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NovaX

Nova XBW16 RTL8720DN Penetration Testing Firmware

Advanced firmware for BW16 RTL8720DN Arduino boards, designed for wireless security testing and network penetration testing.

BETA v6.0

RTL8720DN

Penetration Testing Firmware

> flash_firmware nova-x.bin

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NEW Update – 2025-06-01

•Add Web UI Function

•Split the code into header files

⚠ Note: I tried to enable both Display functionality and WebUI functionality simultaneously using xTask functions, but due to multiple overlapping issues, I had to make it so only one feature can be used at a time. I'm still working on making both features usable simultaneously, so please don't be too disappointed.

To use the Web UI feature, press the Back button from the main menu (the first menu after booting). Also, the slow screen startup is due to the Web UI functionality.(you need to update to board manager version 3.1.8)

This version doesn't support ESP32 functions (Evil Twin, Sour Apple).
This is due to an issue with board manager version 3.1.8.

Hardware Requirements

Essential components needed for Nova X firmware installation and operation.

> hardware_requirements

Required Components

Essential hardware components for Nova X operation.

•SSD1306 OLED Display

•4 Tactile Buttons

•BW16 Board (RTL8720DN)

•ESP32 Board (optional)

Pin Connections

Wiring configuration for BW16 and ESP32 board components.

Buttons (BW16)

Up:PA27

Down:PA12

Select:PA13

Back:PB3

SSD1306 Display (I2C)

SDA:PA26

SCL:PA25

ESP32 Connections (Optional)

SDA:GPIO 21 to PA26

SCL:GPIO 22 to PA25

Advanced WiFi Attack Capabilities

Wireless security testing tools built into compact Arduino firmware.

> nova-x --list-features

Deauthentication Flood

Force devices to disconnect from their networks by sending deauthentication frames at high speed.

Beacon Flooding

Generate thousands of fake access points to overwhelm wireless scanning tools and devices.

SSID Cloning

Create exact replicas of existing networks to test security awareness and network defenses.

Association Flood

Overwhelm access points with association requests to test capacity limits and DoS resilience.

Authentication Flood

Test authentication mechanisms by sending multiple authentication requests to target networks.

Firmware Upload Guide

Two methods to upload Nova X firmware to your BW16 RTL8720DN board.

> firmware_upload --guide

Method 1: Upload Tool

Easy one-click firmware upload

Download the tool

Get ImageTool_v2 from GitHub releases

Connect BW16 board

Connect via USB cable

Select COM port

Choose correct port for your BW16

Upload firmware

Click "Start Firmware Upload"

Method 2: Arduino IDE

Manual compilation and upload

Setup Arduino IDE

Install Realtek Ameba Boards v3.1.8

Open BW16.ino

Load project from BW16 folder

Configure board

Select Ai-Thinker BW16 (RTL8720DN)

Upload firmware

Enable Auto Upload Mode and click Upload

BW16 Arduino Setup

Configure Arduino IDE for BW16 development

// Add to Additional Boards Manager URLs:

https://github.com/ambiot/ambd_arduino/raw/master/Arduino_package/package_realtek_amebad_index.json

// Board Settings:

Board: Ai-Thinker BW16 (RTL8720DN)

Auto Upload Mode: Enable

Standard Lib: Arduino_STD_PRINTF

ESP32 Arduino Setup (Optional)

For extended range capabilities

// Add to Additional Boards Manager URLs:

https://espressif.github.io/arduino-esp32/package_esp32_index.json

// Board Settings:

Board: ESP32 Dev Module

Partition Scheme: No OTA (2MB APP/2MB SPIFFS)

⚠ Note: Evil Twin function is not supported on ESP32-S3, but may help extend Sour Apple attack range.

Ready to Flash Nova X?

Join security professionals worldwide who use Nova X firmware for advanced wireless penetration testing.

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