Will It Work With Your EFB?
Yes — and that’s the right question to ask first.
Stratux is compatible with ForeFlight®, Garmin Pilot, FlyQ, WingX, and Avare. The connection is dead simple: Stratux creates its own Wi-Fi network, your iPad or iPhone connects to it, and your EFB sees it as an ADS-B source. No dongles, no pairing codes, no app store download required beyond whatever EFB you already use.
ForeFlight® is by far the most common setup. If that’s what you’re flying with, you’re set. Full walkthrough here: How to Set Up Stratux ADS-B for the First Time.
(Note: ForeFlight® is a registered trademark of ForeFlight LLC. Stratux is compatible with ForeFlight — not affiliated or endorsed.)
What You Actually Get
At $379, the prebuilt Stratux from our US store ships as a ready-to-fly unit. A Raspberry Pi, software-defined radio dongle(s), GPS module, and AHRS sensor in a case. You plug it in, connect to the Wi-Fi, and your EFB starts showing traffic and weather. That’s it.
What it delivers in the cockpit:
- ADS-B traffic — aircraft broadcasting ADS-B Out show up on your EFB map
- FIS-B weather — NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, TFRs, PIREPs — all free, FAA-provided, no subscription
- GPS position — feeds your EFB for moving map even without cellular
- AHRS — attitude data for synthetic vision on your EFB (more on this below)
“Open source” isn’t just a tech detail — it matters for you as a buyer. The Stratux community has been improving this software for over a decade. There’s no company that can decide to discontinue the product, lock you to a subscription, or push an update that breaks your setup without warning. You own the hardware. You own the software. That’s unusual in avionics.
The $449 kit option is for those who want to build their own. Either way, nothing is sealed. Every component is user-replaceable. It’s been called the Framework Laptop of aviation — the analogy holds.
What It Won’t Do
This section is the one most buyer guides skip. We’re not skipping it.
ADS-B Out: Stratux does not transmit. It only receives. If you’re flying in Class B, C, or above 10,000 feet MSL in Class E, you need ADS-B Out from a certified transponder or standalone transmitter. Stratux won’t satisfy that requirement. This is the most common misconception — worth being completely clear on.
Certified weather: FIS-B is FAA-provided real weather data, but Stratux is not a certified avionics system. Use it as a supplemental tool alongside certified sources in actual IMC. This is the same limitation that applies to any ADS-B In portable — Stratux isn’t unique here.
AHRS — what it is and isn’t: Stratux includes attitude data (pitch, roll, yaw) from an onboard sensor. For the cost of roughly $20 in components, you get a real synthetic vision backup on your EFB. That’s remarkable. It’s not a certified attitude indicator and shouldn’t be treated as primary — but as a backup awareness tool during unusual attitude recovery or vacuum system failure, pilots consistently find it useful. For best results: mount it level, away from RF interference sources, and let it settle before takeoff.
SiriusXM weather: Stratux uses FIS-B only. No subscription weather streaming.
Pilots respect honesty more than marketing spin. These are the limitations. They’re the same limitations any portable ADS-B receiver has — Stratux is just up-front about them.
The Setup Reality
The “Raspberry Pi” part makes some pilots nervous. It shouldn’t.
When you buy the prebuilt unit, the Pi is pre-configured. It boots automatically when powered. You don’t touch a command line. You don’t install anything. The process is: power it on, connect your iPad to its Wi-Fi network, open ForeFlight — done. Most pilots are looking at traffic and weather in under 20 minutes from opening the box.
The community around Stratux is genuinely active — Discord, GitHub, years of documented answers to common questions. Compare that to calling a tech support line and navigating a phone tree for a sealed device. Open source wins on support, even if it sounds counterintuitive.
Powering it is portable: any USB battery bank works. Mount options range from suction cup to kneeboard to panel mount — pilots have figured out every cockpit configuration imaginable.
Where It Sits in the Market
We’re not going to tell you every other receiver is garbage. That’s not our style, and you’re smart enough to do your own research.
What we will say: as of early 2026, sealed entry-level commercial ADS-B receivers start around $399. Stratux at $379 sits in the same price tier. The difference isn’t the sticker — it’s what happens in year three when something breaks. Replace a $15 GPS module or buy a new $400 device? That’s not a price argument. That’s a right-to-repair argument.
For pilots who want a detailed head-to-head breakdown, our FlightBox V3 vs. Stratux comparison covers the specifics.
One more number worth keeping in mind: a ForeFlight® subscription runs $200/year. Stratux is a one-time hardware purchase on gear you own outright. The math works in your favor pretty fast.
How to Get Started
Two paths:
Buy prebuilt. The Crew Dog Electronics Stratux ships from our Amazon store, ready to fly. Pick one up here — Dual Band is the one most pilots want (traffic from both 978 MHz UAT and 1090 MHz ES aircraft).
Kit builders. The GitHub repo is live, community is active, and the build documentation is thorough. If you enjoy this kind of project, it’s a weekend well spent.
Either way, your next stop after unboxing: Set up Stratux in 20 minutes →
Questions? Crew Dog Discord — real pilots, real answers.
Crew Dog Electronics sells prebuilt Stratux units and components. We’re the team behind crewdogelectronics.com — based in the US, shipping to US and Canada.