Equipment: what you need
A small USB radio receiver, the right adapter for your phone, and an Android phone with Chrome. Start with a receiver from about $40, and move up to a HackRF when you want the full range.
How it connects
Every receiver on this page has two ends: a USB end that plugs into your phone or laptop, and a small gold screw-on SMA (coaxial) jack for the antenna. Product photos often show only the antenna end, but the USB end is always there.
Not a receiver: anything with only coaxial (SMA) connectors and no USB, such as antennas, amplifiers ("LNA"), filters, upconverters and SMA cables. Those are add-ons. The receiver's listing must say USB and either RTL2832U + R820T2 or HackRF.
RTL-SDR stick
A USB stick receiver with an R820T2 tuner. Covers about 24 MHz–1.7 GHz: FM, aviation, marine, public safety, 433 and 915 MHz devices and the lower cellular bands. It doesn't reach Wi-Fi, the 1.9 GHz and higher cellular bands, or mid-band 5G.
Connects with: a USB-A plug on the stick: straight into a laptop, or into a phone through a USB-C OTG adapter. The antenna screws onto the SMA jack at the other end.
- Supported in the app (beta): choose RTL-SDR stick under Receiver
- Tunes up to about 1.7 GHz, which is inside every plan's range
- Look for an R820T2 tuner in the listing
Search on Amazon: Nooelec NESDR SMArt v5 · RTL-SDR Blog V3 (R820T2)
Don't buy the RTL-SDR Blog V4 yet. It uses a different tuner (R828D) that the app doesn't support so far.
You also need: a USB-C to USB-A OTG adapter (phone to stick). Search on Amazon
HackRF
The receiver Consentiva was built around. Covers 1 MHz–6 GHz: everything the starter stick sees, plus Wi-Fi at 2.4 and 5 GHz (and the very bottom edge of 6 GHz Wi-Fi), all cellular bands, mid-band 5G (C-band) and radar bands.
Connects with: a USB port on the board (micro-USB on the HackRF One, USB-C on the HackRF Pro) and a cable to your phone or laptop. The ANT SMA jack is for the antenna; the two small CLK jacks are for lab clocks and stay empty.
- HackRF One: fully supported (being replaced by the Pro, so stock is thinning)
- HackRF Pro: the newer model with USB-C; app support is being confirmed
- Needed for the Full plan's 2.7–6 GHz range
Search on Amazon: HackRF One · HackRF Pro · ANT500 antenna
Avoid unbranded clones. Quality varies a lot. Buy a genuine Great Scott Gadgets unit from an authorised reseller.
You also need: for the HackRF One, a USB-C (phone) to micro-USB OTG cable that carries data; for the HackRF Pro, a USB-C to USB-C data cable. Search on Amazon
Checklist
| Item | Starter | Full range |
|---|---|---|
| Receiver | RTL-SDR USB stick with R820T2 tuner | HackRF One (or HackRF Pro), which has a USB port |
| Phone connection | USB-C to USB-A OTG adapter | USB-C to micro-USB OTG data cable (One) · USB-C to USB-C (Pro) |
| Antenna | Usually included (dipole kit) | ANT500 telescopic or a wideband antenna (not included) |
| Phone or computer | Android with Chrome, or a laptop or tablet with Chrome or Edge (Windows needs a one-time driver step, below). On iPhone, send yourself a one-time phone link and record on any Android. | |
| Optional | A small power bank for long walks, and a pouch or lanyard for the receiver | |
Using a laptop or Windows tablet
The same receivers work on a laptop or tablet in Chrome or Edge (Windows, Mac or Linux): open consentiva.xyz/app, plug the receiver into a USB port and choose it under Receiver.
- Windows needs a one-time driver step. Chrome can only use a receiver with Microsoft's WinUSB driver. Install it with the free tool Zadig (zadig.akeo.ie): Options → List All Devices, pick Bulk-In, Interface (Interface 0) for an RTL-SDR stick or HackRF One, choose WinUSB and click Replace Driver. RTL-SDR sticks always need this; a HackRF often doesn't. The app's set-up steps on Windows walk you through it.
- Location is rougher. Most laptops have no GPS, so Windows estimates position from nearby Wi-Fi, often tens of metres off. Turn on Windows location for your browser. For accurate routes, record on an Android phone or a tablet with GPS.
- Mac and Linux usually need no driver. On Linux, your user may need permission for the USB device (a udev rule).
A laptop's own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas can't be used as a spectrum analyzer: those chips only report finished Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, not the radio signals around them. You still need a USB receiver.
Before your first walk
- Plug the receiver into the phone with the adapter or cable, and screw on the antenna.
- Open consentiva.xyz/app in Chrome and sign in.
- Under Receiver, choose HackRF or RTL-SDR stick, then tap Start walk and pick the device in the box Chrome shows.
- If Chrome says "No compatible devices found", open Set up your Android phone for the receiver in the app and tap Test USB connection.
More detail: HackRF on Android: everything you need. Prices are approximate and change; listings may come from other sellers, so check the tuner and the seller before you buy.
Links go to Amazon search results. Consentiva doesn't sell or ship hardware.
The HackRF can also transmit, and hasn't been tested for compliance with radio transmission rules. Consentiva only receives; using the hardware legally is your responsibility.