Configuration

This section documents every configurable setting on FlightRadar. Almost everything is set on the touchscreen; the only thing the web page does is initial WiFi setup.

Where Settings Live

• On-screen settings menu — the primary way to configure the device. There is no "configuration mode": the settings menu is always available and changes apply immediately.

• Web setup page — only used to enter WiFi credentials when the device is in access-point setup mode (see Getting Started).

• Compile-time defaults — the factory defaults below live in the firmware; the live values are stored in non-volatile storage (NVS) and survive reboots and firmware updates.

Device Information

Device ID (MAC Address)

Every FlightRadar has a unique Device ID, which is its WiFi MAC address.

Type:

Read-only

Format:

XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX (hexadecimal)

Example:

A4:CF:12:34:56:78

It appears in Settings → ABOUT.

Settings → ABOUT (example Device ID and IP address shown).

The About page also shows the WiFi network, IP address and signal strength, your home location and the support email address. The TopBytes update service uses the Device ID to identify your unit for firmware updates. Have it ready if you contact support.

Firmware Version

The current firmware version is shown in Settings → ABOUT and in Settings → SW UPDATE. It is also sent to the update service on every check.

Home Location

The radar scope is centred on your home location. Set it in Settings → LOCATION.

Configurable via:

Settings → LOCATION (Maidenhead grid or latitude/longitude)

Default:

51.4779, -0.0015 (near London)

Settings → LOCATION. Tap Done when finished.

Maidenhead Locator

Type a 4-, 6- or 8-character grid square (e.g. IO91wm) and tap Set grid. Input is case-insensitive and displayed in canonical form. A 6-character grid resolves to roughly 2 km, which is more than accurate enough for a radar whose rings are kilometres apart.

Latitude / Longitude

Type your latitude (−90…90) and longitude (−180…180) in decimal degrees and tap Set coords.

Note

Invalid input is rejected with an error (Invalid grid (e.g. IO91wm) or Lat -90..90, Lon -180..180) and your previous location is kept. When you set a valid location the scope re-centres immediately and the value is saved.

Note

FlightRadar has no GPS receiver. Location is set manually by grid or coordinates.

Range / Zoom

The outer ring marks the maximum range — the "overhead" cutoff. Aircraft beyond it are not shown.

Configurable via:

the + (zoom in) and − (zoom out) buttons at the top-left of the scope

Default:

40 km

Presets:

5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 250 km

Each tap steps to the next preset. The ring labels update to match, and the range is saved, so it survives a restart.

Lower ranges zoom in on the traffic closest to you; higher ranges show a wider area but crowd distant blips toward the centre.

Sweep

The rotating radar sweep is configurable in Settings → SWEEP. Each tap on the row cycles through the options:

Option	Meaning
OFF	No sweep line (blips still update)
FAST 5s	One revolution every 5 seconds
NORMAL 8s	One revolution every 8 seconds (default)
SLOW 12s	One revolution every 12 seconds

A slower sweep looks smoother and gives a longer afterglow trail; a faster sweep refreshes each blip's brightness more often.

Brightness

Default:

90 %

FlightRadar detects the backlight type automatically at boot:

• Dimmable hardware is driven with PWM at the default brightness.

• On/off-only hardware simply switches the backlight on.

Note

This release has no on-screen brightness control. Use Night Mode to turn the screen off overnight.

Screen Rotation

Configurable via:

Settings → SCREEN (each tap toggles)

Options:

NORMAL or 180 FLIP

Default:

NORMAL

Flips both the display and the touch input by 180°, for mounting the device upside-down (for example, hanging from a shelf with the USB-C socket at the top). Taps stay aligned with what's on screen.

Night Mode (Overnight Screen-Off)

Configurable via:

Settings → NIGHT MODE

Default:

Disabled; window 23:00 → 07:00

When enabled, the screen backlight turns off between the start and end times you set (in local time). Touching the screen wakes it for about 5 minutes, then it returns to off.

Settings → NIGHT MODE.

