Flipper Zero: What I Managed to Do in a Month

Flipper Zero, a hacker’s “multi-tool” created by a team of Russian developers, has already made quite a name for itself. In early 2021, the project raised nearly $5 million on Kickstarter, then the community closely followed all the production twists and turns, and now there are challenges with distribution and delivery. I’ve already received my device and will share how I use it in daily life to help you decide if you need to get a Flipper Zero right away.

It’s been over a year since the first backers received their devices, but the hype around Flipper Zero is only growing. Millions of views from script-kiddies on TikTok, reviews on major blogs like Linus Tech Tips, news about Flipper Zero shipments being destroyed or confiscated, and bans on Amazon and eBay only fuel the interest. Some access control system ads now even say, “Flipper Zero won’t work here!” Demand is so high that new drops are announced in advance and sell out instantly. Scammers are also trying to cash in on the hype.

At the same time, many new owners who bought into the hype keep asking on the Flipper subreddit: “What do I do with it?” The most common answers: “Play Snake and open Tesla charging ports.”

Let’s go through the features available in the stock firmware and see what real-life uses a geek might find for Flipper Zero.

Getting Started

After unboxing, Flipper powers on quickly and is ready to use. The only thing I needed was a microSD card and a firmware update.

Sub-GHz

This is, in my opinion, the most interesting feature. Flipper can receive, record, and replay radio signals in certain frequency ranges up to 1 GHz. With the stock firmware, it’s limited to legal frequencies for your region. In my country, the ranges are the same as Russia: 433.05–434.79 MHz, 868.15–868.55 MHz, 915 MHz, 925 MHz.

From my experience and a quick search on local marketplaces, most parking gate remotes here use 433.92 MHz and static codes. This means you can easily capture and save the signal from such a remote to your Flipper for later use.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to paid underground parking, private homes, and similar places, which usually use more advanced access control systems. But the codes for gates in apartment complexes, small private parking lots, and office lots are easily copied.

Parking Gate Example

At my building, the entry gate uses a cheap remote. Copying all three buttons took less than a minute, and the Flipper works just as well as the original remote.

To record, just go to Sub-GHz > Read, set the central frequency (usually printed on the remote), and press each button in turn. Flipper will detect and demodulate the signals, and you just save them with a name.

Next, I tried the remote for the underground parking gate. I didn’t expect much, since I had to pay a deposit for it and local radio shops refused to copy it, saying “Rolling code, rolling code.”

However, with the same settings, Flipper correctly identified the signal as Marantec (matching the remote’s label). Both buttons recorded and worked perfectly, with the same range as the original remote. Result: two fewer key fobs, money saved, and a win for Flipper.

Copying Remotes

About signal reading range: I ran a small experiment and found that you can record signals from these wireless remotes at about 20 meters line-of-sight. The reliable range (quick recording after a short button press) is a bit less—about 15–18 meters, depending on the remote. You can increase this with an external antenna module.

Main takeaway: with simple, unprotected remotes, there’s always a risk that someone could intercept the signal.

Car Remotes

Encouraged by my success, I tried my car’s key fob. Here, of course, the code is dynamic (rolling code).

Rolling code is a technology used in RF remote controls to prevent key copying. Each use changes the code, and each code can only be used once. The system only considers a code “used” if it’s received by the car.

You can’t fully clone a modern car key, but a signal captured by Flipper will work once. Unlike the parking remote, you can’t fully demodulate the signal, so you record it in RAW format.

I managed to open the central lock once by recording the unlock code in RAW mode and replaying it near the car. Make sure the key is far from the car, or the signal will be received by the car.

Conclusion: Never leave your key unattended, and don’t keep valuables in your car. An attacker could record your unlock signal and open your car while you’re away. Flipper is enough for this, but there are even more powerful specialized devices.

Hacking Teslas

A popular pastime for Flipper owners in Europe and America is remotely opening Tesla charging ports. In Russia, Teslas are rare, but where I live, they’re more common. I managed to open one (for educational purposes only), to the owner’s surprise. I did this in stealth mode using Screen Streaming from the iPhone app to avoid awkward questions.

To do this, you need to download four files from GitHub for the two signal variations (European and American Teslas). Since Flipper’s frequencies are region-locked in the stock firmware, I couldn’t replay the American Tesla signal, and Flipper showed a warning image. Apparently, the other Teslas I couldn’t hack were American models.

RFID

Probably the simplest and most useful Flipper feature is storing intercom keys. It’s very convenient to keep keys for all the places you visit and never get stuck outside again.

All the keys I encountered used the EM4100 protocol. Reading and emulating a key takes just a couple of seconds. Just remember to rename the key from the default random name to something meaningful.

Interestingly, the protocol is so unprotected that you can emulate a key just from a photo. The EM4100 protocol stores data in five bytes. If your key has numbers like “049, 43317,” convert them to hex (should be 00 31, A9 35), add the version code, and enter manually: 00 00 31 A9 35. You can use this code for emulation just like any radio-read key.

EM-Micro EM4100 keys come in non-rewritable (usually marked, registered in the intercom) and rewritable versions. You need rewritable ones (T5577) to make copies. I ordered a pack of ten blanks for about $3.50. Important: order T5577 keys—they support rewriting and work great.

NFC

When I backed Flipper on Kickstarter in 2020, I had high hopes for NFC. In Russia, I used it for everything—garage gate, office pass, intercom, gym bracelet. But after moving, I couldn’t find any real use for NFC. All I managed was some experiments.

