Communications Suite

Every Feature, Explained

Metro Radio is more than a radio resource. It's a full in-game communications suite built for serious FiveM roleplay servers — from handheld units on patrol to dispatch consoles running the whole operation.

Channel System NUI Interfaces Security & Access Dispatch Integration

Channel System

Department-Controlled Channels

Every department runs its own isolated channel tree. No bleed, no overlap — just clean, organized comms.

Per-Department Channel Trees

Each in-game department (Police, Fire, EMS, custom) gets its own set of channels configured independently. Channel numbers, labels, and access rules are all set per department in config/departments.lua.

› Departments never share channel slots. A Police CH-1 and a Fire CH-1 are completely separate — players on one cannot hear the other unless cross-department override is triggered.

Config-drivenIsolated per departmentUnlimited departments

Channel Types

Metro Radio supports three channel types: Patrol (open to all department members), Command (restricted to senior ranks), and Emergency Override (broadcasts to all active units across all departments simultaneously).

› Channel type is set in config. Emergency Override is triggered by a keybind or dispatch action and cannot be blocked by encryption — it always cuts through.

PatrolCommandEmergency Override

Cross-Department Comms

Authorized units can be granted access to channels outside their primary department — useful for joint operations, task forces, or mutual aid scenarios.

› Cross-department access is granted via ACE permissions or through the in-game dispatch panel. Access can be revoked at any time without a server restart.

Joint operationsACE-controlledRuntime grant/revoke

NUI Interfaces

Two Ways to Use It

Metro Radio works fully in-game through NUI, and also exposes a web-based dispatch panel accessible from any browser — both stay in sync in real time.

Handheld Radio NUI

The in-game handheld radio is a fully animated NUI panel that players open with a keybind. It shows current channel, signal strength, push-to-talk status, and a channel selector.

› The handheld unit can be item-gated via ox_inventory — players need a radio item in their inventory to open it. Disable item gating in config for unrestricted access.

Animated NUIItem-gated optionalPush-to-talk indicator

Vehicle Console NUI

When inside a vehicle, players can open the vehicle-mounted console — a larger NUI panel with expanded channel management, a live dispatch feed, and unit status display.

› The console automatically detects when the player enters or exits a vehicle. It can be restricted to specific vehicle classes or models in config.

Auto-detects vehicleExpanded channel viewLive dispatch feed

Web Browser Dispatch Panel

Metro Radio includes a web-based dispatch console accessible from any browser — no need to be in-game. Dispatchers can monitor all active channels, assign units, and push priority traffic from outside the game.

› The web panel syncs with the in-game resource in real time. Ideal for dedicated dispatchers who manage comms from a second screen or separate device.

Browser-accessibleReal-time syncNo in-game client required

Security & Access

Encryption & Permissions

Keep sensitive channels locked down with per-channel encryption and granular ACE permission control.

Per-Channel Encryption

Each channel can be assigned an encryption key in config. Only players with the matching key — granted via job grade or ACE permission — can transmit or receive on that channel.

› Encryption keys are server-side only. Players cannot inspect or brute-force them from the client. Changing a key takes effect immediately without a restart.

Server-side keysPer-channelInstant key rotation

ACE Permission System

Every Metro Radio action — opening a channel, broadcasting, accessing the dispatch panel, triggering emergency override — is gated by a named ACE permission.

› Permissions follow the pattern metro_radio.<action>. Assign them to groups in server.cfg or grant them dynamically at runtime. Full permission list is in the documentation.

Named ACE permissionsGroup or individualRuntime grant/revoke

Job-Grade Channel Locking

When using ESX or QBCore, channels can be locked to specific job grades. A rookie officer on grade 0 only sees patrol channels — command channels unlock automatically when they rank up.

› Grade-based locking is evaluated server-side on every channel open attempt. Players cannot bypass it from the client.

ESX & QBCoreServer-side checkAuto-unlocks on rank-up

Dispatch Integration

Connected to Your Dispatch

Metro Radio hooks into your server's dispatch resource so calls, unit assignments, and status codes flow through the radio network automatically.

Dispatch Call Routing

Incoming dispatch calls are automatically routed to the relevant department channel as a priority traffic broadcast. Units on that channel see the call in their NUI without switching screens.

› Call routing is configurable — you can map call types to specific channels or broadcast to all department channels simultaneously.

Auto-routedPriority traffic flagConfigurable mapping

Unit Status Codes

Players can set their unit status (10-8 In Service, 10-7 Out of Service, 10-6 Busy, etc.) directly from the radio NUI. Status updates are broadcast on the dispatch channel and visible in the web panel.

› Status codes are fully customizable in config. Add, remove, or rename codes to match your server's SOPs.

Customizable codesNUI status selectorVisible in web panel

Transmission Range

Handheld radios have a shorter configurable transmission range than vehicle-mounted consoles. Out-of-range transmissions are degraded or dropped, adding tactical depth to large-map RP scenarios.

› Range is set per channel type in config. Disable range simulation entirely for servers that prefer unrestricted comms.

Per-channel rangeHandheld vs vehicleOptional — disable in config

See It in Action

Ready to add Metro Radio to your server? The deployment guide walks you through setup in minutes.

View Deployment Guide