Introduction
Whether navigating urban canyons, operating beyond line-of-sight, or working in contested environments, interruptions in connectivity can derail critical missions. For Drone as First Responder (DFR) teams, these connectivity gaps can mean the difference between delivering real-time intelligence to officers responding to an emergency or losing critical situational awareness at a moment’s notice. A drone dispatched to a burglary in progress, for instance, may lose connection behind a large structure, leaving officers without the live aerial feed they rely on to assess the scene before arrival.
Skydio Connect combines the intelligence of Skydio Autonomy with adaptive connectivity solutions, enabling operators to stay focused on their mission. By dynamically optimizing network connections, Skydio maximizes drone connectivity—even in challenging environments where traditional solutions may fail.
The Challenge of Reliable Connectivity
In complex environments that change every second, maintaining a stable connection is anything but guaranteed.
Operators face connectivity obstacles like:
- Cellular Shadows: Poor signal strength in areas where cellular is obstructed, congested or unavailable.
- Line-of-Sight Disruptions: Barriers such as buildings or natural obstructions that interfere with point-to-point communications. For DFR teams, this could mean losing a live drone feed behind a hospital or high-rise, delaying critical response decisions.
- Electronic Warfare Threats: Intentional interference in contested environments that can compromise critical missions.
Some manufacturers recommend restricting flights to avoid challenging connectivity, suggesting operators either steer clear of complex areas entirely or remain at high altitudes far from the action. But for operators performing critical missions, that simply isn’t an option.
Tackling these obstacles calls for a smarter, more adaptive solution.
Skydio Connect
Connect is a suite of connectivity solutions designed to provide resilient communication for drone operators in any environment. At its core is Connect Fusion, a first-of-its-kind connectivity management system that ensures high-quality video by dynamically selecting the best stream from simultaneously encoded point-to-point and 5G/LTE connections. This seamless stream selection provides operators with a more reliable video experience, allowing them to confidently navigate even the most challenging environments, such as urban canyons.
Connect Fusion Capabilities
Connect Fusion provides continuous, high-quality video by encoding separate streams for both point-to-point and 5G/LTE connections, then dynamically selecting the best-performing feed in real time. This seamless selection of the best-performing stream provides operators with the highest-quality feed, regardless of network conditions. When both options are available, we fuse them together so they can adapt to your moment-to-moment needs. This allows you to maximize throughput or use one network for uplink and another for downlink. Automatically. So you never have to think about it.
Other Connect Solutions
In addition to Fusion, Skydio offers solutions like Secure Multiband Communication (Skydio Connect MH), designed to excel in contested environments. This robust, interference-resistant connection is tailored for national security and other high-stakes operations.
A range of physical products with integrated radio solutions supports Connect, including the X10 and X10D drones, the X10 controller, and the Dock.
The External Radio, introduced in September 2024, enhances operational flexibility by allowing operators of docked drones to establish a communications endpoint separate from the launch point. This capability is particularly valuable for navigating complex communications environments or minimizing exposure in high-risk scenarios.
With these hardware integrations, Connect Fusion provides the fewest interruptions—even in challenging conditions like Wi-Fi shadows—by dynamically selecting the strongest available connection in real-time.
Empowering Better Connectivity Decisions
While Connect Fusion dynamically provides seamless connectivity in real time, understanding your broader connectivity environment is critical for long-term mission success. To complement Fusion’s capabilities, Skydio partners with agencies and organizations to analyze connectivity data gathered during active drone flights. By collaborating with operators in the field, we help identify potential gaps in LTE or point-to-point coverage and provide actionable recommendations to improve connectivity. These analyses produce detailed maps that highlight weak coverage areas, guiding organizations on how to optimally fly missions or deploy additional solutions to enhance connectivity.
For example, in urban environments where obstructions create connectivity shadows, Skydio’s collaborative data analysis empowers operators to strategically deploy the external radio or optimize flight paths. By leveraging real-world data, Skydio helps agencies proactively address connectivity gaps, improve mission planning, and provide uninterrupted operations when it matters most.
What Sets Connect Apart
Skydio’s unparalleled expertise in creating intelligent drones has now been applied to connectivity. With a reputation of designing cutting-edge systems that think and adapt, Skydio brings that same level of smart innovation to provide resilient communication. Connect leverages this intelligence to keep operators connected, even in the most complex and dynamic environments. Here’s what sets Connect apart:
- Automatic Fusing of all Available Network Options: Connect Fusion continuously evaluates video streams separately encoded for both point-to-point and 5G/LTE connections, dynamically selecting the highest-quality feed in real time. This provides mission continuity and reliable performance—even as network conditions change. Fusion dynamically selects and fuses the highest-quality video stream at any given moment, continuously adapting to provide uninterrupted performance.
- Optimized Signal Positioning: With the External Radio, operators can extend and reposition their connectivity endpoint to maximize signal strength for Connect SL, ensuring reliable point-to-point communication in urban and rural environments.
- Multiband Flexibility for Contested Environments: Reliable connectivity is crucial for national security operations. Connect MH automatically switches between multiple frequency bands, providing uninterrupted connectivity even in contested environments.
- Dynamic Channel Switching in Contested Environments: Channel switching helps Skydio drones maintain reliable connections by overcoming interference. Connect MH enables adaptive switching in contested environments, and an upcoming update will bring automatic channel selection for Connect SL in UNII-3 (5 GHz) to adapt to congestion.
Point-to-point connectivity has historically served as the default model for drone connectivity. But this architecture was designed in an era before the ubiquitousness of cellular data systems. With the intelligence of Skydio Autonomy for seamless connectivity transitions, Connect provides reliability and precision that is simply unmatched.
Why Connect Matters for Operators
For drone operators, Connect is more than a technical upgrade—it’s a game-changer. Here’s why:
- Uninterrupted Operations: Whether navigating Wi-Fi shadows, cellular dead spots or contested airspace, Connect provides seamless communication.
- Enhanced Safety: Reliable connections reduce risks, keeping drones operational even in the most challenging moments.
- Efficient Missions: This adaptability complements agencies' planning efforts when combined with connectivity mapping insights, empowering them to address gaps proactively.
Consider a public safety scenario: A drone operating in an urban canyon loses its point-to-point connection. With Connect Fusion, the system is already utilizing a 5G connection, maintaining control and real-time data feeds without operator intervention. This capability can be the difference between mission success and failure.
Conclusion
With Connect, we’re addressing the toughest connectivity challenges and enabling operators to perform their missions with confidence and success. Skydio is proud to be the first to introduce seamless, intelligent network transitions to the drone industry, setting a new benchmark for reliability and mission success. By applying our expertise in creating intelligent systems, we empower operators to perform their missions with unparalleled confidence and success, even in the most complex environments.
Ready to optimize your connectivity environment? Contact your Skydio representative to learn how a connectivity data analysis can enhance mission success. Discover how Skydio’s insights help you address gaps proactively and achieve seamless, reliable connectivity for every mission.
