Raspberry Pi security builds

Nobody buys a Pi. They build a tool.

Ten security builds, each a complete parts list — board, storage, and the specific add-ons that turn a $40 computer into a Pi-hole, a honeypot, a WiFi auditor, or your own time server. Every build has a one-click "add the whole kit to your Amazon cart" button — pick a project, get the parts, follow the guide.

DefensiveRed-team · authorized testingRadio / RFMeshPhysical / forensics

Pi-hole / AdGuard DNS Filter

Defensive · Everyone — the gateway build

Network-wide ad and tracker blocking at the DNS layer — the DIY sibling to Firewalla. Every device on the network gets cleaner, faster, more private.

The build

The appliance version: Firewalla & friends →

PiVPN / WireGuard Server

Defensive · Privacy travelers, remote workers

Your own WireGuard endpoint at home — tunnel back to your network from any hotel or cafe. The home half of a travel-router setup.

The build

The client: GL.iNet travel routers →

Honeypot-in-a-Box (OpenCanary / T-Pot)

Defensive · CISO / blue team

A deliberately vulnerable-looking box that logs everyone who pokes it — early-warning tripwire and threat-intel source for your own network.

The build

IDS Sensor (Suricata / Kismet)

Defensive · Blue team · resume-grade

A network intrusion-detection sensor watching wired and wireless traffic for known-bad signatures. A genuine portfolio project.

The build

Pwnagotchi (WiFi Audit / Wardriving) The standout build

Red-team · authorized testing · securitycareers.help · the DEF CON crowd

A pocket AI that learns to audit WiFi handshakes — the beloved maker/red-team project. An e-ink face, a battery, and a printed case make it a real device.

Authorized testing only: frame it as auditing your OWN networks and security training. Capturing handshakes on networks you don't own is illegal.

Software: evilsocket's original is unmaintained — use the active jayofelony/pwnagotchi fork (Pi Zero 2 W, 64-bit). The aluminum-ice fork adds Waveshare V3/V4 display support.

The case is where we're different: printed in-house on the maker farm, branded — a kit nobody else in the channel offers.

The build

  • CanaKit Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W Starter MAX Kit (64GB) Amazon ↗
  • Waveshare 2.13" E-Paper (Pwnagotchi HAT+ V4) Amazon ↗
  • PiSugar 3 battery (Zero form factor) find on Amazon ↗
  • u-blox GPS module (VK-162 / BN-880) find on Amazon ↗
  • 3D-printed Pwnagotchi case 🖨 printed in-house

Portable Kali Rig

Red-team · authorized testing · Pentest students · lab/resume

A handheld Kali Linux box with monitor-mode WiFi and battery — a portable authorized-testing and learning rig.

For authorized penetration testing and education on systems you own or are contracted to assess.

The build

P4wnP1 A.L.O.A. (USB HID Research)

Red-team · authorized testing · Advanced — dual-use

A Pi Zero that emulates USB devices for HID and network-attack research — the most dual-use build here.

Strictly authorized security research and training. We catalog the board; the how-to lives in reputable training material.

The build

  • CanaKit Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W Starter MAX Kit (64GB) Amazon ↗

RTL-SDR Signals Scanner

Radio / RF · myprivacy.blog · RF-curious

Software-defined radio on a Pi: see what's transmitting around you — aircraft, sensors, key fobs, the RF noise floor of a room.

The build

  • CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Essentials Kit (8GB) Amazon ↗
  • RTL-SDR Blog V3 dongle (R860, 1PPM TCXO) Amazon ↗
Then block it: Faraday bags →

Pi Meshtastic Gateway / MQTT Bridge Bridges the mesh line to the Pi line

Mesh · Mesh operators

A Pi that bridges your LoRa mesh to MQTT/the internet — remote monitoring and cross-network relay for a Meshtastic deployment.

Honest-hardware warning: do NOT buy the cheap Waveshare UART "LoRa HAT (supports Meshtastic)" boards — they're UART/serial, not the SPI radio meshtasticd needs, and fail with "No sx1262 radio." The reliable path is USB-tethering a real node (your Heltec V3) to the Pi.

The build

The radio: our mesh hardware →

MotionEye Camera / Stratum-1 NTP Server

Physical / forensics · Privacy surveillance · CISO forensics

Two niche builds on one base: a self-hosted no-cloud security camera, or a GPS-disciplined precise time source — your own Stratum-1 clock for forensic log integrity.

The build

Prices shown on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — the one-click cart adds every Amazon-sourced part with our tag attached. Parts marked "printed in-house" ship from our maker farm; "our mesh line" parts route to our own catalog. Dual-use builds are for authorized testing and education on systems you own or are contracted to assess — nothing here is a weapon.