WiLong-Air: A Field-Tested Long-Range Wi-Fi Mesh System for A2G Scenarios

Reliable, long-range mesh networks are critical for emerging Air-to-Ground (A2G) applications that require high-throughput, infrastructure-free communication. We present WiLong-Air, a long-range aerial mesh platform built using commercial off-the-shelf hardware and open-source software, which integrates 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 radios with high-gain omnidirectional antennas. Using 802.11s mesh mode with B.A.T.M.A.N. Advanced routing, WiLong-Air enables scalable aerial connectivity. Field evaluations across outdoor aerial experiments validate its effectiveness: sustained throughputs above 20 Mbps at 700 m in partial NLoS, and reliable video and data transmission from multiple aerial nodes. Furthermore, with six concurrent transmitters, increased jitter, contention, and loss were observed, motivating architectural innovations. Moreover, apart from communications- related hardware and software improvements, the video streaming parameters were also optimised. For instance, it was seen that while variable bitrate mode of video transport improves perceptual quality, constant bitrate modes support steadier link behaviour. These results position WiLong-Air as a robust platform for A2G mesh research.