1. React
  2. dotJS
  3. 2017
  4. Getting Data From The Sky

Getting Data From The Sky

See how a cheap $10 USB DVB-T/FM radio dongle can be hacked to receive commercial airplanes signals live and directly in JavaScript.

Thomas Watson at dotJS 2017

Commercial airplanes continuously transmit data packages via radio while flying. The protocol is unencrypted and is what allows public flight tracking websites to operate. Thomas demonstrates how a cheap $10 USB DVB-T/FM radio dongle off Amazon can be hacked to receive these signals live and directly in JavaScript.