What devices does Hopper need?
Hopper needs less than most schools expect. The Build Fly Code platform is web based, so it needs a browser and an internet connection. Coding runs at FTWCode.ai on a computer or Chromebook, or in the FTW Code app on an iPad. FTW Fly, the flight app, runs on phones and iPad. Manual flying needs none of them, because every Hopper ships with a physical controller. Students do not create accounts for any of it.
What runs where
| What | Where it runs | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Build Fly Code platform | Any browser on a computer, Chromebook or tablet. Needs internet, like any website. | Internet |
 FTWCode.ai (web) | Desktop, laptop and Chromebook. Chrome or Edge. | Internet + Bluetooth |
| FTW Code (iPad app) | iPad, from the App Store. The browser cannot pair on iPad. | Bluetooth |
 FTW Fly (flight app) | iPhone and iPad via the App Store, Android via Google Play. | Bluetooth + Hopper Wi-Fi |
| Manual flight | Hopper controller, in the box. No phone or tablet. | Bluetooth |
Does the Build Fly Code platform need Bluetooth or a special device?
No. The Build Fly Code platform is where the lessons live. Teachers and students work through them on the platform itself, and the lesson plans, slide decks and student workbooks can also be downloaded. Nothing pairs or transmits to a drone from it. It is web based, so it needs an internet connection like any other website, and it opens in any browser on a computer, Chromebook or tablet. It is not built for phone screens. Bluetooth is involved at one moment in the whole stack: when FTWCode.ai sends a finished program to a Hopper.
Why do I see both FTWCode.ai and FTW Code?
Same coding tool, two surfaces. FTWCode.ai is the web version, the one in the site menu, and it opens in a browser on a computer or Chromebook. FTW Code is the iPad app of the same tool, and that is the name on the icon in the App Store. Use whichever suits the devices your classroom already has.
Does it work on Chromebooks?
Yes, both parts of it. The Build Fly Code platform is web based, so it opens on a Chromebook like any other site. FTWCode.ai runs there too and pairs with Hopper over the Web Bluetooth API, which Chrome supports on Chrome OS. One practical note: some district-managed Chromebook fleets disable Bluetooth by admin policy. If pairing fails on a school Chromebook it is almost always that policy rather than the software, and your IT team can confirm whether Bluetooth is permitted on student devices.
Does it work on iPads?
Yes, and both apps are on iPad: FTW Code for coding and FTW Fly for flying, each from the App Store. The Build Fly Code platform opens in Safari there like any other site, because it needs no Bluetooth. Coding is the one case that needs the app rather than the browser: Safari on iOS and iPadOS does not implement the Web Bluetooth API, so FTWCode.ai in a browser cannot pair with a Hopper. The FTW Code app exists precisely to cover that gap.
Can students code Hopper on a phone?
No. A phone screen is too small for the block coding workspace. FTWCode.ai and the FTW Code app are built for desktop, Chromebook and tablet screens. FTW Fly, which is the flight app rather than the coding app, does run on phones, and on iPad.
What is the difference between FTW Code and FTW Fly?
FTW Code, at FTWCode.ai on the web or as the iPad app, is where students write programs and send them to Hopper. FTW Fly is the flight app for manual and camera flying, and it runs on iPhone, iPad and Android phones. Separate tools for separate jobs, and a classroom can use either or both.
Which browsers are supported?
Chrome and Edge, on desktop, Chromebook and Android. Both implement the Web Bluetooth API that FTWCode.ai uses to reach the drone. Safari does not implement Web Bluetooth on any platform.
Does Hopper join our school Wi-Fi?
No. Hopper carries two independent radios. Bluetooth carries flight control and the programs students write. Wi-Fi carries video and telemetry, and Hopper runs that Wi-Fi in access point mode, meaning a device joins Hopper's own network rather than both joining a school router. That applies whether telemetry is being viewed in FTW Fly or in a browser at 192.168.2.1, Hopper's own address on its own network. Nothing about Hopper touches the school network, so there is nothing for IT to provision. Worth knowing for planning: a device connected to Hopper's access point is off the school network while it is connected.
Do students need their own accounts?
No. Students do not create accounts. There is no roster to upload, no student logins to manage, and no student personal information collected. Hopper also stores nothing onboard: there is no video or photo capture to the drone, so nothing a student records lives on the hardware. Between the two, there is usually nothing left for the student-data paperwork to cover, which is the question underneath the question when a district asks.
Can students fly Hopper without phones, tablets or computers?
Yes. Every Hopper ships with a physical controller, and manual flight uses it directly with no phone, tablet, computer or app involved. Schools that do not allow student devices in class fly on the controller, and use classroom computers only when it is time to code.
What does a classroom need at minimum?
Two things, and they are separate. The lessons live on the Build Fly Code platform, which is web based, so you need a browser and an internet connection. Coding happens somewhere else: FTWCode.ai in Chrome or Edge on a desktop, laptop or Chromebook, or the FTW Code app on an iPad, with Bluetooth on so it can reach the drone. The FTW Code app is a coding tool, not a lesson library, so it does not replace the platform. Wi-Fi carries telemetry, which today means the live camera feed. The controller comes with the drone.
Still not sure it will work on your network?
Send us what your district runs and what its policy allows, and we will tell you plainly whether it works, rather than after you have bought something.
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