OpenIPC fiber-optic video link for FPV drones
We added two new articles on sending OpenIPC video over optical fiber — an alternative to the WFB-NG radio link for scenarios where electronic-warfare resistance and stealth matter.
In such a link the drone unspools a thin single-mode fiber, runs on its own battery, and the camera's ordinary IP stream (Majestic over RTSP) travels down the glass. The channel cannot be jammed by electronic warfare, barely emits, and has zero packet loss.
🔹 What's new
- OpenIPC Fiber-Optic Video Link: Architecture & Components — how it works with an interactive diagram of the link, comparison with WFB-NG, component selection (camera with Ethernet, single-mode G.657 fiber, BiDi SFP, media converters), optical budget and latency.
- How to Build an OpenIPC Fiber-Optic Video Link — step-by-step build: Majestic-over-Ethernet setup, airborne module, fiber spool, ground-side RTSP decoding (mpv/GStreamer) and link verification.
🔹 The technology in brief
- EW resistance — the channel is not radio-frequency, so jamming has no effect.
- Stealth — fiber does not emit, so the drone is harder to detect.
- Zero channel latency — ~5 µs/km, negligible against the codec.
- Limitation — a physical tether: the fiber can be cut, and the spool adds weight.
A community solution
The fiber link relies on the OpenIPC camera's native Ethernet output, not the standard WFB-NG. Test the link on the bench before flying and keep optical-budget margin.