Private UAV Mesh Networking for Live Match Video Streaming

This paper presents a proof-of-concept private unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mesh network for real-time video streaming in a live sports match scenario. The network employs four Parrot AR Drone 2.0 quadrotors, each equipped with an off-the-shelf Edimax BR-6288ACL wireless access point configured in 5 GHz Wireless Distribution System (WDS) bridging mode. The UAVs form a self-contained layer-2 wireless mesh that relays data among the drones and a ground station. The drones stream live video feeds to a laptop (ground station) running flight control software, and connectivity is verified via inter-node ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo tests. Results show that this ad hoc UAV network delivered stable, simultaneous video streams without any existing communication infrastructure, demonstrating the potential of drones as mobile camera nodes for live sports broadcasting.