Installation & Setup

Three steps from box to first capture: Unbox → Install Desktop → Connect.

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1. What's in the box

• ZeroTrace AirLeak unit (in custom enclosure)
• USB-C cable (data-capable)
• External 2.4 GHz dipole antenna (WROOM-1U variant)

The unit ships pre-flashed with the latest firmware. You don't need to flash anything to get started.

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2. Install the ZeroTrace Desktop App

The desktop app is the primary interface. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

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3. First connect

1. Plug the AirLeak into your computer with the supplied USB-C cable.
2. Open the desktop app.
3. Navigate to AirLeak → Overview in the left sidebar.
4. The status bar shows Disconnected. Click the port dropdown, pick the AirLeak's port, and click Connect.

The status bar should now show:

AirLeak  [emerald dot]  Devices 0  Events 0  WiFi 0  BLE 0  Alerts 0  Drop 0.0%  Heap 89K (28%)  Up 3s  Scan off

The radios are idle — that's the Scan off indicator. Capture won't start until you pick a mode.

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4. Pick a capture mode

Go to the Overview page. You'll see two large mode cards:

• Setup — radios off, no events flowing. Use this when configuring the device or moving locations.
• Monitor — full sweep. Channel hopper sweeps every 2.4 GHz channel; BLE active scan runs continuously; all alert rules armed.

Click Monitor. Within ~1 second:

• The Scan indicator changes from off → active
• A new session is auto-recorded
• Devices and Events start incrementing
• The Devices page populates

That's it. AirLeak is now capturing everything in range.

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5. Verify active BLE scan is on

In the desktop sidebar: AirLeak → Settings → Settings tab. The Active BLE scan switch should be on.

This setting controls whether AirLeak actively requests scan responses from nearby BLE peers. It's the difference between "I see this peer's MAC and manufacturer data" (passive) and "I see this peer's MAC, manufacturer data, friendly name, and full Service UUID list" (active).

The setting persists across reboots. Once set, you don't need to toggle it again.

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6. Reflashing (only if needed)

Firmware updates land via the desktop app's auto-update mechanism. If you ever need to manually reflash:

1. Disconnect the AirLeak from the desktop app first (or close the app).
2. Open the ZeroTrace Web Flasher in Chrome or Edge (Web Serial requires a Chromium-based browser).
3. Click Connect, select the AirLeak port.
4. Pick AirLeak Firmware (latest), click Flash.
5. Flashing takes about 50 seconds. The unit auto-resets when done.

The unit's previous settings (mode, active-scan, throttle window) are preserved across firmware updates.

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Troubleshooting first-connect issues