What Is Remote ID? ASTM F3411, FAA Part 89 and What a Drone Broadcasts
Remote ID is the drone broadcast defined by ASTM F3411 and required by FAA Part 89: message types, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi NaN transport, and what it can't prove.
Remote ID is a drone's digital license plate. While it flies, the aircraft continuously broadcasts who it is and where it is, and anyone with a compatible receiver can read it. This post covers what is in the broadcast, how it travels, and what it does and doesn't prove.
The rules behind it
In the US, the requirement comes from FAA 14 CFR Part 89. The FAA accepts ASTM F3586-22, an overlay on the ASTM F3411 broadcast standard, as a means of compliance for both aircraft with Remote ID built in and add-on broadcast modules.
The dates, in order:
- Sept. 16, 2022: new drones were required to carry Remote ID. The FAA exercised enforcement discretion for manufacturers until Dec. 16, 2022.
- Sept. 16, 2023: operators were expected to comply.
- March 16, 2024: enforcement against operators began after a six-month extension.
Check faa.gov for anything that has changed since. Other regions have their own regimes. Transport Canada has proposed Remote ID (NPA 2026-005, June 2026) but nothing is in force there yet.
What is in the broadcast
Each message is 25 bytes. The first byte holds the protocol version and the message type. The types are:
| Type | Value | Carries |
|---|---|---|
| Basic ID | 0x0 | UAS ID, ID type, aircraft type |
| Location | 0x1 | Latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, heading, timestamp |
| Authentication | 0x2 | Optional signature data, in pages |
| Self-ID | 0x3 | Free-text description |
| System | 0x4 | Operator location, area, classification |
| Operator ID | 0x5 | Operator registration ID |
| Message Pack | 0xF | Several of the above bundled together |
The UAS ID can be a manufacturer serial number, a registration ID, a UTM-assigned UUID or a session ID. Latitude and longitude are stored as integers in units of 10⁻⁷ degrees, and altitude has a 0.5 m resolution with a −1000 m offset, so a stored value of 0 means "unknown or invalid" for several fields.
How it travels
The standard defines four transports: Bluetooth 4 legacy advertising, Bluetooth 5 long range, Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Networking (NaN) and Wi-Fi Beacon. Because it is a broadcast, there is no connection and no reply. The FAA rule requires a non-proprietary broadcast specification, in spectrum usable without an FCC licence, with error correction.
The open-source Open Drone ID project publishes reference code, a Wireshark dissector and a few sample captures, which is the easiest way to see these bytes for yourself.
What it doesn't prove
The standard includes an Authentication message, but in the US and EU it is optional. Japan requires a signature in it. Without one, a receiver can't tell a genuine aircraft's broadcast from a copy, because anyone can transmit a message with any UAS ID. Treat Remote ID as a claim, not a proof.
It also carries privacy-sensitive data. The System message includes the operator's location, sent in the clear. Anyone sharing a capture should strip or change it first.
What to check in a capture
When you decode a Remote ID capture, useful questions are:
- Do the Basic ID, Location, System and Operator ID messages all appear?
- Which values are marked unknown (zero coordinates, −1000 m altitude, speed 255)?
- Is there an Authentication message at all, and does anything verify it?
Those answers say what a setup is asserting, and what, if anything, backs the assertion up.
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