Red Grid Link
v1.6.0 — Field Readiness PreflightSee your whole team on one map — no $850 radio, no TAK server, no account. Just the phones you already carry, syncing encrypted positions over Bluetooth with no cell service.
v1.6.0 adds Field Readiness Preflight — one tap before you step off coverage gives the whole team a single READY / CAUTION / NOT READY verdict.
What Red Grid Link Does
Field Link — Encrypted Team Sync
Auto-discover teammates over Bluetooth LE, with Apple Multipeer Connectivity on iOS and Google Nearby Connections on Android. AES-256-GCM encryption (PIN & QR sessions), no servers, no pairing, no configuration. Sync 2-8 members in real time.
Offline MGRS Maps
Download USGS Topo and OpenTopoMap regions. MGRS grid overlay at all zoom levels. Full offline operation with MBTiles. Never depend on cell service for maps.
11 Tactical Tools
Dead reckoning, two-point resection, pace count, bearing/back azimuth, coordinate converter, range estimation, slope calculator, ETA/speed, declination, celestial nav, MGRS reference.
Team Roles & Coordination
Assign Lead, Scout, Medic, Comms, or custom roles with callsigns. Share waypoints, draw boundaries, get alerts when teammates cross the geofence.
Ghost Markers & Time-Decay
When teammates go out of range, their last-known position stays on your map. Opacity fades over 30 minutes with projected heading vectors.
4 Operational Modes
SAR, Backcountry, Hunting, Training. UI adapts terminology, icons, and quick actions to your mission context.
Built to Work When It Matters
Reliable Peer Discovery
Peer discovery is hardened end to end — both phones find each other fast and stay in sync. AES-256-GCM with ECDH P-256 keys on every PIN and QR session.
Emergency Beacon
One-tap SOS sends your GPS to all teammates. Retransmits every 30 seconds. Full-screen alert with distance and bearing.
Tactical Messaging
7 pre-canned tactical messages plus free text. HELP, STOP, RALLY ON ME, ALL CLEAR, and more. One tap to send.
Connection Health
Signal quality bars for each teammate. Range warnings when signal weakens. Ghost markers keep the last known position visible when a peer drops.
Red Grid Link vs. The Competition
| Feature | Red Grid Link | ATAK | goTenna | Garmin inReach | Meshtastic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free / $3.99/mo | Free (software) | $849+ device | $300+ device + sub | $20-$150 radio |
| Server required | No | TAK Server | No | Garmin cloud | No |
| iOS + Android | Both | Both (iTAK on iOS) | Both | Both | Both |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM + ECDH P-256 | AES-256 + TLS | AES-256 | Proprietary | AES-256-CTR |
| MGRS native | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Offline maps | MBTiles download | Yes | No | Basic | No |
| Max team size | 8 devices | Unlimited | Varies | Unlimited | Varies |
| Accounts required | None | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
| Additional hardware | Phone only | Phone only | goTenna device | inReach device | LoRa radio |
Who It's For
Field Link is direct phone-to-phone sync — no router, no cell tower, no account. Anyone who moves as a team off the grid can use it.
Search & Rescue
See every searcher on one map, assign sectors, drop clue markers, and keep last-known positions visible when a teammate drops out of range.
Hunting Parties
Know where every member of the party is without radio chatter. Share stand locations and stay coordinated across a dark, quiet treeline.
Training & Mil/LE
Run STX lanes and squad movement with live blue-force positions, roles, and callsigns — no TAK server to stand up.
Event & Race Safety
Track marshals, sweep teams, and medics across a course with no cell dependency and a shared map everyone can read.
Ski Patrol & Trail Crews
Coordinate a crew spread across terrain, mark hazards and boundaries, and get alerts when someone crosses a geofence.
Guides & Outfitters
Keep clients and staff on the same map in the backcountry, with offline tiles cached before you leave coverage.
Built For All-Day Operations
<5%
battery/hr
Active Mode
5-second position updates
<3%
battery/hr
Expedition Mode
30-second position updates
<2%
battery/hr
Ultra Expedition
60-second position updates
Pricing
- All 4 operational modes
- 2-device Field Link
- 1 offline map region
- 11 tactical tools
- Red Light theme
- All 4 themes
- Unlimited map downloads
- After-Action Reports
- 2-device Field Link
- Everything in Pro Monthly
- Best value subscription
- All Pro features forever
- 8-device Field Link
- All future updates
- No subscription ever
Pro+Link — bigger teams, no lifetime up front
Everything in Pro plus 8-device Field Link on a subscription — $5.99/month or $44.99/year.
For SAR, hunting parties, and training teams that want to scale past 2 devices before committing to Lifetime.
Enterprise & Teams
Need multi-seat licensing, custom integrations, or priority support for your organization?
Contact UsFrequently Asked Questions
How does Field Link work?
Field Link uses Bluetooth Low Energy and platform peer transports to auto-discover nearby teammates and share encrypted position data. No account or server setup needed. AES-256-GCM encryption with ECDH P-256 ephemeral session keys means new cryptographic keys are generated for every session. Field data syncs peer-to-peer with no Red Grid cloud involved.
Does it work without cell service?
Yes. Red Grid Link uses GPS satellites for positioning and local peer transports for team sync. No cell towers or internet connection required in the field. Download your map regions before heading out and you have full offline operation with MGRS grid overlay, all 11 tools, and team coordination.
What data do you collect?
No accounts, no analytics, no advertising networks, no cloud sync, and no tracking. Your field data stays on your device unless you intentionally share it inside a peer session or export it. Field Link session data is ephemeral and disappears when the session ends.
How is this different from ATAK?
Red Grid Link is a lightweight ATAK alternative built for civilian teams. It works on both iOS and Android (ATAK is Android-only), requires no TAK Server infrastructure, sets up in 30 seconds, and is designed for SAR, hunting, and backcountry teams rather than military operations. No IT department required.
Can I use it for hunting?
Absolutely. Hunting mode adapts the UI with hunting-specific terminology, icons, and quick actions. Track every member of your hunting party on the map, share stand locations, mark game trails, and coordinate without radio chatter. All over encrypted Bluetooth.
Is Android available?
Yes. Red Grid Link is available on the App Store and Google Play. The Android build is public, and current work is focused on field feedback and parity polish.
How far does Bluetooth reach?
Bluetooth range depends on phone hardware, terrain, body position, vegetation, and interference. Treat Link as nearby-team coordination, not a radio replacement. For longer range, pair the workflow with mesh or radio systems; Link keeps a teammate's last known position visible as a Ghost Marker when a peer drops.
What are Ghost Markers?
When a teammate moves out of Bluetooth range, their last-known position stays on your map as a Ghost Marker. The marker's opacity gradually fades over 30 minutes so you can tell how stale the data is. A projected heading vector shows their likely direction of travel based on their last movement.
Navigate solo, too
Red Grid Link is built on the same MGRS engine as Red Grid MGRS — our free solo navigator with 10 tactical tools, offline topo maps, and Meshtastic awareness. Use MGRS on your own; add Link when you move as a team.
Explore Red Grid MGRSReady to coordinate?
Download Red Grid Link and get your team on the map in 30 seconds.