Recommended Starter Kit
The hardware you need for a complete drone streaming build — Pi, 4G modem, camera, and a link to your flight controller. Pick a kit, order the parts, then wire it up with the guide below.
Recommended Kit (Pi 4)
RecommendedBest for: Most builds — the validated, best-supported platform
| Component | Notes |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (2GB) | 2GB is plenty; 4GB for headroom. Four USB ports fit modem + camera + flight controller. |
| MicroSD Card 32GB (Class 10) | Samsung PRO Endurance or SanDisk High Endurance — consumer cards wear out in months (see Hardware Reliability) |
| Waveshare SIM7600G-H 4G HAT | SIM7600 family — Aircast auto-configures it. Connect its USB to the Pi for QMI mode. |
| LTE + GPS antennas | Often bundled with the HAT. An external LTE antenna improves range at altitude. |
| Camera — USB webcam (or RTSP/gimbal) | Any UVC webcam to start. Gimbal payloads (e.g. SIYI A8 Mini, $150-300) stream RTSP directly. |
| USB cable to flight controller | Pi USB-A to the autopilot USB port. aircastd auto-detects it as the MAVLink source. |
| SIM Card with data plan | Unlimited data recommended for 1080p. Confirm the carrier APN (see tips). |
| 5V BEC / Voltage Regulator | 5V 3A+ output, powers the Pi from the drone battery |
Lightweight Kit (Pi Zero 2 W)
LightweightBest for: Weight-sensitive builds — tested and flight-ready
| Component | Notes |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W | 512MB RAM and one USB port. Keep to 720p; needs the hub below. |
| MicroSD Card 16GB (Class 10) | Samsung PRO Endurance or SanDisk High Endurance recommended |
| SIMCOM SIM7600G-H 4G USB Modem | SIM7600 family — auto-configured. Avoid generic HiLink/RNDIS sticks (see tips). |
| LTE / GPS antenna | Often bundled with the modem. An external LTE antenna improves range. |
| Camera — USB webcam | Any UVC-compatible USB camera. RTSP/gimbal cameras also work. |
| Powered USB hub (Micro USB OTG) | One USB port — a hub runs the modem, camera, and flight controller together. |
| USB cable to flight controller | Through the hub. aircastd auto-detects the autopilot. |
| SIM Card with data plan | Any carrier with 4G coverage. Confirm the carrier APN (see tips). |
| 5V BEC / Voltage Regulator | 5V 2.5A+ output, powers the Pi from the drone battery |
Flying beyond cell coverage? The Starlink option
Aircast streams over any IP uplink, not just cellular. Plug a Starlink Mini into the Pi 4's Ethernet port and it becomes the uplink — same dashboard, same video and telemetry, anywhere with open sky. The trade-off is size: the dish adds roughly 1.1 kg plus a 25–40W power budget, so it suits heavy-lift airframes and ground-relay setups (dish at the ground station or vehicle, drone on 4G) rather than small quads. The 4G kits above stay the right choice wherever your phone has signal.
The Starlink Mini setup guide covers the full path: terminal activation, Roam plan selection, wiring and power, and link monitoring in the field.
How it all connects
Everything hangs off the Pi. Power comes in from the drone battery through a BEC; the flight controller, camera, and modem each connect over USB; and the Pi sends video and telemetry out over cellular.
| Connection | What it carries |
|---|---|
| Drone battery → 5V BEC | Steps the battery voltage down to a regulated 5V |
| 5V BEC → Pi (5V / GND) | Powers the Pi — size the BEC to 5V 3A+ for Pi 4, 2.5A+ for Pi Zero |
| Flight controller → Pi (USB) | MAVLink telemetry — aircastd auto-detects it, 115200 baud default |
| Camera → Pi (USB, or RTSP over the network) | Video source — MediaMTX restreams it as RTSP / WebRTC / HLS |
| 4G modem (+ SIM + antenna) → Pi (USB) | Cellular uplink to the internet |
| Pi → Aircast cloud / Tailscale | Sends video + telemetry to your browser and ground station |
On the Pi 4 the modem, camera, and flight controller each take one of the four USB ports. On the Pi Zero 2 W — which has a single USB port — all three connect through the powered hub.
Connecting the flight controller
Telemetry is what makes this a drone build and not just a streaming box. Run a USB cable from the Pi to your autopilot's USB port (Pixhawk, Cube, and most modern flight controllers expose one). On boot, aircastd auto-detects the autopilot — it checks the known-vendor /dev/serial/by-id symlinks, then probes /dev/ttyACM* for MAVLink traffic — and routes it with mavp2p (115200 baud by default). No wiring config needed.
Once it's connected, point QGroundControl or Mission Planner at the MAVLink endpoint from the dashboard. The Aircast guide walks through the ground-station link step by step.
Shopping Tips
- Pick the Pi 4 for headroom, the Pi Zero 2 W to save weight. Both are tested and fly well. The Pi 4's four USB ports and extra RAM give the most margin for 1080p; the Pi Zero 2 W trims ~45g and runs the full stack through a powered hub.
- Stick to SIM7600-family modems. Aircast auto-configures them. Generic HiLink/RNDIS USB sticks (e.g. older Qualcomm 8916 dongles) act as their own router and aren't auto-detected, so they need manual setup.
- Set your carrier's APN. The image ships with the
internetAPN (a common default). If your carrier uses a different APN, set it during setup — otherwise the modem registers on the network but never gets a data connection. - Mind your antenna placement. Keep the LTE antenna clear of the carbon frame, ESCs, and power leads — metal and electrical noise kill cellular range at altitude.
- A USB webcam is fine to start. Gimbal / RTSP cameras output H.264 directly, which means better quality and less CPU load on the Pi — a worthwhile upgrade later.
- Check 4G coverage in your flying area before choosing a carrier. Use your phone to test signal strength.
- Buy from official resellers for Raspberry Pi to avoid counterfeits and stock issues.
Got Your Hardware?
Flashing the card takes about 10 minutes — then assemble, power on, and open the dashboard.
Flash your Pi in ~10 minutes
The Aircast Flasher downloads the image, sets Wi-Fi and hostname, and verifies the card — no terminal.
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