QuadHangar’s surveys are hot! After the success of the DJI Phantom 3 Accessories Guide we started a survey for the popular and fun Parrot Bebop quadcopter.
Also this time we had a great reaction from the community and lots of interesting feedback.
We got 91 awesome responses from enthusiastic Beboppers.
In this article we’ll go over the results and then show you what are the most trendy accessories for this popular quadcopter.
This guide is divided in parts:
- The respondents: who they are
- The accessories: most & less wanted
- Other accessories: what we didn’t expect
The respondents: who they are
The first questions were to understand who responded to our survey calls.
1. Do you own a Parrot Bebop?
| Yes | 53 | 58.2% |
| Yes, with Skycontroller | 35 | 38.5% |
| I’m about to buy | 1 | 1.1% |
| No | 2 | 2.2% |
Almost all the respondents already own a Bebop.
58% has the model without Skycontroller, that can be piloted with a tablet/smarphone device, while 38% bought the Bebop with Skycontroller.
The $300 USD extra for the Skycontroller made the price goes into a more crowded market, with DJI quadcopters as a possible alternative.
Have you already bought accessories for your Bebop?
| Yes! | 55 | 60.4% |
| I’m choosing now | 12 | 13.2% |
| No | 24 | 26.4% |
More than half respondents already bought one or more accessories for their Bebop quadcopter. 26% didn’t buy an accessory (so far), but it’s clear that the accessory market is huge for Bebop users.
Which accessories have you bought?
| Batteries | 43 | 66.2% |
| Propellers | 24 | 36.9% |
| Travel Case / Backpack | 28 | 43.1% |
| FPV System | 3 | 4.6% |
| Led / light kit | 7 | 10.8% |
| Extra charger | 16 | 24.6% |
| Car Charger | 2 | 3.1% |
| Sun shade (for monitor) | 4 | 6.2% |
| Replacement parts | 30 | 46.2% |
| Other | 6 | 9.2% |
The top 3 most wanted accessories are:
- Batteries
- Replacement parts
- Travel solutions
While batteries aren’t a surprise (the standard Bebop battery last just 13 minutes, and it’s delivered with two of them), I’m surprise to see so much demand for replacement parts.
But, as a Bebop owner myself, I can tell you that it’s easy to have too much fun flying around and… crash the toy.
If you could choose only ONE accessory, which one would you buy?
| Batteries | 38 | 41.8% |
| Propellers | 2 | 2.2% |
| Travel Case / Backpack | 4 | 4.4% |
| FPV System | 9 | 9.9% |
| Led / light kit | 0 | 0% |
| Car Charger | 3 | 3.3% |
| Extra Charger | 4 | 4.4% |
| Sun shade (for monitor) | 0 | 0% |
| Replacement parts | 8 | 8.8% |
| Skycontroller | 21 | 23.1% |
| Other | 2 | 2.2% |
People wants more batteries to have more flying fun. But also the Skycontroller is a very desirable accessory. It surely increase the control and the whole flying experience.
How satisfied are you with the Bebop?
| Not at all: 1 | 3 | 3.5% |
| 2 | 6 | 7% |
| 3 | 19 | 22.1% |
| 4 | 29 | 33.7% |
| Very much: 5 | 29 | 33.7% |
We asked: How likely will you buy each of the following accessories?
Batteries
| Not at all | 5 | 5.5% |
| Maybe | 23 | 25.3% |
| Most likely | 30 | 33% |
| Absolutely | 33 | 36.3% |
No surprise here. You don’t take your Bebop out in a nice day for 13+13 = 26 minutes of fun. The solution? Buy more and more batteries!
Luckily there are after-market cheaper battery options. There are also extended batteries but they don’t seem to provide any longer flying experience.
Recommended battery:
The tested maximum flying time is about 13 minutes.
“Batteries from Tera. Good” – A sharp respondent
Propellers
| Not at all | 10 | 11% |
| Maybe | 37 | 40.7% |
| Most likely | 24 | 26.4% |
| Absolutely | 20 | 22% |
I read that 40% of ‘maybe’ like ‘I’ll buy if I break the ones I have’. Luckily the Bebop is shipped with an extra set of propellers, because propellers do break, bend, get damaged.
Recommended propellers:
Upgrade Rotor Propellers for Parrot Bebop Drone 3.0 RC Quadcopter Main Blades Red and Black 4PCS
“I got extra props. just had to swap my first prop (bent a little)”
“Propellers are oem, work fine.”
Travel Case / Backpack
| Not at all | 23 | 25.3% |
| Maybe | 36 | 39.6% |
| Most likely | 15 | 16.5% |
| Absolutely | 17 | 18.7% |
Here the opinions are well spread across the options. It’s (not surprisingly) a love-hate relationship: some wants the prop guards to protect their quadcopter, them self and the people around – while others see them as an annoyance that is affecting the flying characteristics (especially when wind is blowing).
Recommended travel case / backpack:
Backpack for Parrot Bebop with Sky Controller and Propguards – By MC-CASES (Black / Green)
“Got my backpack case combo. LOVE IT.” – an happy customer
FPV System
| Not at all | 32 | 35.2% |
| Maybe | 33 | 36.3% |
| Most likely | 17 | 18.7% |
| Absolutely | 9 | 9.9% |
Not too much interest for FPV solutions among the Beboppers. The main issue is that the video is streamed over the wi-fi and the lag is disturbing.
Not sure if Parrot will ever fix that, but if you really are in the market for a FPV system you’ll need the Skycontroller (that comes with HDMI connector) and a fat wallet.
