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H9Crawler edited this page Apr 24, 2026 · 1 revision

⚙️ Installation — Arduino IDE

Compile and upload EthiFi from source using the Arduino IDE. This method works on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is recommended for developers who want to customize the firmware or contribute to the project.

⚡ Just want to flash a pre-built binary? Use Installation — NodeMCU Flasher instead — no coding required.

📋 Table of Contents

📋 Requirements

✅ Item 📝 Notes
ESP8266 board NodeMCU, Wemos D1 Mini, etc. — see Supported Devices
USB data cable Must carry data — many cheap cables are charge-only
USB driver installed CP2102 or CH340 — see Driver Installation
Arduino IDE Version 1.8+ or 2.x — download below
EthiFi source code Download below

📖 Full solutions → Troubleshooting & FAQ

➡️ Next Steps

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</div> # ⚙️ Installation — Arduino IDE

Compile and upload EthiFi from source using the Arduino IDE. This method works on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is recommended for developers who want to customize the firmware or contribute to the project.

⚡ Just want to flash a pre-built binary? Use Installation — NodeMCU Flasher instead — no coding required.

📋 Table of Contents

📋 Requirements

✅ Item 📝 Notes
ESP8266 board NodeMCU, Wemos D1 Mini, etc. — see Supported Devices
USB data cable Must carry data — many cheap cables are charge-only
USB driver installed CP2102 or CH340 — see Driver Installation
Arduino IDE Version 1.8+ or 2.x — download below
EthiFi source code Download below

📥 Downloads

📦 File 🔗 Link
🛠️ Arduino IDE [arduino.cc/en/software](https://www.arduino.cc/en/software)
📡 EthiFi Source Code (.zip) [github.com/h9zdev/EthiFi/releases](https://github.com/h9zdev/EthiFi/archive/refs/tags/EthFi.zip)

💾 Choosing the Right Flash Size

⚠️ This is important! Selecting the wrong flash size will cause the firmware to crash or the Web UI to fail to load.

ESP8266 Module Types

📦 Module 💾 Flash Size
ESP-01 (old) 512 KB
ESP-01 (new) 1 MB
ESP-07 1 MB
ESP-12E / NodeMCU 4 MB
Wemos D1 Mini 4 MB

💡 Most modern NodeMCU and Wemos D1 Mini boards use 4 MB. When in doubt, start with 4 MB.

🔧 Setup Steps

Step 1 — Install Arduino IDE

Download and install the Arduino IDE from [arduino.cc/en/software](https://www.arduino.cc/en/software).

Open it once after installing to let it finish first-run setup.

Step 2 — Extract the source code

📥 Download the EthiFi source .zip and extract it to a folder of your choice.

📂 Navigate into the extracted folder and open:

esp8266_deauther / esp8266_deauther.ino

Arduino IDE will open the project with all its tabs.

Step 3 — Add the board manager URL

Go to File → Preferences.

Find the field labelled Additional Boards Manager URLs and paste in the following URL:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SpacehuhnTech/arduino/main/package_spacehuhn_index.json

💡 If you already have other URLs in that field, click the icon to the right of the field to open a multi-line editor, then add this URL on a new line.

Click OK to save.

Step 4 — Install the Deauther board package

Go to Tools → Board → Boards Manager.

Search for:

deauther

Find Deauther ESP8266 Boards and click Install.

Wait for the download to complete, then close the Boards Manager.

Step 5 — Select your board

Go to Tools → Board and look under the Deauther ESP8266 Boards section.

Select the board that matches your hardware — for example:

  • NodeMCU 1.0 (Deauther)
  • WEMOS D1 Mini (Deauther)

⚠️ Make sure your board is listed under Deauther ESP8266 Boards — not under ESP8266 Modules. Selecting the wrong category will cause compile errors or incorrect behaviour.

Step 6 — Set flash size

Go to Tools → Flash Size and select the correct size for your board.

📦 Board 💾 Flash Size
NodeMCU / ESP-12E 4M (3M SPIFFS)
Wemos D1 Mini 4M (3M SPIFFS)
ESP-01 (512K) 512K (no SPIFFS)
ESP-01 (1MB) 1M (no SPIFFS)

Step 7 — (Optional) Configure your board

If your board has a specific configuration (OLED display, button layout, etc.) go to:

Tools → Deauther Config

Select the configuration that matches your hardware. If you're unsure, leave it as default.

Step 8 — (Optional) Erase previous install

If you're upgrading from a previous version of EthiFi or another firmware, it's recommended to erase the flash first to avoid conflicts with old settings.

Go to:

Tools → Erase Flash → All Flash Contents

⚠️ This will wipe all saved settings. Skip this step if you want to keep your existing configuration.

⬆️ Uploading

Step 9 — Select COM port

🔌 Plug your ESP8266 into your computer.

Go to Tools → Port and select the COM port that corresponds to your board.

If no port appears, your driver isn't installed — see Driver Installation.

Windows: Looks like COM3, COM4, etc. macOS: Looks like /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX Linux: Looks like /dev/ttyUSB0

Step 10 — Upload

Click the Upload button ▶️ (or go to Sketch → Upload).

Arduino IDE will:

  1. 🔨 Compile the sketch
  2. 📤 Upload the binary to your board
  3. 🔄 Reboot the board automatically

This may take 1–3 minutes depending on your system speed.

💡 If upload fails with Connecting... stuck on screen, press and hold the BOOT / FLASH button on your board, then click Upload again. Release the button once uploading begins.

✅ Verify It Worked

After uploading completes:

1. 📶 On your phone or laptop, open WiFi settings and scan for networks

2. You should see a new network:

🔑 Setting 📝 Value
📶 SSID EthiFi
🔐 Password deauther

3. Connect to it, open your browser, and navigate to:

http://192.168.4.1

4. The EthiFi Web UI should load 🎉

💡 If it doesn't appear straight away, wait 15–20 seconds and try again — first boot can take a moment.

🩺 Something Went Wrong?

❌ Problem 🔗 Fix
No COM port under Tools → Port Driver Installation
Connecting... stuck, upload times out Hold BOOT button during upload, lower upload speed to 115200
Compile error — board not found Re-check board URL in Preferences, restart IDE
Board crashes or Web UI won't load Wrong flash size — re-check Tools → Flash Size
Can't find Deauther boards in Tools → Board Boards Manager install may have failed — reinstall the package
Upload succeeds but no WiFi network appears Power cycle the board, wait 20 seconds, scan again

📖 Full solutions → Troubleshooting & FAQ

➡️ Next Steps

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