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WiFi Devboard — Complete Guide

One-line positioning: a small ESP32-S2 development board that plugs onto the Flipper Zero's GPIO header and gives it 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi — for WiFi auditing (Marauder), captive-portal demos (Evil Portal), and as a wireless debug probe (BlackMagic).

Specification sheet​

Official specifications (source: Flipper Devices + Espressif ESP32-S2-WROVER datasheet):

CategorySpecification
ModuleESP32-S2-WROVER
CPUXtensa single-core LX7, up to 240 MHz
Wireless2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (no 5 GHz, no Bluetooth — S2 chip)
Flash / PSRAM4 MB flash / 2 MB PSRAM
SRAM320 KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM
USBUSB Type-C (USB OTG)
ButtonsBOOT and RESET tactile switches
InterfacesUART, SPI, I2C, GPIO (via Flipper connector + breakout)
Preloaded firmwareBlackMagic (SWD/JTAG debugging over Wi-Fi or USB)
CompatibilityOfficial Flipper Zero GPIO connector (UART link)

Overview​

The WiFi Devboard is the official Wi-Fi add-on for the Flipper Zero. Two things make it special:

  1. It gives the Flipper a Wi-Fi radio — the Flipper Zero itself has no Wi-Fi, only Sub-GHz, NFC, RFID and BLE. With the devboard attached and flashed with WiFi Marauder, the Flipper becomes a portable Wi-Fi auditing tool: scan networks, deauthenticate clients, probe for hidden SSIDs.
  2. It's a wireless debug probe — it ships with BlackMagic firmware, which lets you flash and debug other microcontrollers (including the Flipper Zero's own STM32) over SWD/JTAG, wired or over Wi-Fi.

It's also a full ESP32-S2 development platform: you can write your own ESP-IDF or Arduino firmware and flash it — the board is a proper dev kit, not just an accessory.

⚠️ Legal note: Wi-Fi auditing tools can disrupt networks. Only test on networks you own or have explicit permission to test. Deauth attacks against others' networks are illegal in most places.

Quickstart​

Step 1: Attach the devboard​

  1. Power off the Flipper Zero.
  2. Line up the devboard's 2.54 mm header with the Flipper's GPIO pins — match the silk-screen orientation (the board plugs onto the pins with the USB-C port pointing outward).
  3. Press down firmly until it sits flush.
  4. Power on the Flipper. You should see the new module detected (check Settings → Expansion Modules — UART should be enabled).

Step 2: Install the WiFi Marauder app on the Flipper​

The WiFi Marauder Flipper app (by 0xchocolate) talks to Marauder firmware running on the devboard.

  1. Plug the Flipper into your PC (USB-C).
  2. In qFlipper, open the Apps catalog (or download the .fap from the Marauder project) and install WiFi Marauder.
  3. On the Flipper: Apps → WiFi Marauder.
  4. The app connects to the devboard over the UART link and shows its status.

Step 3: Flash Marauder firmware to the devboard​

The devboard ships with BlackMagic; Marauder is a separate firmware you flash once. Two options:

Option A — flash from the Flipper Zero itself (the officially supported path):

  1. With the devboard attached and the Flipper powered on, connect the Flipper to your PC via USB.
  2. In qFlipper, use the built-in ESP32 flashing option (qFlipper ≥ 1.3): it downloads the Marauder firmware and flashes it through the Flipper's UART.
  3. qFlipper log shows something like:
ESP32 firmware flashing started
Erasing flash ...
Writing 0x00000000 ...
Flashing complete. Rebooting board ...

Option B — flash from your PC over the devboard's USB-C:

  1. Put the devboard in download mode: hold BOOT, then plug USB-C into your PC (release BOOT).
  2. Install Espressif's esptool (Python):
python3 -m pip install esptool
  1. Flash the Marauder .bin:
esptool.py --chip esp32s2 --port /dev/ttyACM0 erase_flash
esptool.py --chip esp32s2 --port /dev/ttyACM0 write_flash 0x10000 marauder_vX.Y_esp32s2.bin

Expected output (tail end):

Hash of data verified.
Leaving...
Hard resetting via RTS pin...

The port name differs by OS: /dev/ttyACM0 (Linux), COMx (Windows), /dev/cu.usbmodem* (macOS). Adjust accordingly.

Step 4: Verify​

Back on the Flipper: Apps → WiFi Marauder → the app should show the devboard's firmware version and detected AP count. Point the Flipper at any nearby network you own and run a Scan — you'll see SSIDs, channels and encryption types listed on the Flipper's screen.

Advanced usage​

WiFi Marauder features​

FeatureWhat it does
Scan APs / stationsLists nearby networks and connected clients
Beacon spamBroadcasts fake SSIDs (use on your own test lab only)
DeauthForces clients off a network (test networks only!)
SniffCaptures probe requests
Hidden SSID revealShows hidden network names when clients probe them
Packet captureLogs raw 802.11 frames to the SD card

Evil Portal​

Flash the Evil Portal ESP32 firmware and it serves a captive portal (a fake login page) that demonstrates how open Wi-Fi can be abused. In combination with a WiFi Pineapple from our Hak5 range, this is how real-world captive portal attacks are tested — always in a lab you control.

BlackMagic debugging​

Keep the factory BlackMagic firmware (or reflash it) to use the devboard as a debug probe:

  • Connect the devboard's SWDIO / SWCLK pins to a target MCU (e.g. an STM32 board).
  • Debug over USB-C, or over Wi-Fi via netcat-style TCP connection — no cables needed once on the bench.
  • Works with GDB and OpenOCD workflows; the Flipper Zero's own firmware recovery can use this path too.

Your own ESP32 projects​

Because it's a standard ESP32-S2, install ESP-IDF or Arduino core and flash your own code exactly like any other ESP32 board. The 2 MB PSRAM gives you room for image-heavy experiments (camera streaming demos, etc.).

Compatibility​

PlatformSupportNotes
Flipper Zero (official)✅UART over GPIO; detected in Expansion Modules
Any ESP32 host✅Standard ESP32-S2 dev board
PC flashing✅esptool over USB-C (BOOT + plug)
qFlipper ESP32 flasher✅Flipper-embedded flashing, qFlipper ≥ 1.3

Troubleshooting​

SymptomCauseFix
Flipper doesn't detect the boardExpansion module UART disabledSettings → Expansion Modules → enable UART / USART
Marauder app says "no connection"Wrong firmware on boardFlash Marauder firmware (Step 3)
esptool can't connectBoard not in download modeHold BOOT before plugging USB-C, release after
Board detected but no Wi-Fi scanBoard flashed with BlackMagic, not MarauderReflash Marauder; BlackMagic doesn't scan
5 GHz networks invisibleS2 only supports 2.4 GHzBy design — use 2.4 GHz for testing