# Researcher turns wi-fi smart lightbulb into a Banned Book Library — open source project makes digital books available via a server and open Wi-Fi access point hacked into an ESP32-powered bulb

> A security researcher has added another dimension to smart lightbulbs by using them to store a library of banned books, creating what they describe as a “cyberpunk digital dead drop.

- **Source:** [Tom's Hardware](https://www.tomshardware.com/maker-stem/researcher-turns-wi-fi-smart-lightbulb-into-a-banned-book-library-open-source-project-makes-digital-books-available-via-a-server-and-open-wi-fi-access-point-hacked-into-an-esp32-powered-bulb?utm_source=gearopen.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=feed&utm_content=6a3827fde8976fcb37cdfd5b)
- **Published:** 2026-06-21
- **Category:** Smart Home
- **Tags:** #open #banned #library #available #book #digital #researcher #smart
- **Canonical:** http://localhost:4321/a/6a3827fde8976fcb37cdfd5b

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_GearOpen's distilled summary. The full original article is published at Tom's Hardware (source link above); GearOpen does not republish the source's full text._