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APFPV Firmware - Beginner's Guide

APFPV Firmware - Complete Beginner’s Guide

APFPV stands for “Access Point FPV” - it’s a simple way to get video from your drone to your phone, tablet, or computer using regular WiFi. Think of it like your drone creating its own WiFi hotspot that you connect to for live video.

What is APFPV?

The APFPV firmware from the OpenIPC team creates direct WiFi communication between your drone’s video transmitter (VTX) and your ground station. Instead of complex mesh networks, your drone simply acts like a WiFi router that you connect to directly.

This isn’t meant to be revolutionary technology - it’s designed to be simple and accessible, especially for people who find other FPV systems too complicated to set up.

Why APFPV?

  • No setup or configuration hassle
  • Works with any WiFi-enabled device
  • Browser-based interface (no apps required)
  • Use your phone, tablet, laptop—anything

Best For:

  • Learning FPV
  • Ground vehicles, boats, or slow flying
  • Basic planes/quads (no racing)
  • Experimenting with ground stations

Limitations:

  • 40–70ms delay (not for racing or fast aerobatics)
  • Performance varies with distance and interference

What You’ll Need

For Your Drone (VTX):

  • OpenIPC-compatible camera/board
  • WiFi chip (RTL8812AU or RTL8733BU)

For Viewing (Ground Station):

  • Android: PixelPilot app (recommended)
  • Computer: Any computer with WiFi and a web browser
  • Professional: Outdoor WiFi equipment (TP-Link, Ubiquiti, etc.)
  • Any device: That can receive RTP video streams

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Installing APFPV Firmware

There are two ways to install APFPV firmware on your drone. The internet method is much easier if your drone can connect to WiFi.

Step 1: Connect Your Drone to Internet

Physical connection:

  1. Connect your drone to your computer using a Ethernet cable, USB adapter or UART adapter
  2. Power on your drone
  3. Wait for it to fully boot up (about 1-2 minutes)

Connect to your WiFi router:

  1. Your drone needs to connect to your home WiFi to download the firmware
  2. Use SSH to connect to your drone (see “How to SSH” below)
  3. Configure your drone to connect to your home WiFi network

Step 2: How to SSH Into Your Drone

What is SSH? SSH is a way to type commands directly into your drone from your computer.

On Windows:

  1. Download and install PuTTY (free SSH program)
  2. Open PuTTY
  3. In “Host Name” field, enter your drone’s IP address
  4. Port: 22
  5. Connection type: SSH
  6. Click “Open”
  7. Login with your drone’s username (root) and password (12345)

On Mac/Linux:

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Type: ssh root@[drone-ip-address]
  3. Press Enter
  4. Enter password when prompted

Finding your drone’s IP address:

  • Check your router’s admin page for connected devices
  • Or use network scanning apps on your phone
  • Common default: 192.168.1.24 or 192.168.0.24

Step 3: Install Firmware with One Command

Once you’re connected via SSH and your drone has internet access:

  1. Copy and paste this exact command:
Terminal window
sysupgrade -k -r -n --url=https://github.com/OpenIPC/builder/releases/download/latest/openipc.ssc338q-nor-apfpv.tgz

  1. Press Enter

  2. Wait for the download and installation (5-10 minutes)

  3. Your drone will automatically reboot when finished

That’s it! Your drone now has APFPV firmware installed. Make sure you unplug the ethernet cable after you finish for the stream to work properly.

Method 2: Manual Installation (No Internet Required)

Use this method if your drone cannot connect to internet or you prefer manual installation.

Step 1: Download Firmware Files

  1. On your computer, go to: https://github.com/OpenIPC/builder/releases/download/latest/openipc.ssc338q-nor-apfpv.tgz
  2. Download the file
  3. Extract/unzip it - you’ll get two files:
    • uImage.ssc338q
    • rootfs.squashfs.ssc338q

Step 2: Copy Files to Drone

Using WinSCP (Windows):

  1. Download and install WinSCP
  2. Open WinSCP
  3. Protocol: SCP
  4. Host name: Your drone’s IP address
  5. Username and password: Your drone’s login credentials
  6. Click “Login”
  7. Navigate to /tmp folder on drone side
  8. Copy both firmware files to /tmp

Using SCP command (Mac/Linux):

Terminal window
scp uImage.ssc338q root@[drone-ip]:/tmp/
scp rootfs.squashfs.ssc338q root@[drone-ip]:/tmp/

Step 3: Install Firmware

  1. SSH into your drone (see “How to SSH” above)
  2. Type this command:
Terminal window
sysupgrade -z -n --kernel=/tmp/uImage.ssc338q --rootfs=/tmp/rootfs.squashfs.ssc338q
  1. Press Enter
  2. Wait for installation to complete (5-10 minutes)
  3. Drone will reboot automatically

