Looking for non-encrypted or open-source drones for a college project

General Drone Discussions
1

Hi everyone, I need help finding a drone for a computer science project. My professor has asked me to work on the communication protocols between a drone and its controller. The drone needs to weigh less than 250g and shouldn’t have encrypted communication. If such a drone doesn’t exist, I’m also open to tutorials for building a DIY drone with open-source software.

I’m new to drones and not sure where to start. I’ve heard something about DJI lacking encryption, but I might have misunderstood. Can anyone recommend a drone or point me in the right direction for this project? Also, if this sounds suspicious, I promise I’m just a clueless student, not a hacker!

2

Check out the Ardupilot project on GitHub (GitHub - ArduPilot/ardupilot: ArduPlane, ArduCopter, ArduRover, ArduSub source). It’s an open-source firmware for flight controllers and a great resource. For programmable drones, DJI offers the Tello, which is often used in education. However, it’s not designed for experimenting with communication protocols. You might want to reshape your project scope with your professor to match your current knowledge.

3

@Griffin
Do you know where I can find a Tello? I’ve only seen refurbished ones. I ended up with a Crazyflie 2.1, but it’s not as good as the Tello in terms of price and performance.

4

Niko said:
@Griffin
Do you know where I can find a Tello? I’ve only seen refurbished ones. I ended up with a Crazyflie 2.1, but it’s not as good as the Tello in terms of price and performance.

Used or refurbished is your best bet for the Tello. You can also contact DJI to check if they plan to restock them.

5

@Griffin
The Tello can also be used with an Xbox controller, which is a cool feature.

6

Oli said:
@Griffin
The Tello can also be used with an Xbox controller, which is a cool feature.

Fun fact: the U.S. Navy uses Xbox controllers for some equipment, too.

7

You’re probably searching for the wrong term. Instead of ‘non-encrypted drones,’ look for ‘open-source drones’ or ‘programmable drones.’ That should lead you to better options.

8

Most drones’ communication protocols, especially for visual transmission, aren’t encrypted.

9

For college? Sure, I totally believe you.

10

Do you need a complete drone, or just a flight controller and receiver? Sometimes that’s all you need for a project like this.

11

Try GetFPV.com and look under categories like micro, nano, or sub-250g drones. ELRS systems are great for receivers and transmitters. For guidance, I’d recommend watching Joshua Bardwell or UAVfutures on YouTube for technical details, and Pilot Institute for legal requirements.

12

What exactly do you mean by ‘work on the communication protocol’? These days, you can often assemble something that flies without needing to program communication protocols.

13

Mavlink is a common protocol for drone communication. Look for a drone running Ardupilot firmware. Holybro kits are a good starting point: Development Drone Kits – Holybro Store.

14

It depends on how technical you want to get. For basic control, you could use a drone with PWM or PPM inputs and program your own transmitter/receiver using ESP or Arduino with LORA modules. If you want something higher-level, look into Ardupilot with Mavlink for autonomous controls. If your goal is full autonomy, Ardupilot with Mission Planner would be your best option.