What do you guys think? WiFi or RF? Or GSM and RF? (GSM for video/RF for control)
I would like as far a range as I can get. If you suggest RF please suggest a specific piece of hardware you have experience with and its range.
Thanks
The drone forums would be the best place to post those questions.
I think that you should use GSM Data Communication for streaming the video and a LoRa Long Range RF Module for direct control when you are in range. WiFi is good option for you but it does not provide reliable range of the signal. So I prefer you to use GSM and LoRa.
Arnav 
RF is the normal abbreviation for 'Radio Frequency'
WiFi, GSM and LoRa are all types of RF.
srnet:
RF is the normal abbreviation for 'Radio Frequency'WiFi, GSM and LoRa are all types of RF.
I know that all are RF.
The OP is asking for what type of RF communication should he/she use for the two tasks. I suggested LoRa Modules for control and GSM Data Communication for streaming the camera view.
Instead there is no way of reliable communication without RF!
ArnavPawarAA:
I know that all are RF.
I suspect @srnet's comment was aimed at the OP whose Original Post suggests that he does not know that.
...R
Caution is required, whilst LoRa might be considered a good system for long range Radio Control, its use for that may not be permitted due to bandwidth or duty cycle restrictions. This is the case in the UK for instance.
Also be cautious about advice from forums such as RCGROUPS, there is a common attitude in such groups that rules and regulations do not need to be followed.
So when considering which is the 'best' system, you really need to understand what the regulations are for your part of the World.
aquarobot2020, when the RC car/boat/planes guys are using RC transmitters since ... well more than 50 years, why would you consider something else to have a reliable solution for your boat?
Is distance really THAT important for you? In the part of the world where I'm living you aren't anyway allowed to control a vehicle out of line of sight...
Is distance really THAT important for you?
It is just a beginner's fantasy, to imagine controlling a vehicle from 2 miles distance. But you have to start somewhere!
noiasca:
Is distance really THAT important for you? In the part of the world where I'm living you aren't anyway allowed to control a vehicle out of line of sight...
That is the case in a lot of places, certainly is in the UK, good job too.
There is also the issue of getting the video back, standard 2.4Ghz RC systems will often work at a range that is far in excess of the range you can legally get video back from.
option for controlling a long range unmanned boat?
You'll want to have a manned boat handy, to rescue the model when the batteries, motors or electronics fail.
noiasca:
aquarobot2020, when the RC car/boat/planes guys are using RC transmitters since ... well more than 50 years, why would you consider something else to have a reliable solution for your boat?Is distance really THAT important for you? In the part of the world where I'm living you aren't anyway allowed to control a vehicle out of line of sight...
Because my Drone (DJI Spark) uses Wifi (unless I'm mistaken) for both video and controls, and works about 2 miles away.
jremington:
You'll want to have a manned boat handy, to rescue the model when the batteries, motors or electronics fail.
For initial testing yes. Long term goal is an unmanned voyage where it can only be reached via satellite. It is being built with a lot of redundancy. I've also been in contact with someone who designed a unmanned boat that successfully traveled over 10,000 miles of ocean on its own and he has assisted with with advice. His boat only had satellite communication though, I would like to add a local override as well if you are within a certain range.
"Long term goal is an unmanned voyage where it can only be reached via satellite. I would like to add a local override as well if you are within a certain range."
That should be fairly easy. If you plan to duplicate his efforts with an ocean going boat and use satellite communication, then you have deep pockets. At what range and conditions, like line of sight, do you plan to take local control?
zoomkat:
"Long term goal is an unmanned voyage where it can only be reached via satellite. I would like to add a local override as well if you are within a certain range."That should be fairly easy. If you plan to duplicate his efforts with an ocean going boat and use satellite communication, then you have deep pockets. At what range and conditions, like line of sight, do you plan to take local control?
Clear open sea (no obstructions), I hope to at a bare minmium send instructions to it (like a GPS waypoint). Ideally I would have direct control. Range of 1-2 miles.
But long story short, not deep pockets. I've sunk maybe $600 in parts so far into this. When I'm done it might be around $1000 to $1500 when it's sea worthy for several hundred mile missions. I intend to practice with it and eventually build one similar to his.
Ultimate end goal? Send it around the world, to include the arctic, and send back pictures over the (painfully slow) satellite modem.
What inspired me to do this was seeing NASA send the voyagers out in the 70s and still recently they have sent data back. I can't send anything into space so this was something I wanted to do to have the same sense of accomplishment. I really have no interest in the ocean, it's just a great substitute for space when you figure all the planning, experiments, and redundancy that need to go into it to make it successful.
Sure I can just google pictures of the arctic, the Hudson bay, etc. but there is something insanely cool about creating a watercraft with enough planning and redundancy to make it there and do the job.
This particular model may never make it that far, I will probably have to go with a bigger boat (not enough room for adequate panels/batteries for 24/7 operations). For now I am building a practice scaled down version to learn with, and if successful I will migrate the parts to a larger boat.
aquarobot2020:
What inspired me to do this was seeing NASA send the voyagers out in the 70s and still recently they have sent data back
Those spacecraft did not have to deal with Atlantic storms or polar bears.
And NASA had a slightly bigger budget
...R
Consider attempting the "Microtransat Challenge" -- build an autonomous sailboat to cross the Atlantic.
It has been on since 2005, and only one attempt has ended anywhere near the finish line.
"For now I am building a practice scaled down version to learn with, and if successful I will migrate the parts to a larger boat."
Well, that is understandable. Starting small is always best when working on this type project. You might want to look at the ardupilot site below for getting started. A boat is somewhat like an airplane that doesn't have to pay attention to it's altitude. You can make a simple wheeled bot first and see if it can maneuver in your yard. As to a communication method line of sight, you might consider getting two used wireless routers and equip them with good antennas and see what range you get.
If your ultimate goal is to have a model boat cross large expanses of ocean, autonomously, then I dont see why the video stuff is relavent, you not going to get video back on WiFi if the boat is halfway across the Atlantic.
So start as you mean to go on.
Develop an autonomous boat and develop the stuff that would tell you what the boat was doing, where it is, its speed, direction etc that could be sent over a satellite link, which of course is the only practical alternative for mid Atlantic models.
When your testing this stuff on the nearest large inland lake, or estuary, of what benefit is a video link, surely in the very early stages of a project you would need to sort out 'return to home' functionality for when all the fancy stuff fails.
srnet:
If your ultimate goal is to have a model boat cross large expanses of ocean, autonomously, then I dont see why the video stuff is relavent, you not going to get video back on WiFi if the boat is halfway across the Atlantic.So start as you mean to go on.
Develop an autonomous boat and develop the stuff that would tell you what the boat was doing, where it is, its speed, direction etc that could be sent over a satellite link, which of course is the only practical alternative for mid Atlantic models.
When your testing this stuff on the nearest large inland lake, or estuary, of what benefit is a video link, surely in the very early stages of a project you would need to sort out 'return to home' functionality for when all the fancy stuff fails.
That's a good point, instead of trying to put local RF, GSM, and satellite in it, I should just put satellite in it. I do want it to have a camera, but I can just have it upload photos over the satellite if I want one.