Ground Agent power and runtime

The Ground Agent has no internal battery. Power it over USB-C from a wall adapter, a USB-C PD power bank, a vehicle adapter, or another regulated field source, and pick the runtime each job needs.

Recommended power sources

Source	Use it for	Notes
USB-C wall adapter	Bench work, lab testing, fixed setups	Use a supply that sustains the board’s required output under load.
USB-C PD power bank	Field operation	The best portable option. Pick a bank rated for sustained output, not only peak.
Vehicle or field battery adapter	Long sessions	Regulated USB-C output only. No bare battery leads into the board.
Laptop USB-C power	Short setup only	Many laptops limit current. Use separate power when video, the Wi-Fi AP, HDMI or extra radios are active.

Do not judge a power bank by its mAh label. Most banks print mAh at the internal cell voltage, not at the USB output. Estimate runtime in watt-hours.

Planning draw

These figures are planning estimates, not measurements of a specific build.

Ground Agent mode	Planning draw	Covers
Direct, headless node	~7.5 W	One radio, no HDMI kiosk, normal local clients
Kiosk or dual-radio node	~9-11 W	HDMI kiosk, a second radio, or heavier uplink use
Supply ceiling	15 W	Supply sizing and brownout margin, not average runtime

The ceiling matters because a weak supply can reset USB radios during load spikes. Use it for a worst-case runtime estimate only.

Runtime estimates

These planning estimates assume 75-85% usable energy after USB conversion losses.

Power bank label	Usable energy	~7.5 W direct	~10 W kiosk or dual-radio	15 W ceiling
10,000 mAh	~28-31 Wh	~3.7-4.1 h	~2.8-3.1 h	~1.9-2.1 h
20,000 mAh	~56-63 Wh	~7.5-8.4 h	~5.6-6.3 h	~3.7-4.2 h
30,000 mAh	~83-94 Wh	~11.1-12.5 h	~8.3-9.4 h	~5.5-6.3 h
99 Wh PD bank	~74-84 Wh	~9.9-11.2 h	~7.4-8.4 h	~5.0-5.6 h

Old banks, thin cables, heat, and other devices on the same bank all reduce runtime.

USB tether and power

USB tether is a data path first. A laptop can back-power the board, but that is not a field setup.

Power the Ground Agent from a wall adapter or a USB-C power bank.
Use a separate USB-C cable that is explicitly data-capable for the tether.
Treat laptop back-power as a short setup convenience.
If video freezes or the USB network drops under load, retest with a known-good power source before changing radio settings.

Brownout symptoms

Power problems often look like radio or network problems.

Symptom	Likely cause	First fix
USB tether appears and disappears	Host power limit or a bad cable	Separate power and a known data cable
Video freezes when more clients join	Supply sag under Wi-Fi load	A stronger USB-C source
Radio adapter disappears from diagnostics	Brownout on the USB bus	Change the power source and cable
HDMI kiosk works, then drops video	Load spike from the display and browser	A higher-output USB-C source
Works on wall power but not on a power bank	The bank cannot sustain output	A PD bank with a sustained output rating

Field checklist

Use a USB-C source that sustains the required output.
Carry one known-good data cable and one known-good power cable.
Keep the power bank out of direct sun.
Start long sessions with the bank fully charged.
For USB tether, keep power and data on separate cables whenever the hardware allows it.

Get started

Connect your devices

At the ground station

Mesh and distributed receive

Network and fleet

Diagnose

Recommended power sources

Planning draw

Runtime estimates

USB tether and power

Brownout symptoms

Field checklist

Next steps

Install the Ground Agent

USB tether

​Recommended power sources

​Planning draw

​Runtime estimates

​USB tether and power

​Brownout symptoms

​Field checklist

​Next steps

Install the Ground Agent

USB tether

Recommended power sources

Planning draw

Runtime estimates

USB tether and power

Brownout symptoms

Field checklist

Next steps