparently, it turned off phones including several teachers in adjoining classrooms. Anyways. The police came to the school and arrested him and are threatening him/us with federal crimes. They also executed a search warrant in our house and took all electronics. Its been a little traumatising to say the least.

jmrm 3y ago
I find really excessive having the police involved in those things, specially when are child doing dumb things that hurts nobody. I done a worse "hacking" actions when I was 12 and I were grounded without any access to any electronic device outside TV at lunch/dinner
- d1str0 3y ago
  They didnt know who was causing it or why. Blocking a persons ability to contact emergency services, by DoSing their phone can be devastating.
  - OOPMan 3y ago
    Right, but did anyones attempts to contact emergency services get affected in this case? I'm guessing not. No matter how you paint it, this was probably rather excessive on the part of the police.
    - lobocinza 3y ago
      And on the part of who called the police in the first place. In my experience teachers and school management are just too paranoid/neurotic and will escalate everything so they can't be blamed.
      - 3y ago

PEDRO0147 3y ago

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