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Drone Detection

How Does RIDER Detect Drones?​

RIDER is capable of receiving Remote ID messages transmitted over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. These messages allow RIDER to detect and identify drones in its vicinity.

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RIDER cannot detect drones that do not transmit Remote ID messages.

Detecting Bluetooth Remote ID​

Remote ID messages over Bluetooth are transmitted using a process called Bluetooth Advertising. This mechanism broadcasts data packets over three dedicated advertising channels: 37, 38, and 39.

Here's how it works:

  • When a drone transmits a Remote ID message, it sends it simultaneously on all three channels.
  • RIDER, like most Bluetooth receivers, can only listen on one channel at a time.
  • However, since the same message is broadcasted on all three channels, RIDER can reliably receive the message as long as there is no significant interference.

Detecting Wi-Fi Remote ID​

Wi-Fi-based Remote ID detection works differently and presents more challenges.

  • The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band used for Remote ID has 13 channels.
  • Wi-Fi receivers can listen to only one channel at a time, while most drones transmit on a single fixed channel.
  • This creates a problem: if RIDER is listening on a different channel than the drone is transmitting on, the message may be missed.

To mitigate this issue, RIDER is using intelligent channel hopping mechanism to improve the chances of message reception.

Scanning operates in two modes: Passive and Active.

  • Passive Scanning
    Used when no drones have been detected yet. RIDER cycles through all 13 channels periodically, looking for the first signs of any drone.

  • Active Scanning
    Once a drone is detected, RIDER switches to a mode that prioritizes the channel where the drone has been seen. This increases the chance of receiving additional messages from the same drone.

💡 Note: Most drone manufacturers currently use channel 6 for Wi-Fi Remote ID, so channel hopping mechanism often yields very good results without significantly compromising detection performance.