Updated: Specs from manufacturer pagesNo paid placements
Can you add a thermal camera to a drone?
You can add a thermal camera to a drone only if the drone is built for it. Enterprise drones with a payload port, such as DJI’s Matrice 350, take swappable thermal payloads, and FPV builders can fit hobby thermal modules. Consumer drones like the DJI Mini, Air, Mavic and Phantom can’t take an integrated thermal camera at all.
Thermal camera for a drone: your three real options
- Buy a drone with thermal built in. The cheapest and simplest route for nearly everyone. See the best thermal drones ranking.
- Add a payload to an enterprise aircraft. Only for drones with a payload port (DJI Matrice 300/350, Autel Alpha).
- Build an FPV or DIY thermal drone. Cheap hobby modules, separate video link, no temperature data.
Thermal camera for DJI drones
DJI’s consumer drones (Mini 2, 3, 4 Pro and 5 Pro, Air, Mavic 3 and 4 Pro, the original Mavic Pro and Phantom) can’t run a thermal camera through the DJI app, and DJI sells no thermal accessory for them. Forum answers to “is there any way to add thermal to a Mini?” are the same: no. The drone has no spare power or data connection, and the Mini’s weight limit leaves almost nothing for payload.
On DJI enterprise aircraft it’s routine. The Matrice 300 and 350 RTK accept Zenmuse H20T and H30T thermal payloads, and the compact Matrice 4T has thermal built in. If you want DJI thermal, buy one of those. See the DJI thermal drone lineup.
Thermal camera attachment: the piggyback workaround
Some owners strap a small thermal camera with its own transmitter to a consumer drone and watch its feed on a separate screen. It can work for spotting a warm animal in a field, but you lose flight time to the extra weight, can void your warranty, may unbalance the drone, and get no gimbal stabilisation and no temperature readings. Phone thermal cameras like the FLIR One don’t work at all: they need a phone attached.
FPV thermal camera modules
FPV builders use small thermal modules sold with 256×192, 384×288 or 640×512 sensors and an analog (CVBS) or USB-C video output. They range from a few hundred dollars (256×192) to around a thousand (640×512), mostly from resellers, under brand names such as Axisflying. Their specs come from the listings, not from a manufacturer datasheet we could find, so treat stated resolution and NETD as unconfirmed. They aren’t radiometric and won’t record temperatures, but on a well-built quad they give a real-time thermal feed for spotting animals or people.
IR camera modules and DIY thermal drones
A DIY thermal drone is an FPV quad plus a thermal module, a video transmitter and goggles or a monitor. Budget for a frame with lift to spare, because thermal modules with lenses and housings weigh more than FPV cameras. Watch out for “IR camera modules” that are really near-infrared night cameras: they need an IR lamp and can’t see heat. A genuine thermal module will state a microbolometer sensor and a resolution such as 256×192.
FLIR drones and FLIR cameras for drones
“FLIR drone” usually means a drone with a Teledyne FLIR thermal sensor inside. Teledyne’s own drone, the SIRAS, is discontinued. Current drones with FLIR cores include the Skydio X10 (Boson+, <30 mK) and the Parrot ANAFI USA (Boson, 320×256). DJI and Autel use their own thermal modules.
As a standalone FLIR camera for a drone, Teledyne has sold Vue-series payloads for integrators; they need an aircraft with a compatible mount and video link, which puts them in custom-build territory. For buyers, a drone with a FLIR core built in is the realistic way to get FLIR thermal.
So should you add one or buy one?
Buy one, unless you already own a payload-port enterprise drone or enjoy building FPV quads. A drone with thermal built in costs from a little over $3,000, records radiometric images, and works with the drone’s app. Compare prices on how much a thermal drone costs.
Questions people ask
Can you add a thermal camera to a drone?
Only some. Enterprise drones with payload ports accept thermal cameras; FPV and DIY builds can carry hobby modules; consumer drones can’t take an integrated one.
Can i put a thermal camera on my drone?
If “my drone” is a DJI Mini, Air, Mavic or Phantom: not in any integrated way. DJI software does not support third-party thermal cameras on them. The workarounds are a separate piggyback camera with its own video link, or buying a drone with thermal built in.
Can you add thermal imaging to a drone?
Yes for payload drones and FPV builds; no for consumer camera drones, beyond a strapped-on piggyback camera.
Can i add a thermal camera to my drone?
You cannot add an integrated thermal camera to a consumer DJI drone (Mini, Air, Mavic, Phantom). DJI software does not support third-party thermal cameras on them. The workarounds are a separate piggyback camera with its own video link, or buying a drone with thermal built in.
Can you put a thermal camera on a dji drone?
Only on DJI enterprise aircraft with a payload port, such as a Matrice 350 carrying a Zenmuse H30T. Not on consumer DJI drones.
Can you put an infrared camera on a drone?
Yes, if it can carry the weight, and if either the drone integrates the camera (payload drones) or you add a separate video link for it (FPV and DIY).
How to attach flir one to drone?
Don’t. The FLIR One plugs into a phone and has no video link of its own; strapped to a drone it can only record to a phone you’d also have to carry aloft. It isn’t a practical drone camera.
How to attach flir thermal camera to mavic 2?
There’s no integrated way on a consumer Mavic 2. DJI made the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual and Enterprise Advanced with thermal built in, and a used one is the practical route.
How to use thermal camera on mavic pro?
The Mavic Pro has no thermal camera and the DJI app can’t run one. Only a piggyback camera with its own transmitter would work, and it adds weight and cuts flight time.
How to make a dji phantom 3 pro a thermal?
You can’t integrate one. A piggyback module with its own video link is possible in principle, but the Phantom 3’s age, the added weight and the cost of the module make a used enterprise thermal drone the better buy.
Is the dji phantom 4 quadcopter compatible with thermal cameras?
Not in an integrated way. Third-party kits have mounted thermal cameras with their own transmitters, but DJI’s app doesn’t support them and they’re rarely sold now.
How to build a thermal drone?
Start from an FPV or DIY quad with lift to spare, mount a thermal module with analog (CVBS) or digital output, and run it to a video transmitter. You’ll watch it in goggles or on a screen. Expect a non-radiometric image and no temperature readings.
How to make a thermal drone?
Same as building one: thermal module, separate video transmitter, a drone with lift to spare. For anything beyond hobby use, buy a drone with thermal built in.
How to put on thermal camera on drones?
On payload drones, the camera locks onto the gimbal port and the drone’s app recognises it. On FPV builds, you mount the module and wire it to the video transmitter.
What drone support the thermal cameras?
Payload-port enterprise drones (DJI Matrice 300/350 series, Autel Alpha) support swappable thermal payloads; compact enterprise drones have it built in.
Does the yuneec hexacopter interchange with a thermal camera?
Some Yuneec enterprise hexacopters (the H520 family) used interchangeable cameras with thermal options. Check exact compatibility with Yuneec for your model.
What is the best thermal camera for a drone?
For most people, one that’s built in: a 640×512 radiometric camera on a compact enterprise drone. See the best thermal drones.
What is the best thermal camera for drone payloads?
For DJI Matrice 300/350 aircraft, DJI’s Zenmuse H30T is the current flagship payload, sold through enterprise dealers.
What are the best thermal cameras for drone integration?
For drone makers and integrators, Teledyne FLIR’s Boson and Boson+ cores are the most widely used; they’re inside the Skydio X10 and Parrot ANAFI USA.
What is the cheapest thermal camera for drone?
Hobby FPV modules with 256×192 sensors, a few hundred dollars from listings. Specs aren’t confirmed by a manufacturer datasheet, and they’re not radiometric.