Radar Screen
The radar screen is a full-screen animated military-style tactical HUD: a sweeping radar arc, live contact blips, a scrolling alert log and readouts ticking over in real time. It is not a prank: it's an ambient "command centre" display for a desk monitor, a stream background, or a prop screen in a video.
Press F11 for maximum realism. Tap or press Esc to exit.
For the best results, add this to the device's home screen. It then opens with no address bar, no tabs and no URL, so there is nothing left to give it away.
None of the tracking data is real, which is exactly what makes it useful. You can point a camera at it or capture the tab without clearing any data. In the same ambience family: Matrix code rain for the falling-green look and the DVD screensaver for pure nostalgia. Want a screen that fools someone? Use the hacker screen.
How to use the radar screen prank
- Open the page on the widest screen you have, ideally a monitor or TV in landscape, and press Launch Full-Screen Prank.
- Give the sweep a few turns: contacts pick up trails, the track queue fills and the alert log starts writing timestamped lines.
- For a video or stream, start recording or capturing once the side panels are busy, or film the display straight on.
- Click anywhere on the radar or press Esc to close it.
Getting the radar screen onto a monitor, TV or tablet
The display is built for wide screens. On a laptop or desktop, press Launch Full-Screen Prank and, if a toolbar remains, F11 on Windows or Ctrl + Cmd + F on a Mac. For a TV, run it from a laptop over HDMI or open the page in the TV's own browser.
On narrower screens the layout rearranges itself and the radar circle shrinks to fit, so a tablet in landscape still looks right, while a phone in portrait gets a cramped version. While it runs, the page asks the screen to stay awake on browsers that support it.
What the radar screen shows, and what it does not do
A green sweep turns over a dark map with range rings. Contacts move across it in three kinds: green dots, amber squares and red arrowheads, each leaving a short trail. Around the edge, panels tick over with sensor readings, signal bars, a track queue, threat and intercept counts, an alert log and a moving waveform, and the SCAN, TRACK and DEFENSE lights change as the picture gets busier.
The clock in the corner shows the device's real time and date in 24-hour format. Everything else is made up by the page. It reads no radar, flight or weather feed, asks for no location and plays no sound.
Making the radar screen look right on camera or at an event
The counters start at zero, so let it run for a minute before filming. By then there are intercepts on the board and a full alert log. Dim the room lights to cut reflections on the glass, and shoot the screen straight on so the side panels stay readable.
Because the clock is real, a scene set at another time of day will show the wrong time; frame it out or blur it in the edit. The same screen suits an escape room, a themed party or a game night on the TV. For a slower backdrop with the same green glow, try the Matrix screensaver.
Frequently asked questions
Is the radar screen tracking anything real?
No. Every contact, bearing, alert and readout is simulated. It's a canvas animation running in your browser with no connection to any radar, flight feed, GPS or data source of any kind. It never asks for your location.
Can I use it as a stream or desk background?
Yes. Go fullscreen and screen-capture the tab for OBS, or leave it running on a second monitor as an ambient "command centre" display. It runs indefinitely and never needs resetting.
Can I use it as a prop in a film or video?
That's one of the main reasons it exists. Point a camera at the screen or capture it directly for a control-room shot. The sweeping arc, ticking readouts and scrolling alert log all move on their own, so it holds up on camera without editing.
Do the blips and alerts follow a pattern?
They're generated with variation rather than looping a fixed sequence, so contacts appear at different bearings and the log fills with different entries. That matters on camera, where an obvious repeat is what gives a fake display away.
Is this a prank?
Not really. There's no punchline or reveal. It's an ambience and prop tool, the same category as the DVD screensaver and Matrix code rain. If you want something that fools someone, the hacker screen is the one you want.
Will it work on a TV or big display?
Yes. It scales to fill any screen, so it works over HDMI on a TV or a large monitor. Bigger is genuinely better here, since the readouts and sweep are the point.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
It loads and scales, but the HUD is laid out for a wide screen, so a tablet in landscape is the smallest size where it still looks right.
Does it use a lot of battery?
More than a static page, since it animates continuously, so treat it like leaving a video playing. On a desktop or a plugged-in laptop that's a non-issue.