Video Streaming Protocols Comparison in Field Experiments for Aerial Teleoperation

As aerial robots evolve to perform complex tasks such as manipulation and visual inspection, maintaining the pilot at the center of decision-making is critical for mission safety and leveraging human expertise. A key enabler of this collaboration is reliable video streaming between the robot and the operator. This paper presents a comparative analysis of four video streaming protocols RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol), SRT (Secure Reliable Transport), and ROSTCP (ROS Transport Control Protocol) based on extensive field experiments. The evaluation focuses on CPU usage, network throughput, latency, streaming quality, and packet integrity across varying distances. Tools such as iperf, ping, GStreamer, and Wireshark were employed for detailed performance measurements. Results reveal significant differences: SRT and RTP deliver superior network stability and resilience to packet loss, while RTSP and ROSTCP show advantages in CPU efficiency. These findings provide actionable insights for optimizing video streaming in aerial robotics, emphasizing the trade-offs and advantages of each protocol in real-world scenarios.