Frequently Asked Questions

Three steps:

• Download the free app from Google Play. It runs on Android and gives you the FORSYTE Map and Drone ID Detection with no extra hardware.
• Buy a Lite or Plus licence here on forsyte.app via secure Stripe checkout. Your licence key is emailed to you.
• Activate it in the app: open Plans & Licence -> Activate licence, paste your key, and connect a compatible radio receiver (SDR).

Need the hardware too? Request a FORSYTE kit quote and we'll build or procure one to order - Android, receiver, antenna, case and a Plus licence.

If you are just starting out, training, experimenting, or using a low-cost USB radio receiver, choose FORSYTE Lite.

Lite is the entry-level version. It is useful for learning, training, radio-signal awareness, and monitoring a smaller set of selected frequencies. It works well with affordable RTL-SDR receivers, but it has limits. RTL-SDR hardware cannot see Wi-Fi-style signals and has a much narrower view of the radio environment, so it may miss many drones and fast-changing signals.

If you need more serious coverage, choose FORSYTE Plus.

Plus is the operator version. It is built for HackRF-class hardware, which gives FORSYTE a wider view of the radio environment. Plus is the better choice for security teams, site protection, field use, drone-awareness work, GPS / GNSS interference awareness, automatic signal recognition, and direction-finding workflows.

A simple rule: choose Lite if you are learning, training, testing, or using a low-cost RTL-SDR receiver. Choose Plus if you are protecting a site, supporting a security task, using HackRF-class hardware, or you need better drone-awareness, GPS-interference awareness, signal recognition, or direction finding.

Both Lite and Plus work offline. FORSYTE does not need cloud access to detect, alert, log, or display activity on the map.

Free desktop SDR tools show you a waterfall on a laptop and leave you to interpret it. FORSYTE runs on a phone in the field - no laptop - and turns raw radio into usable awareness:

• Persistence-based detection, so it flags real activity rather than every momentary spike.
• Plain-language and spoken voice alerts.
• Automatic Signal Recognition, plus a Signal Signature for every detection.
• A detection log and history, the FORSYTE Map, Drone ID Detection and TAK / ATAK export.

It all works fully offline. You are paying for the software layer that makes a low-cost receiver genuinely field-usable - not for the radio.

FORSYTE Lite is a portable, SDR-based RF detection app for Android. It lets you scan the frequencies you choose, detect persistent signal activity, and review alerts and signal history through a mobile interface built for fast field use.

FORSYTE Plus is the operator tier, for users moving beyond a basic RTL-SDR receiver to HackRF-class hardware. It includes everything in Lite, and adds:

• Wideband HackRF scanning, wider multi-signal detection and Signal View.
• The GPS / GNSS Interference Monitor.
• Automatic Signal Recognition and the full Direction Finder.

Plus is a fixed-term licence (1-year or 5-year), bought on forsyte.app and activated in the app; the app itself is a free download on Google Play. Everything runs offline-first and field-ready.

FORSYTE is built for passive signal detection and situational awareness. Typical uses are lawful monitoring, testing, training, security and research - anywhere you need better visibility of the radio activity around you.

In most places, yes - FORSYTE is a passive, listen-only receiver. It never transmits, jams, spoofs, or decodes the content of communications, which is what most radio law restricts.

That said, the rules on which bands you may monitor, and what you may do with what you receive, vary by country - and you are responsible for using FORSYTE lawfully. It is built for lawful monitoring, testing, training, security and research; see the Acceptable Use section of the EULA.

RF stands for radio frequency - the part of the spectrum used for wireless communication and sensing. These radio waves travel at the speed of light and let devices send information without wires.

Everyday technologies use RF: radios, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, GPS, satellites, drones and two-way radios. Each one works within specific frequency bands so they can share the airwaves without interfering with each other.

An SDR (software-defined radio) is a radio combined with a small computer.

A traditional radio is built to listen to one kind of signal, such as FM or aircraft communications. An SDR is different: it captures raw radio and hands it to software, which can analyse it in many ways. Because software does the work, the same device can monitor very different kinds of radio activity just by changing that software.

FORSYTE uses compatible SDR hardware (such as HackRF-based devices) to receive signals across wide frequency ranges, then analyses that data in real time to flag unusual activity.

FORSYTE step-scans the frequency bands you configure and watches signal power over time. Instead of reacting to one-off spikes, it uses:

• Adaptive thresholding and noise-floor tracking.
• Clutter compensation.
• Persistence-based confirmation, so a signal has to stay present to be confirmed.

In a wide sweep it can flag a candidate signal, then retune to a narrower window to confirm it more tightly.

No. A plain RSSI detector only reports raw signal strength. FORSYTE starts from power readings but adds smoothing, adaptive thresholds, noise-floor tracking and lock-on confirmation to cut false alarms.

