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Troubleshooting common problems

Updated October 19, 2026

Start with the first check, then go to the section that matches what you see. Most sections link to an article with the full fix.

First check

If the WarDragon Console is installed, open it: the Overview tab shows the health of every receiver, GPS, and the system in one place. From a terminal, these four commands cover the same ground:

sudo systemctl status zmq-decoder dji-receiver dragonsync
ip addr show
lsusb
df -h

The first should show all three detection services as active (running). The others show the network addresses, the connected hardware, and free disk space.

Power and boot

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Nothing on screen	Supply or outlet	Check the adapter and outlet; try another supply
Brief flash, then off	Overcurrent protection	Disconnect any added devices and check for shorts
Power on, no boot	Boot failure	Allow a few minutes, then review journalctl -b and open a support request
Random reboots	Power or heat	Check the supply rating and airflow; see Running hot, below

On a Mobile kit, see Mobile kits: powering on and shutting down. To check a unit without a screen, see How to tell the unit is running.

Remote access

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
SSH refused	SSH not turned on	Turn it on at the unit
SSH times out	Wrong address or no network path	Check the IP address and that both ends share a network
Remote desktop won’t connect	RustDesk not set up, or no permanent password	Set it up at the unit
Permission denied	Wrong login	Confirm the username and the changed password

All four are covered step by step in Getting remote access working the first time.

No detections

1. For DJI, the aircraft’s motors must be spinning. Switched on is not enough.
2. Check the Console’s Receivers tab, if the Console is installed.
3. Confirm every antenna is on the port matching its etched name and screwed on snugly.
4. Confirm all three detection services are running (First check, above).
5. Review the detection logs: journalctl -u dji-receiver -n 50 and journalctl -u zmq-decoder -n 50

For the full DJI check, see Why a bench test shows no DJI detections. For short range, see the range section of Antennas. If drones appear and then drop off the picture, see Verified and unverified tracks.

Critical Never change or delete Wired connection 1, or the addresses 172.31.100.1 and 172.31.100.2. It is the internal link to the detection SDR, and changing it stops DJI detection. Avoid any “reset network” instructions that delete every connection.

Network and hotspot

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Can’t find the unit	Unknown address	Check the router’s DHCP lease table for wardragon; on the unit’s hotspot it is always 192.168.12.1
Hotspot won’t start	Wi-Fi interface in use	Stop other Wi-Fi connections, then restart the hotspot (below)
Devices can’t join the hotspot	Passphrase mismatch	Check the passphrase; avoid unusual characters
No address on the network	DHCP not running	Restart NetworkManager
On the hotspot but no internet	Forwarding off	cat /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward should return 1

To restart the hotspot:

sudo nmcli connection down WarDragon-Hotspot
sudo nmcli connection up WarDragon-Hotspot

See Running the unit as a Wi-Fi hotspot and Connecting over a direct Ethernet cable.

TAK and outputs

1. For multicast, the TAK device and the unit must be on the same network.
2. Test the unit’s API from that network: curl http://<wardragon-ip>:8088/status
3. Review the output log: journalctl -u dragonsync | grep -i tak
4. For a TAK Server, test the connection with nc -zv <server> <port> and check the certificates.

Full fixes: multicast, TAK Server, the ATAK plugin, wrong icons in ATAK, MQTT, and Home Assistant.

GPS

Check with gpspipe -w -n 5. No fix usually means no view of the sky; no output at all means the receiver isn’t being seen. A unit that can’t get a fix can be given a fixed position. See GPS: how the unit knows where it is.

Running hot or slow

Check	Command
Temperatures (divide by 1000 for °C)	cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone*/temp
What’s using the processor	top -o %CPU
Memory	free -h

Give the unit clear airflow and keep it out of direct sun where you can.

Where the logs are

Log	Command
Remote ID and DJI decoding	journalctl -u zmq-decoder
DJI receiver	journalctl -u dji-receiver
Output to TAK and other systems	journalctl -u dragonsync
Networking	journalctl -u NetworkManager
Everything since the last start	journalctl -b

Add -f to follow a log live, or -n 50 to see the last 50 lines.

Still stuck

Before changing settings you don’t recognize, back up the configuration; see Backing up and restoring. Then open a support request with a diagnostic bundle; see Opening a support request and building a diagnostic bundle.

Related

• WarDragon User Guide, Section 10 — troubleshooting

WarDragon is manufactured by Millenium Products Inc. Technical support for purchased kits is requested through the support page. Purchasing and quote requests go through the contact form.