Recommended FPV system:
Sony HMZ-T1 Personal 3D Viewer
“It’s too [email protected]#ing expensive” – my comment
Led / light kit
| Not at all | 24 | 26.4% |
| Maybe | 46 | 50.5% |
| Most likely | 14 | 15.4% |
| Absolutely | 7 | 7.7% |
Bebop pilots like some led on their toy, and maybe are a bit jealous of their friends with Phantom drones.
Just 26% of the respondents are not considering getting a light kit.
Recommended light kit:
BTG Upgrade Lipo Battery 1800mAh with Bottom LED Light Kit Board for Parrot Bebop Drone 3.0
“LED lights — really cool for flying in the dark” – a pilot
Car charger
| Not at all | 28 | 30.8% |
| Maybe | 35 | 38.5% |
| Most likely | 20 | 22% |
| Absolutely | 8 | 8.8% |
You can see here who needs to drive to a quiet place to fly his/her Bebop. It’s a mixed result, but there’s a market for car chargers and if you’re shopping for one here is our pick.
Extra charger
| Not at all | 32 | 35.2% |
| Maybe | 38 | 41.8% |
| Most likely | 12 | 13.2% |
| Absolutely | 9 | 9.9% |
Less people are not at all buying an extra charger than a car charger.
What does this leave us? With a lot of maybe…
Recommended extra charger:
Parrot PF070082 Bebop Drone and Parrot SkyController Battery Charger
“2 batteries 1 wall charger 4 motors 2 screw sets Yes I happy with my bebop parts” – a respondent
Sun shade (for monitor)
| Not at all | 47 | 51.6% |
| Maybe | 27 | 29.7% |
| Most likely | 10 | 11% |
| Absolutely | 7 | 7.7% |
Recommended sun shade:
“The sun shade I got is way to heavy. Looking at getting a lite weight one from HoodiVision.” – an almost customer.
GPS localizer
| Not at all | 24 | 26.4% |
| Maybe | 31 | 34.1% |
| Most likely | 25 | 27.5% |
| Absolutely | 11 | 12.1% |
Recommended GPS tracker:
Trackimo trk12m Universal Personal GPS Tracker
“This is a good GPS tracker that works as described.” – a customer.
Replacement Parts
| Not at all | 4 | 4.4% |
| Maybe | 29 | 31.9% |
| Most likely | 36 | 39.6% |
| Absolutely | 22 | 24.2% |
The big surprise of this survey are the replacement parts. Only 4% is not considering buying them!
Bebop flyers quickly learnt how to fix their machine, and to do that they need to get the right parts. Parrot did a very good job releasing a series of fantastic videos explaining how to fix the Bebop (check them here).
Recommended replacement parts:
There’s not single recommendation here, but we got a few responses mentioning motors.
Parrot PF070079 Bebop Drone Motors Kit
“I bought motors, yes, i am happy with them” – as seen in a response
Skycontroller
| Not at all | 34 | 37.4% |
| Maybe | 23 | 25.3% |
| Most likely | 10 | 11% |
| Absolutely | 24 | 26.4% |
Ahh… Skycontroller. Either you dream about it or you can’t care less. It all depends on what you want to do and achieve with your Bebop.
Parrot announced that the Skycontroller will soon be available separately. For the time being, you can only get it bundled with the Bebop which is pretty sad, considering that the Bebop is a good choice for beginner flyers and many of them get hooked into this fantastic hobby (and wants more).
Skycontrolle:
Will soon be for sale individually. For now only available in bundle with the Bebop.
“I’d like to buy the skycontroller but only if the price is right. the recent price i heard is far too high if you compare the overall price to other drones in that price class and quality” – a bebopper
Other accessories
The survey answers show that Bebop pilots want few more accessories.
Camera Lens Cover
The Bebop camera lens doesn’t have delicate mechanical parts, but is quite exposed and can easily get damaged in a crash.
Quite some responses mentioned the need for a lens cover… we got you covered with this nice one!
Anbee® Protective UV Resin Camera Lens Cover for Parrot Bebop Drone 3.0 Quadcopter
“Something by parrot to protect the camera lens from cracking in an accident” – there you have it!
What doesn’t Exist
Here some comments about accessories that respondents would really like to see in the future.
- “A better camera!” / “I want a 4k camera. badly.”
- “Light weight high capacity battery.”
- “Floatation pontoons.” – our favorite
- “Parachute for fail safe”
- “GoPro attachment”
- “wifi-less transceivers” – not sure I understand this
- “Protective landing gear, a BB gun,” – LOL
- “Rear facing camera”
- “A battery that will allow more than 30 minutes of flight time.”
- “Decals”
Dear Parrot, I hope you’re reading this!
And now, your turn. Let’s talk about Bebop accessories a little more in the comments.
“wifi-less transceivers” – not sure I understand this
Guessing they are referring to the fact that the Bebop uses a wifi link for command and control as well as FPV video and some people have reported having problems with disconnections. They might be suggesting that Parrot switch to dedicated signals in the 2.4 and/or 5.8ghz range for control and video.
Thanks Steve, makes sense.
Also, transmitting the real-time video over wi-fi is causing the image to lag, a separate transceiver would be better.
Thanks!
Everyone flying a quadcopter is afraid of fly-aways, and Bebop owners are even more scared because is a real problem with this model…….
My son wants one of these for his photography. Which means guess who is going to have to buy it!… Unfortunately quotes like the one above I find very worrying considering the high cost. Is this a real problem? If so I may need to look for some alternative. Thanks. Any help would be appreciated.
Personally I had fly my Bebop a dozen times and never had major issues. But controlling it from a tablet makes it less reliable for sure.
If you’ve budget, then a Phantom 3 is definitely a better option.