Virtual Radar App

Gruijter · December 24, 2020, 5:49pm

This app turns your homey into an aircraft radar and tracker. The live aircraft data was coming from ADSB Exchange. Unfortunately, ADSB-Exchange decided to stop their free data service.

ADSB-Exchange now have two options:

Get a paid subscription (starting at 10$/month): Accessing Data Collected by ADS-B Exchange - ADS-B Exchange
build your own ADSB receiver, and start feeding aircraft information to them to get free data access

This is the receiver I built from a rpi zero I had laying around:

I had some discussions with the creators of ADSB exchange, trying to convince them that Homey users are ‘special’ (meaning, on average not very tech savvy ) and therefore would be eligable to still get free access to the ADSB-Exchange data.

They do not agree…

So I have added a free data source: https://opensky-network.org/
The data from openSky is very limited (e.g. no destination airport, aircraft type or operator is available). Also the data they do have is often incorrect (speed, altitude etc). But hey, it’s free

Here is a screenshot of the new radar ‘device’ and flow in Homey:

I might also add other paid data sources if people are interested in that.

Emil_Lichtenberg · June 20, 2019, 9:49am

Hi Gruijter,
We’re 6 Homey users here from Denmark who really would love that you continue this great app even though if this would be in a reduced form.
Eventually we might go the ADSB reciever path but for now the free source would be fantastic

Again thanks for your good work

Niels_K · June 20, 2019, 10:23am

Hi Robin, didn’t even know this app existed, but will check it out! I wouldn’t want a push message myself, but would definitely like to log air traffic over my house.
Would it be possible to maybe use the data from flightradar24.com?

Gruijter · June 20, 2019, 11:04am

I have just send them a message requesting a developer account. If I do get that, I will definitely look into integrating flightradar24.com. But it seems to be a subscribed service, and I’m not sure if they offer an API for me to work with, or only allow data access using their own app…

Rob · June 20, 2019, 1:11pm

Very nice app so YES!

Gruijter · June 20, 2019, 2:20pm

I think you mean yes continue (or yes, please stop?)

Rob · June 22, 2019, 6:20am

YES continue

Gruijter · June 22, 2019, 6:38pm

I have the radar working again. I need to test it some more. I’m now working on the tracker. I hope I can finish a working version end of the weekend. (Unless the weather is too good )

Gruijter · June 23, 2019, 11:05am

I finished the new app (sort of). It is probably quite buggy at the moment, and the new documentation isn’t done yet, but it should be workable.

Delete your existing radar/tracking devices, and add new ones!

Wait for the appstore release or get it now on Github: https://github.com/gruijter/com.gruijter.virtualradar

Please give me feedback if you like it, or if there can be improvements and on bugs found.

Victor · June 23, 2019, 11:24am

this would be great the data from rpi to Homey but is this possible?

Gruijter · June 23, 2019, 11:37am

Can you explain a bit more what you mean? @Victor

Rob · June 23, 2019, 8:07pm

Thank you!

Victor · June 24, 2019, 5:52am

i also use rpi and dongle as described here https://www.pd3rfr.nl/experimenten/raspberry-pi/vliegtuigen-volgen-met-ads-b-op-de-raspberrypi. it would be wonderful if this data could also be processed via homey or maybe even better data from this http://www.scannernet.nl/luchtvaart/militaire-luchtvaart. thanks for the app and the time you have put into it
Grt’s

Gruijter · June 24, 2019, 2:37pm

Ah, ok! This would be possible now if you feed the rpi receiver data to ADSB-Exchange and/or OpenSky.

I might add FlightAware in a next release of the Homey app. The data on scannernet.nl seems to be coming from flightradar24. I have already sent them a request to get access for Homey, but their response is that they only have paid subscriptions

By the way: I’m doing a multi-feed with all 3 services from my own rpi receiver. I use the setup from this site: https://www.adsbreceiver.net/

Emil_Lichtenberg · June 25, 2019, 2:39pm

Anyone else having problems with tags not working? (opensky)

Gruijter · June 25, 2019, 2:54pm

Thats part of the documentation i need to add opensky only updates a small number of tags…

Emil_Lichtenberg · June 25, 2019, 5:55pm

Ahh sorry, thought tags were source depending
That said, no tags whatsoever works with opensky.
I can see dest./alt./speed/country via the device but not as tags via push…

Gruijter · June 25, 2019, 6:15pm

Oh, ok. Will have to check that then. Thx 4 the feedback!

Gruijter · June 29, 2019, 3:15pm

I made a new version 3.1.0

It has many (many!) fixes. @Emil_Lichtenberg The flow tags should work. Can you test please?

Also I’m really happy to say that I found some undocumented API calls at openSky. I had to reverse engineer some stuff to find that, but it works )
This means that I was able to extend the openSky info to include the from and to airport, and the operator. This info is not available for all aircraft, but it will be used when available.

It is available now on github, or wait a few days for Athom to approve it in the appstore.

Have fun and let me know if you like my work

Gruijter · July 7, 2019, 12:22pm

v 3.1.1 is pending approval by Athom. Just a small fix.