More importantly, it captures a Signal Signature (a spectral fingerprint of each detection) and runs Automatic Signal Recognition to sort it into a signal family. An RSSI meter cannot fingerprint a signal or tell a control link from a video downlink - FORSYTE can. It stays passive and listen-only, and never decodes message content.

There is no single fixed range. FORSYTE is a passive detector, so range depends on the signal source, your receiver and antenna, the frequency being monitored, and the local radio environment.

A high-power military jammer might be detected from several kilometers away, while a low-power “privacy plug” in a car might only be seen within a few hundred meters. Think of it like hearing: you can hear a jet engine from miles away, but a whisper only when it is right next to you.

The Interference Monitor (a FORSYTE Plus feature) uses HackRF-class hardware to watch the GPS L1 band in real time and compare current conditions against a learned baseline. Rather than reacting to a single spike, it looks for sustained abnormal power or spectrum behaviour before raising an alert.

It can also use your device's own GNSS health data - such as degraded satellite conditions or unusual position behaviour - for extra context. Alerts use a simple status workflow, so you can quickly see whether the environment looks normal, degraded, or actively interfered with.

Yes. Confirmed detections are saved as sessions with timing and signal-history context, and each one carries its Signal Signature. You can review activity over time and use Find Similar to pull up past detections that share the same signature. Everything stays on your device.

Automatic Signal Recognition (a Plus feature) sorts each detection into a signal family - for example a control link, a video downlink, or GPS / GNSS interference. It uses rule-based logic over the frequency band and the signal's spectral shape, then explains the result in plain language.

It is rule-based, not machine learning. It tells you the kind of signal; it does not decode the content, and it does not name a specific device or drone model.

Every detection gets a Signal Signature - a compact fingerprint of its spectral shape. This lets FORSYTE tell apart different emitters transmitting on the same frequency, and lets you use Find Similar to pull up past detections with a matching signature.

It is a pattern, not a guaranteed identity: two devices with identical settings can share a signature. FORSYTE does not yet match against a saved library of known signals or run a real-time watchlist - that is on the roadmap - and it never identifies a device make or model from RF alone.

Not by device or drone model - and that is deliberate. FORSYTE tells you the signal family (Automatic Signal Recognition) and gives each detection a Signal Signature to tell emitters apart, but it will not tell you “that's a DJI Mavic.” Reliably naming a platform from RF energy alone is not something we will claim.

Drone ID / Remote ID is separate: that is a decoded, standards-based broadcast that many drones transmit, not RF fingerprinting.

It classifies, but it does not decode content. Automatic Signal Recognition sorts a detection into a signal family from its band and spectral shape (rule-based, not machine learning). FORSYTE does not demodulate and read the contents of a transmission, and does not identify the specific device behind it.

The Listen feature plays the raw demodulated audio of a signal to help you identify it - that is not decoded communications.

On Plus, you can demodulate a detected signal to audio to help identify what it is - the way you would tune an analogue receiver to hear whether something sounds like voice, data or noise.

This is raw demodulated RF for identification only. It is not decoding the content of private communications, and FORSYTE does not transcribe, store or interpret speech.

Yes - the Direction Finder gives you a bearing toward a signal (Lite supports RTL-SDR Blog V4 bearings; Plus has the full Direction Finder).

A bearing points you in a direction; it is not a pinpoint location fix. To localise a source, take bearings from a couple of positions and triangulate. Range and accuracy depend on the emitter, your receiver and antenna, and the environment.

Being clear so there are no surprises. FORSYTE:

• Is passive and listen-only - it does not transmit, jam, spoof or defeat anything.
• Does not decode the content of communications.
• Does not identify a device make/model or drone platform from RF.
• Is not a command-and-control or weapons system.
• Gives a bearing with the Direction Finder, not a pinpoint fix.
• Has no fixed detection range - it depends on the emitter, receiver, antenna and environment.

Saved-signal libraries and real-time watchlist matching are on the roadmap, not shipping today.

You need a compatible Android device and a supported radio receiver (SDR). What each tier uses:

• Free: the FORSYTE Map and Drone ID Detection, with no SDR.
• Lite: adds RTL-SDR multi-signal detection and Signal View.
• Plus: adds HackRF-class workflows, wider multi-signal detection, Signal View, Automatic Signal Recognition, the full Direction Finder and the Interference Monitor.

You can use your own compatible hardware, or request a FORSYTE kit quote and we'll configure one to order.

FORSYTE is hardware-agnostic across two classes:

• Lite: an RTL-SDR receiver (the RTL-SDR Blog V4 is the reference model, and is required for RTL-SDR direction finding).
• Plus: a HackRF-class wideband receiver (roughly 1 MHz to 6 GHz).

Antenna choice depends on the bands you watch - a wideband whip to start, or directional antennas for direction finding.

