One of the questions I get asked fairly often is "what does AirTrack run on?" It's a reasonable question. Most software is built for a specific platform — Windows, Mac, iOS, Android. You pick the one that matches your device and go from there.
AirTrack works differently.
The Server Side
AirTrack is a self-hosted web application. That means it runs on a server — in this case, your own server — and you access it through a browser on whatever device you happen to be using. The server doesn't care what you're accessing it from. Chrome on Windows, Safari on a Mac, Firefox on Linux — it all works the same way.
For most people, that server is a Raspberry Pi. They're cheap, they're quiet, they use almost no power, and they're perfectly capable of running AirTrack. I run mine on a fleet of Pis and they handle everything without breaking a sweat.
But a Raspberry Pi isn't a requirement. If you have an old laptop sitting in a cupboard, a spare desktop, or a Linux box of any description, that works too. Anything that can run Docker can run AirTrack.
The Client Side
Once AirTrack is running on your server, you access it from any browser on your local network. Your phone, your tablet, your laptop — they all connect to the same instance and see the same data.
For field use — when you're out spotting and want to log sightings on the go — AirTrack Mobile is an Android app that connects back to your home server. It works over your home network when you're nearby, and over the internet when you're out.
We also have AirTrack for Windows, which is a desktop client that runs locally and connects to your Pi over the network.
What About Mac?
I'll be straight with you — we don't have a native Mac client. What we do have is a web interface that works perfectly in Safari or any other browser on a Mac. Since AirTrack is a web app at its core, Mac users get the full experience through the browser without needing anything installed.
A native Mac app is something we'd like to build eventually. But right now the web interface covers the bases well enough that it hasn't been the top priority.
The Point
The reason AirTrack works this way — server on your hardware, access from any browser — is that it keeps your data where it belongs. On your hardware, under your control, accessible from whatever device you choose to use today and whatever device you choose to use in five years.
You're not locked into a particular ecosystem. You're not dependent on a company maintaining an app for your platform. You run the server, you own the data, and you access it however suits you.
That's the whole idea.
If you'd like to give it a go, head to the AirTrack page for more details, or jump straight to pricing.