Believe it or not, flying a drone indoors can make you a better pilot in more than one way. You will learn how to maintain better control, but you also have to learn to note any possible Wi-Fi, radio, or Bluetooth interference within the home. There are also a few different reasons pilots fly their drones indoors, and a lot of the time, it’s for more than just practice.
What are the best indoor drones with cameras? Not only can you fly a drone indoors, but there are certain professions that require it. There are three types of indoor drones with cameras; toy drones, racing drones, and professional drones. The DJI Mavic Mini is one of the best microdrones on the market, but if you are looking for something for children, the Hubsan H111 is the one for you.
The ability to fly indoors doubles your opportunity for flight as a drone pilot. It is important to know some of the safety tips associated with hazard-free indoor flying, along with types of drones that are best suited for indoor environments. But first, continue reading to learn more about some of the best indoor drones with cameras on the market right now.
Indoor Drones With Cameras Reviewed In This Guide
- DJI Mavic Mini
- UVify OOri
- Hubsan H111
- Force1 Scoot
Best Indoor Drone With Camera List
1. DJI Mavic Mini
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DJI has done it again, bringing you many capabilities from larger professional drones into a compact mini drone known as the Mavic Mini. It weighs in at just under 250 grams, which means you don’t even have to register it with the FAA. This is a drone you can fly indoors or outdoors with a camera that can stand up to some of the leading brands.
Pros:
· 30 minute flight time
· 3-axis motorized gimbal
· User friendly
Cons:
· The app requires iOS v10.0 or Android v6.0 or higher
· High price point
· The app is full of ads
2. UVify OOri
Known as the world’s first smart racing drone, the UVify OORi is arguably the best drone for racing indoors. UVify understands that before you can be a professional racer, you have to start somewhere, so they designed the OOri to be the perfect beginner racing drone. Racing isn’t the only thing it’s good for, though. With its three flight modes, you can use this drone for nearly any occasion.
Pros:
· Beginner and intermediate flight modes
· Rapid battery charge
· Can fly up to 50 mph
Cons:
· Battery life doesn’t last long
· It only comes with one battery
· Not as durable as other drones
3. Hubsan H111
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The Hubsan H111 is a nano drone, which means it is even smaller than a microdrone. The drone and controller can fit in the palm of your hand, making this a perfect fit for children and flying in the home. Even the most cluttered of homes are safe for the H111 because the propellers are so small it is likely to not cause any damage or hurt anyone if it crashes. It even comes in different fun colors that kids love!
Pros:
· It is one of the cheapest drones on the market
· Can still do 360-degree flips and rolls
· Mini led light allows for nighttime flying
Cons:
· Built-in battery only lasts five minutes
· Hard to maintain stability
· Charging cord is different from all other drones
4. Force1 Scoot
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The Force1 Scoot is known as a UFO toy drone because the cage barrier surrounding the outside makes the drone look like a flying saucer. One of the best stand-out features of this drone is the fact that it doesn’t require a remote. Its hands-free design makes it that much more fun for your kids to fly around the house because there’s little chance of it flying away on its own.
Pros:
· Infrared sensors keep it from crashing
· Easy USB charging cable
· Quality and safety assured
Cons:
· It doesn’t work well when the battery gets low
· It cannot do flips
· Only has an 8 minute flight time
5. DJI Phantom 4 PRO
The DJI Phantom 4 PRO is, without a doubt, one of the best professional drones you will find on the market right now. Typically, you see this drone flying outdoors only, but if you are a master drone pilot, you can easily maneuver this drone indoors. Many real estate drone photographers choose this drone for all their needs because it has one of the highest quality cameras on the market.
Pros:
· Long battery life
· Obstacle sensing in five directions
· Excellent stability
Cons:
· Some customers complained of drifting
· Poor quality control for a professional drone
· GPS isn’t always reliable
Before you consider buying one of the above-mentioned indoor drones, there are a few things you will want to know first regarding how to fly safely in a home and which drone is actually best for your needs. Continue reading to learn more!
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What Are Indoor Drones With Cameras and Why Fly Them?
In the recent past, many people saw indoor drones with cameras as toys or training drones, to prepare you for the professional drone you would one day fly outdoors. That is no longer the case, though. There isn’t necessarily a difference between indoor drones and outdoor drones. That said, there are some drones that are better suited for indoor environments and vice versa, especially if you are a beginner drone pilot.
Indoor drones can range from 8-ounce toy drones (with and without cameras) to professional and industrial-grade drones with built-in cameras and mapping technology. And just like outdoor drones, you can even build your own indoor FPV (First Person View) drone.
