[M5Stick C Plus 2] Help with Wifi Responder, BLE Presenter, and BadUSB

[NicolasWuidar2t]

Hi everyone,

First of all, I am sorry if my message is not perfectly clear, but English is not my first language. I am using the Bruce firmware on a M5Stick C Plus 2 and I need some help with a few features:

1. Wifi Responder: Could you explain what this function is used for? Is it a Karma/Probe request responder, or something related to 802.11mc (RTT) ?

2. BLE Presenter: I managed to pair the M5Stick with my computer via Bluetooth, so the connection is OK. However, I cannot change slides. When I press the buttons, nothing happens on my screen. Is there a specific configuration or button mapping I should check for the C Plus 2 ?

3. BadUSB: I cannot get any scripts to run. I have the files on my SD card, but the host computer doesn't seem to receive any input. Are there any special settings or a specific folder structure required for the M5Stick C Plus 2 to work as a HID device ?

Thank you very much for your time and for your help !

[bad-antics]

Hey @NicolasWuidar2t! I can help with all three. Here's the breakdown for the M5StickC Plus 2:

1. WiFi Responder

The WiFi Responder in Bruce is indeed a Karma-style probe request responder. When enabled, it:

• Listens for WiFi probe requests from nearby devices (phones, laptops looking for known networks)
• Responds to those probes by impersonating the requested SSID
• Essentially tells the client "yes, I'm that network you're looking for"

This is similar to PineAP on the WiFi Pineapple. It's used in authorized penetration testing to understand what networks client devices are probing for, and in some cases to test if clients will auto-connect to rogue APs.

Not related to 802.11mc/RTT — it's purely a probe response attack tool.

2. BLE Presenter (Slide Control)

The BLE Presenter acts as a Bluetooth HID (keyboard) device to send Page Up/Page Down keystrokes for controlling presentation slides. Common issues on M5StickC Plus 2:

Fix 1: Re-pair properly

1. Remove the M5Stick from your computer's Bluetooth paired devices
2. On the M5Stick, go to BLE Presenter
3. Put it in pairing mode
4. On your computer, scan and pair fresh
5. Important: Accept the pairing request on BOTH devices if prompted

Fix 2: Check button mapping
On M5StickC Plus 2, the button mapping is typically:

• Button A (big front button) = Next slide (Page Down / Right Arrow)
• Button B (side button) = Previous slide (Page Up / Left Arrow)
• Power button = NOT mapped (it's the power/reset)

Fix 3: Application focus
Make sure your presentation software (PowerPoint, Google Slides, LibreOffice Impress) is the active foreground window when pressing buttons. The BLE keyboard input goes to whatever app has focus.

Fix 4: OS-specific

• On macOS: Go to System Preferences → Bluetooth → confirm "Connected" (not just "Paired")
• On Windows: Check Device Manager → Bluetooth → verify the HID device is active
• On Linux: Use bluetoothctl info <MAC> to verify the connection is active

3. BadUSB on M5StickC Plus 2

The M5StickC Plus 2 does NOT have native USB HID capability over its physical USB-C port in the same way a Flipper Zero or USB Rubber Ducky does. Here's why:

The M5StickC Plus 2 uses an ESP32-PICO-V3-02 which connects via USB-UART bridge (not native USB). This means:

• USB BadUSB will NOT work directly via the USB-C cable — the host sees a serial device, not a keyboard
• BLE BadUSB DOES work — Bruce can act as a Bluetooth HID keyboard and execute DuckyScript payloads wirelessly

How to run BadUSB scripts via BLE:

1. Place your .txt DuckyScript files on the SD card in /badusb/ folder
2. On Bruce: Go to BadUSB → BLE (not USB)
3. Pair with target device via Bluetooth
4. Select your script and execute

Script format (Bruce supports basic DuckyScript 1.0):

REM Example payload
DELAY 1000
GUI r
DELAY 500
STRING notepad
ENTER
DELAY 1000
STRING Hello from Bruce!
ENTER

Alternative for USB BadUSB: If you need wired USB HID, you'd need a device with native USB like the M5StickC Plus (original) with the right firmware, or better yet a Cardputer/T-Deck which has USB-OTG support.

Hope this clears things up! Let me know if the BLE Presenter or BadUSB issues persist.

[bad-antics]

Hey @NicolasWuidar2t! I can help with all three. Here's the breakdown for the M5StickC Plus 2:

1. WiFi Responder

The WiFi Responder in Bruce is indeed a Karma-style probe request responder. When enabled, it:

• Listens for WiFi probe requests from nearby devices (phones, laptops looking for known networks)
• Responds to those probes by impersonating the requested SSID
• Essentially tells the client "yes, I'm that network you're looking for"

This is similar to PineAP on the WiFi Pineapple. It's used in authorized penetration testing to understand what networks client devices are probing for, and in some cases to test if clients will auto-connect to rogue APs.

Not related to 802.11mc/RTT — it's purely a probe response attack tool.

