# Scale RF QuadRF

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/quadrf/

13 people recommended Scale RF QuadRF in Hacker News comments, 5 had mixed feelings and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 12 months, in 5 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

9 of the 13 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “QuadRF can spot drones and see WiFi through my wall”.

**Verdict:** Praised as a cheap 4x4 MIMO software-defined radio for finding hidden RF sources; critics say its frequency range and detection angle are narrow.

Summary written by Claude from 24 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 23 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Cheap for a 4x4 MIMO SDR (3 comments in the sample): "you can get full-duplex all digital  phased arrays for cheap" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48813187)) "$500 is a surprisingly good price for a 4x4 mimo SDR." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48865211)) "commoditized to a system cheaper than gaming console" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48864759))
- Cool new 4x4 MIMO design (3 comments in the sample): "Product looks cool, not sure what I’ll use it for but did just purchase it on crowdsupply" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48866600)) "Super cool project I've been following for a while." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48865802)) "Really cool! Just ordered one." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48871590))
- Clever Raspberry Pi hardware hack (2 comments in the sample): "wrung such exceptional RF instantaneous bandwidth out of an RPI alternative interface" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48864244)) "The QuadRF using the rpi's mipi connector was such a glorious hack!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50062005))

## What people warn about

- Narrow frequency range and visibility (3 comments in the sample): "It's a really neat device, but people should realize that it has a very narrow visibility." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48865312)) "this configuration only supports a relatively narrow frequency range" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48862652)) "It also appears to have a fairly narrow detection angle." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48862500))
- Price above what was first promised (3 comments in the sample): "I really can't quite afford $1000 for the $1+$6 pack." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48681266)) "Point still stands that they initially said it would be $50-$100." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48862363)) "Being off by a bit is fine. Being off by 5x to 10x is.. Yikes." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48862316))
- Cannot detect 2.4GHz WiFi or wired (1 comment in the sample): "If it’s 2.4ghz WiFi, or Ethernet wired, or it’s just recording to an sd card, it can’t be detected using the quadRF." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50031225))

## What people recommend instead

- [HackRF One](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hackrf/): 7 recommend, 2 mixed, 2 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.scalerf.com/)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Scale RF QuadRF", https://hackerapproved.com/p/quadrf/ (13 recommend, 5 mixed, 4 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.