Drone roof inspections are a great tool for homeowners and insurance companies alike. They allow them to detect any possible damages in the roof early before leaking occurs or before the damages become extremely expensive.

Most people prefer hiring companies to do roof inspections every couple of years to make sure the roof is holding up well. You could even do your own and all you’d need is a great drone with a high-quality camera. Here are three drones that are used by the pros commonly for roof inspections.

Criteria To Consider

Before getting into this list, it’s important to understand exactly what specs you would like to see in a drone for roof inspections. A couple things that don’t matter as much are the range, max speed, and battery life.

The drone isn’t going to go very far from you because you’ll be standing right below the house, so really any drone is going to have enough range, as even the weakest have ranges of 200 m. Also, most inspections will only take 15-20 minutes tops, so any decent drone will have that battery life.

Max speed doesn’t matter because these drones are going to be moving very slowly and hovering in most spots to closely analyze the entire roof. A fast fly-by wouldn’t be at all beneficial for inspecting a roof.

What you want to see in a drone for roof inspections is a great camera, maneuverability, and easy to use. All three of these drones have 4k cameras because you want to be able to see the details of the roof as best as possible. Maneuverability is important because you’ll want the drone to be able to analyze every nook and cranny on the roof.

You also want it to be easy to use because honestly, drone roof inspections are one of the more simple applications of drones and you don’t want to have a ton of features you don’t need.

Now that you have some idea on the guidelines used, here are three drones we’d recommend.

DJI Phantom 3 Pro

The DJI Phantom 3 is a popular choice for many, both for inspections and other uses. Its 4k video camera comes with a 3-axis gimbal meaning it has great stability and can capture views from many angles.

The best feature of this drone is it is one of the easiest to use. It is charged and ready to use right out of the box with no assembly required. The DJI Pilot app, which is available for most DJI drone, is one of the best drone tools available.

It allows live viewing through the app and complete camera control. This is a great feature for performing inspections, because not only is the drone maneuverable, but also the camera.

Yuneec Typhoon 4K

The Typhoon is the easiest drone on this list to transport, with props that are quick and easy to disconnect and fold down. Its ST16 all-in-one controller is one of the best in the business, with a touchscreen that allows you to control the camera combined with the regular controls for flying the drone. This means it doesn’t require a smartphone like the Phantom 3 does, as everything you’ll need is attached to the controller.

The 4k camera is also easy to move, with a full 360-degree gimbal that is anti-vibration, giving you the steadiest view. Finally, it is incredibly easy to fly, with 8 smart flight modes, including automatic takeoff, landing, and return to home.

Autel Robotics X-Star Premium

This Autel drone rivals the other two on this list with many of the same great capabilities. Its 4k camera has a 3-axis gimbal like the others, and it also can be viewed live with the Starlink app on any smart device.

Its remote controller is also extremely easy to use with one-touch buttons and simplicity that allows novice users to understand it easily. The remote also includes a large LCD display, which allows you to move the camera like the other drones.

Summary

All three of these drones are all similar, with 4k cameras, 3 axis gimbals, and screen displays that allow you to move the camera to get the perfect view. Any of these would be more than capable for your inspection needs.