Update Marauder on the PINGEQUA Scout Lite
The PINGEQUA Scout Lite is a compact dual-band ESP32-C5 wardriving board for the Flipper Zero — GPS (Quectel L86) and microSD logging on top of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi recon. It ships pre-flashed with ESP32 Marauder and works out of the box — just mount it on the Flipper GPIO header. Use this page to update to a newer Marauder build or recover the firmware, directly from your browser — nothing to download or install. You need Chrome or Edge on a desktop computer and a USB-C data cable.
Hold BOOT to connect
The Scout Lite connects over the ESP32-C5's native USB, so you hold the BOOT button to enter download mode: hold BOOT, plug in the USB-C cable while holding it, release BOOT, then click Connect. A failed flash is always recoverable by reflashing.
Do I even need to flash it?
No — the Scout Lite comes with Marauder pre-installed. Reach for this page only to update to a newer Marauder version or to recover a board whose firmware got interrupted.
How do I update it?
- Hold BOOT on the Scout Lite.
- While holding BOOT, plug in the USB-C cable (or tap RESET if it's already connected).
- Release BOOT.
- Click Connect, choose the serial port, then Flash.
Why do I have to hold BOOT?
The ESP32-C5's native USB doesn't yet support automatic download-mode entry in the browser flasher, so it needs the manual BOOT press. A board that adds a USB-UART bridge (CP2102 / CH340) with an auto-reset circuit would flash without touching any button.
Which browsers can flash the Scout Lite?
| Browser | Supported |
|---|---|
| Chrome / Edge (desktop) | ✅ Yes |
| Chrome (Android) | ✅ Yes |
| Safari (macOS / iOS) | ❌ No |
| Firefox | ❌ No |
Browser flashing relies on the Web Serial API, which ships only in Chromium-based browsers.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| No port in the picker | Use a USB data cable (not charge-only). |
| "Failed to connect" / can't read chip | Hold BOOT, plug USB in while holding it, release BOOT, then Connect. |
| Black screen / no response after flash | Re-flash and let it complete; the C5 ROM download mode is always recoverable. |
What is the Scout Lite?
The Scout Lite is PINGEQUA's ESP32-C5 wardriving expansion board for the Flipper Zero. It logs Wi-Fi networks with signal strength, channel and GPS coordinates in WigleWifi CSV format to a microSD card, ready to upload to the WiGLE database. The onboard GPS UART can be routed to the Flipper's GPIO pins for the native GPS app (Momentum firmware). Product overview and user guide: github.com/pingequalab/scout-lite.
What is ESP32 Marauder?
ESP32 Marauder is an open-source Wi-Fi/Bluetooth analysis suite, published at github.com/justcallmekoko/ESP32Marauder. On the ESP32-C5 it works across both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to flash the Scout Lite myself?
No. The Scout Lite ships pre-flashed with ESP32 Marauder and works out of the box — just mount it on the Flipper GPIO header. This page is for updating to a newer Marauder build or recovering the firmware.
Which board does this flash?
The Scout Lite's ESP32-C5-WROOM-1U. The ESP32-C5 is a dual-band RISC-V chip, so Marauder gets 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi on the built-in radio. The onboard GPS and microSD are peripherals Marauder logs to — they are not flashed separately.
How do I put the Scout Lite into download mode?
Hold BOOT, plug in the USB-C cable while still holding BOOT, then release BOOT and click Connect. The C5's native USB doesn't yet support automatic download-mode entry in the browser flasher, so it's entered manually.
What Marauder version does this flash?
The latest stable ESP32 Marauder build for the ESP32-C5, written as three files at the C5 offsets (bootloader 0x2000, partition table 0x8000, app 0x10000).
Which browsers can flash the Scout Lite?
Chrome or Edge on a desktop computer (and Chrome on Android). Browser flashing uses the Web Serial API, which Safari and Firefox do not support.
WARNING
For educational and lawful network-research purposes only. Comply with all applicable laws in your jurisdiction.