7 Useful Things The Flipper Zero Can Do That Still Blows My Mind - Two Years Later

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Flipper Zero reference an NFC information key

After complete a twelvemonth of use, I emotion my Flipper Zero, and I'm still uncovering cool things to do pinch it.

Am I utilizing it to bargain cars, clone in installments cards, aliases alteration nan prices shown connected state position displays? Of people not! That's conscionable clone trash group upload to TikTok to effort to look cool, and you can't do thing for illustration that.

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But that doesn't mean nan Flipper Zero can't do immoderate very cool and useful things. Over nan past year, I've been exploring nan suite of devices built into nan Flipper Zero, arsenic good arsenic extending its capabilities by installing civilization firmware. It's been a game-changer successful truthful galore ways!

The Flipper Zero mightiness beryllium small, but there's a batch of hardware packed into a mini space.

To statesman with, there's a sub-GHz wireless antenna that tin seizure and transmit wireless codes to run wireless devices and entree power systems, specified arsenic car shed doorway remotes, roar barriers, IoT sensors, and moreover distant keyless systems.

RFID support allows it to read, store, and emulate a number of different RFID cards.

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It tin besides read, write, store, and emulate NFC tags. On nan front, there's a 1-Wire connector that tin publication and emulate iButton (aka DS1990A, CYFRAL, Touch Memory, aliases Dallas key) interaction keys.

There's besides a built-in infrared transceiver that tin some seizure and transmit IR codes to power things for illustration TVs. Finally, connected nan top, location are GPIO connectors that let nan Flipper Zero to link to different gadgets successful nan existent world.

Also: How to unlock nan Flipper Zero's existent power

That's a batch of features crammed into a mini $199 device. But each week, I perceive from buyers who are disappointment and disappointed because their Flipper Zero won't do nan things that it tin seemingly do based connected clone societal media videos.

Here are immoderate of nan things I've been doing pinch my Flipper Zero complete nan past fewer weeks.

Note: I'm usually running third-party package connected my Flipper Zero, which gives maine entree to a bunch of further features. But interest not—loading third-party package doesn't invalidate your warranty, and you tin easy spell backmost to nan banal package astatine immoderate clip utilizing nan Flipper Zero app connected a desktop, laptop, aliases mobile device.

The sub-GHz wireless antenna tin prime up signals from devices specified arsenic wireless doorbells and car cardinal fobs, making nan Flipper Zero a useful instrumentality for testing if wireless transmitters are moving properly. I usage excavation to trial if nan fobs are moving and to trial their range.

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And yes, nan Flipper Zero tin grounds nan codes transmitted by car cardinal fobs, but retransmitting these codes to a modern car won't unlock it owed to a characteristic called 'rolling codes' that changes nan codification pinch each use. On older cars -- those 20 years aged and much -- you could usage a codification captured to unlock nan conveyance (but don't do that unless it's your car aliases you person permission!), but you still couldn't thrust distant pinch it.

On nan flip broadside -- pun intended -- retransmitting nan codes to a wireless doorbell will origin nan doorbell to ring, arsenic astir of these systems don't person a system to protect against specified annoyances.

NFC is everyplace nowadays, and nan Flipper Zero allows you to activity pinch this wireless protocol. It's built into integrative cards and fobs and utilized for each sorts of things, from unlocking edifice room doors to controlling barriers.

But this doesn't mean you tin origin chaos successful nan world, because to unlock things you much often than not request entree to nan NFC key.

NFC signals tin beryllium publication by nan Flipper Zero, and galore NFC cards tin besides beryllium copied and cloned (this depends connected nan information utilized for nan card, truthful I can't springiness you immoderate difficult and accelerated rules astir which NFC devices tin beryllium cloned). I've utilized my Flipper Zero to transcript my edifice room paper connected juncture erstwhile nan edifice only gives you a azygous paper aliases erstwhile we person aggregate rooms and don't want to juggle a fistful of cards.

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However, statement that while nan Flipper Zero tin publication NFC cards and fobs, it cannot decode nan card's encrypted information codification utilized connected in installments and debit cards, truthful they can't beryllium cloned.

Flipper Zero cannot decode nan card's encrypted information codification truthful it cannot clone slope cards

Along pinch NFC, nan Flipper Zero tin publication and clone RFID cards and fobs, including edifice cards arsenic shown successful nan image above.

Also: How RFID tags tin make in-person apparel shopping little frustrating

RFID cards and tags tin beryllium locked to forestall them from being overwritten aliases having their information keys extracted, but nan Flipper Zero tin bypass galore of these mechanisms. For example, it tin connection to unlock nan paper if you coming it to a valid scholar (such arsenic nan fastener it has been programmed to open). This allows you to clone nan paper and unlock nan doorway utilizing some nan paper and nan Flipper Zero.

The Flipper Zero has a built-in infrared module that tin beryllium programmed to run a wide scope of devices, from TVs to AC units.

Pretty overmuch immoderate user instrumentality pinch an IR distant power interface tin beryllium controlled utilizing nan Flipper Zero.

Another cool usage of this functionality is to trial if infrared distant controls are working. Simply constituent nan distant power astatine nan Flipper Zero successful 'read IR' mode, and it will observe nan signals.

I usage this characteristic each nan clip to trial distant controls that I've fixed aft artillery leaks person damaged nan device. It's an incredibly useful feature!

Yes, nan Flipper Zero tin bypass nan information connected immoderate Sentry Safe physics safes utilizing an output from nan GPIO.

This is decidedly not thing you want to beryllium doing if it isn't your safe aliases you don't person permission, but it goes to show conscionable really insecure nan "complimentary" safes recovered successful hotels, spas, and Airbnbs really are.

Flipper Zero tin enactment arsenic a BadUSB device, which intends that erstwhile connected to a larboard it is seen arsenic a Human Interface Device (HID), specified arsenic a keyboard.

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A BadUSB instrumentality tin alteration strategy settings, unfastened backdoors, retrieve data, initiate reverse shells, aliases do thing that tin beryllium achieved pinch beingness access. These tasks are completed by utilizing a group of commands written successful nan Rubber Ducky Scripting Language, besides known arsenic DuckyScript.

Flipper Zero opens a browser and navigates to a webpage pinch nary personification input.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The Flipper Zero tin usage nan GPIO to output electrical signals and enactment arsenic a awesome generator. I past utilized this to simulate an antilock braking strategy module connected a conveyance to corroborate that each nan wiring and computers successful nan car were working.

The Video Game Module is powered by nan RP2040 microcontroller developed by Raspberry Pi and adds a bunch of gaming-related functionality.

First, it adds a DVI video output larboard to nan Flipper Zero, allowing it to nonstop video to outer displays. This is basal since nan mini LED sheet built into nan Flipper Zero isn't perfect for gaming. This capacity isn't constricted to gaming, though. The expertise to beam video output to a larger show is awesome for various different applications, specified arsenic testing aliases training.

Also: If you for illustration your Flipper Zero, past you'll emotion this

The Video Game Module besides includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) featuring a TDK ICM-42688-P sensor, which adds a 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis accelerometer to nan package, allowing it to consciousness tilting aliases shaking.

If you're not into gaming, that's nary problem. The RP2040 microcontroller tin tally applications programmed successful C, C++, aliases MicroPython, making it a versatile summation to nan Flipper Zero.

This communicative was published connected July 3, 2023, and was updated connected July 17, 2025 to bespeak nan latest pricing.