Step 2: Connect to Your Drone

After your drone reboots:

  1. On your phone/computer, look for WiFi networks
  2. Connect to: “OpenIPC”
  3. Password: “12345678”
  4. Your device will automatically get an IP address (192.168.0.X)

Network details:

  • Your drone’s IP: 192.168.0.1
  • Video stream goes to: 192.168.0.10
  • Network range: 192.168.0.0/24

Step 3: View Live Video

On Android (Easiest):

  • Download and open PixelPilot app
  • Video should appear automatically

On Any Computer:

  • Open web browser
  • Go to: http://192.168.0.1
  • You’ll see the drone’s beautiful WebUI with live video

On Linux: Use GStreamer command:

Terminal window
gst-launch-1.0 udpsrc port=5600 ! application/x-rtp ! rtph265depay ! avdec_h265 ! fpsdisplaysink sync=false

Any Other Device: Use any program that can receive RTP streams over UDP on port 5600.

Customizing Your WiFi Network

Change your WiFi name and password:

Connect to your drone via UART or SSH and run:

Terminal window
fw_setenv wlanssid Drone
fw_setenv wlanpass openipcfpv

Replace “Drone” with your preferred network name and “openipcfpv” with your chosen password. Reboot your drone for changes to take effect.

Understanding the Setup

Think of your setup like this:

  • Your drone = WiFi router (192.168.0.1)
  • Your ground station = Connected device (192.168.0.10)
  • Video stream = Data flowing from drone to your device
  • Web interface = Control panel at http://192.168.0.1

Supported Hardware

WiFi Chips (VTX side):

  • RTL8812AU (high-power dual-band)
  • RTL8733BU (compact USB adapter)

Ground Station (your side):

  • Any smartphone or tablet
  • Any computer with WiFi
  • Professional outdoor WiFi equipment
  • FPV goggles with WiFi capability
  • Literally any WiFi-enabled device!

Common Questions

”What’s the video delay?”

Expect 40-70ms delay. This varies based on:

  • Distance between drone and ground station
  • WiFi interference in the area
  • Processing power of your ground station device
  • Video quality settings

”Can I use professional WiFi equipment?”

Yes! This is a major advantage of APFPV. You can use:

  • TP-Link outdoor access points
  • Ubiquiti wireless equipment
  • Any commercial WiFi gear with good antennas
  • This gives you much better range than typical FPV systems

”What’s the range?”

Range depends entirely on your equipment:

  • Basic smartphone: 50-200 meters
  • Good WiFi adapter: 200-500 meters
  • Professional outdoor equipment: 1+ kilometers

Troubleshooting

Can’t See “OpenIPC” WiFi Network

  1. Make sure drone is powered and firmware installed correctly
  2. Wait 1-2 minutes after drone boots up
  3. Try restarting the drone
  4. Move closer to the drone

Connected but No Video

  1. Open web browser and go to http://192.168.0.1
  2. Check if you can see the web interface
  3. Try the PixelPilot app if on Android
  4. Verify you’re connected to the right network

Poor Video Quality

  1. Move closer to reduce distance
  2. Check for WiFi interference from other devices
  3. Try different location away from other WiFi networks
  4. Adjust video quality in the web interface

Web Interface Won’t Load

  1. Confirm you’re connected to drone’s WiFi
  2. Try http://192.168.0.1 in different browsers
  3. Clear browser cache and cookies
  4. Restart both devices

Tips for Better Performance

Optimizing Your Setup

  • Use 5GHz WiFi when possible (less crowded than 2.4GHz)
  • Keep line of sight between drone and ground station
  • Use devices with good WiFi antennas. Use mix of directional and omnidirectional antennas.
  • Test everything on the ground before flying

Safety and Best Practices

Before Flying:

  • Test complete system on the ground
  • Verify video quality and delay
  • Check WiFi range in your flying area
  • Have backup visual observer

While Flying:

  • Maintain visual line of sight
  • Account for 40-70ms video delay
  • Monitor WiFi signal strength
  • Stay within tested range limits

What Makes APFPV Special

Unlike complex mesh networking systems (WFB-NG, RubyFPV), APFPV:

  • Requires no special ground station hardware
  • Works with consumer WiFi equipment
  • Has simple point-to-point connection
  • Offers maximum compatibility with existing devices
  • Provides easy web-based configuration

APFPV bridges the gap between complex FPV systems and simple solutions, making FPV accessible to everyone while supporting professional equipment for advanced users.