Flight Tracker Mach 2 Setup Guide

Get your Mach 2 connected and tracking flights in just a few minutes. All you need is a USB-C cable and a computer running Chrome or Edge.

Step 1 — Connect via USB

Flight Tracker Mach 2 uses USB Web Serial for setup — no app downloads or Bluetooth needed. When you first power on the display, it will cycle through setup instructions on the LED matrix, including the setup URL.

  1. Plug in your Flight Tracker to your computer using the included USB-C cable.
  2. Open Chrome or Edge on your computer and go to setup.flighttrackerled.com.
  3. Click the "Connect Device" button on the setup page. Your browser will prompt you to select a USB serial device — choose your Flight Tracker from the list.

Once connected, the setup page will show your device status and you're ready to configure Wi-Fi.

Tip: Web Serial requires a desktop browser — Chrome or Edge on macOS, Windows, or Linux. It does not work on phones or tablets. If the device doesn't appear in the list, try a different USB-C cable or port.

Step 2 — Connect to Wi-Fi

With your device connected via USB, the setup page will let you get your Flight Tracker onto your home Wi-Fi network.

  1. Click "Scan Networks" to see a list of nearby Wi-Fi networks.
  2. Select your home Wi-Fi network from the list, or type the network name (SSID) manually if it's hidden.
  3. Enter your Wi-Fi password and click "Save and Connect."

The display will restart and connect to your Wi-Fi network. The LED matrix will confirm once it's online. At this point, you can unplug the USB cable — your Flight Tracker will run on its own from the power supply going forward.

Entered the wrong password? The display will fail to connect and return to setup mode. Just reconnect via USB at setup.flighttrackerled.com and try again.

Step 3 — Set Your Location

Once your Mach 2 is on Wi-Fi, it runs a built-in settings dashboard you can access from any device on the same network. Open a browser and go to the IP address shown on the LED matrix during startup (or find it in your router's connected devices list).

The first thing to configure is your location — this tells the Flight Tracker where you are so it can find flights in your area. You have two easy options:

Option A — Search by Address (Recommended)

  1. In the Location section of the dashboard, type your address, city, or ZIP code into the search field.
  2. Click Search. The dashboard will automatically set your home coordinates and create a 20-mile tracking area around your location.
  3. Click Save to apply.

That's it — for most users, the automatic 20-mile area works great right out of the box.

Option B — Custom Area with bboxfinder.com

Want to fine-tune your tracking area? You can draw a custom rectangle on a map:

  1. Go to bboxfinder.com and draw a rectangle around the area you want to monitor.
  2. Copy the URL from your browser's address bar.
  3. Paste the URL into the "Custom Boundary" field on your Flight Tracker dashboard and click Apply.

You can also use the preset buttons on the dashboard to quickly set a 20-mile or 40-mile tracking area centered on your home location. All changes take effect immediately — no restart needed.

Step 4 — Add Your FlightAware AeroAPI Key

Specific flight tracking and Departure Board mode need a FlightAware AeroAPI key. The key lets your Mach 2 request live flight status data from FlightAware. Keep this key private, just like a password.

  1. Go to flightaware.com/aeroapi/signup/personal.
  2. Create or sign in to your FlightAware account.
  3. Choose the Personal AeroAPI tier if you are using the display for personal or academic use.
  4. Complete FlightAware's signup and billing steps. FlightAware's Personal tier is usage-based, so review their current pricing and included monthly credit before enabling it.
  5. Open your FlightAware My AeroAPI portal and copy your API key.

Next, upload the key to your Flight Tracker:

  1. Open the Mach 2 settings dashboard by entering the device's IP address in a browser.
  2. Find the FlightAware AeroAPI or API Key field in the dashboard.
  3. Paste the key exactly as copied. Do not add spaces before or after it.
  4. Click Save, Upload, or Apply, depending on the dashboard label.
  5. Use the dashboard's test button if available. A successful test means the display can reach FlightAware and the key is valid.

Tip: If the dashboard reports an invalid key, copy the key again from FlightAware and make sure you are pasting the AeroAPI key, not your FlightAware password. Also confirm the Mach 2 is online and your network is not blocking outbound HTTPS traffic.

Step 5 — Use Specific Flight Tracking and Departure Board

With your location and AeroAPI key saved, choose the mode you want from the settings dashboard.

