netTAK Install Guide

netTAK turns a Raspberry Pi into a self-contained, infrastructure-free TAK network: a Wi-Fi access point your ATAK/WinTAK devices connect to, an optional long-range HaLow mesh linking multiple nodes with no cell or internet, local DNS/DHCP, and a GPS-disciplined clock. Everything is managed from a built-in web admin UI.

New to Linux / the Raspberry Pi? Follow the steps exactly in order. Every command is complete — you don't need to know where anything lives; copy and paste each line as-is. The only things you change are the values in <angle brackets> (your Pi's address, your login, your chosen node name).

The install has three stages: (1) download the files to your computer, (2) copy them onto the Pi, (3) run the installer on the Pi.

Installing on a PC / mini-PC instead of a Pi? netTAK also runs as a standalone node on x86-64 (Ubuntu Server 24.04) — see the amd64 install guide. (No HaLow mesh on x86; standalone AP only.)

1. Choose your mode

Standalone — a single node: Wi-Fi AP + DHCP + local DNS. No extra radio needed. Free.
Mesh — two or more nodes linked over HaLow (802.11ah sub-GHz) into one network. Requires a Morse Micro HaLow USB radio on each node. Mesh is a licensed feature (30-day trial included; see Licensing).

2. What you need

Raspberry Pi 4B with a microSD card running Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit (Bookworm).
The Pi connected to your network by its wired Ethernet port (you install over the wire, never over Wi-Fi), and its IP address on that network.
The Pi's login — the username and password you set when imaging the card.
A way to copy files to the Pi and to run commands on it:
Windows: WinSCP (free, for copying files — download from winscp.net) and PuTTY or Windows PowerShell (for running commands).
macOS / Linux: the built-in Terminal (uses scp and ssh).
For mesh: a Morse Micro HaLow USB radio on each node, plus the netTAK HaLow radio bundle (also on the download page).
Optional: a serial GPS receiver for precise, offline time.

3. Download the files (to your computer)

On the netTAK download page at activate.xtak.ai, download these to your computer (they'll land in your Downloads folder):

nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz — the netTAK install bundle
SHA256SUMS*.txt — the checksum used to confirm the download is intact
(mesh only) the HaLow radio bundle (e.g. halow-radio-6.12.21-v8+-arm64.tar.gz)

4. Copy the files onto the Pi

You're copying the downloaded files into the Pi's home folder.

Windows — WinSCP (recommended)

Install and open WinSCP.
In the login window: File protocol = SCP; Host name = your Pi's IP address; User name and Password = your Pi login. Click Login (accept the host-key prompt the first time).
WinSCP shows two panes — your computer on the left, the Pi on the right (it opens in the Pi's home folder).
On the left, go to your Downloads folder and drag the downloaded file(s) into the right pane. Wait for the copy to finish.

macOS / Linux — Terminal (`scp`)

Replace <user> and <pi-ip> with your Pi's login and IP:

scp ~/Downloads/nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz ~/Downloads/SHA256SUMS*.txt <user>@<pi-ip>:~/

For mesh, also copy the HaLow radio bundle:

scp ~/Downloads/halow-radio-6.12.21-v8+-arm64.tar.gz <user>@<pi-ip>:~/

5. Connect to the Pi and verify the download

Open a command session on the Pi:

Windows: open PuTTY, enter the Pi's IP, and log in — or in PowerShell run ssh <user>@<pi-ip>.
macOS / Linux: in Terminal run ssh <user>@<pi-ip>.

Then, on the Pi, confirm the bundle copied over intact:

cd ~
sha256sum --ignore-missing -c ~/SHA256SUMS*.txt

It must print:

nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz: OK

If it does not say OK, the copy was incomplete — delete it and copy it again (step 4):

rm ~/nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz    # only if verification failed

Unpack the bundle (this creates the folder ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/):

cd ~
tar xzf ~/nettak-install-*-arm64.tar.gz

6. Run the installer (on the Pi)

Pick a node name ending in a number (e.g. node01, node02) — each node's network address is derived from it (node21 → 10.1.21.1). Run the installer by its full path.

The installer places netTAK in the system folder /opt/nettak — the files you copied into your home folder are just the installer package, and can be deleted once the install finishes.

Standalone node

sudo ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/install.sh <node-name> --mode=standalone
sudo reboot

Example:

sudo ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/install.sh node01 --mode=standalone
sudo reboot

Mesh node

Step A — install the HaLow radio first (once per node):

cd ~
tar xzf ~/halow-radio-6.12.21-v8+-arm64.tar.gz
sudo ~/halow-radio-6.12.21-v8+-arm64/install-halow-radio.sh
sudo reboot

Reconnect (step 5) after it reboots — the HaLow radio is now active.

Step B — install netTAK:

First node in a new mesh:

sudo ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/install.sh <node-name>
sudo reboot

With the HaLow radio present, the installer auto-selects mesh mode.

Adding a node to an existing mesh: on a node already in the mesh, create a join seed from the web admin (Services → Cluster-join package), copy the produced seed.json into the installer folder on the new node (drop it in the same way as step 4, into ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/), then install:

sudo ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/install.sh <node-name>
sudo reboot

The seed carries the mesh identity, key, and AP settings — the node joins automatically.

Optional install flags

Add any of these after the node name:

Flag	Purpose
`--ap-ssid=<name>`	Wi-Fi network name. Default: your node name with any trailing number removed, so a fleet shares one SSID for seamless roaming.
`--ap-password=<pw>`	Wi-Fi passphrase (≥ 8 chars). Default: `password` — change it after install.
`--mesh-ssid=<name>`	Mesh network id. Use the same value on every founding node to form one fleet mesh.
`--nogps`	Skip GPS setup (use when the node has no GPS receiver).

7. First boot and access

After the reboot, the node broadcasts its Wi-Fi AP (and, on mesh nodes, joins the mesh). Open the admin UI in a browser:

https://<pi-ip>:5103/, or from a device connected to the AP, https://<node-name>.xtak.ai:5103/

The first-boot certificate is self-signed, so your browser warns once — accept it to continue.

Log in and change the defaults immediately:

Admin login: username admin, password password → change it on Admin & security.
Wi-Fi AP: default passphrase password → change it on AP.

The built-in operator manual is in the UI at /help.

8. Licensing

Standalone operation is free — no license needed.
Mesh operation includes a 30-day trial. After the trial, mesh is disabled until you install a license (standalone keeps working).
To license a node, open Licensing in the admin UI and either paste a license token (XTAKL1…) issued for the node's hardware, or enter a certificate code from your purchase and Redeem online. Licenses are hardware-tied and verified offline — no internet needed in the field.

9. Verify the install

The admin UI loads at https://<pi-ip>:5103/ and the Dashboard shows the node online.
The Wi-Fi AP is broadcasting and a client can connect and get an address.
Mesh nodes: the Dashboard Mesh card shows neighbor node(s), and you can reach another node's address.
Time: the Dashboard Timing card shows a clock source (GPS when a receiver has sky view, otherwise the mesh floor).

For troubleshooting, see the in-UI manual at /help (Troubleshooting section).

10. Update or uninstall

Update: copy the newer bundle onto the Pi (steps 3–5) and re-run the installer with the same node name — it updates the software in place and preserves your settings.
Uninstall netTAK (keeps the HaLow radio):

sudo ~/nettak-install-*-arm64/uninstall.sh

netTAK is a product of xTAK (Altay Corporation). Support & licensing: Support.

netTAKInstall Guide.