Setup Guide

Flight Tracker Mach 2 uses USB Web Serial for setup — no app downloads or Bluetooth pairing needed. When the display first powers on, it cycles through setup instructions on the LED matrix.

1. Plug in your Flight Tracker to your computer using the included USB-C cable.
2. Open Chrome or Edge and go to settings.flighttrackerled.com/onboard — choose "Set up a new display." The wizard walks you from USB to claimed-and-tracking in one sitting. (The classic standalone tool at setup.flighttrackerled.com works too.)
3. Click "Connect" — your browser prompts you to select a USB serial device. Choose your Flight Tracker.

1. Click "Scan Networks" to see nearby Wi-Fi networks.
2. Select your home network from the list, or type the SSID manually.
3. Enter your Wi-Fi password and click "Save and Connect."

The display will restart and connect. Once online, the LED matrix confirms the connection. You can unplug the USB cable from your computer — the tracker runs on its own from any standard 5V USB-C power source.

After Wi-Fi, the same wizard signs you in and links the display to you — then everything lives in the owner portal at settings.flighttrackerled.com, from any device, anywhere. No app, nothing on your local network to find.

1. Sign in with your email — we send a one-tap sign-in link, no password to invent. This step works fine from your phone.
2. Your display claims itself — no codes to type; the USB session proves the box is yours. It appears under My displays and stays linked to your account.

Then set your location: type your ZIP code or drag the pin on the map, and size the coverage circle to the sky you care about. The display starts showing overhead traffic within seconds of saving.

You don't need this to start. Overhead scanning and following a specific flight (once it's airborne) — live position, altitude, and speed — are included free with every Mach 2. A personal FlightAware AeroAPI key unlocks the extras: pre-departure schedule and status (estimated departure, delays, taxiing) for true gate-to-gate tracking, and the Departure Board.

1. Create a key at flightaware.com/aeroapi/signup/personal (the Personal tier; check their current pricing and monthly included credit).
2. In the portal, open the FlightAware API key card and paste it in.
3. We verify the key with FlightAware before saving, store it securely per box, and only ever show the last 4 characters again.

The app selector at the top of the portal switches your display live — no reboot, it changes in front of you.

Overhead Scanner (the default) — live planes over your coverage area, with each one's route, altitude, speed, and airline.

Specific Flight Tracking

1. Enter a flight number in the Flight tracking card — airline style like UA970 or ICAO style like UAL970, either works.
2. The display follows it live — position, altitude, speed, time remaining. After landing it shows Landed, then returns to overhead scanning on its own about 20 minutes after arrival; clearing the field switches back anytime.

Departure Board — pick the app, enter an airport code such as ORD or JFK, and choose a refresh interval. Snow and ambient scenes live in the same selector.

• Brightness — dial it to match your room, night-stand dim to daylight bright.
• Flight display time & scroll speed — how long each plane holds when several are overhead (it always finishes scrolling first), and how fast the details move.
• Overhead flight filters — only show planes by altitude, speed, or direction of travel (the compass picker — "only northbound traffic" is two clicks). Leave blank for everything.
• Detail fields — choose which facts scroll for each plane: airline, aircraft, callsign, route, altitude, speed, and more.

Curious before your box arrives? Try every control in the live demo.

Your Mach 2 receives free OTA updates automatically — new features ship straight to your display over Wi-Fi.

• Device not showing up? Use Chrome or Edge on desktop. Try a different cable or USB port.
• "Firmware did not answer"? Unplug, wait a few seconds, replug, click Connect again.
• No flights showing? Widen the coverage circle on the portal map — and check the flight filters aren't set tighter than you meant (Clear resets any of them).
• Specific flight not found? Confirm the flight is active today — UA970 or UAL970 both work. Without a linked FlightAware key, tracking starts once the aircraft is airborne.
• Departure Board is blank? Check the airport code, your linked FlightAware key, and the refresh interval.
• Worried about API usage? Increase the refresh interval, reduce displayed flights, and check FlightAware's My AeroAPI usage page.
• Settings not reaching the box? Changes apply within seconds when the display is online — the portal shows a live online/offline dot for your box.
• Need to start over? Use Clear WiFi on the setup page to reset network settings.
• Still stuck? Contact us — we respond quickly.