Specific Flight Tracking

  1. Open the Display Mode or App selector and choose Specific Flight, Track Flight, or similar.
  2. Enter the airline and flight number, such as UA970, AA100, or DAL123. Use the airline code plus the number, with no spaces, unless your dashboard shows a separate airline field.
  3. Click Save or Apply. The display will look up that flight and show live status, route, timing, and position details when available.
  4. If the flight is not found, check that the flight is active today, confirm the airline code, and try the flight number exactly as shown on FlightAware.

Departure Board

  1. Open the Display Mode or App selector and choose Departure Board.
  2. Enter the airport code you want to watch. Use the three-letter IATA code for most airports, such as ORD, LAX, or JFK. If your dashboard asks for ICAO, use four letters, such as KORD, KLAX, or KJFK.
  3. Choose Departures. If your firmware also supports arrivals, make sure the board is set to the correct direction.
  4. Set how many flights to show if the option is available. A smaller list is easier to read on the 64x32 matrix and usually uses fewer result pages.
  5. Click Save or Apply. The board will refresh on the schedule set in the dashboard.

Tip: Large airports can return many flights. Start with a smaller result count and a slower refresh interval, then adjust once the board is working.

Limit API calls by changing the Departure Board refresh frequency

FlightAware charges by usage, and some airport calls can return multiple result sets. To reduce calls, use the dashboard's Departure Board Refresh, Refresh Frequency, Polling Interval, or similar setting.

  • Recommended starting point: refresh every 10-15 minutes for a normal desk or home display.
  • Lower usage: refresh every 20-30 minutes if you mostly want an ambient airport board and do not need second-by-second updates.
  • Higher freshness: refresh every 5 minutes only if you are actively watching the board. Avoid very short intervals unless you understand your FlightAware usage.
  • Limit result pages: if the dashboard has a max pages, number of flights, or results setting, keep it low. Fewer returned records can mean fewer billable result sets.
  • Pause when not needed: switch to an offline scene, clock, or overhead tracking mode when you do not need live departure data.

Rule of thumb: a 10-minute refresh is about 144 departure-board checks per day; a 30-minute refresh is about 48 checks per day. Slower refreshes are the easiest way to control usage. You can also check your FlightAware usage in the My AeroAPI portal; reporting may not be real-time, so leave a buffer instead of running close to your limit.

Step 6 — Customize Your Display

From the same settings dashboard, you can customize how the Mach 2 behaves day to day:

  • Adjust brightness — Set the LED brightness to match your room.
  • Switch display modes — Move between overhead flight tracking, specific flight tracking, Departure Board, clock, scenes, and other available apps.
  • Set flight filters — Filter overhead tracking by altitude, distance, or aircraft type to see exactly what you want.
  • Update airport or flight choices — Change the tracked flight number or departure airport anytime from the dashboard.

All settings save automatically or after you click Save, depending on the control. You can access the dashboard anytime from any device on your Wi-Fi network by opening the Flight Tracker's IP address in a browser.

Your Mach 2 also receives free OTA updates automatically over Wi-Fi, so new features and improvements are delivered straight to your display without any action on your part.

Troubleshooting

  • Device not showing up in the browser? Make sure you're using Chrome or Edge on a desktop computer (Web Serial doesn't work on phones or tablets). Try a different USB-C cable or USB port. Make sure the display is powered on.
  • Setup page says "firmware did not answer"? Unplug the USB cable, wait a few seconds, plug it back in, and click Connect again.
  • Entered the wrong Wi-Fi password? The display will fail to connect and return to setup mode. Reconnect via USB at setup.flighttrackerled.com and re-enter your credentials.
  • No overhead flights showing? Your tracking area may be too small or positioned over a low-traffic region. Try expanding to the 40-mile preset on the dashboard, or use bboxfinder.com to draw a larger custom area.
  • Specific flight not found? Confirm the flight is active for the current date, use the airline code plus flight number, and try the same identifier on FlightAware to verify it exists.
  • Departure Board is blank? Check that the airport code is correct, the AeroAPI key is saved, and the refresh interval is not set so long that the board has not updated yet.
  • Worried about API usage? Increase the Departure Board refresh interval, reduce the number of displayed flights, and check the API Usage tab in FlightAware's My AeroAPI portal.
  • Can't access the settings dashboard? Make sure your phone or computer is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Flight Tracker. Check your router's device list for the tracker's IP address.
  • Need to start over? Connect via USB and use the Clear WiFi option on the setup page to reset your network settings.
  • Need help? Contact us anytime through the Contact page — we're happy to help.