This guide will walk you through it one step at a time. It takes about 5 minutes.
Each screen shows you exactly one thing to do. Take your time — there's no rush.
Use the USB-C cable, into a USB-C wall plug rated 5V 3A. The cable is in the box; the plug isn't.
Most phone and tablet chargers are 5V 3A — check the small print on the plug for a line reading 5V 3A.
Into a mains wall socket rather than a TV USB port, a computer or a power bank. Those don't always supply enough to run a display properly.
The display will flash, then show the message below.
Your display should show:
Press the small RST button on the back of the board, or unplug and plug back in. Wait 15 seconds.
On your phone or tablet, open WiFi settings and connect to this network:
Tap "Join anyway" or "Yes, use this network." This is expected and safe. Make sure it shows as connected before moving on.
Move your phone within 2–3 metres of the display and check again. Press RST on the back of the device to restart it if it still doesn't appear.
On the same phone or tablet, open Safari, Chrome, or Firefox.
The address bar is at the very top of the browser, not the search bar in the middle of the screen. Tap the address bar at the top.
Use Safari. Tap the address bar at the top. Delete whatever is there and type the new address.
Tap the address bar at the top of your browser. Delete anything already there, then type exactly:
Just: 192.168.4.1 — then press Go or the blue arrow button on your keyboard.
Go back to WiFi settings and check you're still connected to "NearestPlane." Your phone may have switched back to mobile data.
✅ A setup form should appear on your screen.
The form asks for your latitude and longitude. These are two numbers that pinpoint your home. If these are wrong, the display will show nothing.
Open latlong.net in your browser, type your address, and it shows your latitude and longitude ready to copy straight into the form.
Go to www.latlong.net in any browser, on your phone or computer.
Enter your street address or postcode in the search box and press Find. You can also click your house on the map to fine-tune the pin.
Your Latitude and Longitude appear in boxes below the map — something like 51.5074 and -0.1278. Copy each one into the matching field on the form.
The form needs decimal coordinates like 51.5074. If you see numbers with the ° symbol, minutes and seconds (like 51°30'27"N), that's the degrees format — the display can't use it. latlong.net shows the decimal version by default.
Some examples:
Don't swap the two numbers around · Copy the minus sign exactly as latlong.net gives it to you — longitude is negative west of Greenwich (London is -0.1278) and positive east of it (Zurich is 8.5417, no minus) · Always include a decimal point (51.5 not 51)
Now tell the display which WiFi to connect to — your normal home internet.
Capital letters matter. A wrong password is the most common reason setup fails. Double-check it carefully before moving on.
Move the display closer to your router, then press RST on the back to rescan. If it's still missing, you can type the network name manually in the "Not listed?" box.
The display doesn't support 5GHz WiFi. If your router uses the same name for both bands, just select it — it will connect to the right one automatically.
The rest of the form has a few preferences. The defaults are fine for most people — just check these two things:
Night mode times use UTC/GMT. If you're in the UK in summer (BST), subtract 1 hour from your local time — for example, 11pm local = 10pm UTC.
Scroll to the bottom of the form and tap the big button:
Don't let it go to sleep. Scroll the page occasionally to keep it awake. The display needs up to 2 minutes to restart and connect — this is normal.
Watch the display. After a minute or so it will show:
Your NearestPlane is now live. Allow up to 30 seconds for the first flight to appear.
You're done! Enjoy your NearestPlane. The display updates every 30 seconds with the nearest aircraft.
✈️ Track any flight in the world — following a loved one home? Put their flight on your display with a live progress bar at nearestplane.com/tracking.
🛩️ Bookmark your device hub — settings, tracking and help all live at nearestplane.com/device. Save it now and you'll never hunt for a link again.
They are on the back of the display, next to the USB-C socket. You will not need them day to day — everything is changed online at nearestplane.com/settings.
Your home WiFi password was entered incorrectly — it's case-sensitive. Hold bottom two buttons (UP + DOWN) together until it starts to reset (up to 10 seconds) to restart setup and try again.
Your coordinates were probably entered incorrectly. You can fix this without touching the display: go to nearestplane.com/settings, enter your WiFi network name, and correct them under Location. Get the numbers from latlong.net — and make sure you use the decimal numbers (51.5074), not the degrees format (51°30'27"N).
Usually replies within a few hours.
Two parts, about 5 minutes total.
Use the USB-C cable, into a USB-C wall plug rated 5V 3A. After about 10 seconds the display should show:
Press the small RST button on the back of the board, or unplug and replug. Wait 15 seconds.
On your phone, open WiFi settings and connect to:
Tap "Join anyway." Make sure it shows as connected before moving on.
Move your phone within 2–3 metres of the display. Press RST on the back to restart it if it still doesn't appear.
Open Safari, Chrome, or Firefox on the same phone.
Tap the address bar, delete whatever is there, then type the address below.
The setup form should load. If it doesn't, go back to WiFi settings — your phone may have switched to mobile data.
Enter your latitude and longitude. If these are wrong the display will show nothing. The easiest way to find them:
Open www.latlong.net · Type your address and press Find · Copy the Latitude and Longitude numbers into the form. Use the decimal numbers (like 51.5074) — not the degrees format with the ° symbol.
Don't swap the two numbers · Copy the minus sign exactly as latlong.net gives it — negative west of Greenwich (London -0.1278), positive east of it (Zurich 8.5417) · Always include a decimal point (51.5 not 51)
Select your home network from the dropdown, then enter your password.
Capital letters matter. A wrong password is the most common reason setup fails — double-check carefully.
The display doesn't support 5GHz. If your router uses one name for both, just select it.
The defaults are fine for most people. Just set the radius to 25 miles or more — there's no downside to a larger number. Leave everything else as it is.
Times use UTC/GMT. UK in summer (BST): subtract 1 hour — e.g. 11pm local = 10pm UTC.
Scroll occasionally to prevent it sleeping. The display needs up to 2 minutes to restart and connect.
Watch the display. After about a minute it will show:
You're done! The display updates every 30 seconds with the nearest aircraft.
Home WiFi password was entered incorrectly. Hold bottom two buttons (UP + DOWN) together until it starts to reset (up to 10 seconds) to restart setup and try again.
Coordinates were probably incorrect. Hold bottom two buttons (UP + DOWN) together until it starts to reset (up to 10 seconds), then re-enter the decimal numbers from latlong.net.
They are on the back, next to the USB-C socket. You will not need them day to day — everything is changed online at nearestplane.com/settings.
Furthest from the USB-C socket — restart. A quick press switches the display off and on. That is all it does: it never opens setup mode and never changes a setting.
The middle one — hold it to stop following a particular flight and go back to the sky above you. It does nothing the rest of the time.
The bottom two together — hold both, the pair closest to the USB-C socket, until the display starts to reset — up to 10 seconds. It does not react straight away. That is setup mode, for re-entering your WiFi or location. It has to be both of the pair.
Usually replies within a few hours.