intercept/docs/HARDWARE.md

Hardware & Advanced Setup

Supported SDR Hardware

Hardware	Frequency Range	Price	Notes
RTL-SDR	24 - 1766 MHz	~$25-35	Recommended for beginners
LimeSDR	0.1 - 3800 MHz	~$300	Wide range, requires SoapySDR
HackRF	1 - 6000 MHz	~$300	Ultra-wide range, requires SoapySDR

INTERCEPT automatically detects connected devices.

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Quick Install

macOS (Homebrew)

# Install Homebrew if needed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Core tools (required)
brew install python@3.11 librtlsdr multimon-ng rtl_433 ffmpeg

# ADS-B aircraft tracking
brew install dump1090-mutability

# WiFi tools (optional)
brew install aircrack-ng

# LimeSDR support (optional)
brew install soapysdr limesuite soapylms7

# HackRF support (optional)
brew install hackrf soapyhackrf

Debian / Ubuntu / Raspberry Pi OS

# Update package lists
sudo apt update

# Core tools (required)
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv python3-skyfield
sudo apt install -y rtl-sdr multimon-ng rtl-433 ffmpeg

# ADS-B aircraft tracking
sudo apt install -y dump1090-mutability
# Alternative: dump1090-fa (FlightAware version)

# WiFi tools (optional)
sudo apt install -y aircrack-ng

# Bluetooth tools (optional)
sudo apt install -y bluez bluetooth

# LimeSDR support (optional)
sudo apt install -y soapysdr-tools limesuite soapysdr-module-lms7

# HackRF support (optional)
sudo apt install -y hackrf soapysdr-module-hackrf

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RTL-SDR Setup (Linux)

Add udev rules

If your RTL-SDR isn't detected, create udev rules:

sudo bash -c 'cat > /etc/udev/rules.d/20-rtlsdr.rules << EOF
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTRS{idProduct}=="2838", MODE="0666"
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTRS{idProduct}=="2832", MODE="0666"
EOF'

sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

Then unplug and replug your RTL-SDR.

Blacklist DVB-T driver

The default DVB-T driver conflicts with rtl-sdr:

echo "blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-rtl.conf
sudo modprobe -r dvb_usb_rtl28xxu

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Multiple RTL-SDR Dongles

If you're running two (or more) RTL-SDR dongles on the same machine, they ship with the same default serial number so Linux can't tell them apart reliably. Follow these steps to give each a unique identity.

Step 1: Blacklist the DVB-T driver

Already covered above, but make sure this is done first — the kernel's DVB driver will grab the dongles before librtlsdr can:

echo "blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-rtl.conf
sudo modprobe -r dvb_usb_rtl28xxu

Step 2: Burn unique serial numbers

Each dongle has an EEPROM that stores a serial number. By default they're all 00000001. You need to give each one a unique serial.

Plug in only the first dongle, then:

rtl_eeprom -d 0 -s 00000001

Unplug it, plug in the second dongle, then:

rtl_eeprom -d 0 -s 00000002

Pick any 8-digit hex serials you like. The -d 0 means "device index 0" (the only one plugged in).

Unplug and replug both dongles after writing.

Step 3: Verify

With both plugged in:

rtl_test -t

You should see:

0:  Realtek, RTL2838UHIDIR, SN: 00000001
1:  Realtek, RTL2838UHIDIR, SN: 00000002

Tip: If you don't know which physical dongle has which serial, unplug one and run rtl_test -t — the one still detected is the one still plugged in.

Step 4: Udev rules with stable symlinks

Create rules that give each dongle a persistent name based on its serial:

sudo bash -c 'cat > /etc/udev/rules.d/20-rtlsdr.rules << EOF
# RTL-SDR dongles - permissions and stable symlinks by serial
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTR{idProduct}=="2838", MODE="0666"
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTR{idProduct}=="2832", MODE="0666"

# Symlinks by serial — change names/serials to match your hardware
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTRS{serial}=="00000001", SYMLINK+="sdr-dongle1"
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTRS{serial}=="00000002", SYMLINK+="sdr-dongle2"
EOF'

sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

After replugging, you'll have /dev/sdr-dongle1 and /dev/sdr-dongle2.

Step 5: USB power (Raspberry Pi)

Two dongles can draw more current than the Pi allows by default:

# In /boot/firmware/config.txt, add:
usb_max_current_enable=1

Disable USB autosuspend so dongles don't get powered off:

# In /etc/default/grub or kernel cmdline, add:
usbcore.autosuspend=-1

Or via udev:

echo 'ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{power/autosuspend}="-1"' | \
  sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/50-usb-autosuspend.rules

Step 6: Docker access

Your docker-compose.yml needs privileged mode and USB passthrough:

services:
  intercept:
    privileged: true
    volumes:
      - /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb

INTERCEPT auto-detects both dongles inside the container via rtl_test -t and addresses them by device index (-d 0, -d 1).

