RF devices are how you do things in Rust without running a wire. Set a RF Broadcaster or a handheld RF Transmitter to a number, set an RF Receiver or RF Pager to the same number, and the signal reaches it from anywhere on the map, instantly.
This Rust RF receiver guide covers all four RF devices: what each one does, the exact crafting costs from the game files, how to set frequencies, the oil rig and excavator frequencies people listen to, RF C4, the best builds for doors, turrets and raid alarms, how to break them and what they recycle into.
The 4 RF Devices in Rust
Two of the RF devices are deployables you place in your base and wire into your electricity setup. The other two are handhelds you carry on your hotbar.
| Device | Type | What it does | Power | Short name / ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF Broadcaster | Deployable | Sends its frequency for as long as it gets power | 1 rW | electric.rf.broadcaster / -1044468317 |
| RF Receiver | Deployable | Lets power through to its output while it hears its frequency | 1 rW | electric.rf.receiver / 888415708 |
| RF Transmitter | Handheld | Left click sends its frequency, right click sets it. Sets off RF C4 | None | rf.detonator / 596469572 |
| RF Pager | Handheld | Makes a tone when it picks up its frequency. Has a silent mode | None | rf_pager / -566907190 |
The short way to remember it: broadcaster and transmitter send, receiver and pager listen. The broadcaster is the box that sends from your base, the transmitter is the one in your hand. The receiver turns a signal into power in your base, the pager turns it into a beep in your pocket.
How to Craft RF Devices
All four are cheap. None of them needs high quality metal, tech trash or scrap in the recipe. You need a Workbench 2 and the blueprint, which you get from the Engineering Workbench tech tree or by putting a looted one in a research table.
| Device | Recipe | Workbench | Craft time | Research | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF Broadcaster | 150 metal fragments | WB2 | 25 s | 20 scrap | 50 |
| RF Receiver | 150 metal fragments | WB2 | 25 s | 20 scrap | 50 |
| RF Transmitter | 100 metal fragments | WB2 | 25 s | 20 scrap | Not repairable |
| RF Pager | 100 metal fragments | WB2 | 20 s | 20 scrap | Not repairable |
Craft times are from the game files (October 2026). The Facepunch wiki still lists 30 seconds (20 for the pager) at a Workbench 2, which is the older value. All four stack to 1, so you craft them one at a time. The RF Transmitter used to cost 5 HQM and 1 tech trash when RF C4 came out in March 2023; it is plain metal fragments now.
You also find RF devices in loot. Locked crates (including the ones on oil rigs and the Ghost Ship) and mission loot boxes have the best chance, at roughly 1.3 to 1.6% per crate. Elite crates, military crates and scientists drop them more rarely.
Admins can spawn any of them from the F1 console:
inventory.give electric.rf.receiver 1inventory.give electric.rf.broadcaster 1inventory.give rf.detonator 1inventory.give rf_pager 1
See our Rust admin commands and Rust item IDs lists for the rest.
How RF Works in Rust (Broadcaster to Receiver)
- Set a frequency. Open the device (look at a deployed one and press E, or right click a handheld) and type a number from 1 to 9999. Every device in the chain must use the same number.
- Send. An RF Broadcaster sends while power reaches its Power In, so wire a switch, timer, HBHF sensor or anything else that outputs power into it. An RF Transmitter sends when you left click it.
- Receive. An RF Receiver needs its own power: wire a battery or panel into its Power In. While it hears its frequency, it lets that power out of its Power Out to whatever you connect. When the signal stops, the output stops.
- Use the output. Run the receiver into a door controller, a turret, a light, a siren or a logic part. A pager needs no wiring at all; it just beeps.
A few rules that trip people up:
- Range is the whole map. There is no distance limit and no delay, and any number of receivers can listen to one frequency.
- Frequencies are not private. Anyone can send on any number. If someone guesses or finds your frequency, they can trigger your receivers. Avoid lazy numbers like 1234 or 6969; our Rust codes data shows how predictable people are with numbers.
- Changing frequency costs a bit of health. Facepunch added a small amount of damage to the broadcaster and transmitter every time you set a frequency, to stop people scanning through numbers.
- Transmitter clicks are short. A receiver only stays on while the signal lasts. If you want one click to toggle a door or turret and keep it that way, run the receiver into the Toggle input of a Memory Cell, then the Memory Cell into your device.
Rust RF Frequencies for Oil Rig and Excavator
Some monuments send their own RF signal when players start them. Set a pager or receiver to these and you know the moment someone is busy and distracted:
| Event | Frequency | When it fires |
|---|---|---|
| Small Oil Rig | 4765 | Locked crate hacked |
| Large Oil Rig | 4768 | Locked crate hacked |
| Giant Excavator | 4777 | Engine started with diesel |
These numbers come from long-standing community testing and are not printed anywhere in game, so a modded server can change them. Two ways to use them: keep a pager on 4765 or 4768 to catch rig runners on their way back, or wire a receiver on that number into a siren light in your base so your whole group sees it.
