Stratux Works With Any EFB — And That’s the Point

A lot of pilots are thinking about their EFB setup right now. App ecosystems change. Companies get acquired. Features disappear. Prices go up. What felt like a permanent tool starts to feel like a subscription you’re stuck in.

Here’s something that doesn’t change: Stratux speaks a standard language. It broadcasts traffic and weather data over WiFi using the same open protocol that every major EFB app reads. ForeFlight®, Garmin Pilot, SkyDemon, WingX Pro7, FlyQ EFB, Naviator — they all work. Change your app tomorrow and your Stratux just works with the new one.

That’s not an accident. It’s the whole philosophy.

How Stratux Talks to Your EFB

Stratux broadcasts a local WiFi network. When your iPad connects to it, Stratux starts streaming ADS-B traffic, weather (NEXRAD, METARs, PIREPs, TFRs), GPS position, and AHRS attitude data over the GDL 90 protocol — the same standard used by certified hardware.

GDL 90 is an open standard. Garmin published it, the FAA references it, and every serious EFB developer has implemented it. When Stratux sends data, apps don’t need to know it’s Stratux. They just see a compliant data source and display it. No app-specific firmware. No pairing process. No proprietary handshake.

Connect to the Stratux WiFi, open your EFB, and traffic appears. That’s the whole setup.

Which EFBs Work?

The short answer: if it supports external ADS-B receivers via GDL 90, it works with Stratux. The confirmed list includes:

ForeFlight® — enable under Devices → Stratux. Traffic, weather, and GPS all come through. AHRS drives synthetic vision if you have the IMU board.
Garmin Pilot — connect via the same WiFi method. Full traffic and weather support.
SkyDemon — used widely in Europe and Canada. Works out of the box. Good choice for flying internationally.
WingX Pro7 — long-standing Stratux-compatible app. Reliable setup, good for VFR cross-countries.
FlyQ EFB — Stratux shows up automatically once you’re on the network.
Naviator — compatible, used by some military and firefighting operations.
AvPlan EFB — popular in Australia and New Zealand, works with Stratux.

The community has also confirmed compatibility with FltPlan Go, AeroWeather, and several others. If you’re evaluating a lesser-known app, look for “GDL 90 external device” support in their feature list — that’s the tell.

Why EFB Agnosticism Actually Matters

Pilot workflow is personal. The EFB you learned on, the one your instructor used, the one your flying club standardized on — these things stick. Forcing a hardware-EFB pairing onto pilots who already have a workflow is how you sell fewer devices and create more support tickets.

So Stratux doesn’t try to lock you in. Never has.

Open source hardware running open protocols means the app ecosystem will always be able to talk to it, even as individual apps come and go. The data format isn’t going to change to favor one vendor. Stratux doesn’t have a preferred EFB partner and no EFB vendor can pay to be “certified” with us, because there’s nothing to certify — it just works.

This is also why repairability matters beyond just fixing a broken GPS module. A repaired, upgraded Stratux from 2018 still talks to a 2026 app update with zero reconfiguration. The continuity lives in the open standard, not in a vendor relationship.

The One Setup Step That Trips People Up

Almost every EFB connection issue comes down to one thing: the app is still using the iPad’s internal GPS instead of Stratux’s GPS. This happens silently — the app connects fine but falls back to the tablet’s location source.

The tell: look for a GPS source indicator in your EFB. In ForeFlight®, it’s in the top bar. In Garmin Pilot, check under GPS in the status overlay. If it says “internal” or shows your tablet’s cellular-assisted location, you’re not getting Stratux’s GPS lock.

Fix: disconnect from all other WiFi networks before connecting to Stratux. Then open the EFB after connecting (not before). On iOS, you may need to confirm “stay connected” when it warns you the network has no internet. Once properly connected, Stratux’s GPS position — typically more accurate than tablet GPS because of the external antenna — becomes the EFB’s primary source.

A Note on AHRS and Synthetic Vision

If your Stratux has an AHRS board (the IMU that measures pitch and roll), it sends attitude data over the same WiFi stream. EFBs that support synthetic vision — ForeFlight®, Garmin Pilot, and others — will show an attitude indicator driven by Stratux’s AHRS.

This is a backup situational awareness tool, not certified avionics. Treat it as a supplement to your primary instruments. For what it is — a ~$20 IMU sending real attitude data to your EFB — it’s a genuinely useful addition to your panel, especially during IMC transitions or unexpected instrument conditions. Set Level in Stratux’s settings while the unit is in its flight position, and it calibrates automatically.

Switching EFBs? Your Stratux Doesn’t Care

If you’re in the middle of evaluating apps — running trial periods, asking around at the FBO, reading threads on r/flying — your Stratux works the same way with all of them. Trial ForeFlight® this month, try Garmin Pilot next month. The hardware doesn’t know the difference.

That flexibility has value, even if you end up sticking with what you know. Owning hardware that doesn’t force you to commit to an app ecosystem means one less vendor relationship you’re dependent on.

Open source. Repairable. Compatible with everything. That’s the build philosophy that makes a $379 ADS-B receiver worth more than it costs.

Ready to connect Stratux to your EFB? Our setup guide walks through the connection in under 5 minutes. Stratux units ship ready to fly from Crew Dog Electronics.