Drones have always been a fun topic to discuss. Everyone these days wants a drone, and why wouldn’t they? With the camera quality and the experience, new models are coming with and at a reasonable price, who would want not to try it? But what’s fun in the drone if you can’t fly it high up in the sky? However, flying it far away comes with the risk of your drone going out of its range. But you should not stay back just because something might happen and you are not sure about it. In this guide, we will talk to you about how to increase your drone’s range without it losing signals or falling straight from the sky.
Every drone in the market comes with a different flight range. The range varies whether we are talking about a high-end drone or a low-end drone. You will get a better range in the high-end drones compared to cheaper ones.
Nevertheless, with the technological advancement that we are seeing in the industry, you can now get an adequate flight range even in drones at a reasonable price. But it is always better and more fun to have a more extended range, and that is why we are here to guide you on how to extend drone range.
Can you increase the drone range?
This is the first question that comes to everyone’s mind when we discuss increasing a drone’s range. Especially if you are a beginner and don’t know much about the drive, it is very much possible to increase your drone’s range.
You can get a couple of signal boosters in the market and other equipment that can efficiently increase how far drones can go. All you have to do is invest some extra money, and you are good to go.
Nevertheless, if you don’t have the budget anymore, there is one way the drone’s range can increase, but you will have to modify the entire device for that.
What frequencies do drones use?
What frequency are drones using? It is a highly technical question that not many pilots have asked. However, the more you understand your drone, the more you will know. Drones communicate through radio waves that are centered on specific radio frequencies. These are what you might also call bands.
The drones use frequencies ranging from 20-kilohertz (kHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). While flying a drone, both controller and the drone function as transmitters and receivers. To make it simple for you a transmitter transmits information using radio waves at an exact frequency. In addition, the receiver is tuned to the same frequency in order to take the signal.
How far away can a drone fly from its controller?
It mainly depends on the kind of drone that you own. Every drone’s range varies from the other. Therefore there is no simple answer to how far can drones go. It depends on the price and classification of your drone. However, there are some other factors on which a drone’s range depends. Such factors include trees, mountains, buildings, cell towers, the type of antenna beings used, the antenna’s position, and the power of the transmitter that you are using. These can decrease your drone’s range from what is being advertised by the company. As they primarily act as interference between you and the drone.
How to increase drone range?
Now that you know that you can increase your drone’s range now comes the question of how to extend the drone range. Well, there are a bunch of ways you can use to increase your drone’s range. Some of these methods are mentioned below.
1. Drone signal booster
Signal boosters always come in handy when talking about increasing the signal range of anything. But the main question is, do they really work as efficiently as people say they do? Well, they are famous for a reason. A drone antenna booster or a signal extender can increase your drone’s range from up to 15% to 30%, which is pretty impressive. You can quickly get them in the market, and they are not even expensive; thus, getting your hands on them is an easy task to do. The drone’s range will increase to a noticeable extent, and you can enjoy a more extended, far away flight of your drone.
2. Reduce the interference between the drone and the controller
If you are piloting your drone in a city or anywhere near it, there are chances that many other signals are traveling in the air, which might be from your cell phone, cell phone tower, or power lines. These are the factors that you have no control over.
Thus, the only options you have to avoid drone signal interference are either fly your drone somewhere away from the city life where other signals are less. Or the other is to fly your drone higher.
If you go high enough while staying in your drone’s advertised range, there are chances that you will surpass all other signals in the air, and the interference will get minimum, letting you pilot the drone to its full potential range.
3. Position of your drone and controller
Another thing you should consider to increase your drone’s range is your drone’s position and the controller. Or you can put it as to remove all the obstacles between you and the drone. The signals of your drone from the controller get interfered with by anything that comes in between your path.
That can be a tree, a building, a mountain, or anything tall enough to interfere with the signals. The best way to avoid these and get the maximum range of your drone is by piloting your drone in an open field or a ground where there are no buildings or mountains.
