Hacked ESP32 – A maker built a local digital library inside a commercially available smart bulb by repurposing an ESP32-based device into a file server and web interface for e-books pulled from U.S. school libraries labeled “banned.” The project relies on the bulb’s public n
The moment you flip a smart bulb on, you expect light. Not a web interface.
But this week. a hacked smart bulb built around an ESP32 is showing just how quickly everyday devices can be turned into something stranger: a local file server and digital library for e-books described as “banned.” The project comes from [RickOOOOOO]. who takes a commercially available ESP32 smart bulb and repurposes it into a place where users can browse content—alongside details on where the books were removed from school libraries in the USA. and why.
The creator’s phrasing leans on the word “banned,” a term that often gets used broadly. The library being hosted, as presented here, is not aimed at helping anyone build anything harmful. Instead. it appears to contain easily available e-books that were pulled from school libraries in the USA—books that may or may not match every reader’s personal definition of what “banned” means.
The access method is built for the kind of curious trial that happens in schools. When the bulb is operating, it broadcasts a public network. A captive portal then takes you to the library’s web interface. From there, users can browse the books, while admins can reach a password-protected control panel.
The control panel isn’t just for managing the library. The project also keeps one practical promise of the original device: the bulb can still function as a smart bulb, so people can try to match the light to their surroundings.
There’s a constraint. though—one that makes the project feel less like a full replacement for a school library and more like a thought experiment made real. The hardest part of the hack was carving the ESP32C3 out of the IoToreo bulb enough to access it. But after that. [Rick] wasn’t able to get an SD card interface soldered on. leaving the system stuck with 4MB for books and webserver. That means only a few epubs can fit on the bulb. even if the intent is to keep the content available rather than unreachable.
The whole concept is wrapped in playful comparisons: a reference to a minecraft server running “on a lightbulb. ” and even the joke that you can run DOOM because. apparently. “even the light bulbs run DOOM now.” In the same spirit. the writer notes a “work-in-progress” status for the smart-bulb matching feature and adds a tongue-in-cheek warning not to encourage kids to swap light bulbs in real life.
Under the jokes, the project is hard to ignore: it’s a reminder that WiFi-connected devices—meant for convenience—can be reshaped into information platforms with the right access. And in this case, that information platform comes inside something as ordinary as a bulb that turns on with a switch.
ESP32 smart bulb WiFi captive portal digital library banned books e-books ESP32C3 DIY hacking IoT security
Wait so the lightbulb has a website now??
So they hacked a smart bulb to make it a library server for “banned” books… but isn’t that like the whole point of the ban? Kinda wild. I’m just confused how turning on a bulb = downloading stuff.
Banned like… the books are “banned” because they’re dangerous? Or because school boards are bored? The article says not harmful but also says it pulls from school libraries so I’m like what are they actually doing with the files. Also an ESP32 in a bulb sounds like a fire hazard or something lol.
I saw this on TikTok already, and people were saying it’s proof “they” can hack anything. But the article’s talking about captive portals and passwords for admins which sounds safer than random hacks? Idk, I just don’t want my smart bulb broadcasting WiFi that anyone can connect to. Like what if the bulb updates and breaks? seems like a privacy nightmare.