Drone Extend
Command and control without range limits.
Drone Extend connects MAVLink and ArduPilot vehicles to a secure web dashboard over cellular, LTE-M, your own radios, or satellite — so you can monitor, task, and fly drones, boats, and rovers from anywhere, with live video, mission uploads, and manual control when you need it.
See Drone Extend in action
A simulated fleet dashboard. Select a vehicle, change its flight mode, or upload a mission.
- Mode
- —
- Speed
- 0mph
- Altitude
- —ft
- Battery
- —%
- GPS
- —sats
- To waypoint
- —ft
From flight to answers
- 01
Add the communicator
Connect the Drone Extend communicator module to your autopilot's telemetry port. Power it from micro-USB or bare wires with the included adapter.
- 02
Choose your link
Use low-cost LTE-M or cellular data, a radio you already own, or satellite for truly global coverage.
- 03
Open the dashboard
Log in to your private Drone Extend server from any browser, or point Mission Planner at it.
- 04
Fly from anywhere
Arm, change modes, upload missions, watch video, and take manual control — whether the vehicle is across town or across the world.
Drone Extend takes your vehicles beyond radio range. One operator, one browser, and a fleet that can be anywhere with a data link.
One operator, a whole fleet
Run long missions without putting a person on site for every vehicle. Drone Extend has managed a fleet of 17 autonomous survey boats from a single offsite operator, on missions that ran a day or more.
- Live position, mode, and health for every vehicle
- Mission uplink and survey management in the browser
- Manual control to recover a vehicle that gets stuck
Range is set by your data link, not your radio
Fly beyond visual line of sight over the networks that fit the mission — from LTE-M to satellite.
- LTE-M and cellular for affordable, wide coverage
- Bring your own radios for local links
- Satellite for remote and global operations
Keep the tools you already use
Drone Extend works with ArduPilot's ecosystem instead of replacing it. Use the web dashboard, Mission Planner, or both.
- MAVLink / ArduPilot compatible
- Mission Planner connects directly
- Custom integrations for unusual hardware
Your vehicles, your server
Each client runs on their own private server, so no one else has access to your data. Hosting and support are based in the USA.
- Private server per client
- Encrypted command, control, and video
- US-based support from the engineers who built it
What Drone Extend does
Unlimited-range links
Use LTE-M, cellular, your own radios, or satellite. If it can carry data, Drone Extend can carry your command and control.
Works with your autopilot
Compatible with almost any MAVLink / ArduPilot device, including Pixhawk, Mateksys, and YoungRC flight controllers.
Mission Planner, no extra work
Connect Mission Planner straight to your vehicle through Drone Extend. No driver, plugin, or extra hardware.
Fleet operations
Monitor and task many vehicles from one dashboard, so a single remote operator can run missions across sites.
Video & sensors
Stream video, plan and upload missions, and trigger onboard sensors and payloads from the browser.
Private & secure
Every client gets their own private server with encrypted links and US-based hosting and support.
Built for your team
BVLOS & delivery
Monitor and control long-range fixed-wing and VTOL flights from a central operations center — including medical cargo routes of more than 100 km.
Marine & hydrographic survey
Run fleets of autonomous boats on all-day survey missions without a crew on the water.
Public safety & government
Task drones across a county or region from the EOC, over secure links you control.
Robotics & R&D
Copters, fixed-wing, rovers, boats, and custom vehicles — if it speaks MAVLink, it can be connected.
Specs
- Protocol
- MAVLink (ArduPilot)
- Autopilots
- Pixhawk, Mateksys, YoungRC, and most MAVLink devices
- Vehicles
- Multirotor, fixed-wing, VTOL, rover, boat
- Links
- LTE-M, cellular, client radio, satellite
- Ground software
- Web dashboard and Mission Planner
- Hardware
- Communicator module, micro-USB or bare-wire power
- Hosting
- Private server per client, US-based
Common questions
Does Drone Extend work with DJI drones?
Not currently. Drone Extend works with MAVLink / ArduPilot vehicles. DJI uses a closed system that doesn't expose the control access Drone Extend needs. For live video from DJI aircraft, see Scene Stream.
Which flight controllers are supported?
Almost any MAVLink / ArduPilot-compliant device. Popular examples include Pixhawk, Mateksys, and YoungRC.
Can I keep using Mission Planner?
Yes. Mission Planner connects directly through Drone Extend with no driver, plugin, or extra hardware.
Does it work with vehicles that don't fly?
Yes. Beyond copters and fixed-wing aircraft, Drone Extend has been deployed on autonomous boats and tested with rovers and custom vehicles.
How is the communicator module powered?
By micro-USB, or with bare wires into your vehicle's power system using the included adapter.
What data links can I use?
Virtually any. The most common setup uses LTE-M, an IoT cellular technology with broad coverage and very low data costs. Client-supplied radios and satellite links are also supported.
Can you customize it for my hardware?
Yes. We build custom web features and hardware integrations for specialized vehicles and payloads. Tell us what you're working with.
See Drone Extend with your own data.
We'll walk you through it with your sites, your use case, and your questions.