If you've picked up a Flipper Zero and want to unleash its full potential, then you should consider installing a custom firmware. To do things like test your own Wi-Fi security or to unlock additional features, you'll need a custom firmware to do that. It's not a locked down device as such, but there's simply more that you can do.
Thankfully, it's super easy to install whatever firmware you want on the Flipper Zero, and it takes approximately five minutes to do it. All you need is a Flipper Zero and a custom firmware of your choice.
Flipper Zero: What it is, how you can use it
The Flipper Zero is a swiss army knife of hacking tools, and it can do so much that you wouldn't expect.
What custom firmware to pick
There are a few options
Depending on what you need to do, there are a few options to try out. At the moment, there are four major firmwares that you can install on the Flipper Zero. These are:
Momentum is made by one of the developers who was a core part of Xtreme, and is what I currently use. Have a look through those and see what you like the look of. Many of them share the same set of features, so you can rest assured that all of the extra stuff that you want to do with your Flipper will be possible across all of them. There may be some niche differences, but by and large they'll be the same.
installing the custom firmware
Web updaters are the best
If you want to install a custom firmware on your Flipper, we highly recommend using a web updater. They're the quickest and easiest way to do it.
- Plug your Flipper into your computer and make sure qFlipper is closed
- Go to the web updater of the firmware of your choice, for example, here's Momentum's
- Click Connect, select your Flipper, and then click Flash
That's it! The web updaters are the easiest way to install a custom firmware on a Flipper, and all of the above custom firmwares have a web updater that you can use. All of them follow the same steps too, so look for the web updater for the firmware of your choice and you can have it installed in five minutes or less.
Why you should install a custom firmware on the Flipper Zero
There are a good few reasons why
If you're on the fence about installing acustom firmware on your Flipper Zero, it's worth noting that installing one means you can do more with your device. You get new features that aren't included in the original software, which make your Flipper Zero more useful. With custom firmware on the Flipper Zero, you can also make it look and work the way you want, with support for asset packs to change up how it looks. There are also other settings and controls to fit your needs better, which makes the device easier to use.
Even better, you're not on your own if you need help when it comes to custom firmwares. There's a big group of other users and creators of custom firmware who can offer advice and support, with each firmware typically having its own Discord server with likeminded users. While they won't do the work for you, plenty of people are happy to help out if you're not quite sure about something that you're doing.
For example, custom firmware can add Bad USB support over Bluetooth, can unlock additional frequencies for scanning, can add asset packs, and can add additional support for other tools. There's a lot ot play around with, and if you're curious to give it a try, then be sure to check out some of the links for the different custom firmwares.