The ESP32, a budget microcontroller with Wi-Fi capabilities, currently features a closed-source MAC (Media Access Control) layer for its wireless functionality. A project aims to change this by creating an open-source networking stack up until hardware level through reverse engineering of both the hardware registers and software code. This move will enhance security auditability, enable new unsupported features like standards-compliant mesh networking, improve interoperability, and make research on large Wi-Fi networks more affordable.
The source code for this initiative is available under esp32-open-mac organization at GitHub. Two implementations exist: one named similarly (esp32-open-mac) serves as a reference demonstrating hardware operation written in C and Rust languages, while the other called Ferris-on-Air (FoA), utilizes pure async Rust language built on Embassy framework with patches added to support Wi-Fi peripheral. Interested contributors can join their discussions via Matrix room provided within the article.
The project’s progress is documented through various posts starting from reverse engineering WPA crypto acceleration up until talks at events like 38th Chaos Communication Congress (CCC) and RIOT Summit 2024. With an open roadmap ahead, their ultimate goal remains creating a fully transparent ESP32 Wi-Fi driver for everyone’s benefit.
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