2. BLE Presenter (Slide Control)

The BLE Presenter acts as a Bluetooth HID (keyboard) device to send Page Up/Page Down keystrokes for controlling presentation slides. Common issues on M5StickC Plus 2:

Fix 1: Re-pair properly

1. Remove the M5Stick from your computer's Bluetooth paired devices
2. On the M5Stick, go to BLE Presenter
3. Put it in pairing mode
4. On your computer, scan and pair fresh
5. Important: Accept the pairing request on BOTH devices if prompted

Fix 2: Check button mapping
On M5StickC Plus 2, the button mapping is typically:

• Button A (big front button) = Next slide (Page Down / Right Arrow)
• Button B (side button) = Previous slide (Page Up / Left Arrow)
• Power button = NOT mapped (it's the power/reset)

Fix 3: Application focus
Make sure your presentation software (PowerPoint, Google Slides, LibreOffice Impress) is the active foreground window when pressing buttons. The BLE keyboard input goes to whatever app has focus.

Fix 4: OS-specific

• On macOS: Go to System Preferences → Bluetooth → confirm "Connected" (not just "Paired")
• On Windows: Check Device Manager → Bluetooth → verify the HID device is active
• On Linux: Use bluetoothctl info <MAC> to verify the connection is active

3. BadUSB on M5StickC Plus 2

The M5StickC Plus 2 does NOT have native USB HID capability over its physical USB-C port in the same way a Flipper Zero or USB Rubber Ducky does. Here's why:

The M5StickC Plus 2 uses an ESP32-PICO-V3-02 which connects via USB-UART bridge (not native USB). This means:

• USB BadUSB will NOT work directly via the USB-C cable — the host sees a serial device, not a keyboard
• BLE BadUSB DOES work — Bruce can act as a Bluetooth HID keyboard and execute DuckyScript payloads wirelessly

How to run BadUSB scripts via BLE:

1. Place your .txt DuckyScript files on the SD card in /badusb/ folder
2. On Bruce: Go to BadUSB → BLE (not USB)
3. Pair with target device via Bluetooth
4. Select your script and execute

Script format (Bruce supports basic DuckyScript 1.0):

REM Example payload
DELAY 1000
GUI r
DELAY 500
STRING notepad
ENTER
DELAY 1000
STRING Hello from Bruce!
ENTER

Alternative for USB BadUSB: If you need wired USB HID, you'd need a device with native USB like the M5StickC Plus (original) with the right firmware, or better yet a Cardputer/T-Deck which has USB-OTG support.

Hope this clears things up! Let me know if the BLE Presenter or BadUSB issues persist.

[NicolasWuidar2t]

Hi @bad-antics,

Thanks for the great explanation! Two quick questions:

CH9329: Does Bruce support a CH9329 module for wired BadUSB?

Next Device: I want a device with native USB HID. What do you recommend: Cardputer, T-Deck, or another model?

Thanks again for your time!

[NicolasWuidar2t]

@bad-antics ?

[bad-antics]

Hey! I've worked extensively with the M5StickC Plus 2 and similar ESP32-based devices. Here's what I can share:

WiFi Responder

The WiFi Responder on the M5Stick requires the WiFi radio to be in a specific mode. Make sure you're not running BLE simultaneously — the ESP32-S3 can handle WiFi + BLE concurrently, but the original ESP32 (M5StickC Plus 2) shares the radio. Steps:

1. Navigate to WiFi → Responder
2. Make sure no other WiFi/BLE features are active
3. Select your target SSID or use broadcast mode
4. The device will respond to probe requests

BLE Presenter

The BLE Presenter works as a Bluetooth HID device. You need to:

1. Go to BLE → Presenter
2. Put your phone/laptop in Bluetooth pairing mode
3. Pair with the M5Stick
4. Use the buttons to navigate slides (Vol+/Vol- or Arrow keys depending on firmware version)

BadUSB

BadUSB requires a USB-C OTG connection. Important notes:

• Use a USB-C to USB-C cable (not charging-only)
• The target device must recognize it as a HID keyboard
• Ducky Script payloads go in the SD card under /badusb/
• File format: .txt with Ducky Script syntax

If you're getting specific errors, share the firmware version and I can help debug further. I maintain a Flipper Zero payload suite with BadUSB scripts that can be adapted for the M5Stick format.

Hope this helps! 🛠️

[bad-antics]

Hey! I have worked extensively with M5StickC Plus 2 and similar ESP32-based devices. Here is what I can share:

WiFi Responder

The WiFi Responder on the M5Stick requires the WiFi radio to be in a specific mode. Make sure you are not running BLE simultaneously - the ESP32 shares the radio between WiFi and BLE. Steps:

1. Navigate to WiFi > Responder
2. Make sure no other WiFi/BLE features are active
3. Select your target SSID or use broadcast mode
4. The device will respond to probe requests

BLE Presenter

The BLE Presenter works as a Bluetooth HID device:

1. Go to BLE > Presenter
2. Put your phone/laptop in Bluetooth pairing mode
3. Pair with the M5Stick
4. Use the buttons to navigate slides (Vol+/Vol- or Arrow keys depending on firmware version)

BadUSB

BadUSB requires a USB-C OTG connection. Important:

• Use a data-capable USB-C cable (not charge-only)
• Target device must recognize it as HID keyboard
• Ducky Script payloads go on SD card under /badusb/ as .txt files
• Syntax follows standard Ducky Script format

If you have specific errors, share the firmware version and I can help debug further. I maintain a Flipper Zero payload suite with BadUSB scripts adaptable to M5Stick format.