Bring your own compatible hardware, or request a FORSYTE kit and we'll build or procure one to order. Request a quote and we'll confirm exact models, availability and pricing before anything proceeds.

Smartphones are not built to receive most of the RF used by drones, radios and other wireless systems. An SDR is a specialised receiver that can capture signals across a wide range of frequencies.

Connecting one to your Android device lets FORSYTE scan and analyse activity that would otherwise be invisible to the phone alone.

Yes. Use your own compatible SDR hardware, or request a FORSYTE kit quote. Kits are built or procured to order - submit a request and we'll confirm availability, configuration, delivery timescale and pricing before proceeding.

Yes - FORSYTE is offline-first. Signal detection and the interface run on-device. You only need internet for licence purchase, activation, updates and support.

The FORSYTE Map is an awareness map that plots your RF detections and Drone ID / Remote ID contacts geographically, so you can see where activity is happening around you in real time. It is included in the free tier and in FORSYTE Lite and Plus.

It is for situational awareness only - not a command-and-control surface, a tasking tool, or a multi-node tracking network. It simply shows the detections from your own device, on a map you control.

Yes, where available. Drone ID Detection decodes the standards-based Remote ID broadcasts that many drones transmit, so you can see nearby Remote ID contacts on the FORSYTE Map.

Basic Drone ID Detection is part of the free tier and is also included in Lite and Plus. Coverage depends on what each drone broadcasts and on local regulations, so it varies by region and device - it is provided on a “where available” basis, and is separate from the RF scanning engine.

Yes. FORSYTE works with the TAK ecosystem (ATAK / WinTAK) to boost shared situational awareness. It can automatically export live RF detections and GPS interference alerts as Cursor-on-Target (CoT) events. TAK / ATAK export is available with FORSYTE Lite and Plus.

• Connection: CoT output over UDP to a host and port you set.
• Alert types: map markers (a pin at your location when something is detected), chat messages, or both.
• Result: teammates see your real-time detections on their own TAK maps as they happen.

FORSYTE is an awareness and export tool - it is not a command-and-control system.

Yes. FORSYTE is built to talk to the operator, not just show data on a screen. In high-stakes environments you cannot always look at a display, so FORSYTE can speak audible notifications for critical events to help you keep full situational awareness.

FORSYTE is offline-first and privacy-conscious:

• RF processing happens on your device. Your scan data, detections and log stay on the device - they are not uploaded to us.
• The app needs internet only for licence purchase, activation, updates and support.
• Like most apps, it may send anonymous crash and basic usage analytics through Google Play, which you can control in your device settings.
• Licences are device-bound. We do not collect your detections or your location.

This website is separate: it uses optional, consent-based analytics only if you accept. See the Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice.

FORSYTE Lite ($30, one-off) unlocks:

• RTL-SDR multi-signal detection, including custom RTL-SDR frequencies.
• Signal View, the FORSYTE Map, Drone ID Detection, and the TAK / ATAK export and marker workflow.
• RTL-SDR direction finding (for RTL-SDR Blog V4 setups).

The Interference Monitor, Automatic Signal Recognition, the full Direction Finder, wideband HackRF scanning and HackRF multi-signal workflows require FORSYTE Plus and compatible hardware. Lite is bought on forsyte.app and activated in the app with your licence key; the app itself is a free download on Google Play.

FORSYTE Plus unlocks the operator tier, for users moving beyond a basic RTL-SDR receiver to HackRF-class hardware:

• Wideband HackRF scanning and wider multi-signal detection.
• The GPS / GNSS Interference Monitor.
• Automatic Signal Recognition and the full Direction Finder.
• Signal View, the FORSYTE Map, Drone ID Detection, and the TAK / ATAK export and marker workflow.

Plus is a fixed-term licence: $250 for 1 year, or $1,000 for 5 years (the 5-year option saves $250 versus paying annually). It is bought on forsyte.app and activated in the app with your licence key; the app itself is a free download on Google Play.

• Lite: a one-off purchase with a 5-year licence.
• Plus: a fixed-term licence, available as a 1-year or 5-year term; access continues for the term you buy.

Exact terms are confirmed at checkout on forsyte.app.

Licences are issued per device and are non-transferable by default, and there is no self-serve device reset. If you need to move a licence to a new device, or you hit an activation problem, contact support and we will help.

Software licences are generally non-refundable once a key has been issued and activated, subject to your statutory rights; hardware in a kit is non-refundable once procurement has started. The exact terms are in the Sales Terms.

• Free: the FORSYTE Map and Drone ID Detection - a free download on Google Play, no purchase needed.
• Lite: $30, one-off.
• Plus: $250 for 1 year, or $1,000 for 5 years (the 5-year option saves $250 versus paying annually).

Lite and Plus are bought on forsyte.app and activated in the app with your licence key. See the Pricing page for the full comparison.