Using ardupilot with a telemetry radio to send data to your groundstation is the easiest setup and works very well. It is limited by RF range, which is determined by the radio power (more power gives more range but costs more and may require a ham radio license). The range also depends on good line-of-sight between the radios.
It is tempting to take advantage of cellular networks to increase the range. Can a wireless data hotspot on your ardupilot vehicle give “infinite” range? This article shows how to set it up using a raspberry pi as the wifi bridge. You also need a mobile hotspot (either a standalone device or a cell phone in AP mode).
Continue reading “Ardupilot with Mobile Data Telemetry”