• Tap the ENABLED / DISABLED button to switch the schedule on or off.

• Scroll the Turn OFF at and Turn ON at rollers to set the hour and minute (minutes move in 5-minute steps).

• Tap SAVE> to keep the changes, or <CANCEL to discard them.

Timezone

Configurable via:

Settings → TIMEZONE (or long-press the clock)

Default:

UTC

The timezone controls the clock in the top-right corner. Scroll the list to your zone and tap SET> (or <CANCEL to keep the current one). The change applies immediately (no reboot) and daylight-saving is handled automatically where the zone uses it.

Settings → TIMEZONE.

Available timezones:

Timezone	Notes
UTC	Coordinated Universal Time (default)
London	UK, with daylight saving
Paris / Berlin	Central European Time, with daylight saving
Athens	Eastern European Time, with daylight saving
Moscow	Moscow Time (no daylight saving)
Dubai	Gulf Standard Time (no daylight saving)
Mumbai	India Standard Time (no daylight saving)
Bangkok	Indochina Time (no daylight saving)
Singapore	Singapore Time (no daylight saving)
Tokyo	Japan Standard Time (no daylight saving)
Sydney	Australian Eastern Time, with daylight saving
Auckland	New Zealand Time, with daylight saving
New York	US Eastern Time, with daylight saving
Chicago	US Central Time, with daylight saving
Denver	US Mountain Time, with daylight saving
Los Angeles	US Pacific Time, with daylight saving
Honolulu	Hawaii Time (no daylight saving)
Sao Paulo	Brasília Time (no daylight saving)

WiFi Networks

Configurable via:

Settings → WIFI, the on-screen WiFi setup, or the AP web page

Maximum stored networks:

3

FlightRadar stores up to 3 WiFi networks. On boot it scans and connects to the best saved network in range. The most recently added network becomes the highest priority.

• Add a network — via the on-screen WiFi setup (scan + touch keyboard) or the access-point web page (see Getting Started)

• View / remove networks — in Settings → WIFI, where the currently-connected network is marked current; tap the red bin button to remove one, or Add network to scan for another

Settings → WIFI.

• Passwords are stored in NVS and never shown back on screen

Note

Only 2.4 GHz networks are supported. 5 GHz networks will not appear in the scan and cannot be joined.

Flight Alerts

FlightRadar can highlight aircraft that match a watch-list of prefixes.

Configurable via:

Settings → ALERTS

Maximum entries:

6

How Matching Works

Each alert entry is matched case-insensitively as a prefix against an aircraft's callsign, ICAO24 hex, or (once looked up) its IATA flight number. So:

Alert entry	Aircraft	Match?
BAW	BAW117	Yes (callsign prefix)
VIR	VIR3	Yes (callsign prefix)
BA109	flight BA109	Yes (flight-number prefix)
BAW	DLH441	No (different prefix)

Managing Alerts

In Settings → ALERTS:

• Type a callsign / ICAO / flight-number prefix (e.g. BAW, VIR, BA109) and tap Add watch

• Existing entries are listed under WATCHING, each with a delete button

• If the list is empty, the panel shows No alerts. Add a prefix to watch for.

• Tap Done to close the page

Settings → ALERTS.

What an Alert Looks Like

Aircraft matching any alert entry are drawn in orange-red on the scope, so they stand out from ordinary green contacts. Select one to see its full details.

Tip

Use a broad prefix (e.g. an airline's ICAO prefix like BAW) to catch every flight from that operator, or a full flight number to watch one specific service. Avoid single letters, which would match almost everything.

Factory Reset

FlightRadar does not currently expose a one-tap factory reset in the on-screen menu.

• To remove a WiFi network, delete it individually in Settings → WIFI.

• A full erase of all saved settings requires re-flashing / erasing the device over USB from a computer and is intended for service use. Contact support@topbytes.net if you need to fully reset a unit.

What's Next?

• Daily operation and reading the screen: Operation

• Firmware updates and networking detail: Advanced Features

• Solving problems: Troubleshooting