Troubleshooting

A field guide to issues that come up during normal AirLeak use. If something here doesn't cover your problem, reach support at support@zerotrace.pw.

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Pairing & connection

AL-XXXX doesn't appear in the app's scan

Likely causes: the unit isn't powered, Bluetooth/location permission isn't granted, or you're out of range.

1. Confirm the unit's LED is on. If dark, try a different USB-C cable or power source, some USB-C cables are charge-only.
2. Make sure Bluetooth is on for the phone, and that the app has Bluetooth (and, on Android, location) permission. Android requires location permission to return BLE scan results.
3. Move within a few meters of the unit and rescan.

Pairs but won't connect, or keeps disconnecting

• Another phone may already be connected, the unit allows only a small number of simultaneous connections. Disconnect the other device.
• Move closer; thick walls and dense 2.4 GHz environments shorten BLE range.
• The app retries automatically; if it's stuck on "Connecting…", use the in-app retry / troubleshoot affordance.

License won't activate

• Confirm the key matches this unit, the license is HWID-bound.
• Keep the connection stable during activation (stay close, don't background the app).

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Capture

Connected but no devices in Live

Most common cause: the unit is in Setup mode.

1. Open the Modes tab. If it shows Setup, tap Monitor.
2. Within a second or two the Live list should start filling.

If you're in Monitor but Live stays empty:

• You may be in an empty area, wait ~30 s; even a quiet room usually has at least one BLE peer.
• Pull to refresh / reopen the tab to force a fresh capture.snapshot.

The list looks frozen or stale

• Check the connection indicator. If it dropped, the app will reconnect and re-snapshot.
• In Recon the capture stream is intentionally paused while the scanner runs silently, leave recon to resume the live list.

Heap pressure / safe mode

If you're in a very dense environment the unit can enter safe mode (it stops admitting new devices, and pauses the scanner if pressure persists). Move to a less crowded area, or briefly switch to Setup to let the working set drain, then back to Monitor. See Safe Mode.

Drop counts climbing

state.read exposes raw_drop_count (advertisements lost before parsing) and drop_count (coalesced deltas lost under BLE backpressure). Brief climbs in a dense area are expected and self-heal, the app re-snapshots after a drop. Sustained high drops usually mean an extremely dense RF environment.

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Classification

A device is classified as unknown

• Wait 30 seconds, the classifier accumulates votes across multiple observations.
• The device may broadcast minimal data; some IoT peripherals advertise very little.
• If active scan is off, friendly names (and some classifying signals) are missing.

A device is classified incorrectly

The classifier uses scored multi-signal voting. False classifications usually come from ambiguous Apple Continuity payloads, generic speakers with name-like advertisements, or custom-named devices. If a verdict is clearly wrong, report it via support@zerotrace.pw with the MAC and what you expected.

multi_hour_follower fires on a device you know

That's expected for a device that's genuinely near you for hours (a family member's phone, a neighbor's TV). Use the Hunt tab to confirm whether it actually moves with you across locations.

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Trackers

If a tracker alert fires and you don't recognize the device, don't panic, forgotten trackers in public places are common. Use Hunt to lock onto it and walk it down with the proximity gauge, and check whether the same device reappears in a different location. See Tracker Detection and Privacy & Legal.

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Hardware

LED doesn't light up

The unit isn't getting power.

1. Try a different USB-C cable (must carry power).
2. Try a different USB-C power source.
3. Confirm the source actually delivers 5 V.

If the LED stays dark across all combinations, the unit may have a hardware fault, contact support@zerotrace.pw with your order number.

Antenna feels loose

The U.FL connector on the WROOM-1U module is rated for ~30 mate cycles, frequent swaps wear it out. For long-term flexibility, install an RP-SMA bulkhead and swap antennas at the bulkhead instead of at the U.FL.

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When to contact support

• Unit doesn't power on at all
• AL-XXXX never appears even when powered and close, with permissions granted
• Repeated safe-mode / crashes even in a quiet area
• Hardware damage (cracked enclosure, broken U.FL, USB-C port damage)

Reach out via support@zerotrace.pw with:

• Your order number
• Firmware version (from the device's About tab in the app)
• A description of the symptom and what you've tried
• If possible, the unit's diagnostic log (the app can read it via diag.read)

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