KestrelOne

Update your KestrelOne

Two ways, and your settings and WiFi details are kept either way: from KestrelOne itself over WiFi, or from this page over USB.

From KestrelOne itself, over WiFi

  1. Put it on your home WiFi On KestrelOne's own page, open Settings, enter your network under Home WiFi, keep WiFi mode on Automatic, then save and restart it at home.
  2. Open its page at home On a phone, tablet or computer on the same network, go to kestrelone.local (or the address your router gives it).
  3. Update Under Settings → Firmware, tap Check for updates, then Update now, and keep it powered. After restarting it checks itself for 90 seconds, and goes back to the previous version on its own if anything is wrong.

It only updates on the ground, on a network with internet — never on its own WiFi in the aircraft.

Over USB, from this computer

For a computer with Chrome or Edge, or if KestrelOne will not start.

  1. Connect Plug KestrelOne into this computer with a USB-C cable. It must be a data cable — a charge-only lead powers the device but the browser will not see it.
  2. Check what it runs Optional: compare your device with the latest release.
    Latest release Checking… What's new
    Your device Not checked yet
  3. Update Press the button and choose the KestrelOne port. Your browser usually lists it as USB JTAG/serial debug unit. This browser cannot talk to USB devices. Use Chrome or Edge on a desktop computer — Safari and Firefox do not support it, and nor do phones or tablets. Serial access was blocked. This page must be opened over HTTPS.

    If the installer offers Erase device, leave it unticked: it wipes your settings and WiFi names. The update takes a minute or so; keep KestrelOne plugged in until it says it is done. When it restarts, this page reads it back and shows the result in step 2.

  4. Reconnect Join the KestrelOne WiFi again from your phone or tablet. The default password is kestrelone.

Nothing that identifies you or your device is uploaded. When the page reads a device, it sends an anonymous unit ID, the firmware version and the board revision, so we can count how many units are up to date.

What's new

1.0.0

First public release
  • Traffic on your EFB. ADS-B and PilotAware aircraft, sent as GDL90 over WiFi to SkyDemon, ForeFlight and other flight apps.
  • Updates itself. On your home WiFi, KestrelOne checks for and installs new versions from its own page, and goes back to the previous version automatically if a new one fails its first check.
  • A simple device page. One line answers "is it working?", with tiles for aircraft, tablet, GPS and battery and a traffic display. The detailed views are behind Hacker mode in Settings.

If something goes wrong

The browser does not list any serial port

Almost always the cable. Many USB-C leads carry power only; the device will light up but never appear to the computer. Try a different cable before anything else. If it still does not appear, unplug it, wait a few seconds and plug it back in.

The update failed part-way through

Nothing is broken. The device keeps its previous firmware until a new one is written completely, and an interrupted write can simply be run again. Unplug it, plug it back in, and press Update once more.

It updated, but my EFB no longer sees traffic

Rejoin the KestrelOne WiFi network from your tablet — phones and tablets usually drop back to a remembered network while the device restarts. Then open its own page at 192.168.4.1: the line at the top of the Traffic tab says whether it is receiving and whether your tablet is connected.

How do I see which version my device is running?

Plug it in and press Check my device above. If that cannot read it, join its WiFi and open 192.168.4.1: the version is under Settings → Firmware, and at the bottom of the Traffic tab.

Check for updates says it cannot connect

KestrelOne needs a network with internet. Put it on your home WiFi (Settings → Home WiFi), restart it at home and open kestrelone.local. On its own WiFi, in the aircraft, updates are not offered by design.

Can I undo an update?

If a new version fails its first 90-second check, KestrelOne goes back to the previous one by itself and says why on its page. If something seems wrong after an update that passed, email hello@kestrelone.co.uk and say what changed.