4G/LTE Development Drones
4G/LTE and 5G Connected Drones
Cellular connectivity takes a drone beyond visual line of sight. Connected to a carrier network, a VOXL 2 aircraft can be commanded and can stream video from anywhere with coverage, with no range limit imposed by a point-to-point radio link. ModalAI builds two cellular add-ons for VOXL 2, and both work on Starling 2 Max, which is built around VOXL 2.
Cellular Add-ons
| Add-on | What it is | |
|---|---|---|
 |
M0130 LTE Add-on | 4G/LTE modem, I/O breakout and USB hub on one board, plugged into the VOXL 2 high-speed board-to-board connector. Takes Sierra Wireless Smart IoT series modules and ships with either the RC7611 for North American carriers or the RC7620 for Europe, the Middle East and Asia. On the Blue UAS Framework list and NDAA 2020 Section 848 compliant. |
 |
M0090 5G Add-on | 5G modem carrier with an m.2 B-key slot for the Sierra Wireless EM9291, a nano-SIM slot, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 hubs and extra SPI and I2C. Available as a carrier board alone or as a kit with an NDAA-compliant EM9291 and antennas. |
Both add-ons occupy the same high-speed board-to-board connector, so you fit one or the other, not both.
Starling 2 Max
Starling 2 Max is our VOXL 2-powered development drone, built for computer-vision dead reckoning in GPS-denied environments with 500 g of payload capacity. It supports the M0090 5G add-on, and the M0130 LTE add-on works with it as well — so the same airframe can fly BVLOS on whichever network is available to you.
Both add-ons attach over the VOXL 2 high-speed board-to-board connector, so adding cellular is a matter of fitting the board, inserting a SIM and configuring voxl-modem — the airframe, the autopilot and the VOXL SDK stay exactly as they were. Because Starling 2 Max carries 500 g, the add-on and its antennas leave useful payload capacity for whatever the mission actually needs.
Coverage Anywhere
The LTE add-on accepts any of the Sierra Wireless Smart IoT series modules, so with the appropriate WP module and a SIM you can attach to a carrier almost anywhere in the world. A SIM and a cellular data plan are not included with either add-on.
Software
Cellular modems are managed by voxl-modem, part of the VOXL SDK. For flying beyond visual line of sight, see connecting a ground control station over 4G/5G.
Documentation
- 4G LTE modems overview
- M0130 LTE, I/O breakout and USB hub datasheet
- LTE modem user guide
- 5G modem carrier datasheet
- 5G modem user guide
For the boards these add-ons plug into, see VOXL.