ESP32-C6 WiFi Router (NAT) – Installation Guide

This repository provides a step-by-step installation guide to transform an ESP32-C6 into a lightweight WiFi NAT router.

⚠️ This project does not contain the router firmware itself.
It documents how to install and flash the official firmware:

👉 https://github.com/dchristl/esp32_nat_router_extended

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Table of Contents

• Overview
• Hardware Requirements
• Software Prerequisites
• Identify Serial Port
• Test Communication
• Firmware Installation
• Flash Firmware
• Expected Result
• Troubleshooting
• License
• Contribution

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Overview

This guide explains how to configure an ESP32-C6 as:

• WiFi Access Point
• NAT Router
• Lightweight Network Extender
• Embedded low-power routing solution

Firmware used:

👉 https://github.com/dchristl/esp32_nat_router_extended

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Hardware Requirements

• ESP32-C6 development board
• USB-C data cable (must support data, not power-only)
• Stable 5V / 2A power supply
• Linux computer (or compatible with esptool)

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Software Prerequisites

• Python 3
• esptool

Install esptool if needed:

pip install esptool

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Identify Serial Port

1️⃣ List available ports (ESP disconnected)

ls /dev/ttyACM*

2️⃣ Connect the ESP32-C6

Run again:

ls /dev/ttyACM*

👉 The newly detected port corresponds to your ESP32
Example: /dev/ttyACM0

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Test Communication

esptool.py --port /dev/ttyACM0 chip_id

Replace the port with yours.

If a Chip ID is returned, communication is working correctly.

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Firmware Installation

Download the latest release:

👉 https://github.com/dchristl/esp32_nat_router_extended/releases/latest

Choose the appropriate file:

• esp32nat_extended_full_vX.X.X.zip → Full installation
• esp32nat_extended_update_vX.X.X.zip → Update

Extract the .bin file before flashing.

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Flash the Firmware

esptool --chip esp32c6 --port /dev/ttyACM0 write_flash 0x0 esp32nat_extended_full_vX.X.X.bin

Adapt:

• Serial port
• Exact .bin filename

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Expected Result

After reboot:

• The ESP32-C6 creates a WiFi access point
• You can connect to the generated network
• The administration interface becomes accessible according to firmware defaults

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Troubleshooting

Permission denied on serial port

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER

Then log out and log back in.

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No serial port detected

• Ensure the USB cable supports data
• Try another USB port
• Verify power supply

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Important Notice

This repository is only an installation guide.

All routing functionality is provided by:

https://github.com/dchristl/esp32_nat_router_extended

Please refer to the official repository for:

• Firmware source code
• Advanced configuration
• Licensing details

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License

This repository contains documentation only.

The NAT router firmware is developed by dchristl.
Please refer to the official project for licensing terms.

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Contribution

Contributions are welcome:

• Issues
• Pull Requests
• Improvements to documentation