First, I tried reading the UID from my bank cards, but you can’t use the copies for payment due to security. I also tried reading my Russian passport chip, but my smartphone does it better, since the chip is password-protected and only opens after reading the machine-readable zone.

My last experiment was reading a “Troika” transit card I found in old stuff. To my surprise, Flipper not only read the card but also showed a balance of five rubles. Unfortunately, I can’t experiment further with transit cards, since our metro still uses tokens and surface transport is cash-only.

Overall, it seems that smartphones have already mastered NFC, and an extra device doesn’t add much here.

IR (Infrared)

Another great Flipper feature I use all the time is the IR remote.

According to TikTok, the main use is turning off TVs and advertising screens in malls. I don’t see the point in that, but I love being able to control home appliances. It’s handy as a backup remote for TVs, receivers, set-top boxes (though not super convenient due to Flipper’s controls), and projectors.

This is a huge security hole at events. I’ve spoken in large halls with ceiling-mounted projectors controlled only by IR remotes. I wouldn’t want someone with a Flipper to prank me during a presentation!

If you’ve ever worked in an office, you’ve probably dealt with the “missing AC remote” problem. There’s usually only one, and it’s either with the “remote guardian” or lost. Flipper solves this forever, and a universal AC remote is included in the default firmware.

Research shows that AC remotes are more complex than TV remotes—they send all parameters with every button press, and some get feedback. Still, you can control an AC with Flipper, though sometimes in a non-standard way.

If your AC’s signals aren’t in the universal app, you can record them from the remote or download them. Both methods work well: I downloaded a TV file and copied a remote for a little-known AC brand.

iButton

The first thing I tried with Flipper was copying my intercom key (iButton, 1-Wire protocol by Dallas Semiconductor). The key copied instantly, but unfortunately, Flipper couldn’t open the door when I touched it to the reader.

At first, I blamed the case design and pogo pin placement. To test, I connected Flipper to the intercom with wires (iButton contacts are duplicated on GPIO 8 and 17). This time, the door opened immediately. Turns out, new users often have this problem. You need to develop the skill of touching both contacts with the pogo pins at once.

You can not only emulate a key but also use the copy function. I bought a blank at a local key shop, and Flipper copied all my keys to it perfectly. Blanks for these keys are easy to find online—search for “rw1990.” They cost about the same as RFID keys.

U2F

U2F (Universal 2nd Factor) is an open, driverless protocol for two-factor authentication. You can use a U2F device as a second factor, for example, for online services.

As soon as I found out Flipper could be a U2F key/token, I set it up for two-factor authentication on one of my email accounts. I’d wanted to do this for a while but didn’t want to buy and carry an extra USB stick.

Registering Flipper as a token on my Mac was easy and worked the first time. Just remember to switch your browser’s two-factor authentication from standard to physical key.

Now, when I log in to my webmail, after entering my username and password, I get a prompt for two-factor authentication. I select “Security Key,” connect Flipper via USB, choose U2F in the menu, and confirm by pressing the middle button. Now I have another reason to always carry Flipper with me.

Bluetooth

Flipper uses Bluetooth LE to connect to your smartphone, but you can also use it for more interesting things, like as a controller for computers and phones.

Flipper can work as a mouse or keyboard. It’s not super convenient, but sometimes useful—like as a clicker for presentations (the Keynote app is included).

I find this feature extremely useful: Flipper is a great size and shape, always with me, and it’s just cool to present with a Flipper in hand. The audience loves it!

For smartphone control, I found another great use case. When shooting photos or videos on a tripod, I used to use a cheap Bluetooth remote that just mimics a volume button press (which triggers the shutter on iPhone). Flipper does this perfectly, but in some apps (like Instagram Reels), it doesn’t start recording. To fix this, enable AssistiveTouch on iPhone and use Flipper as a mouse to tap the record button (or any other on-screen button).

Flipper also works great as a remote—for example, when streaming music from a laptop to a wireless speaker.

Conclusions

Writing about Flipper is like writing about a smartphone or computer. It’s a full-fledged open hardware/software platform with its own features, OS, and more. It has tons of capabilities and uses, and every user will have their own favorite features.

I always carry Flipper with me and use it every day. It’s freed me from bulky remotes and extra keys. I often use it as an IR remote for my TV, AC, and projector, as a Bluetooth remote or clicker for my computer and phone, and as a U2F key.

So, even if you’re not a hacker or tinkerer, Flipper can be useful in everyday life. If you’re into electronics, DIY, or need a universal, compact tool for physical pentesting, you’ll appreciate Flipper even more.

Custom firmware with unlocked frequencies and brute-force features make Flipper a much more serious device, and extra hardware modules (like external Wi-Fi adapters) and third-party apps/plugins greatly expand its capabilities.

I also appreciate the developers’ ongoing support. Updates with new features and fixes come out regularly. For example, the latest update (0.82.3) added deep sleep, increasing battery life fourfold. Even on pre-release firmware, Flipper is stable—I’ve only had a few crashes or reboots in all my time using it.

There’s already an active international community around Flipper. For any question, you can go to the official forum or subreddit to find answers, ask for help, or at least discuss interesting topics.

My main takeaway: Flipper isn’t just a hyped-up toy for geeks or a great device for learning about wireless attacks—it’s also a very useful household gadget with applications in all sorts of situations.