AR Drone Mods For Longer Flying, Wi-Fi Range And Better Views

With a few small Parrot AR drone mods, you can double the flight time and make your AR drone stronger. The Parrot AR 2.0 drone range can also be extended and it’s a great feeling to fly higher and further.

These Parrot drone mods and upgrades will also prolong the life of the motors, gears and shafts as their will be less friction on the brushless motors and parts.

Below you will also find added videos with instructions to assist you with the modifications.  Watch the videos a couple of times and you will easily be able to carry out this modifications.

5 Top Parrot AR Drone Mods 

AR Drone Mod – Upgrade To Shielded Sealed Drive Gear Bearings

By replacing your bushings with a new shielded sealed bearings, you will increase the battery time giving you more flying time.  With the new shielded bearings, you increase Parrot brushless motor life by approximately 4 times. You also have a better flying experience with less rolling.

The Parrot AR Drone comes with 8 brass bushings (2 on each gear shaft). Upgrading is very simple and takes only 10 minutes to complete.

Instructions:  Take the C clips off. Remove the propeller and shaft.  Using a small flat headed screwdriver, you can pull the old brass bearing out. Put the new bearings in and put back together.  Below, I have a drone video which walks you through the upgrade.

NOTE: While you have the propellers and shaft off, examine each piece to make sure they are not damaged or bent, and give them a clean.

Here’s a terrific video showing you how to complete an AR drone bearing upgrade.

Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Mod – Battery Upgrade

The Parrot AR 2.0 from the factory comes with a Lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery 1500 mAh – 11.1V. Upgrading to a better battery will give you longer flight times which is what we all want to do.

1) Upgrade to a Cheerwing 1800 mAh 11.1V 20C Li-Po Upgrade Battery. When this battery is fully charged you can fly for around 20 minutes.

2) Parrot also have a high density battery for the AR Drone 2.0. It is a 1500 AH Lipo Battery.  This high grade Lithium-Polymer battery has a discharge capacity of 10C and includes a PCM (Protection Circuit Module) protecting the battery against over charge.

Parrot AR. Drone 2.0 Mod –  Stronger Carbon Fiber Base

Perhaps at some point in the future your Parrot AR drone is going to have a crash.  With a stronger base plate made of Carbon Fiber, you effectively reduce gear damage from the crash.  A Carbon Fiber base is easy to install and it fits perfectly on both the Parrot AR drone 2.0 & Power edition.

AR Drone 2.0 Camera Mod For Better Aerial View

The AR Drone forward facing camera has a much better resolution than the the downward camera. By modifying the front facing camera downwards you will will get a really nice aerial view. From the factory, all you see is a treeline view.  If you want a little downward angle for better views of the landscape, then this AR drone mod on the camera will work.

Extend Parrot Drone Range – Mainboard / Antennae Mod Or WiFi Repeater

The Parrot AR 2.0 drone range is approximately 150 feet (50 meters).  With these easy modifications you can easily fly an extra 50% further. These 2 videos show you the exact AR drone modifications you need to carry out.

The 1st video shows you how to install a new modified main board along with installing an antennae on your Parrot AR drone. This can increase the AR drone range by up to 50%.

The 2nd video shows you how to use a WiFi repeater to extend the AR drone 2.0 range.  The video shows you how to setup the repeater on your smartphone to make sure you are definitely connected to both the repeater and your Parrot Drone.

The problem with WiFi repeaters is that you need to plug them in which isn’t easy if you are miles away out in the open.  You can use something like a car power inverter to plug in your WiFi Repeater.

Note: If you need any components or accessories for your quadcopter then check out our Parrot AR Drone 2.0 parts, upgrades and accessories page.

Also, checked out Parrots home page for their latest drones and drone technology.

This next video shows you how to extend the range of you AR Drone 2.0 using a WiFi Repeater.