Sentry Plus FAQs

 

IS SENTRY PLUS A "DUAL-BAND" ADS-B RECEIVER?

Yes, Sentry Plus has internal antennas for both UAT (978 MHz) and 1090ES (1090 MHz) frequency bands.

WHAT CAPABILITIES DOES SENTRY PLUS PROVIDE?

Sentry Plus receives traffic information on UAT (978 MHz), 1090ES (1090 MHz), and the European FLARM standard (SRD860 band [868.2-868.4]). When in proximity to a ground station, Sentry Plus also receives FIS-B weather, NOTAMS, and TFR information. ADS-B ground station reception will usually not be available until airborne. Sentry Plus can also receive air-to-air traffic information from ADS-B Out equipped aircraft and re-broadcast traffic information (ADS-R and TIS-B) from FAA ground towers. Keep in mind that if your aircraft is not equipped with ADS-B Out, then you will have a limited view of traffic on ForeFlight.

Additionally, Sentry Plus has integrated CO monitor and alarm, up to 18 hours of continuous battery life, built-in WAAS GPS, backup attitude (AHRS), FLARM traffic support, barometric pressure sensor, onboard memory for Weather Replay™, and supports up to 5 devices.

WHAT IS FLARM TRAFFIC?

FLARM is an air-to-air traffic protocol, often used in Europe by gliders and other airplanes, that displays traffic on the map. Viewing FLARM traffic in ForeFlight Mobile requires an app-specific FLARM decoding license, which can be purchased as an add-on to a ForeFlight subscription plan including the ForeFlight Europe region.

WILL I SEE ALL NEARBY TRAFFIC WHILE USING SENTRY PLUS?

The traffic displayed by Sentry Plus may not represent all nearby traffic, especially if you have not yet installed an ADS-B Out transmitter in your aircraft. See this article from iPad Pilot News for an explanation of how having ADS-B Out capability affects your traffic picture.

CAN SENTRY PLUS RECEIVE ADS-B AND FLARM TRAFFIC SIMULTANEOUSLY?

Yes, Sentry Plus can receive 1090MHz & 978 MHz & FLARM all simultaneously.

HOW CAN I MAXIMIZE SENTRY PLUS INFLIGHT RECEPTION?

Reception is dependent on a number of factors, including your Sentry Plus location and orientation in the aircraft, aircraft configuration, and your aircraft’s location.

Sentry Plus Location & Orientation: Mounting Sentry Plus upright on a side window will provide the best reception, but if no side window is available you can also mount Sentry Plus on the dash with the status lights towards the front of the aircraft.

Aircraft Configuration: All ADS-B receivers have poor reception through alternating current (AC) heated windshields, as the construction of such windshields tends to block ADS-B signals. Heated window solutions that utilize direct current (DC) do not block radio signals, by contrast. If your aircraft has an AC-heated front windshield, try mounting Sentry Plus on any non-heated windows to see if reception improves.

Aircraft Location: It is normal to receive little or no ADS-B tower reception below about 1,000 feet AGL since ADS-B signals depend on line of sight. If you are not in range of any ADS-B towers, you will not see any weather in ForeFlight and your traffic picture will be limited to nearby ADS-B Out equipped aircraft. See this article for an explanation of how ADS-B towers and ADS-B Out capability affects traffic picture.

CAN I USE MY OWN MOUNT?

Yes, Sentry Plus can be used with any mount that has a ¼”-20 bolt (same as a standard camera tripod). To do this, use a 4mm hex key to remove the quick release adapter from Sentry Plus and then you can screw in any other ¼”-20 bolt.

WHAT DOES THE CO ALARM SOUND LIKE?

The CO Alarm can be triggered for testing purposes via the “Test CO Alarm” button on the Device Status page. The LED will not change color, but the high-pitched alarm will sound. To turn off the alarm either press the power button or press the “Mute Sentry Plus for 5m” button on the Device Status page.

DOES SENTRY PLUS PROVIDE GPS DATA?

Yes, Sentry Plus has a built-in WAAS GPS for the display GPS data in ForeFlight Mobile, including aircraft position, altitude, ground speed, and more.

DOES SENTRY PLUS PROVIDE AHRS (BACKUP ATTITUDE) CAPABILITY?

Yes, Sentry Plus has built-in digital AHRS to enhance the Synthetic Vision feature in ForeFlight Mobile.

HOW DO I CALIBRATE SENTRY PLUS AHRS?

You can calibrate Sentry Plus AHRS while connected to it by tapping the attitude indicator button at the top of Maps to open Synthetic Vision, then tapping the gear button in the bottom-left corner to access the AHRS calibration options. Tap Calibrate AHRS to open the AHRS adjustment interface, tap Zero Pitch & Bank to zero the attitude indicator, then tap Done in the top-left to save the new calibration.

DOES SENTRY PLUS HAVE BAROMETRIC PRESSURE SENSOR?

Yes, using its built-in barometer, Sentry Plus can display cabin pressure and pressure altitude in ForeFlight Mobile’s Instrument Panel on the Maps view.

HOW MANY DEVICE CONNECTIONS DOES SENTRY PLUS SUPPORT?

Sentry Plus supports up to 5 simultaneous device connections to its Wi-Fi network.

DOES SENTRY PLUS INCLUDE A FLIGHT DATA RECORDER?

Yes, Sentry Plus has automatic on-device track logging and seamless importing to ForeFlight for postflight review.

Automatic Track Logging: Sentry Plus automatically begins recording a new track log with every power cycle and can store up to 16 separate track logs before deleting the oldest ones.

Importing Track Logs to ForeFlight: You can manually import track logs from Sentry Plus or use the automatic track log import setting. A step-by-step for both can be found in the Sentry Pilots Guide on page 28 and 29. 

