Tutorial Drone Remote ID

Tutorial: Drone Remote ID

What it is

Remote ID is the identification many drones are required to broadcast while flying: an ID, the drone's position, altitude and speed, and the position of the operator or take-off point. It is sent over Bluetooth LE or Wi-Fi so that anyone nearby can read it. The standards are ASTM F3411 and ASD-STAN EN 4709-002 (Open Drone ID). OnAir shows the drones and their operators in a table and on a map. Receive only; nothing is transmitted.

What you need

• A radio that samples 20 Msps in the 2.4 GHz band (the mode asks for 20 Msps and 20 Msps is also its lowest working rate). HackRF at 20 Msps, Pluto, bladeRF and USRP are the usual choices; an RTL-SDR reaches only about 2.4 Msps and cannot run this mode. See Supported radios.
• A 2.4 GHz antenna, ideally outdoors and high.
• Frequencies: the mode starts at 2432 MHz, which covers Bluetooth advertising channel 38 (2426 MHz) and Wi-Fi channel 6 (2437 MHz) in one 20 MHz capture. The project's database lists Wi-Fi beacon on 2437 MHz and Bluetooth channel 38 on 2426 MHz.
• Remote ID over BLE 5 long range and over Wi-Fi NAN is not heard.

Before you start

2.4 GHz is crowded. Keep gain moderate so Wi-Fi does not overload the radio. Place the antenna away from your own router.

Step by step

1. Choose the group Aviation, entry Drones, 2.4 GHz (mode Drone Remote ID).
2. In the tuner, open Band and choose what to watch: "BLE 38 + Wi-Fi 6 (2432 MHz)" (the default and the most useful), "BLE 37 + Wi-Fi 1 (2403 MHz)", "BLE 38 (2426 MHz)", "BLE 39 (2478 MHz)", or a single Wi-Fi channel ("Wi-Fi 1 (2412 MHz)", "Wi-Fi 6 (2437 MHz)", "Wi-Fi 11 (2462 MHz)"). Watch the status for "no advertising channel in the band" or "BLE not in the band" if your choice leaves a transport outside the capture.
3. Press Start. The side panel is headed DRONES.

What you should see

Nothing until a Remote ID drone flies within range (typically a few hundred metres to a kilometre or two with a modest antenna). Then a row appears with the serial number or session ID, and a pin on the map linked to the operator position.

Reading the screen

• Drones: a table with Drone (serial or session ID), UA type, Position, Height (above the ground or the take-off point, shown as such), Speed / track, Operator position and ID, Self-ID text, Status, Level, Last seen. A Filter takes a serial, session, operator or address.
• Map: each drone linked to its operator.
• Messages: the raw Remote ID messages with Time UTC, Address, transport (Bluetooth LE or Wi-Fi) and content; Copy copies them.
• Clear forgets every drone and message heard so far.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing heard: it is normal if no drone is flying; only compliant drones broadcast. Not every drone supports Remote ID.
• "UA type not heard": the drone sent location messages but not the basic ID message yet.
• Drone but no operator position: some drones send no operator location, or a take-off point only.
• Rate too low: the mode needs 20 Msps.
• Wi-Fi interference: lower the gain.

Tips

Mount the antenna high and with a clear line to the area you care about; Bluetooth advertising is weak.

Legal and privacy notes

Remote ID is a public broadcast meant for anyone to read, and receiving it is lawful in many countries; check yours. It identifies the drone and its operator, so do not publish or use the data to harass anyone. OnAir does not send the drone operator's location to the public map. See Privacy and Legal.

Under the hood

ASTM F3411 and ASD-STAN EN 4709-002: Open Drone ID messages (basic ID, location, authentication, self-ID, system, operator ID) sent as Bluetooth LE legacy advertising (service data 0xFFFA) and in Wi-Fi beacons (vendor element FA:0B:BC), both decoded from one wideband capture.

Related

Drone Remote ID mode page, Tutorial: DJI drones, Live map.