The WarDragon ATAK plugin can watch areas you draw on the map and alert when something enters them. This article covers creating a zone, choosing what triggers it, and reading the threat direction indicator.
Before you start
Zones need the plugin installed and the kit added as an asset. Both are covered in Installing the WarDragon ATAK Plugin. The phone and the kit must be on the same network, and the kit is added with its name, host, and API port, which is 8088 by default.
Creating a zone
- Open the WarDragon plugin and choose + Add Zone.
- Tap the map where the zone should be centered.
- Set the zone’s name and radius.
- Choose what triggers an alert: drones, aircraft, signals, or any combination.
The three triggers correspond to the kit’s three kinds of output. Drones are aircraft tracks, aircraft are the optional aircraft feed, and signals are signal alerts such as FPV video, which carry no identity or position of their own. See Reading a detection: tracks, signal alerts, and the API.
Zone colors
Each zone takes one of five preset colors. Agree on a convention across your team so the colors mean the same thing on every device:
| Color | Intended use |
|---|---|
| Yellow-amber (default) | Monitoring |
| Blue | Friendly or informational |
| Green | Safe or permissive |
| Purple | Special or custom |
| Cyan | Airspace or altitude |
Threat direction
When something triggers a zone, a red wedge shows the bearing to it. The wedge gives a direction, not a position fix. Treat it as a cue for where to look.
If the kit shows as Down
The plugin reads the kit over its HTTP API. If the API cannot be reached, the kit’s status shows Down. Confirm the API is responding from the unit:
curl http://localhost:8088/statusA kit that reaches you only by Cursor on Target, with no API configured, still shows its status and detections, but its configuration is not available in the plugin until the API is set up.
Related
- WarDragon User Guide, Section 8.3 — WarDragon ATAK plugin
- WarDragon User Guide, Appendix A.3 — API endpoints
- Installing the WarDragon ATAK Plugin
- Sending detections to ATAK, iTAK, and WinTAK by multicast