Installation

Let's install and setup SmartAP AIRLink

Minimum Installation Setup

1. Connect WiFi and LTE antennas

Take SmartAP AIRLink Enterprise and connect WiFi and LTE antennas.

WARNING: DO NOT power the AIRLink without antennas! Powering up the system without antennas may cause malfunction of the radio modules and permanent damage. Powering up without antennas voids warranty.

Connect the WiFi antenna to the WiFi socket (middle) by gently pushing on the antenna connector:

AIRLink with WiFi antenna connected:

Connect LTE antennas to LTE1 and LTE2 sockets (sides):

If it is not necessary, do not remove the antennas from the connector. The connectors are quite fragile and are rated for only a limited number of matching cycles. Bad connection can result in reduced RF communication performance.

AIRLink 5G Edition has 5 antennas on the rear side - 1x WiFi and 4x 5G. It's recommended to connect all 4 antennas to achieve the highest possible throughput:

If you have 4G LTE version of AIRLink with 5 antenna sockets then use only two leftmost LTE1 and LTE2 ports for LTE antennas.

2. Connect FPV camera

Camera connection is not necessary but recommended. This will allow you to test your setup and video streaming after the initial software setup described in the following sections.

First of all, take something sharp and unlock the CSI camera port connector by pulling it a bit at each side:

Then insert the FPC cable from the camera and gently push back the black part of the connector mechanism until it locks itself tightly:

Repeat the same procedure with the camera socket. Once done you should have the camera connected to AIRLink.

3. Connect power supply

Take the main power supply cable and connect this to the power source.

We recommend to use SmartAP PDB for the power distribution. It has a current sensor and DC-DC converters for 5V and 12V to power SmartAP AIRLink and other peripherals.

Connect power cable to 12V output of SmartAP PDB.
Connect power monitor cable (voltage and current) to the dedicated pins on SmartAP PDB.

DANGER: Make sure to connect the cable with the right polarity. Reversing polarity may damage the equipment permanently and will void warranty.

The recommended power supply voltage is 12V. The acceptable input voltage limits are 10V - 20V.

Next, connect the power cable to AIRLink as shown on the image below:

Minimum installation setup is complete. If you would like to test the system you can refer to the next section and power it up for the initial configuration. If you would like to connect the other peripherals, please refer to the Full Installation Setup below.

Proceed to the initial power up or set up the other peripherals.

It's recommended to start with the Minimum Installation Setup for the very first power up.

Initial Power Up

Full installation setup

1. Connect GNSS Receiver

Take SmartAP GNSS Module with GNSS cable:

Connect it to the GPS 1 port on the front side of AIRLink:

Assembled component will look as follows:

2. Connect RC Receiver

Install RC receiver and connect it to the SBUS port of AIRLink on the rear side:

Fully assembled component will look as follows:

If you're using any other than SBUS type of the receiver, please refer to the Interfaces section for more info.

3. Connect Telemetry Radio Module

Connect AIRLink telemetry module to Ethernet port of SmartAP AIRLink as shown on the image below:

Please refer to the dedicated page for more detailed instructions regarding Air module connection:

Installation

4. Connect HDMI Payload Camera

Take HDMI cable, HDMI-in capable video camera and SmartAP AIRLink.

Connect HDMI cable to AIRLink input port:

Fully assembled component will look as follows:

5. Insert microSD card

Insert microSD card into FMU SD slot. This SD card is needed for flight logging.

Inserted microSD card will looks as follows:

6. Insert SIM Card

Insert SIM Card into SIM Card slot as shown on the image below:

Inserted SIM Card will looks as follows:

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Last updated 3 years ago

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