I’m looking into purchasing this mavic air. Since the connection is only WiFi will I have trouble with the range. Will flying in town effect the range with all the WiFi that is available in town. I’m new to this and really only using this as a hobby and possibly taking some fishing footage.
Air range
- Thread starter jdecoudres
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I don’t own the air myself but I’ve heard lots of reports of poor range especially near towns. Seems like a great piece of kit but perhaps better for rural flying. Not sure when they are due to release a new one but hopefully they include occusync in the refresh which would eliminate the current signal issues. Perhaps if you’re in a small town it may be a non-issue but if a busy one it may become problematic?
I haven’t purchased either yet so I don’t have a Manuel. Trying to decide my best option to purchase
I am sopose to be flying no more then 400 ft isn’t that correct. So will the range of the drone really be a issue.
The manuals are available on line. I would recommend downloading, then you can do a very practical comparison of features and capabilities of each. That may help you to make a better informed decision vs “this one is bigger and better”. There are a lot of very well informed persons on the forum as well, with incredible feedback. Use the info they provide with the specs from the manufacture to compare the models of your choosing. I would also recommend visiting a local shop for some possible hands on.
Happy Shopping,
R
Jeffrey
Happy Shopping,
R
Jeffrey
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If you're flying in the US, you also need to fly within VLOS. That means you need to be able to see the drone with your eyes.
I'm able to fly my Mavic Air beyond what I'm able to see. So, if you're flying with VLOS, range should not be an issue.
Check out some YouTube comparisons of the both too... helped me making my decision. I think if portability is a must you can’t beat the air but all things considered the pro was an upgrade in almost every other aspect which swayed me. Far quieter too. Haven’t looked back since but it’s quite a price hike from the air so that should be a consideration too.
I have a Mavic Air and a Mavic 2 Pro.
Both can be affected by interference, but the Mavic 2 will always be able to fly further all else equal. That doesn't really matter though because in most places including the USA, it's illegal to fly out of line of sight without a dedicated spotter, and you usually can never fly above 400ft. Even if you do, the Air's range is still so good (4km in ideal conditions) that you aren't likely to run into any issues. Also with best practice being to return home around 20-30% battery, there are just fewer and fewer reasons to fly several KM away from 'home', at least in my opinion.
It is very location dependent but I have never had any issues with my Air flying out beyond 1km (with spotter) even in urban areas. YMMV. I have yet to experience a single range or signal issue with the Air and I have taken it with me to Hawaii, Europe, etc. It has been a rock solid drone for me, but I am not out to do any maximum distance tests. If you are a casual user using the drone normally, it's unlikely range will ever be an issue at all.
Keep in mind how much smaller/lighter the Air is than the Mavic 2 is as well (less than half the size and less than half the weight), if that is a concern for you. Even the batteries and accessories are a lot smaller. I am currently having a heck of a time finding the perfect bag for the Pro (inside hard case), where the Air fit in pretty much anything even when inside it's hard case. The size/weight difference between both complete kits is very significant IMO.
The Pro 2 is without a doubt the better drone, but it costs twice as much and is far less portable. Performance/size ratio, the Air is in a category of it's own and is better than the original Mavic Pro in many ways such as image quality and obstacle avoidance.
I have a Yuneec Q500 4k drone that i purchased several years ago. It is very stable, has a great camera but has limited range and is very large.
I have been intrigued by the mavic drones for their range and portability. Over the last 18 months, I read all of the reviews, watched all of the youtube videos and stalked this forum. Over Christmas i bought a mavic Air fly more combo from best buy for $720. It is crazy how small the Mavic air is and the features (Active track, quick shots, etc) were great compared to the Yuneec. However, i personally found that the flight times were too short, and that the video feed would start to skip and lag when i got more than 500 feet from the controller. Following the advice in the forum, i switched to the 5.8 band and had better range (1000 ft +) but still had some video lag and skipping. The noise of the Air wasn't as bad as i was expecting.
Although I hated giving up the great price i paid for the Air, after about 8 flights I wound up returning the Mavic Air for a Mavic 2 Zoom. While the Zoom is definitely larger than the Air, the Zoom is still very portable. I have the Smatree drone case for the Zoom which has the same length and width as the case for the Air...the only difference is that it is 1 inch thicker. After my first flight with the zoom, i was convinced that i made the right decision. There is absolutely no lag in the video feed, the range is crazy good and i have been averaging flight times just under 30 minutes.
All in all, the Zoom was the better choice over the Air for me. good luck with your decision !
I have been intrigued by the mavic drones for their range and portability. Over the last 18 months, I read all of the reviews, watched all of the youtube videos and stalked this forum. Over Christmas i bought a mavic Air fly more combo from best buy for $720. It is crazy how small the Mavic air is and the features (Active track, quick shots, etc) were great compared to the Yuneec. However, i personally found that the flight times were too short, and that the video feed would start to skip and lag when i got more than 500 feet from the controller. Following the advice in the forum, i switched to the 5.8 band and had better range (1000 ft +) but still had some video lag and skipping. The noise of the Air wasn't as bad as i was expecting.
Although I hated giving up the great price i paid for the Air, after about 8 flights I wound up returning the Mavic Air for a Mavic 2 Zoom. While the Zoom is definitely larger than the Air, the Zoom is still very portable. I have the Smatree drone case for the Zoom which has the same length and width as the case for the Air...the only difference is that it is 1 inch thicker. After my first flight with the zoom, i was convinced that i made the right decision. There is absolutely no lag in the video feed, the range is crazy good and i have been averaging flight times just under 30 minutes.
All in all, the Zoom was the better choice over the Air for me. good luck with your decision !
Gbpro
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Only have issues once in congested areas flying with 2.4GHz, the I changed to 5.8 GHz and problem solved. I have flown my Air to 2.0 miles away with no problem,first you will fun out of batteries juice on its way back.
Voltaic
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I’ve had my Mavic Air since May last year and have only had one total disconnect from the controller while flying with my phone. I would get a bit of lag but when i changed to a Crystal Sky as my monitor, my signal issues ceased.
Like a lot of folks said in this thread, you’ll lose VLOS before you hit a substantial signal issue. The Mavic Pro is far and away a better drone but so much more expensive.
Like a lot of folks said in this thread, you’ll lose VLOS before you hit a substantial signal issue. The Mavic Pro is far and away a better drone but so much more expensive.
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I’ve had an air for a few months. Hobbyist. Beginner. First real drone. I fly in rural and urban areas. Never once have I had a signal loss due to interference. I also don’t fly it beyond my visual range. It’s plenty fun and I have some amazing footage. You won’t be sorry with either drone. The air is a really capable drone that’s really fun to fly.
Your post reminds me of a saying about cameras:
The greatest camera in the world is worthless, if it's not with you when you need it. Something to keep in mind when picking a drone...
The heavier/bulkier it is, the less likely you are to take it with you. The Mavic Air is a hands down winner in the compact drone department, IMO.
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