// gear i actually run
The Flipper Zero plus the accessories that actually matter: the Wi-Fi dev board, the blank cards you practice cloning on, and the small parts that keep it alive. The kit behind the RFID, NFC and firmware videos.
From these videos
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Start with the device itself. Sub-GHz, 125kHz RFID, 13.56MHz NFC, infrared, GPIO and iButton in one pocket tool. Buy it from a source that ships the genuine hardware, because the clones cut corners on exactly the radios you bought it for. Everything else on this page hangs off this.
The official ESP32-S2 board snaps onto the GPIO header and is what makes firmware flashing over USB-C far less fiddly, plus it opens up the Wi-Fi tooling. If you plan to run custom firmware, this is the first add-on I would buy, not an afterthought.
You do not practice on a real credential. These blank 125kHz T5577 cards and fobs are writable, so you clone onto them and learn the low-frequency side safely. A pack of these is the difference between understanding RFID and just watching it happen on screen.
The 13.56MHz counterpart to the T5577 blanks. UID-writable "magic" Mifare Classic cards let you work through the high-frequency side without touching anything live. Get both frequencies, because the two halves of NFC and RFID behave nothing alike.
The Flipper stores firmware, apps and captures on a microSD, and a flaky card is a confusing source of "why did it just reboot" problems. A small name-brand high-endurance card is one of those parts not worth saving two dollars on.
Cheap insurance. The Flipper lives in a bag and the screen and corners take the abuse. A silicone case plus a screen protector pays for itself the first time it gets dropped on a job site.
The Flipper is a learning tool first. Pair it with blank cards on both frequencies and the dev board, and you can actually work through RFID, NFC and firmware instead of just watching. Only use it on systems you own or are authorized to test.
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The pre-deploy checks I run before any network goes live. Free, no spam.