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Supported Hardware

The Ground Agent runs on any Linux ARM single-board computer that can host a USB WiFi adapter in monitor mode. The bench build uses a Raspberry Pi 4B. Production builds target Radxa CM3 and CM4 boards.

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Required components

Every ground station needs these three things:
  1. A Linux SBC with at least 1 GB RAM, USB 2.0, and a 64-bit ARM processor
  2. An RTL8812EU USB WiFi adapter for WFB-ng receive on 5 GHz
  3. A USB-C power source that can sustain the required output under radio load
Everything else (OLED, buttons, HDMI, 4G modem) is optional but recommended.

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Bench build (Raspberry Pi 4B)

This is the fastest way to get a ground station running. Every part is commodity hardware available globally.

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Standalone flight add-ons (optional)

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4G modem (optional)

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Production tiers

  • Radxa CM3 (RK3566) on a baseboard
  • Single RTL8812EU radio
  • OLED + 4 buttons on the front panel
  • HDMI output
  • WiFi AP on the onboard radio
  • Compact palm-sized enclosure
Good for field pilots, bench engineers, and single-drone operations.

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RTL8812EU details

The RTL8812EU chipset is required for WFB-ng monitor mode reception. It supports 5 GHz operation at up to 29 dBm TX power (800 mW+), though the ground side only uses RX mode.
Not all USB WiFi adapters work. The adapter must use the RTL8812EU or RTL8812AU chipset. Generic “WiFi 6” or “AC1200” adapters almost certainly use a different chipset that does not support monitor mode. The LB-LINK BL-M8812EU2 is the tested reference adapter.
Driver note: The RTL8812EU requires a DKMS kernel module. The install.sh script handles this automatically. If DKMS build fails (missing kernel headers), the install script reports the error and retries on the next boot after an apt upgrade.

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OLED display

Any SSD1306-based or SH1106-based 128x64 I2C OLED works. The agent probes I2C address 0x3C (some clones use 0x3D). The display connects with four wires: SDA, SCL, VCC (3.3 V), and GND. The 1.3” size is better for field use. The 0.96” size works fine on the bench.

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GPIO buttons

Four tactile momentary pushbuttons wired between GPIO pins and GND. The agent enables internal pull-ups, so no external resistors are needed for the bench build.
On boards other than the Pi 4B, the GPIO pin numbers are defined in the HAL board profile YAML. The agent reads the profile at boot and maps buttons accordingly.

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Gamepad support

Any USB HID gamepad works for standalone HDMI flight. The Web Gamepad API in Chromium handles mapping. Tested controllers:
  • Logitech F310 (USB, reference controller)
  • Xbox Series controller (USB or Bluetooth)
  • PS4 DualShock (USB or Bluetooth)
  • PS5 DualSense (USB or Bluetooth)
  • 8BitDo Pro 2 (USB or Bluetooth)
Bluetooth gamepads pair through the setup webapp or the OLED menu.

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Power source

The Ground Agent does not require an internal battery. Power it from a wall adapter on the bench or a USB-C PD power bank in the field. Laptop USB-C back-power is not a reliable field power source. It may work during setup, but use separate power when video, WiFi AP, HDMI, or a second radio is active. Power and Runtime has runtime estimates for common power bank sizes.

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Mesh role hardware

If you plan to deploy this node as a relay or receiver in a multi-node mesh, you need one extra item beyond the bench build: The first RTL8812EU stays on the drone-facing radio job. The second adapter handles batman-adv between Ground Agents. A direct-mode node does not need a second adapter. Read more about mesh hardware planning in the Local Mesh page.

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