How AirWarden® Essentials Works

AirWarden Essentials offers businesses and government agencies a capable, budget-friendly way to detect drones and track pilots.

The AeroDefense AirWarden Essentials system's detection technology is based entirely on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Remote ID rule. Think of Remote ID as a digital license plate for drones. A drone must broadcast specific data packets using common wireless frequencies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

AirWarden Essentials is powered by passive radio frequency (RF) receiver(s) that weigh approximately five (5) pounds. The system does not actively transmit any RF signals for drone detection; instead, its sensors continuously monitor for Remote ID broadcasts. When Receiver detects a drone, the system provides the following information:
● The drone's real-time GPS location, altitude, and speed.
● The pilot's location.
● The drone's unique serial number.
● The drone’s make/model.

This airspace security solution leverages Remote ID drone detection to provide real-time drone alerts and clear, actionable insight into drone activity. By tracking drones via Remote ID, it enables organizations to respond quickly to common drone activity without the complexity or high cost of other drone detection systems.

The system's architecture is straightforward, moving data from the drone to the user in three steps.

1. Drone Broadcast:
A drone equipped with Remote ID continuously transmits its location, pilot location, and ID number via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

2. AirWarden Receiver:
The receiver, installed on a building or pole or tripod if using as a temporary deployment, passively detects and captures this broadcasted signal.
The receiver securely sends the data to the cloud via an LTE or Ethernet connection.

3. Cloud Command Console:
AeroDefense's cloud-based software processes the data.

The user accesses this information through a web browser on any device (computer, tablet, phone), viewing the drone's activity on a live map and receiving alerts.