Flipper Zero 01: Setup and Capabilities

The Hardware Ledger · Flipper Zero series · 18 September 2026

Status: Source-checked guide. The setup and exercises below have not been run on THL hardware.

A useful first question is not “What can it hack?” It is “Which interface does this device use, and what does the receiver trust?” A television may accept a familiar infrared command. An old access reader may accept a number. An account’s security key may have to sign a new challenge. Those are very different jobs.

Flipper brings several interfaces into a handheld device with a screen, controls, storage, and open firmware. Its convenience makes repeated experiments easier. Convenience does not remove the security checks performed by the other device. See the manufacturer’s technical specifications and firmware repository.

Map the interface before choosing a tool

Interface	A sensible first task	The important limitation
Infrared	Learn a button from your own remote.	The target must understand the command; a Bluetooth-only remote uses another interface.
LF RFID, usually discussed here as 125 kHz	Identify an inactive training tag.	A number is not necessarily an authentication secret.
NFC at 13.56 MHz	Inspect an owned training tag’s accessible data.	Protected memory and cryptographic exchanges require more than a read of the identifier.
Sub-GHz radio	Observe a supported owned transmitter.	Matching the frequency alone does not establish protocol support or successful replay.
iButton/contact keys	Identify a supported training key.	This requires electrical contact and model-specific support.
USB and Bluetooth LE	Use a documented input or communication function.	A connected device’s permissions and software still determine the outcome.
GPIO	Observe documented low-voltage digital hardware.	Incorrect wiring can damage hardware; pin compatibility must be checked.

Use the individual chapters for protocol-specific evidence. The base Flipper does not include a Wi-Fi radio. The official Wi-Fi Developer Board supplies an additional ESP32-S2-based development interface; its hardware and firmware must be considered separately.

Why the buzz persists

The product makes invisible interactions visible and puts several familiar security lessons in one place. A successful remote-control demonstration is easy to film. The less visible prerequisites—an old reader, already-known data, selected firmware, or a specially prepared target—can disappear from a short clip.

That is an editorial explanation, not a measurement of every user’s motivation. The series tests the omitted questions: What did the receiver accept? Was anything secret recovered? Was a change actually made? Did the same technique work outside that one setup? Part 12 applies those questions to published cases.

Prepare the device

For the first exercise, use a Flipper, a compatible microSD card, its data-capable USB cable, and your own computer or phone. Reuse what you have; if something is missing, consult the supplier notes. Other modules can wait until their chapters.

Record whether the device is new or previously used. If it contains someone else’s saved credentials, stop and arrange a clean handover rather than inspecting them.
Insert a microSD card that contains no irreplaceable data. The current documentation supports up to 256 GB and considers 16–32 GB sufficient. The card uses SPI communication in this device, so a speed label alone is not the relevant compatibility test. microSD setup
Power on the device, connect using the official mobile app or qFlipper, and use the official Release firmware channel for this series. Install its associated resources with the card present. Record the actual firmware version after the update instead of copying a version from a video. First start, mobile app and update channels
Confirm that storage is recognized. If formatting is necessary, first preserve wanted files elsewhere: formatting erases the card. Use the documented storage controls, and unmount the card before removal.
Record the device’s region and software details from Settings. A successful update does not authorize transmitting on every receivable frequency. Read Part 05 before a radio experiment.
Set a screen-lock PIN and review Bluetooth pairing. From the desktop, press Up → Lock, then verify that unlocking requests the PIN. A PIN limits casual menu access; do not treat it as proof that removable files are encrypted. Use the current settings documentation.

Expected result: The device starts, storage is recognized, the installed version is known, and ordinary menus open. This establishes readiness only. It does not validate an RF range, supported credential, or exploit.

A first exercise without transmitting

Choose three objects you own: a remote, an unused training tag if available, and a USB peripheral. Read their markings and manuals. Fill in this small inventory before opening any Flipper application:

Object	Interface claimed by its documentation	Evidence still needed
Example: television remote	Infrared	Does this particular button use IR?
Example: unused tag	Unknown	Is there a model number or original specification?
Example: keyboard	USB HID	Does the host accept it and in which session?

If the tag’s type is unknown, record “unknown.” Do not choose NFC merely because an object looks like a bank card. Move to the relevant chapter once you have a suitable test object; the inventory itself requires no successful read.

How misuse begins

The same portability that helps a technician also makes unauthorized experimentation convenient. The first mistake is often treating physical proximity as permission: a TV in a café, a coworker’s badge, or a phone on the train is reachable but outside the experiment.

The second mistake is trusting downloaded files simply because a community distributes them. A keystroke script can act in the active application; an unfamiliar firmware build changes the software you are relying on. Keep the initial setup simple, read the entire harmless script in Part 07, and record later software changes.

Completion: Produce a worksheet with the installed version, one owned target, the intended question, and what would count as a useful result. Then continue to Part 02.