(PRO TIP) Perfect Hobbs Time Tracking: To have your Tracklog times display the same as your Hobbs Meter, use both automatic tracklog import and auto power. The Logbook setting “Draft Entry Creation” needs to have “Track Log” selected to automatically turn those imported track logs into draft Logbook entries.

DOES SENTRY PLUS HAVE AN INTERNAL BATTERY?

Yes, Sentry Plus has an internal battery that supports up to 18+ hours of continuous use. Sentry Plus has the longest running battery charge than any out-of-the-box ADS-B receiver currently on the market, providing non-stop situational awareness for the long haul.

HOW DO I MAXIMIZE BATTERY LIFE?

Sentry Plus is built to maximize battery life. We streamlined and compressed the communications between ForeFlight Mobile and Sentry Plus, which results in the more efficient use of the Sentry Plus processors and extended battery life. The biggest factor affecting battery life is LED and OLED brightness. Lowering the LED and OLED brightness as much as possible will extend your Sentry Plus battery life even more. Sentry Plus Wi-Fi power is dynamically adjusted and does not require user control. Additionally, Sentry Plus includes an Auto On/Off feature to help preserve battery life even further.

HOW DO I CHARGE SENTRY PLUS?

Sentry Plus comes with a high-quality USB Type-C cable in the case. Sentry Plus should be charged by connecting the charging cable to any A/C adapter, laptop, or panel-mounted USB port.

While the Sentry Plus is charging the PWR LED will turn blue. A full charge of a completely empty battery will take 10-12 hrs. The Sentry Plus will charge most quickly when turned OFF while charging.

WHAT DO THE LIGHTS ON SENTRY PLUS MEAN?

ADS-B Indicator:
Green: Receiving from multiple towers
Yellow: Receiving from one tower
Red: No reception

GPS:
Green: Good fix
Yellow: Weak fix
Red: No fix

PWR:
Green: Battery good (>30%)
Yellow: Battery low (<30%)
Red: Battery critical (<20%)
Blue: Charging

HOW BIG IS SENTRY PLUS AND HOW MUCH DOES IT WEIGH?

Sentry Plus weighs 210g (0.46 lbs) and measures 110mm x 85mm x 32mm (4.3in x 3.3in x 1.3in).

WHAT APPS DOES SENTRY PLUS WORK WITH?

Sentry Plus works with ForeFlight Mobile version 14.5 and above.

WHAT DEVICES DOES SENTRY PLUS WORK WITH?

Sentry Plus works with any iOS device that can run ForeFlight Mobile version 14.5 or above. This means that older iOS/iPadOS devices that cannot upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 14 or later (to be able to install ForeFlight Mobile 14.5 or later) will not work with Sentry Plus.

Unsupported devices include:
iPad 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations
iPad Mini 1
iPhone 4, 4S, and all older generations
iPod Touch 4 and older

Check out our Buying Guide for an up-to-date list of which devices are supported on the current ForeFlight version.

HOW DO I CONNECT TO SENTRY PLUS IN FOREFLIGHT?

Hold the Power Button until the PWR light illuminates to power on Sentry Plus. (Holding the Power Button again will turn Sentry Plus off)

Open the Settings app on your iPad or iPhone and go to Wi-Fi. The Sentry Plus Wi-Fi network name will be “SentryPlus_XXXX” where “XXXX” is a sequence of numbers and letters. Tap on the Wi-Fi network to connect.

Open ForeFlight and go to More > Devices to confirm that Sentry Plus is connected. Tap the Sentry Plus icon to view detailed information about the connection and information being received.

WHAT WI-FI SECURITY SETTINGS DOES SENTRY PLUS PROVIDE?

ForeFlight allows you to set a WPA2 password for the Sentry Plus Wi-Fi in the “Wi-Fi Settings” menu at the bottom of More > Devices > Sentry Plus. You can also disable SSID broadcast, requiring someone to know the name of the Sentry Plus Wi-Fi network to connect to it. You can also change the Wi-Fi network’s name.

HOW DO I UPDATE SENTRY PLUS FIRMWARE?

Sentry Plus uses convenient over-the-air firmware updates via ForeFlight Mobile. When updated firmware is available, ForeFlight Mobile will display a message with instructions on how to update.

HOW DO I RESET SENTRY PLUS TO FACTORY SETTINGS?

You can reset Sentry Plus to factory settings by powering on the device and then press and hold the power button until the LEDs flash white. If you have forgotten your WPA2 password, you can use a factory reset to reset this password. Factory reset will also wipe the Sentry Plus of all tracklogs stored on the device.

IS SENTRY PLUS AVAILABLE FOR FLEET SALES?

Contact sales@foreflight.com for more information.

WHO SHOULD I CONTACT IF I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH SENTRY PLUS?

Please email team@foreflight.com if you encounter any problems while using Sentry Plus.

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN AND/OR REFUND POLICY FOR SENTRY PLUS?

Please email team@foreflight.com if you have questions about Sentry Plus returns and/or refunds.

WHAT WARRANTY DO YOU PROVIDE FOR SENTRY PLUS?

Sentry Plus manufacturer, uAvionix, provides a one year warranty for defective units. Read full warranty here.

What is the lifespan of the Sentry Plus Carbon Monoxide sensor?

The expected lifespan for the CO sensor is 10 years. Sentry Plus is covered by a one-year manufacturer warranty.

What company manufactures Sentry Plus?

Sentry Plus is manufactured by uAvionix, an innovative avionics company based in Palo Alto, California.

What is the current firmware version for Sentry Plus, Sentry, and Sentry Mini?

The current firmware version for Sentry Plus is v1.0.10, while Sentry and Sentry Mini are v0.2.42. The current ADS-B firmware version is v2.4.44.