RF C4: Detonate Timed Explosives with a Transmitter
Since the March 2023 update, every Timed Explosive Charge can run on RF instead of its timer. In your inventory, select the charge, turn RF on and pick a frequency. Throw it as normal: it beeps for 10 seconds while it arms, then sits there with a green light instead of going off. Send that frequency with an RF Transmitter, or with a powered RF Broadcaster, and every charge on that number goes off at once, from anywhere on the map.
Damage is the same as normal C4, so the costs in our raid calculator still apply. The catch: an armed RF charge can be picked up by anyone who finds it, so do not leave them sitting on a wall for long.
Best RF Builds in Rust
- Remote door or hatch. Receiver into a Memory Cell Toggle input, Memory Cell into a door controller. One click on your transmitter opens it, another closes it. Great for a hidden loot room or a garage on a boat house.
- Turret kill switch. Put a receiver in line on your auto turret power. Send the signal and the turrets go dead so a teammate who is not authed can walk in.
- SAM off switch. Same idea for a SAM site, so you can land your own minicopter without being shot down.
- Raid pager. An HBHF sensor or a laser detector in your loot room powers a broadcaster. Everyone on the team carries a pager on that number, and it beeps the second someone is inside. For alerts on your phone instead, use a Storage Monitor and Smart Alarm.
- Event siren. Receiver on 4768 into a siren light so you know when the Large Oil Rig is being run.
- Computer Station. One RF Broadcaster and one RF Receiver go into every Computer Station, along with a Targeting Computer and 5 HQM.
Each receiver and broadcaster draws 1 rW, so a small solar panel and battery run a whole RF setup. If you are planning the circuit around it, our Electrical Branch and electricity guide cover splitting the power.
How to Destroy and Recycle RF Devices
The RF Broadcaster and RF Receiver have only 50 HP. A raider who spots one needs 3 pump shotgun shells (about 4 seconds), 10 assault rifle rounds (2 seconds), 10 Python bullets or 7 Bolt Action shots. Never spend explosives on them. If you rely on RF for turrets or doors, hide the receiver behind walls rather than in the open, and keep a backup switch.
| Recycler | Broadcaster or Receiver | Transmitter or Pager |
|---|---|---|
| Safe zone (40%) | 60 metal fragments | 40 metal fragments |
| Monument (50%) | 75 metal fragments | 50 metal fragments |
| Powered monument (60%) | 90 metal fragments | 60 metal fragments |
| Red recycler (75%) | 112 metal fragments | 75 metal fragments |
None of them gives scrap. Recycling is only worth it when you have spares from loot. See our recycler guide for how the rates work.
RF Tips
- Pick a random four digit number and write it in your team notes. Change it if a teammate leaves.
- Use separate numbers for doors, turrets and alarms so one click never does the wrong thing.
- Put the pager on silent when you are sneaking, then check it.
- Craft spares. At 100 to 150 frags each, a spare receiver costs less than a lost turret.
- Remember the wipe. Blueprints and builds go on a force wipe, so learn RF early in the wipe when frags are cheap.
RF Devices FAQ
What does an RF receiver do in Rust?
An RF Receiver lets power through from its Power In to its Power Out while it hears a signal on its frequency. You use it to switch doors, turrets, lights or alarms from anywhere on the map with a broadcaster or transmitter. It needs 1 rW of power itself.
How much does an RF receiver cost in Rust?
150 metal fragments at a Workbench 2, about 25 seconds to craft. The blueprint costs 20 scrap at a research table. The RF Broadcaster costs the same.
What frequencies can you use in Rust RF?
Any whole number from 1 to 9999. Every device that should talk to each other has to use the same number, and any player can send on any number.
What is the oil rig frequency in Rust?
The Small Oil Rig sends on 4765 and the Large Oil Rig on 4768 when the locked crate is hacked. The Giant Excavator sends on 4777 when it is started. These are community-tested values.
What is the difference between the RF broadcaster and RF transmitter?
Both send a signal. The RF Broadcaster is a deployable that sends while it gets power, so a switch, timer or sensor can trigger it. The RF Transmitter is handheld and sends when you left click it. Both can set off RF C4.
How do you use an RF pager in Rust?
Set it to a frequency and keep it in your inventory or hotbar. It makes a tone whenever something sends on that number, such as your base alarm broadcaster or an oil rig crate being hacked. It can be set to silent.
How do you detonate C4 with RF in Rust?
Select a Timed Explosive Charge in your inventory, turn RF on and pick a frequency. Throw it, wait for the 10 second arm and the green light, then send that frequency with an RF Transmitter or a powered RF Broadcaster.
Does RF have a range limit in Rust?
No. RF signals reach the whole map instantly, and there is no limit on how many receivers or pagers listen to one frequency.
How much HP does an RF receiver have?
50 HP, the same as the RF Broadcaster. Three pump shotgun shells or ten assault rifle rounds break one, so keep them behind walls.