Researcher Turns Smart Bulb into Library of Banned Books
Photo: Tom's Hardware
Quick answer
A security researcher created an open-source project that transforms an ESP32 smart bulb into a standalone Wi-Fi hotspot with a library of banned books.
A cybersecurity expert, Rick Osgood, has unveiled a project that repurposes a standard smart bulb into a standalone library of banned books. The idea emerged after reading Ben Brown’s story on technological resistance against corporations. Osgood aimed to create a compact, discreet device capable of distributing digital texts without reliance on cloud services.
The project leverages a smart bulb powered by an ESP32C3 chip with Tasmota firmware. Due to the limited 4MB memory, the researcher optimized the file system to allocate roughly 2MB for storing books. Text compression and a minimalist CSS-based web interface are used to maximize space efficiency.
Distributed as open source on Codeberg, the bulb functions as an open Wi-Fi hotspot with a local server. Users can connect and download books without authentication or data logging. While the device supports OTA updates, the creator warns that improper firmware modifications may damage the hardware.
Common questions
- What hardware is used in the project?
- The project is based on a smart bulb with an ESP32C3 chip, running custom firmware. The built-in 4MB storage is used to store books.
- How does the banned book library on the bulb work?
- The bulb creates an open Wi-Fi hotspot and runs a local server. Users connect to the network and access the book list via a browser to download titles.
- Can the storage capacity be expanded?
- The current version is limited to 4MB due to ESP32 hardware constraints. Attempts to add microSD storage failed, so data optimization and compression are used instead.
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