hi folks... I was thinking about RC planes/quads and I never did a project like this before so I don't know which parts are the better.
So I have 4 xbee pros (wire antenna) here with me, series 2 ZB... so it says they go for like 1.6km... but when I tested them I lefted one at home and went to my friends home (like 6 or 7 houses far from mine) and in the middle of that, the signal got lost... and I went in the street with it and on my laptop, trying to figure out the max distance... and it was like 30 - 50m only... so yep, it's not that good...
So my question is: can I use this guys for RC planes/quads communication... for telemetry, or something? I see people using those 900 mhz modules with extended range... but they are very expensive... I think there might be best options (as they are not gonna be used for multipoint networks)
I see wireless transceiver modules from other frequencies on ebay ( like 433mhz, and stuff) and they have (at least they are labeledto have) a good range...
Also I see this TX/RX RC controllers from hobbyking... like this one: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9042
and you just plug a servo and they work... and people saying this ones can get range like 1.5km and they are like $23... so I think there might be a cheap and useful solution for data transfer... (let's hope lols xD)
So, anyone with experience in long range wireless data communication can tell me if I can use my xbees pros for that? and if not, which modules are good range, quality and low cost? Will 2.4 ghz xbee pros have a good range for the RC planes/quads? (I mean, as I didn't test the "line of sight" range... I can't tell... but also, it's said "urban" so maybe the 2.4ghz stuff we use, like wi-fi, creates interference in the communication and reduces the range)
most of the times is like "what do the community uses in this case?" ... so maybe this is the question I should make =)
just wanna know the solution for this cases :S
thx