xchwarze

xchwarze/wifi-pineapple-cloner

Shell Security Single maintainer risk

Port WiFi Pineapple NANO/TETRA in generic hardware

1.2k stars
142 forks
slow
GitHub +5 / week

1.2k

Stars

142

Forks

1

Open issues

3

Contributors

AI Analysis

WiFi Pineapple Cloner ports the WiFi Pineapple NANO/TETRA platform to generic OpenWrt-compatible hardware, enabling security researchers and red teamers to run this network testing toolkit on modern routers. This specialized tool is designed for infosec professionals and pentesters who need WiFi assessment capabilities; it is not a general-purpose networking tool and requires technical expertise to deploy.

Security Security Tool Discovery value: 6/10
Documentation 8/10
Activity 8/10
Community 8/10
Code quality 5/10

Inferred from signals mentioned in the README (tests, CI, type safety) — not a review of the actual code.

Overall score 7/10

AI's overall editorial judgment — not an average of the bars above, can weigh other factors too.

wifi-security openwrt-firmware network-penetration-testing hardware-porting red-team-tooling
Actively maintained Well documented Niche/specialized use case Popular Production ready
Deep Analysis · Based on README and public signals
5d ago

WiFi Pineapple Cloner ports legacy security hardware to modern routers via optimized OpenWrt firmware patching

WiFi Pineapple Cloner is a shell-based toolkit that reconstructs the WiFi Pineapple NANO/TETRA platform (discontinued 2020) on generic routers by patching OpenWrt 19.07.7 filesystems. Built for penetration testers and security researchers who want WiFi security testing hardware without proprietary devices. Community appears concentrated in security tooling circles; adoption verified through Discord community and 200+ supported device list, but real-world production scale not documented.

Origin

Project began as private beta ('Pineapple Termidor') around 2019-2020. Creator formalized and released publicly in November 2023 after years of porting experience from 2018-2022. Represents response to EOL WiFi Pineapple hardware and developed an optimized alternative to earlier filesystem duplication methods presented at security conferences (EkoParty 2020, DragonJar 2021).

Growth

Repository gained 1,192 stars over ~2.5 years with modest recent velocity (1 star in last 7 days as of 2026-07-05). Growth appears driven by niche security research community rather than mainstream adoption wave. Last push 2026-05-23 indicates ongoing maintenance. Creator maintains parallel projects (Frieren, panel updates, module repositories), suggesting sustained investment in ecosystem.

In production

Adoption not formally verified through documentation, but circumstantial evidence exists: active Discord community mentioned in README, 200 documented supported devices, GitLab build repository with precompiled images, and creator's willingness to provide private test builds on Patreon suggests active user base. However, no case studies, deployment numbers, organization endorsements, or research citations found in README. Scale of use remains opaque.

Code analysis
Architecture

Appears to be a collection of shell scripts that patch OpenWrt 19.07.7 filesystems by selectively copying Pineapple NANO/TETRA files rather than duplicating entire filesystems. Based on README, includes filesystem patching scripts, web panel (PHP/JavaScript, linked separately), package and module repositories. Targets 200+ router models via pre-compiled firmware images in GitLab build repository.

Tests

not documented in README. No mention of automated testing, CI/CD validation, or test suite. Hardware testing appears manual across supported device list.

Maintenance

Last push 2026-05-23 (13 days before analysis date) indicates active maintenance. Repository shows consistent updates since creation Nov 2023. Creator maintains multiple related repositories (panel, packages, modules, Frieren). However, star velocity is minimal (1/7 days), suggesting maintenance is iterative rather than feature-driven growth.

Honest verdict

ADOPT IF: you are a penetration tester or security researcher seeking WiFi Pineapple functionality without purchasing official hardware, have a supported router model, and accept that firmware is based on OpenWrt 19.07.7 (from 2020, potentially aging). AVOID IF: you require official support, need the latest OpenWrt release, lack technical comfort with firmware flashing, or need production-grade stability guarantees. MONITOR IF: you depend on this as primary security testing platform—creator's newer project (Frieren) is flagged as more actively developed alternative; sustainability of this specific port is unclear.

Independent dimensions

Mainstream potential

3/10

Technical importance

6/10

Adoption evidence

4/10

Risks
  • OpenWrt 19.07.7 is ~6 years old (released 2019); security patches and hardware support may lag current ecosystem.
  • Adoption scale unverified; if user base is very small, sustainability of device support list and firmware maintenance is at risk.
  • Creator explicitly directs new users to Frieren as 'newer, actively developed alternative,' implying this project may enter maintenance-only mode.
  • No documented automated testing or CI/CD pipeline; firmware stability and compatibility regressions may not be caught systematically.
  • GitHub stars and fork count are modest (1,192 / 142); unable to verify whether active Discord community represents sustained production deployment or hobbyist interest only.
Prediction

Project likely remains in active but slow-growth maintenance state through 2026-2027. Creator's focus appears to shift toward Frieren (newer platform). WiFi Pineapple Cloner may stabilize as a 'legacy-compatible' port for users with specific router hardware rather than becoming dominant entry point to WiFi security testing. Risk of deprecation increases if creator deprioritizes v4 in favor of Frieren.

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Languages

Shell
95.8%
PHP
4.2%

Information

Language
Shell
Last updated
2mo ago
Created
32mo ago
Analyzed with
anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5

Stars over time

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Contributors over time

Top 100 contributors only — repos with more will plateau at 100.

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Open pull requests

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Recent releases

No releases published yet.

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vs. alternatives
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Different hardware target (ESP32 vs. generic routers); appears to focus on hardware emulation rather than firmware porting. Higher star count but serves overlapping but distinct security testing niche.

pi-pwnbox-rogueap (2,053 stars)

Also shell-based, also targets rogue AP functionality on generic hardware. Likely broader appeal to Raspberry Pi community; WiFi Pineapple Cloner is more specific to Pineapple platform recreation.

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RF/wireless security focus but different modulation targets (nRF vs. WiFi). Similar threat model but non-overlapping hardware.

Original WiFi Pineapple (discontinued)

Cloner is direct functional successor to discontinued hardware. Differs in being commodity-hardware based rather than proprietary appliance; trades official support/integration for cost and flexibility.