When this applies

Your ELRS receiver won't bind to your transmitter, or binds but the flight controller doesn't respond to stick inputs.

Symptoms

• Receiver LED is off or staying solid (not blinking)
• LED blinks but binding never completes
• TX and RX appear bound but Betaflight shows no stick movement
• "Telemetry Lost" immediately after connecting
• Receiver worked before a firmware update and stopped after

Step 1: Check the LED pattern

The receiver LED tells you what state it's in:

Step 2: Wait 60 seconds after power-on

ELRS receivers have a startup delay of roughly 60 seconds before they enter WiFi/binding mode. If you've just plugged in the battery, the receiver may not be ready yet. Wait a full minute before concluding it isn't working.

Step 3: Match firmware versions on TX and RX

This is the single most common cause of binding failures. The TX module and receiver must run compatible firmware versions.

1. On your transmitter, open the ExpressLRS Lua script and note the firmware version displayed.
2. On the receiver, check the version via WiFi web UI (connect to the RX WiFi hotspot, usually elrs_tx or similar, and open 10.10.1.1 in a browser after the fast-blink LED phase).
3. If the versions differ, update whichever is older using the ExpressLRS Configurator or WiFi flashing.

For the BetaFPV LiteRadio 3 specifically, see our guide on resolving ELRS version mismatch.

Step 4: Confirm Betaflight receiver settings

If the TX and RX are bound (LED is solid after binding) but the flight controller doesn't respond:

1. Open Betaflight → Ports tab. Confirm the UART where the receiver is connected has Serial RX enabled.
2. Go to the Receiver tab. Set Receiver Mode to Serial (via UART).
3. Set Serial Receiver Provider to CRSF (for ELRS and Crossfire).
4. Check physical wiring: the receiver's TX pad goes to the FC's RX pad, and the receiver's RX pad goes to the FC's TX pad. They are crossed.
5. Move the sticks - you should see the channels respond in the Receiver tab.

If channels respond in Betaflight but you still get "Telemetry Lost", check that the telemetry pad (RX on the receiver) is wired to the correct TX pad on the FC.

Step 5: Solid LED that won't go away

A solid LED that doesn't change after 60 seconds usually means:

• The receiver is in bootloader mode (check for bridged boot pads if you flashed via passthrough)
• The UART is pulling the receiver into bootloader mode (caused by a pull-down resistor on the RX pad - try a different UART or add a 300 ohm to 1k ohm resistor between 3.3V and the FC's RX pad)
• The receiver is soft-bricked from a failed WiFi flash

For the soft-brick recovery procedure, see our guide on unbricking an ELRS receiver.

Step 6: Check the binding phrase

The binding phrase must be identical on both the TX module and the receiver, and it is case-sensitive. A single character difference will prevent binding.

In the ExpressLRS Lua script on your radio, verify the phrase under the Binding Phrase setting. On the receiver WiFi page, check it matches exactly.

How to confirm it's working

• The receiver LED turns solid after successful binding (was blinking before)
• Betaflight Receiver tab shows live channel values when you move the sticks
• You see more than 10 telemetry sensors on your radio

Common pitfalls

• Not waiting 60 seconds - the most common false alarm. The receiver isn't dead, it just hasn't finished starting up.
• Mismatched firmware versions - the TX and RX must be on compatible versions. This accounts for the majority of binding issues we see.
• Wiring TX-to-TX - the receiver TX pad must connect to the FC RX pad (crossed), not straight through.
• Wrong UART in Betaflight - Serial RX must be enabled on the specific UART the receiver is physically wired to.
• Assuming hardware fault - "receiver not detected" issues are configuration problems the majority of the time. Check everything above before requesting a return.

Still having trouble?

If none of these steps resolve the issue, please contact us with:

• The exact TX module model and firmware version
• The exact receiver model and firmware version
• A photo of your wiring (especially the TX/RX pad connections)
• What the receiver LED is doing (off, slow blink, fast blink, solid)
• Your Betaflight configuration (Ports and Receiver tabs - screenshots are ideal)