It will require a basic knowledge of drone design, along with the essential parts to get the job done, including things like:
• The Frame
• A Controller
• Motors
• Propellers
• Battery
• Antenna
And of course the camera and the video transmitter. If this is something you are interested in, but you need a little help getting the job done, click here for a comprehensive “how-to” guide for building your own FPV indoor drone.
Arguably the best drone for flying indoors is any drone with protective barriers because it ensures you are less likely to damage anything (or anyone) in your home if you accidentally crash the aircraft.
Flying indoors also doesn’t mean you have to be flying in a home either.
Why Fly an Indoor Drone?
When you have the wide-open spaces of the great outdoors at your disposal, why would anyone want to fly a drone indoors? Well, aside from wanting to, there are other reasons people fly drones indoors, and in some instances, they are paid to do so.
Below are common reasons pilots will fly indoors:
• Extra practice/ training
• Simply for fun
• To perform in a race
• Professionally for work
You read that right; there are certain drone races that occur indoors. Granted, they usually take place in a large warehouse where the airspace is essentially equivalent to flying outside.
The common benefits of racing a drone indoors include:
• There are no FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rules for indoor flying because you aren’t sharing airspace with other outdoor aircrafts like commercial planes and emergency helicopters.
• You don’t have to worry about the weather
• Zero risks of hurting wildlife when racing indoors
• The environment is more controlled
• There’s a reduced risk of losing your drone in the event you lose radio transmission, or your battery dies.
When it comes to professional use of drones indoors, there are many different industries that utilize professional and industrial-sized drones on a regular basis for mapping, 3-D modeling, inspections, safety, and even selling real estate (link the “How to start your own real estate drone photography business” article).
Some examples of professionals that utilize indoor drones with cameras are:
• Real estate drone photographers and videographers
• Industrial plumbers, electricians and other workers performing building inspections
• Security intel in warehouses
• Businesses that require forklift operators now have drones to follow the forklift around as well to ensure safety and worker efficiency
• The oil and gas industry
• Mining
• The power generation industry
Aside from real estate drone photographers, a majority of businesses are flying their indoor drones in large buildings and warehouses with tons of airspace, so they don’t have to worry about obstacles as much.
Nonetheless, more and more industries are starting to use indoor drones because of all the benefits they prove to have. Some of which include:
• Saving time
• Saving money
• Gain access to areas a human can’t necessarily reach
• Safety
• Efficiency
It could be argued that drones are taking the jobs that humans can do, but they still require a pilot to fly the drone. Basically, instead of the worker using an outdated tool or piece of machinery to get a specific job done, he is trained to pilot an indoor drone to get the job done in a safer and more efficient manner.
Nonetheless, indoor drones with cameras are the wave of the future for nearly all businesses and industries. It is quickly becoming a worldwide realization of just how useful indoor drones are. What once used to be known as a toy is now seen as the future profession.
Different jobs call for different piloting skills. Regardless of the job, though, there is a standard set of safety tips for flying a drone indoors.
What Are the Safety Tips For Flying An Indoor Drone?
The FAA regulates and enforces the rules that are established for UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) usage. These rules are in place to promote airspace safety for all types of outdoor aerial vehicles, including unmanned vehicles. The same rules do not apply for indoor drones, however.
You might not have to follow the airspace rules and regulations when flying a drone indoors, but there are other obstacles you have to be aware of. To maintain a hazard-free and safe flying environment indoors, follow these easy safety tips below:
1. Know your strengths
As a pilot, it is crucial to your safety, the safety of others, and your drone’s safety to know your strengths and weaknesses before flying an expensive drone indoors. It might initially seem easier to fly a drone indoors, but depending on the building you fly in, it can actually make it ten times harder to fly without breaking anything or hurting someone.
2. Know your drone
The more familiar you are with your drone, the safer you are as a pilot in any environment. Before you can do that, though, you must first decide what type of indoor drone is best for your needs.
There are three types of indoor drones with cameras:
• Toy or training indoor drones
• Indoor racing drone with FPV
• Professional indoor drone
Typically, you won’t want to fly a professional drone such as the DJI Phantom 4 indoors unless you are in a warehouse with very little obstacles. However, real estate drone photographers must fly this type of drone in and around homes all the time to create videos to help promote and sell the home. A lot of the time, these homes are furnished as well, so the pilot must be a master at flying in nearly any environment.
Hal Simmons
When I first started flying drones I was always afraid of damaging my drone. I would always be thinking what if. I questioned myself often and as a result it made me question various aspects of flying drones. In the process I learned a lot. This is why I feel I have a lot of information that will be helpful to beginners and intermediate drone enthusiasts. Of course I still have a lot to learn so join me on this journey and I am sure you will enjoy the adventure ahead of us.Get daily lessons that start with how to choose a drone.