next-generation counter-drone capability for automatic detection of wi-fi controlled drones
affordable and easy to use, wi-fi controlled drones con¬tinue to grow in popularity around the world, making them a significant threat to critical national infrastructure and special events.
although they have limited range and endurance, more advanced wi-fi controlled drones can automatically switch between wi-fi channels within the same band, typically the 2.4 ghz or 5 ghz industrial, scientific and medical (ism) bands, making them particularly difficult to find and fix.
however, national regulations require radio-controlled drones to emit a remote identification (remote id) signal which can include the serial number, gps coordinates, speed, altitude and timestamp of a drone as well as the location of its operator.
thanks to emerging technologies, these types of communications protocols can now be captured and decoded by more advanced counter-drone capabilities on the market, a capability which allows law enforcement and security agencies to identify non-cooperative drone operators at the earliest opportunity.