Firmware Fails: Unbricking The HackRF One

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27 Sept 2025

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Thanks to DFU, the HackRF Portapack is almost unbrickable.

One of the best things about the HackRF portapack is the sheer amount of utility that the Mayhem firmware brings to the table. In comparison to the standard unit, which requires power and a computer to run, the Portapack puts all these perks into a single design. The Mayhem firmware is responsible for all of this, and when configured correctly, it transforms the portapack. Now, it’s not just another Software Defined Radio unit; instead, it’s the ultra-cool, portable bit of gear that we’ve come to know and love.

But here’s the thing. Sometimes, things don’t go according to plan. And, in the case of the portapack, you won’t have to look far to find failed firmware flashes and devices that are claimed to be unrecoverable. Thanks to the HackRF’s DFU, though, we know this to be untrue.
If you’ve ever bricked your portapack, this article is for you and in it, we’ll show you how to take your portapack from entirely unresponsive to a working unit that’s been flashed with the latest firmware and features. Let’s go!

What Is DFU

If you’re running a Chinese version of the portapack, you might find that your device lacks the labelling that the genuine version has. Typically, this isn’t going to be much of an issue, but when flashing the firmware, you’ll need to interact with the DFU as well as the Reset button. It’s also helpful to understand which lights should be active at certain points, as this is part of the recovery process as well. So, it’s worth taking the time to look at the enclosed image above and ensuring that you understand the reset process as well as which lights should be illuminated when.

Standing for “Device Firmware Update”, the HackRF’s DFU system enables users to reflash a HackRF unit from any point, including an unknown or unrecoverable firmware update. How it does this is actually pretty ingenious.

Using a ROM (Read Only Memory) in the Microcontroller, DFU means that this software is immutable and does not change when the firmware does. So, should you upload a bad firmware update, you should be able to recover the portpack by entering DFU mode and then flashing a fresh firmware update to the device.

It’s this flashing process that starts the problem, though, as perusing support requests online seems to show that the portpack consistently has issues with reflashing this known firmware.
Entering DFU mode is extremely simple. To do so, we’ll simply press and hold the DFU button and then hit reset. After this, the board should reboot.

Flashing The Portapack

It’s worth mentioning that other methods exist for flashing the HackRF, so you don’t have to be tied to a particular process. Ultimately, though, in the instance of an extreme breakage, you’ll need to do a flash via DFU anyway, so understanding the process beforehand is pretty wise.

One of the biggest complaints (and the one that put the brakes on our recovery) is that the HackRF is not detectable when entering DFU mode. In this instance, you’ll need to carry out some troubleshooting, as some devices use different procedures to enter DFU mode. For the portapack that was the topic of this article (H2), we would hit DFU and then hit reset. At this point, the portapack enters DFU mode, ready to accept firmware.

Once you’ve reached this stage, flashing the device is super easy. We’ll run the software package that contains the drivers, and in it, we’ll see a package to help flash the firmware using a Windows box.

Persistence is key here. In our circumstances, it was DFU error after DFU error right up to the point that the firmware “just worked” and everything loaded as it was supposed to.

The process will depend on which software you use, but it’s worth remembering a few things to help streamline it and make it easier.

Firstly, if you're using Windows, be sure to run the software package as an administrator and ensure all drivers have been installed on your machine before flashing.

Secondly, regardless of the machine you're using, remember that it is good practice to remove the portapack before you flash. Often, the board will “hang” due to errors in the portapack firmware. Removing the portapack means that you can bypass these errors and move straight to re-flashing the device.

Failing to remove the portapack before the flash process appears to be responsible for much of the grief encountered online.

The removal process is extremely simple. Even a beginner should be able to remove and reinstall the portapack without much in the way of trouble.

Testing Testing

If you’ve torn your hair out for ages trying to get your portapack reconfigured, successfully flashing the new firmware might turn out to be somewhat of an anticlimactic event once it’s completed.

With the new firmware file taking mere seconds to upload when it was done successfully, the whole thing was all said and done remarkably quickly.

It’s worth carrying out a few checks to ensure that the firmware is operating correctly and you haven’t got any issues lurking under the surface.

Sorting this is quick and easy. Simply boot it up and use it in Portapack mode. If you’re able to detect a station, use the touch screen and transmit on the ISM bands, chances are you managed to get everything working properly as it should.

Over To You

Some people might say the best way to avoid firmware issues is to avoid updating your firmware outright. The “can’t break what you don’t touch” theory has some merit, but in the instance of the Portapack, this might be a less viable option.

In each firmware iteration, we get new features and bug fixes that help to make the Mayhem repository smoother and more user-friendly. It’s one of the perks of using open source software, and to miss this is to miss the bus entirely.

The sheer number of changes between firmware 2.0.1 and 2.2.0 means that those who didn’t update their devices due to firmware concerns missed out on a whole bunch of new features.
2.2.0 would introduce a NOAA satellite decoder for the first time, as well as push improvements to the Jammer app and introduce an entirely new SubGhz app, making the upgrade well and truly worthwhile.

With the HackRF’s DFU system ensuring that the board is always able to be recovered in the event of an error, there’s no advantage in snoozing on the latest updates. In fact, if you aren’t running 2.2.0 firmware by now, the only real question to ask is “Why”?

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