Using the Radar

The Radar is AirShare's device discovery feature - your central hub for finding and connecting with other AirShare users on your local network.

What is the Radar?

The Radar tab shows all devices running AirShare on your local network in real-time. Think of it as your "nearby devices" view.

Understanding the Radar Interface

Device Cards

Each discovered device appears as a card showing:

• Avatar/Initial: First letter of device name
• Device name: e.g., "John's MacBook"
• OS icon: Windows, macOS, or Linux indicator
• Status indicator: Online (green dot)
• Last seen: Time of last activity

Card Colors and States

• Blue glow: Active and ready to transfer
• Gray: Offline or timed out (after 30 seconds of no contact)
• Pulsing: Currently transferring

How Device Discovery Works

Automatic Discovery

AirShare uses mDNS (Multicast DNS) for local network discovery:

1. When you launch AirShare, it broadcasts your presence
2. Other AirShare devices on the same network respond
3. Devices appear in your Radar within 5-10 seconds
4. Updates happen automatically every few seconds

Discovery Requirements

For devices to appear in Radar:

• ✅ Both devices must be on the same local network
• ✅ Both devices must have AirShare running
• ✅ Firewalls must allow mDNS and AirShare ports
• ✅ Network must support multicast (most do)

Interacting with Devices

Sending Files

From the Radar, you can send files in two ways:

Method 1: Drag and Drop

1. Drag files from file explorer
2. Drop onto a device card
3. Confirm and send

Method 2: Click to Send

1. Click on a device card
2. Click "Select Files"
3. Choose files and send

Viewing Device Details

Click on a device card to see:

• Full device name
• Operating system
• Last active time
• Transfer history with this device
• Trust status

Managing Discovered Devices

Refresh Devices

Although automatic, you can manually refresh:

1. Click the refresh icon (↻) in the Radar header
2. Or press F5 (Windows/Linux) / ⌘R (macOS)

Device Timeout

Devices are removed from Radar when:

• They close AirShare
• They disconnect from the network
• No response for 30 seconds (soft timeout)

When a device disconnects gracefully, it's removed instantly.

Radar Settings

Discovery Interval

Configure how often AirShare scans for devices:

1. Go to Settings → Network → Discovery
2. Set interval: 1-30 seconds
   • Faster (1-5s): More responsive, slightly more battery usage
   • Slower (10-30s): Better for battery, slower to find new devices

Default: 5 seconds (recommended)

Device Visibility

Control whether your device appears in others' Radars:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Visibility
2. Toggle "Visible to others"
   • On (default): Others can discover and send files to you
   • Off: Invisible mode - you can still send files

Device Name

Change how your device appears to others:

1. Go to Settings → General → Device Name
2. Enter a new name
3. Changes appear in others' Radars within 5-10 seconds

Naming tips:

• Use your name (e.g., "Sarah's Laptop")
• Include device type (e.g., "John's Work PC")
• Keep it short and recognizable

Radar Filters and Sorting

Filter by OS

Show only specific operating systems:

1. Click Filter button in Radar
2. Select:
   • All devices
   • Windows only
   • macOS only
   • Linux only

Sort Devices

Organize devices by:

1. Click Sort button
2. Choose sort order:
   • Alphabetical: A-Z by device name
   • Recent: Last seen first
   • OS: Grouped by operating system

Trusted Devices

Adding to Trusted

Mark devices you frequently transfer with:

1. Click on a device card
2. Click "Add to Trusted"
3. Device gets a star icon ⭐

Benefits:

• Auto-accept transfers from trusted devices (if enabled)
• Easy to identify in Radar
• Appears at top of list

Removing from Trusted

1. Click on the device card
2. Click "Remove from Trusted"
3. Confirm removal

Troubleshooting Radar Issues

No Devices Appearing

Problem: Radar is empty even though other devices have AirShare running

Solutions:

1. Check network connection
   • Ensure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi/network
   • Check Wi-Fi name matches on both devices
   • Avoid guest networks (often isolated)
2. Check firewall settings
   • Allow AirShare through firewall
   • Allow mDNS/Bonjour traffic
   • Temporarily disable firewall to test
3. Verify AirShare is running
   • Check system tray for AirShare icon
   • Ensure app didn't crash or close
   • Check visibility is enabled
4. Network issues
   • Some routers block multicast (mDNS)
   • Enterprise networks often disable multicast
   • Try a different network
5. Restart discovery
   • Quit and relaunch AirShare on both devices
   • Click refresh in Radar
   • Wait 15-20 seconds for discovery

Device Appears Then Disappears

Problem: Device shows briefly then vanishes

Solutions:

• Check network stability
• Ensure device stays connected to network
• Check device isn't sleeping/hibernating
• Verify other device has stable power

Wrong Device Name Shown

Problem: Device name is incorrect or generic

Solutions:

1. On that device: Settings → General → Device Name
2. Change to correct name
3. Will update in Radars within seconds

Duplicate Devices

Problem: Same device appears multiple times

Solutions:

• Restart AirShare on the affected device
• Clear cache: Settings → Advanced → Clear Cache
• Report bug if persists

Advanced Radar Features

Network Diagnostics

Check network connectivity:

1. Click Tools → Network Diagnostics in Radar
2. See:
   • Your local IP address
   • Active port
   • mDNS status
   • Discovered devices count

Manual Device Entry (Coming Soon)

Future feature to manually add devices by IP address when multicast is blocked.

Privacy Considerations

What Others Can See

When you're in someone's Radar, they can see:

• ✅ Your device name
• ✅ Your operating system type
• ✅ Your online/offline status

They cannot see:

• ❌ Your files or folders
• ❌ Your IP address (beyond local network context)
• ❌ Your personal information
• ❌ Other devices you're connected to

Invisible Mode

To be completely invisible:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Visibility
2. Disable "Visible to others"

You can still:

• ✅ See other devices in your Radar
• ✅ Send files to others
• ❌ Cannot receive files
• ❌ Won't appear in others' Radars

Tips for Best Radar Experience

Radar FAQs

Q: How many devices can appear in Radar?
A: No limit! Radar shows all AirShare devices on your network.

Q: Can I block specific devices from my Radar?
A: Not from appearing, but you can set them to "Block all transfers" in device details.

Q: Why does discovery take so long?
A: Discovery happens every 5 seconds. Wait 10-15 seconds for all devices to appear.

Q: Can devices on different networks appear?
A: No, only devices on the same local network (same subnet) can discover each other.

Q: Does Radar work without internet?
A: Yes! Radar uses local network discovery (mDNS), no internet required.

Next Steps