ZeroTrace AirLeak Pro
Capture Modes
What each mode does to the radios and the capture stream
An AirLeak Pro mode decides which radios are running, where the capture goes, and how visible the device is while it works. You pick the mode from the app's Modes tab, and it's remembered across power cycles, so once you choose one, every power-up starts in that mode.
There's no screen, buttons or console on the board. Modes, settings and the live view all live in the ZeroTrace mobile app, which pairs over Bluetooth. The unit keeps advertising so you can always reach it to switch modes.
The modes
| Mode | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Setup | Idle / pairing / changing settings, no capture |
| Self test | One-shot hardware self-check |
| Room scan | Stationary sweep of a single space |
| Monitor | Continuous live capture, stationary |
| Recon | Low-visibility capture, LED dark and stream paused |
| Stalker hunt | Tracker-focused, surfaces follow-me trackers |
| Wardrive | Geo-tagged survey with a drive map |
You can also narrow which radios run, Wi-Fi only, Bluetooth only, or both, with the scan_mode setting (all / wifi / ble), if you want to focus a capture. See Settings.
Setup
The radios stop and nothing is captured. This is the safe idle state for:
- First boot, before a capture mode is chosen (Setup is the default until a mode is saved)
- Pairing or changing settings
- Moving between locations
The unit keeps advertising and accepting a connection in Setup, so you can always reach it to switch modes.
Self test
A one-shot hardware self-check. The board exercises its own subsystems, radios, link between the two MCUs, storage and power, so you can confirm everything is healthy before a run. Use it after fitting a battery or microSD card, or any time the device isn't behaving as expected.
Room scan
A stationary sweep of a single space. Point the device at one room or area and let it build a complete picture of the networks and devices there, without a drive track or map. Ideal for inventorying a room, a meeting space or a small site.
Monitor
Continuous capture without a drive map, for when you're stationary and just want to watch what's around you over time: the networks in a building, the devices in a room, the trackers in a space. Both bands and Bluetooth stream to the live view; there's no track or map.
Recon
A low-visibility capture mode. It scans like Monitor, but the LED stays dark and the live capture stream is paused, so the device draws no attention and isn't actively pushing data to the app. Use it when you want the board to sit quietly and gather in the background.
Turn on always_recon in Settings to make the device power up in Recon every time, regardless of the last saved mode.
Stalker hunt
A tracker-focused mode aimed at finding item finders and follow-me trackers, the AirTags, Tile, SmartTag and similar devices that might be travelling with you. It prioritizes surfacing trackers so you can spot anything that keeps reappearing as you move.
Wardrive
The mode for a survey run. Both Wi-Fi bands and Bluetooth scan flat-out, and every network and device is tagged with the location where it was heard strongest. The app's Drive tab maps your track, drops each observation on the map, and lets you export the run as WiGLE-compatible CSV.
Start a drive from the app's Drive tab, walk or drive your route, and stop it when you're done. The map, track, export and drive history all live in the app, see the ZeroTrace Mobile App docs for the Drive workflow.
On a drive, the app tags each observation using your phone's GPS, so make sure location is enabled for the app and your phone has a fix. Want the board to wardrive on its own without a phone? Fit the optional on-board GPS module, see GPS.
Mode persistence
The active mode is saved on every change and restored on boot. Pick Wardrive once, and every subsequent power-up starts surveying immediately, no need to set it again. (The one exception is always_recon, which forces a Recon boot regardless of the saved mode.)