C2 over LTE

Overview

C2 over LTE lets you fly Auterion-powered drones over the mobile network (3G/4G), without using a traditional radio link. Once enabled, both the drone and the Ground Control Station (GCS) connect through a secure private network, allowing you to operate the aircraft from anywhere with Cellular coverage.

This is the perfect solution for:

  • BVLOS missions

  • Remote inspections

  • Emergency & disaster-response operations

  • Distributed fleet management

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Before You Start

You Need

  • A drone equipped with a working LTE connection (SIM installed and active). Open the Quick Settings menu and make sure LTE is set to Active.

  • Auterion Suite with an active Enterprise subscription.

  • A Ground Control Station running AMC v1.38.0 or later and logged in with your Pilot Profile.

  • Tailscale Client installed on your GCS device.

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Our C2 over LTE technology leverages Tailscale VPN to establish the secure link between drone and GCS.

Follow the instruction below to install the Tailscale Client on your GCS. Our App will take care of the vehicle configuration!

chevron-rightAndroidhashtag

Download the Tailscale app for Android herearrow-up-right.

chevron-rightMacOShashtag

Download Tailscale app for MacOS herearrow-up-right or install using Homebrew in Terminal with

chevron-rightWindowshashtag

Download Tailscale app for Windows herearrow-up-right

chevron-rightLinuxhashtag

Download Tailscale app for Linux herearrow-up-right or install using Terminal:


Vehicle Setup (Drone)

  1. Open Auterion Suitearrow-up-right and go to your vehicle page.

  2. Click the double-cog icon next to the vehicle name.

  3. Scroll to the bottom and enable Remote Operations.

  4. Open the Software tab and install the C2 over LTE App on the drone.

  5. Wait until the App is successfully deployed and confirm that the Remote Operations Indicator has turned green.

Your vehicle is now enabled to be controlled over the internet! 🚀

GCS Setup (Ground Control Station)

The following steps are required to enable your GCS to control your UAV via the cellular network.

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This feature is only available from AMC v1.38.0

  1. Open AMC on your device.

  2. Go to Settings → Comm Links and select the Remote Operations tab.

  3. Click Enable GCS.

  4. AMC will display a unique Tailscale authorization key.

  5. Copy the key and follow the steps in the next section to register the GCS in the Tailscale app.

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Tip: Each device needs its own key, but you only do this once per device.

Register the GCS in the Tailscale Network

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  1. Open the Tailscale App and Select the cogwheel icon on the sign in page.

  2. Select Accounts.

  3. Click the three button menu on the top right and select Use an auth key.

  4. Paste the auth key received from AMC and select Add Account.

  5. Your device should be shown in the list as active select your device name.

  6. Under Tailscale Addresses copy the IPv4. We will need this information to complete the Registration in AMC.

chevron-rightIf you're using MacOShashtag
  1. Open Terminal, enter following command and place your key copied from AMC at the end of it.

  1. Terminal may ask for your password. Enter the password for your computer.

  2. Enter following command into terminal to receive the IP address:

  1. Copy the resulting IPv4 address of your device.

chevron-rightIf you're using Windowshashtag
  1. Open the Command line, enter following command and place your key copied from AMC at the end of it.

  1. Enter:

  1. Copy the IPv4 address of your device.

chevron-rightIf you're using Linuxhashtag
  1. Open Terminal, enter following command and place your key copied from AMC at the end of it.

  1. Enter:

  1. Copy the IPv4 address of your device.

Final Registration in AMC

  1. Switch back to AMC.

  2. Ensure Enable GCS is still on.

  3. Paste this address previously copied from Tailscale into the IP Address field in AMC.

  1. Click Register device.

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If you accidentally close the registration window, you do not need to repeat the Tailscale registration. Click Enable GCS again to reopen the window, then paste the IPv4 address.

  1. In the Remote Operations vehicle list, select Pair, then click Connect to connect the vehicle to your GCS.

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Pairing a vehicle links it to your current GCS, so it will not appear in the Remote Operations vehicle list on other ground control stations.

Configuring Joysticks for Cellular Control

To use joystick commands over a cellular connection, you must configure the joystick correctly on Pilot Pro or any GCS with joystick support.

1. Enable joystick input

  1. In AMC, go to Controller → Joystick → General.

  2. Enable Joystick input.

2. Configure joystick parameters

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  1. Enter Advanced mode by quickly clicking the Auterion logo in the top-left corner five times.

  2. When the dialog appears, select Switch to advanced.

  3. Open Quick settings by selecting the vehicle name in the top-right corner.

  4. In Quick settings, open the Safety tab.

  5. Locate the Manual Control loss Failsafe Trigger section.

    1. Set Input Source Configuration to MAVL 1 > MAVL 2 > RC. This prioritizes joystick (MAVLink) control over RC.

    2. Set Manual Control loss timeout to 1 s. This defines how long the vehicle waits without a new RC or joystick command before it considers the control link lost.

Verifying LTE Connectivity

To ensure your link is working with LTE after having completed the setup:

On a GCS with 2 links:

When two links are active, the Dual Link icon is shown in the top header bar.

  1. Select the Dual Link icon.

  2. In the pop-up, select the LTE connection.

  3. On your GCS, disable the LTE and WiFi connection.

The Dual Link icon updates to show the new active link (in this case the Primary Radio link).


Safety Notes for Operators

  • Confirm stable LTE signal before arming the drone, especially for BVLOS.

  • Follow all applicable local aviation regulations.

  • If latency increases, avoid low-altitude or high-precision flying.

  • Keep a fail-safe procedure ready (RTH, geofence, or backup link if available).


Updating from early C2 over LTE versions

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  1. Click the cogwheel icon on the C2 over LTE app and select Settings.

  2. Set Force Reauth from false to true and click Save.

  3. The app will then re-authenticate with Auterion Suite and register automatically. In the logs this will appear similar as:

  1. After the registration is complete, set Force Reauth back to false and click Save again.

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