ADOS DIRECT LINK

A laptop as the ground station

Direct Link is designed to run the long-range video radio straight on a laptop through a userspace USB driver, so a macOS, Windows or Linux machine becomes the ground station with no dedicated ground computer. The video and telemetry link it builds on ships today on the Ground Agent. Direct Link is in development.
See the video linkGround Agent
HD
Video + telemetry
3OS
Cross-platform target
USB
Userspace radio
Laptop
Is the ground station

THE PATH

Drone to laptop, over the air

The drone streams over the long-range video radio to a USB dongle plugged into the laptop. The laptop runs the ground station itself, with no separate single-board computer in between.

Direct Link
Dronevideo source
HD video + telemetry
Long-range radio linklong-range RF
10 to 50+ km by antennaFEC, no association
USB dongleon the laptop
userspace driverno kernel monitor mode
Laptop ground stationmacOS / Windows / Linux
Mission Controlno separate ground computer
A USB dongle on the laptop replaces the dedicated ground computer. Everything above the radio keeps the same local contract it has today.

TWO LAYERS

The link and the laptop radio

Two separate pieces. The transport that carries video and telemetry runs on the Ground Agent. The userspace USB radio that lets a bare laptop drive it is in development.

The video and data link works now

A Ground Agent receives the HD video link today and serves it to the laptop. Mission Control connects over UDP, TCP or the ground station. With the right antennas and line of sight the link reaches 10 to 50+ km.

Ground station home page with live receive metrics for the drone linkGround station home page with live receive metrics for the drone link

The laptop radio

Direct Link removes the dedicated ground computer by running the long-range video radio on the laptop through a userspace USB driver. Today the radio service has one backend, the Linux kernel monitor-mode path.

HOW IT WORKS

One dongle, any laptop

The radio runs in user space

A userspace USB driver drives the radio dongle directly, with no kernel monitor-mode driver to build. That is what lets the same dongle work on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Nothing above the radio changes

The radio service carries a backend seam, built and tested but not yet on the live path, that keeps one local contract for video, stats and control. Direct Link is designed as a second backend under it, so the encoder, FEC and channel settings, pairing and Mission Control stay as they are.

Video link settings: encoder, radio channel, FEC ratio and link tuningVideo link settings: encoder, radio channel, FEC ratio and link tuning

The same dongle

The design drives the same USB radio dongle a ground station uses today, so one radio works in both setups.

SPEC

Direct Link

Design intent
Ground computer
None (the laptop)
Radio
USB radio dongle
Driver
Userspace, cross-platform
Operating systems
macOS, Windows, Linux
Backend today
Linux kernel monitor mode only
Software above
Standard ground station, unchanged

THE LINK TODAY

Use the shipping ground station now

You do not have to wait for the laptop radio. The Ground Agent runs the same HD video link on a small dedicated node today, and the Workstation connects to it over the standard transport.

Video linkGround Agent

EXPLORE

Related

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One laptop, no ground box

Direct Link is the ground-radio path for the Workstation. Read how the video and data link works today.

See the video link
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