Operational range of the VOXL 2 mini

[Eric Katzfey]

@Bilal-Hussain Are you asking how far away you can be from a 5G base station and still have enough bandwidth to transmit video? That's not an easy question to answer. Certainly part of it depends on the base station itself. Things like base station antenna design, things like how many other users are using that base station, obstructions in the way between the drone and the base station, etc. etc. It also depends on the video feed itself. Best to choose a video stream with low bandwidth requirements and tolerance to packet loss. Of course the drone transmit chain including PA design, antenna type and placement also play a role. But the VOXL 2 mini has no 5G modem on it's own. A 5G radio is an accessory. I'm curious what the context of the question is. Are you planning to use 5G but know that you will be far away from the nearest base station? What about 4G or 3G in that case? Or maybe don't use cellular at all. There are other options.

[Bilal Hussain]

@Eric-Katzfey What options do I have with the VOXL 2 mini? Without necessarily adding more componentry. I'm looking for a operational range of +10km with video feedback.

Does the VOXl 2 mini have any integrated radio/cellular? What operational range has Modalai achieved or know is a possibility with a certain base station?

[Eric Katzfey]

@Bilal-Hussain No, there is no integrated radio / modem on either VOXL 2 or VOXL 2 mini. It has to be add on boards.

[Vinny]

Hi @Bilal-Hussain
You are certainly veering away from the intended use cases and design goals of VOXL 2 Mini, and instead we'd recommend you look at VOXL 2 so you can use add-on boards such as Eric mentioned like Microhard or a 4G/5G solution.
Modem performance with various base stations is operator/carrier dependent and nothing we can control nor provide metrics on. VOXL 2 can interface with many modems, so I think you might want to first do some modem analysis to see what modem solution will work for your intended use case and constraints.
From there we can help you determine which platform (VOXL 2 or VOXL 2 Mini) can work with your modem and carrier network of choice.

[Bilal Hussain]

Hi @Vinny. I require a minimum operational range of 10km with video feedback. I've selected the MPU5 from Persistent Systems for this application. Since it is portable and can be carried on the body.

GoDaddy Security - Access Denied

(www.persistentsystems.com)

Pair it with a Microhard HP900. It may be possible to achieve 480p up to 80km away, but that's just an assumption.

Microhard - HP900 OEM 900 MHz Spread Spectrum Wireless Modem.

hp900 OEM 900 MHz Spread Spectrum Wireless Modem.

(www.microhardcorp.com)

[Eric Katzfey]

@Bilal-Hussain We aren't familiar with either of those products but a quick scan of the product literature makes me skeptical that they are compatible with each other.

[Vinny]

Hi @Bilal-Hussain
I also encourage you to review our Hardware Expansion Guide.
https://docs.modalai.com/expansion-design-guide/#usb-expansion-over-j3--j5
In there you'll see how we achieve most of our expansion is by USB. So, depending on how much current your target device needs, we can power it directly, or if you need more than the posted VBUS ICC limits for the various plug-in boards, then you can just plan on providing an external power source as well.
Once you further refine your modem/radio of choice, please keep those in mind. It may make your final integration steps much easier to know this info.
Hope this helps!!

[Bilal Hussain]

Hi!

What would get the highest theoretical range if combined with only the VOXL 2 or VOXL 2 mini?

Many of these are compatible with the VOXL 2 mini through dongle mode (What the hell is dongle mode? Does it add weight?). But wouldn't that add more weight than just using the VOXL 2 instead?

[Vinny]

Hi @Bilal-Hussain
What modem and network carrier do you have? That is what determines your range.
We only supply a method with these plug-in boards to use those modems.
That table you posted is how much current over USB each carrier board we have can provide. As long as your selected modem uses less than the rated current of our plug-in boards, then you should be able to achieve the modem manufacturer's published specs for range.

[Bilal Hussain]

@Vinny

I want to use the VOXL2+Doodle Labs Mini-OEM. According to your website it can "routinely transmit full HD video over 20+ km.".

Is it possible to pair it with the VOXL2 mini? Or use the Doodle Labs nano-OEM?

[cantfaxglitter]

@Bilal-Hussain considering you started this post thinking a Microhard is compatible with an MPU5 (They are 100% not compatible) maybe slow down just a bit and reach out to Doodle Labs to see what antennas they recommend for your use case.

Also maybe ask Doodle Labs what their rugged ground radio is going to cost you so you're know it's within your budget.

[Vinny]

Hi @Bilal-Hussain
Please see our docs specifically for Doodle Labs here:
https://docs.modalai.com/doodle-labs-user-guide/

VOXL2 Mini cannot use any of the plug-in boards noted above in that table. The VBUS is very limited and will require your Doodle to use an external power supply sourced from your battery.

Thanks!