Drones and aircraft. One map.
See received drone Remote ID and aircraft ADS-B tracks together. Inspect identity, position, height, speed, heading and reception age where the broadcast provides them.
Open the live map →Public mapLayer400 featuresDrone intelligence.
Drone intelligence.
Aircraft context.
One live picture.
See the broadcast. Understand the movement. Look ahead. Layer400 brings drone Remote ID, aircraft ADS-B and track analysis into one community-powered platform.
Product capabilities reviewed
The product, at a glance
Follow the signal. Find the story.
A practical toolkit for exploring received drone and aircraft activity—from the first live report to a closer look at the whole flight.
Smart Active Prediction
Look ahead with purple projected paths, time markers and an uncertainty corridor. Estimates adapt to recent motion, including turns, acceleration and hovering.
Explore predictions on the map →Live map · suitable fresh tracksLearns from the next report.
Layer400 compares earlier forecasts with later received positions and adjusts its motion estimate as a track develops. It learns from observed movement—not an assumed flight plan.
How prediction works →Part of Smart Active PredictionActive SWARM detection
Find groups showing sustained shared movement. Open a swarm to inspect members, formation, heading, speed and report-based distances between drones.
Inside a swarm →Live map · received groupsAircraft–drone context
Inspect nearby aircraft and drones together, including supported projected approaches. Horizontal separation stays distinct from height-aware comparisons when compatible altitude data is available.
Understand proximity →When suitable reports are availableGo back through the flight.
Replay available recorded tracks in a chosen area and time window. Inspect identities, flight details and recorded endpoints, with reception gaps left visible.
Explore map and playback →Sign-in and history entitlement applyKnow who heard it.
A track can be heard by more than one ground station. Layer400 shows the receiving-station count and retains separate receiver evidence behind the consolidated track.
See how the network works →Track details · internal provenanceReference positions, in context.
Eligible signed-in users can inspect available Remote ID reference positions. Takeoff, dynamic controller and fixed reports are distinguished, each with its own reception age.
Understand Remote ID fields →Verified, enabled free accountFresh means fresh.
Track state and reception age help separate new reports from temporary gaps. Prediction is presented as an estimate; it does not turn an old report into a fresh detection.
Read the map with confidence →Live map and track detailsYour receiver. A bigger picture.
Add supported Wi-Fi Remote ID reception on a Raspberry Pi, or connect an existing ADS-B feed. Manage your receivers, check connection health and follow your contribution.
Connect a receiver →Supported hardware + accountBuild with Layer400 data.
Use your normal account to request API access. Approved scopes cover RID and ADS-B live or history data, with API keys, revocation and account-level request limits.
Read the API documentation →Approval and scope limits applyReal activity stays distinct.
Engineering TEST broadcasts travel through the receiver pipeline, then are classified centrally. They are kept separate from ordinary genuine-drone views, history and contributor metrics.
How we handle observations →Network-wide data policyThe next few seconds, made visible.
A purple path continues beyond the drone, with future-time markers and a widening uncertainty corridor. It is part of the track—not a separate claim that another detection has occurred.
- Uses recent positions and motion to estimate where a suitable live track may go next.
- Compares forecasts with later reports and adapts to changing movement.
- Uses shorter horizons when evidence is limited; established tracks can support longer estimates.
- Shows reception age and temporary gaps rather than passing an old estimate off as a new report.
Predictions are estimates, not a known route or a collision-avoidance guarantee. They need enough suitable, recent observations.
A group is more than nearby dots.
Layer400 looks at shared motion and formation over recent reports. Click a swarm label to move from the overview to the individual drones behind it.
- Inspect shared heading, speed, formation and how long the pattern has been observed.
- Compare each member with the others using distances between reported positions.
- Explore descriptions such as co-moving, co-turning or fast-moving groups.
- Keep TEST groups separate from genuine drone activity.
A motion pattern does not establish intent. A light show or organised event cannot be confirmed from movement alone.
Layer400, DroneAware and Flightradar24
Choose the tools for your question.
Our focus is drone intelligence with aircraft context. Here is how that fits alongside two established tracking services.
Layer400
Received drone and aircraft tracks together, with adaptive prediction, swarm inspection, playback, receiver evidence and approved business API access.
See the capabilities above ↑DroneAware
Describes a community Remote ID network with a live drone map, detection history and replay, aircraft identification and receiver contribution tools.
Source: DroneAware ↗Flightradar24
Describes global flight tracking built from sources including ADS-B, MLAT, satellite ADS-B and radar, combined with flight and aircraft information.
Source: Flightradar24 ↗Based on the services’ own public descriptions, reviewed 28 September 2026. This is a comparison of focus, not an exhaustive competitor feature audit or a claim of greater coverage or accuracy.
What can I use today?
Is Layer400 a drone tracker or an aircraft tracker?
Both. Layer400 combines received drone Remote ID and aircraft ADS-B reports on one map, with drone-focused tools for prediction, group analysis and inspecting reception evidence.
Do I need an account?
You can explore the public live map without one. History access depends on your account entitlement. Available controller/reference positions require a verified, enabled free account, and business API scopes require approval. See account access.
Will every drone appear?
No. Layer400 shows compatible broadcasts received by the network. Local receivers, supported radio modes, signal conditions and what the aircraft transmits determine what is available. Explore the data sources.
Can I contribute without replacing my existing aircraft feeder?
Yes—Layer400 supports sharing a compatible existing ADS-B feed. The receiver setup is designed to coexist with existing decoder and feeder installations, including supported FR24 setups. Connect an existing feed or choose Remote ID hardware.
Can my business use the data?
Request access through the business API portal using a normal Layer400 account. Approved keys access their assigned live/history data scopes within configured limits. Read the API contract.