Back in February 2013, I modified the Wi-Fi radio on the first-generation Parrot AR.Drone. Its original range was about 20 to 30 meters, and I managed to push it to 800 meters in line-of-sight conditions.
I also used a TP-Link router and a Nexus 7 tablet released in 2012, where I replaced the internal Wi-Fi antenna with a UFL connector in order to attach a 9 dBi TP-Link directional antenna. Later, I upgraded to a 19 dBi antenna from the Polish brand ITElite, and I was able to reach a range of 1,500 meters.
With a fairly active community in the United States, I also met Garrock, a radio-frequency engineer who kindly sent me his 2.4 GHz antenna prototype, designed specifically for the AR.Drone.
