DroneScoutUse DroneScout Bridge
Last reviewed: 2026-10-07
Phones receive only some of the radio signals drones use for Remote ID: an iPhone can't receive Bluetooth Long Range or Wi-Fi Remote ID at all, and many Android phones miss them too (see See more drones on Android). DroneScout Bridge receives all of them — Bluetooth Legacy, Bluetooth Long Range, Wi-Fi Beacon and Wi-Fi NaN, and on the ds110 also 5 GHz — and passes every drone on to your phone as plain Bluetooth, which every phone receives. For most users it's the single biggest improvement in what DroneScout sees. Product details and models: DroneScout Bridge.
Bridge works with every DroneScout plan, including the free one, and with other Remote ID apps that receive Bluetooth.
Step 1 — Power it on
- Power the Bridge over USB-C — from your phone, a USB power bank or a USB charger — or through its JST-SH connector.
The Bridge's blue LED shows what it's doing:
- Solid on — the Bridge is powered.
- Blinking — activity: the Bridge is receiving a drone.
There's nothing to pair or connect: the Bridge simply broadcasts, and DroneScout listens.
Step 2 — Make sure DroneScout can use Bluetooth
DroneScout always scans Bluetooth; there's no setting to switch it off. It only needs:
- Bluetooth switched on in your phone's settings.
- The permissions DroneScout asks for: Bluetooth / Nearby devices, and Location. To check them, tap the ⋯ menu (three horizontal dots), open Preferences, and on the General tab use PERMISSIONS → Open app settings.
On Android you can leave Wi-Fi scanning off when you use a Bridge: the Bridge receives the Wi-Fi drones and passes them on over Bluetooth, which saves battery and avoids Android's Wi-Fi scan limits.
Step 3 — Check the Bridge dot on the map
The map shows a small Bridge status dot in the top-right corner:
- Green — DroneScout receives the Bridge's own status signal. The Bridge is powered and working, and your phone's Bluetooth scanning works. Any drone the Bridge receives will now appear on the map.
- Red — DroneScout hasn't heard from the Bridge in the last 20 seconds. Check the power, Bluetooth and the distance to the phone (see below).
The dot usually turns green within a few seconds after switching the Bridge on. With a subscription you can hide it under Preferences → Misc → Show Bridge map icon.
The Bridge itself isn't counted as a drone, isn't saved in flight history and isn't sent to your server or CalTopo.
Where to put it
- High and in the open. The Bridge receives drones up to about 2 km away with the ds110's antenna (about 1 km with the ds111). Buildings, vehicles, trees and terrain shorten that — a window sill, a car roof or a mast works much better than a pocket or a bag.
- Antenna upright on the ds110.
- Close to the phone. The link from the Bridge to the phone is ordinary Bluetooth, which reaches much less far than the Bridge's own reception. Keep the phone near the Bridge — if the dot turns red when you walk away, you're too far.
Background and other apps
The Bridge keeps working when DroneScout runs in the background, with the same limits as the phone's own scanning — see Keep scanning in the background. Because the Bridge sends standard Remote ID, other Remote ID apps on the same phone see the drones too.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Bridge dot stays red | The Bridge's blue LED is on — if not, it has no power (try another USB cable or power bank); Bluetooth is on in the phone's settings; DroneScout has the Bluetooth / Nearby devices and Location permissions; the phone is close to the Bridge |
| Dot is green, but no drones | If the Bridge's LED doesn't blink, it receives no drone: no drone nearby is broadcasting yet — DJI drones start Remote ID only after take-off, and only where it's mandatory — see Why am I not detecting nearby drones? |
| Dot is green, but a known drone is missing | The drone is out of range or blocked by buildings or terrain; or it broadcasts only on 5 GHz (Skydio, for example), which only the ds110 receives |
| Dot is red with no Bridge around | Hide it under Preferences → Misc → Show Bridge map icon (subscription) |
Where to buy: DroneScout Bridge ds110, worldwide shipping.
The full ds110 manual: PDF.