"Long" Range Wireless for Unmanned Systems

[antimattercrusader]

This is a bit of unique situation, but I am working on an unmanned boat to which I'd like to connect to via wifi (because of some IP based equipment on board, currently generates it's own wifi AP but has maybe 20ft range).

I know other drone manufacturers have been able to use Wifi for their aircraft, such as the DJI Phantom and 3DR solo and get some decent range - however I am not sure what type of hardware they're using to do it.

Here it what I'm going to try:

• 
  Adding a Wifi router to the boat with 9dbi antennas. The onboard low powered wifi device (via AP mode) and an ethernet based IP camera will connect to this.
  Another router with 9dbi antennas at my base station, configured as a repeater to rebroadcast this signal
  My tablet/computer etc connected to the 2nd router.

If this range needs to be improved, perhaps I can add some amplifiers to both the routers.

Since this is a mobile vehicle, directional links won't work. The data throughput doesn't have to be that great, no 4k video or anything like that - but I'd like to get >2500ft LOS. Certainly DJI has achieved high def video over greater differences.

I currently use seperate links for everything. Video is potato cam-def 5.8ghz, telemetry and navigational control is 900mhz, and R/C manual control is 2.4ghz. None of these have that great of range, not more than 1500ft. So, if I can make this method work at match or exceed that range, it'd be awesome.

What are your thoughts? Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[bill001g]

You are pretty much in the can't be done area once your rule out directional antenna. Even in a large open field you might get 1000ft if you are lucky.
The equipment is all regulated and licensed by the government. You can only transmit at so much power and most equipment already does transmit at this legal maximum. A legal amplifier will still only transmit at this maximum power. You can try to buy illegal ones directly from china but you could just as easy get a empty box. Besides you need to remember that your microwave oven runs on 2.4g also so high power wifi is actually dangerous.

Your only option likely is going to be to go to licensed equipment. There may be a commercial solution. There are also some radio frequencies that you are allowed to use with a amateur radio license that I have seen used to transmit video from drones that are not line of sight. The test are not that hard and fairly inexpensive.

As a later thought why don't you just use cellular broadband and you can be at any distance as long as you are in the signal area.

 

[antimattercrusader]

You are pretty much in the can't be done area once your rule out directional antenna. Even in a large open field you might get 1000ft if you are lucky.
The equipment is all regulated and licensed by the government. You can only transmit at so much power and most equipment already does transmit at this legal maximum. A legal amplifier will still only transmit at this maximum power. You can try to buy illegal ones directly from china but you could just as easy get a empty box. Besides you need to remember that your microwave oven runs on 2.4g also so high power wifi is actually dangerous.

Your only option likely is going to be to go to licensed equipment. There may be a commercial solution. There are also some radio frequencies that you are allowed to use with a amateur radio license that I have seen used to transmit video from drones that are not line of sight. The test are not that hard and fairly inexpensive.

As a later thought why don't you just use cellular broadband and you can be at any distance as long as you are in the signal area.

I understand, yet somehow it's being done. Perhaps it's not "wifi" but it is 2.4ghz and a digital transmission. That said I think it is Wifi because both use a Wifi Card.. for example the 3DR solo uses the MikroTik 800mW card as an upgrade, which will get over a mile in good conditions. With good antennas, people report upto 4 miles

Any idea of the protocol/how the DJI Phantom, 3DR Solo and similar systems are able to get this type of range?

I appreciate the input.

 

[bill001g]

800mw is not all that impressive if that is its final output power. You are allowed to transmit 1000mw by law. Most times this is done with a 250mw radio and 6db of antenna gain. You can go 4watts with direction equipment which is why it has so much more range.

Pretty much the devices that brag the loudest about their power are fairly unknown brands. None are allowed to violate the 1watt power limit. When you research routers almost every router is very close to the legal limit the larger brands just find no need to point this out. The only source of information you can trust is the FCC reports that where they show they comply with the law. All you need is the FCC id of the equipment and you can find out the true story.

You have to be very careful unless people can prove what they are saying. You have lots of people bragging on the internet that have no clue what they are talking about.

Lets put it this way if it was so simple to go many miles with just simple antenna and standard routers would companies even exist that sold directional antenna and radios. Why would people put in huge antenna when a tiny little stick antenna would work.

I suspect the reason they get this range is they lie...or at least mislead like many of the so called hi power wireless devices do.