ZeroTrace AirLeak Pro
Installation & Setup
Battery, microSD, mobile app, pairing and first capture
From box to first capture: fit a battery and card → install the app → pair → drive.
1. What's in the box
- ZeroTrace AirLeak Pro board
- External antennas (fitted or bundled)
- USB-C cable (charging + setup)
You supply two things:
- One 18650 lithium-ion cell (see Power & Battery for the allowed types)
- A microSD card for logging, FAT32, up to ~32 GB recommended
The unit ships pre-flashed with the latest firmware, you don't need to flash anything.
2. Fit the battery and card
- Insert a charged 18650 into the holder, matching + / − to the markings.
- Slide a FAT32-formatted microSD card into the slot until it clicks.
- Charge the board over USB-C if the cell isn't full, the red LED means charging, green means full.
Use a single, undamaged 18650 lithium-ion cell only, not 21700, not AA, not LiFePO₄. The board has built-in charge and protection circuitry, so an unprotected flat-top cell is the easiest fit. See Safety & Care before first use.
3. Install the ZeroTrace mobile app
The mobile app is the primary interface. It connects over Bluetooth, no cables, no desktop software.
Install ZeroTrace Mobile from the App Store:
See the ZeroTrace Mobile App docs for a full tour of the app.
4. Power it on
Set the power switch so the board runs from the battery (or from USB-C). When it boots, the status LED lights and it starts advertising over Bluetooth as AP-XXXX (the last four characters of its hardware ID).
The board has two slide switches: one selects the power source (battery / USB); the other selects which processor the USB-C data lines reach (all down = C5, all up = S3), which only matters for firmware updates, not normal use. See Updates & Programming.
5. Pair from the app
- Open the app and tap Pair a device.
- The app lists the AirLeak Pro by its
AP-XXXXname and signal strength. - Tap it to connect.
6. Licensing, already done
AirLeak Pro ships activated, there's no activation step to work through. Your license key is also saved in your ZeroTrace dashboard if you ever need it (for example after a firmware re-flash). The license lives on the device itself, so it survives switching phones, reinstalling the app, or re-pairing. See Licensing & Activation for how ZeroTrace licensing works.
7. Pick a capture mode
Open the device's Modes tab and choose:
- Wardrive, full-rate dual-band Wi-Fi + BLE capture, geo-tagged for mapping, the mode for a survey run.
- Monitor, continuous capture to the live view without the drive map.
- Setup, radios idle. Use it while pairing or changing settings.
Tap Wardrive and start moving, networks and devices begin populating within a second or two.
Troubleshooting first-pair issues
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
AP-XXXX doesn't appear | Confirm the LED is on (battery charged / USB connected and the power switch set). Grant Bluetooth and (Android) location permission to the app. |
| Pairs but won't connect | Move closer; another phone may already be connected. |
| Connected but nothing captured | Still in Setup, or an empty area. Switch to Wardrive or Monitor and wait ~30 s. |
| Resets during a scan | Use a charged cell or a solid 5 V / 2 A USB source, see Power & Battery. |
| Nothing on the map | Location tagging uses your phone's GPS, grant the app location permission and get a phone fix (step outside). See GPS. |
Continue to Capture Modes, or jump to Your First Capture for a guided first drive.