Or, if you are in a mountainous area, find the highest point where you can get and pilot your drone from there so that you can have minimum obstacle interference.
4. Check the weather
Weather plays a vital role in your drone’s range. Now, as we all know, it is not recommended to fly your drone in the rain or in heavy air. But what most people don’t know is even the rate of moisture in the air and fog can also affect your flight range.
Thick fog and a high moisture rate can immensely reduce your drone’s range; thus, always keep the weather in mind while taking a flight. Never take a flight during foggy weather if you need a better flight range. Sunny days are the ideal weather conditions for piloting your drones efficiently.
5. Orientation of the drone and the controller
The orientation of your drone and controller matters a lot. If you are using a linear polarized antenna, It is essential to keep your controller in the same direction your drone is in to maximize the drone’s signals. This will increase the overall range of the drone and will help you pilot the drone more efficiently.
However, some say that pointing the controller toward the drone will not do anything, but you should keep the controller towards the sky, which will help. You can try either of these, but both will give you the same results in my experience. Moreover, you can also get yourself an antenna extender, which will help immensely to increase the range of your drone.
6. The transmitter power
It’s a given that the more powerful the transmitter, the higher the distance of your drone’s range will be. You must be aware that the range of drones will be directly related to the square roots of the strength of your transmitter.
So, if you increase the power of the transmitter, your drone’s range will expand. Therefore, you should always get a high-powered transmitter to increase the range of your drone.
7. Get a Wi-Fi repeater
The most well-known type of transmission system that drones use is wifi. One of the most effective ways to boost the range of your drone is to increase your wifi signals. There are a variety of gadgets that you can utilize to improve your drone’s wifi range. One of these systems is the drone wifi repeater system.
The wifi repeater amplifies the signals from the wifi, which gives your drone an increased range than it did before. It will cost you money to buy the repeater, but it will be well worth it. But remember that the process of setting up a wifi repeater isn’t easy, especially for new to the field.
8. Ensure the right frequency connection
As I have stated previously, frequency plays an essential aspect in the drone’s range. For example, a 2.4 GHz is your ideal connection when flying your drone over greater distances. Specific models today come with the possibility of switching between 2.4 and 5.8.
It is recommended to set it to 2.4 GHz if you want your drone to travel over some distance. But if you’re flying the drone in a busy area or an area where signal interference is very high, you should use the 5.8 GHz frequency if you need a safe and reliable experience piloting.
9. Use the right FPV range settings
In the event that we are discussing flying FPV growing its signal, things get somewhat tricky. This is due to the fact that video signals are clearly much more challenging to transfer as opposed to standard single-dimensional signals.
In order to expand the range of FPV, you’ll have to be aware of the settings of your drone. You’ll need to create entire surveillance and controlling system. This can be accomplished by flying your drone at 2.4 GHz or 1.2 GHz frequency and altering the antenna configuration to accommodate the FPV flight.
It is also necessary to boost your drone’s battery capacity, which you can accomplish by arranging your batteries and also using UHF radio devices. If you follow these steps, you can boost your drone’s range.
10. Modify your drone
Modifying your drone’s settings is more complicated and technical than other options discussed above. It is best only to consider it if you’ve been flying for some time. However, if you’re an amateur, you should stick to more straightforward methods.
If you want to modify your drone, you’ll need to ensure that the antennas in the drone are placed beneath it in a manner that the drone’s battery doesn’t interfere with the drone’s signal. This will decrease the battery’s interference with the drone’s signal, so you’ll get a greater range for your drone.
Conclusion
In this guide on ways to extend the range of your drone, we’ve covered ten strategies that you can employ to get longer flight time. This allows you to increase the range of your drone more than the range advertised in the company. You can boost the range of your drone by making use of an appropriate FPV range extender, drone wifi range extenders, altering its settings, and using the proper type of drone’s environment.
Add a Comment