Quick reference

Step	What	Why
Blacklist DVB	/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-rtl.conf	Kernel won't steal the dongles
Burn serials	rtl_eeprom -d 0 -s <serial>	Unique identity per dongle
Udev rules	/etc/udev/rules.d/20-rtlsdr.rules	Permissions + stable /dev/sdr-* names
USB power	config.txt + autosuspend off	Enough current for two dongles on a Pi
Docker	privileged: true + USB volume	Container sees both dongles

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Verify Installation

Check dependencies

python3 intercept.py --check-deps

Test SDR detection

# RTL-SDR
rtl_test

# LimeSDR/HackRF (via SoapySDR)
SoapySDRUtil --find

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Python Environment

Using setup.sh (Recommended)

./setup.sh

This automatically:

• Detects your OS
• Creates a virtual environment if needed (for PEP 668 systems)
• Installs Python dependencies
• Checks for required tools

Manual setup

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

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Running INTERCEPT

After installation:

sudo ./start.sh

# Custom port
sudo ./start.sh -p 8080

# HTTPS
sudo ./start.sh --https

Open http://localhost:5050 in your browser.

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Complete Tool Reference

Tool	Package (Debian)	Package (macOS)	Required For
rtl_fm	rtl-sdr	librtlsdr	Pager, Listening Post
rtl_test	rtl-sdr	librtlsdr	SDR detection
multimon-ng	multimon-ng	multimon-ng	Pager decoding
rtl_433	rtl-433	rtl_433	433MHz sensors
dump1090	dump1090-mutability	dump1090-mutability	ADS-B tracking
ffmpeg	ffmpeg	ffmpeg	Listening Post audio
airmon-ng	aircrack-ng	aircrack-ng	WiFi monitor mode
airodump-ng	aircrack-ng	aircrack-ng	WiFi scanning
aireplay-ng	aircrack-ng	aircrack-ng	WiFi deauth (optional)
hcitool	bluez	N/A	Bluetooth scanning
bluetoothctl	bluez	N/A	Bluetooth control
hciconfig	bluez	N/A	Bluetooth config

Optional tools:

Tool	Package (Debian)	Package (macOS)	Purpose
ffmpeg	ffmpeg	ffmpeg	Alternative audio encoder
SoapySDRUtil	soapysdr-tools	soapysdr	LimeSDR/HackRF support
LimeUtil	limesuite	limesuite	LimeSDR native tools
hackrf_info	hackrf	hackrf	HackRF native tools

Python dependencies (requirements.txt):

Package	Purpose
flask	Web server
skyfield	Satellite tracking
bleak	BLE scanning with manufacturer data (TSCM)

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dump1090 Notes

Package names vary by distribution:

• dump1090-mutability - Most common
• dump1090-fa - FlightAware version (recommended)
• dump1090 - Generic

Not in repositories (Debian Trixie)?

Install FlightAware's version: https://flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/install

Or build from source: https://github.com/flightaware/dump1090

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TSCM Mode Requirements

TSCM (Technical Surveillance Countermeasures) mode requires specific hardware for full functionality:

BLE Scanning (Tracker Detection)

• Any Bluetooth adapter supported by your OS
• bleak Python library for manufacturer data detection
• Detects: AirTags, Tile, SmartTags, ESP32/ESP8266 devices

# Install bleak
pip install bleak>=0.21.0

# Or via apt (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install python3-bleak

RF Spectrum Analysis

• RTL-SDR dongle (required for RF sweeps)
• rtl_power command from rtl-sdr package

Frequency bands scanned:

Band	Frequency	Purpose
FM Broadcast	88-108 MHz	FM bugs
315 MHz ISM	315 MHz	US wireless devices
433 MHz ISM	433-434 MHz	EU wireless devices
868 MHz ISM	868-869 MHz	EU IoT devices
915 MHz ISM	902-928 MHz	US IoT devices
1.2 GHz	1200-1300 MHz	Video transmitters
2.4 GHz ISM	2400-2500 MHz	WiFi/BT/Video

# Linux
sudo apt install rtl-sdr

# macOS
brew install librtlsdr

WiFi Scanning

• Standard WiFi adapter (managed mode for basic scanning)
• Monitor mode capable adapter for advanced features
• aircrack-ng suite for monitor mode management

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Notes

• Bluetooth on macOS: Uses bleak library (CoreBluetooth backend), bluez tools not needed
• WiFi on macOS: Monitor mode has limited support, full functionality on Linux
• System tools: iw, iwconfig, rfkill, ip are pre-installed on most Linux systems
• TSCM on macOS: BLE and WiFi scanning work; RF spectrum requires RTL-SDR