WiFi AP Mode
The ground station creates a WiFi hotspot on boot. Join it from your laptop or phone, open a browser, and you have video and telemetry. No software to install, no drivers, no internet required.How it works
The onboard WiFi radio (not the RTL8812EU) hosts the access point on 2.4 GHz. The RTL8812EU stays dedicated to WFB-ng reception on 5 GHz. These two radios do not interfere with each other.Connecting from a laptop
Join the WiFi network
Look for
ADOS-GS-XXXX in your WiFi list. The XXXX suffix is the last four hex digits of the ground station device ID. Enter the passphrase printed on the case (default for bench builds: ados-ground).Open the browser
Navigate to
http://192.168.4.1:4000 for Mission Control, or http://setup.ados.local/ for the setup webapp. If Mission Control is not installed on the ground node, the setup webapp is the default landing page.Connecting from a phone
The flow is the same. Join the WiFi, open a browser (Chrome on Android, Safari on iOS), and navigate tohttp://192.168.4.1:4000 or http://setup.ados.local/.
For Android users, the ADOS Android app provides a better experience with auto-discovery and native video decoding. See Android Client for details.
Android may show a “No internet” warning when you join the AP. This is expected. The ground station is a local network, not an internet gateway. Tap “Use without internet” or “Stay connected” to proceed.
Network details
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| SSID | ADOS-GS-{short_id} |
| Band | 2.4 GHz |
| Security | WPA2 |
| Subnet | 192.168.4.0/24 |
| Ground station IP | 192.168.4.1 |
| DHCP range | 192.168.4.10 to 192.168.4.200 |
| Client limit | ~3-4 video viewers comfortably on 2.4 GHz |
Endpoints available over WiFi
Once connected to the AP, your browser can reach:| Endpoint | URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Mission Control | http://192.168.4.1:4000 | Full GCS (if installed on the node) |
| Setup webapp | http://setup.ados.local/ | First-time setup and config |
| WebRTC WHEP | http://192.168.4.1:8889/ados/whep | Direct video stream |
| MAVLink WebSocket | ws://192.168.4.1:8088/mavlink | Raw MAVLink telemetry |
| Agent REST API | http://192.168.4.1:8080/api/v1/ | Agent management |
Multiple clients
Up to 3-4 devices can stream video simultaneously over the 2.4 GHz AP before throughput starts to degrade. Each client gets its own WebRTC session from MediaMTX. Telemetry over WebSocket is lightweight and supports many more clients. Only one client at a time has pilot-in-command authority (the ability to send stick inputs to the drone). The first client with an active gamepad claims PIC. Other clients can request it through the Mission Control Hardware tab.WiFi AP configuration
You can change the AP settings from three places:- OLED menu: Navigate to Network > WiFi AP
- Setup webapp: Open the Network page
- Mission Control: Open the Hardware tab > Network sub-view
- SSID name
- Passphrase
- Band (2.4 GHz only on Pi 4B, 2.4 or 5 GHz on boards with dual-band onboard radio)
- Channel auto-selection or manual pick
- Enable / disable toggle
5 GHz AP on some boards
On production boards with dual-band onboard WiFi (separate from the RTL8812EU), you can run the AP on 5 GHz for higher throughput. This requires the WFB-ng radio to use a different 5 GHz channel. The agent handles channel deconfliction automatically. The Pi 4B onboard WiFi supports 5 GHz but the driver is less reliable in AP mode at 5 GHz. Stick to 2.4 GHz on the Pi 4B.HTTPS and mixed content
If you load Mission Control fromhttps://command.altnautica.com (the hosted version), your browser blocks HTTP connections to the local ground station. This is a browser security policy, not an ADOS limitation.
Two workarounds:
- Use the local build. Open
http://192.168.4.1:4000instead. All traffic stays HTTP on the local network. - Run Mission Control on your laptop. Clone the repo, run
npm run dev, and openhttp://localhost:4000. Dev mode uses HTTP.
What is next
- USB Tether for a wired alternative
- HDMI Kiosk to fly with no laptop at all
- Setup and Pairing for the first-time walkthrough