An Experimental Tethered UAV-Based Communication System with Continuous Power Supply

Veronica Rodriguez, Christian Tipantuña, Diego Reinoso, Jorge Carvajal-Rodriguez, Carlos Egas Acosta, Pablo Proaño and Xavier Hesselbach ()
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Veronica Rodriguez: Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Networks, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador
Christian Tipantuña: Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Networks, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador
Diego Reinoso: Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Networks, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador
Jorge Carvajal-Rodriguez: Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Networks, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador
Carlos Egas Acosta: Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Networks, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador
Pablo Proaño: Department of Industrial Automation and Control, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador
Xavier Hesselbach: Department of Network Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain

Future Internet, 2025, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-34

Abstract: Ensuring reliable communication in remote or disaster-affected areas is a technical challenge due to unplanned deployment and mobilization, meaning placement difficulties and high operation costs of conventional telecommunications infrastructures. To address this problem, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as an excellent alternative to provide quick connectivity in remote or disaster-affected regions at a reasonable cost. However, the limited battery autonomy of UAVs restricts their flight service time. This paper proposes a communication system based on a tethered UAV (T-UAV) capable of continuous operation through a wired power network connected to a ground station. The communications system is based on low-cost devices, such as Raspberry Pi platforms, and offers wireless IP telephony services, providing high-quality and reliable communication. Experimental tests assessed power consumption, UAV stability, and data transmission performance. Our results prove that the T-UAV, based on a quadcopter drone, operates stably at 16 V and 20 A, ensuring consistent VoIP communications at a height of 10 m with low latency. These experimental findings underscore the potential of T-UAVs as cost-effective alternatives for extending or providing communication networks in remote regions, emergency scenarios, or underserved areas.

Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); tethered UAV; T-UAV; energy management; wireless VoIP; emergency network infrastructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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