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Be a big spender on your Mavic.

Former Member

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You have taken the plunge. You have spent $1000 or more on your drone. You get it home and want to fly right away. You charge it up, head for the outdoors, and are ready to soar into the wild blue yonder. You start everything up, connect to your device, and... nothing. No video, no connection. No joy. Why?

Could it be because you didnt look on the list of approved devices and are having a compatibility problem? In the past few weeks I have seen a number of posts of people who can't connect, connections are lagging, or are disconnecting frequently. Many are from new pilots who are trying to use older devices to run their state-of-the-art drone. OK, some are due to software and firmware, but the majority are from people who are just trying to use a cheap or older device to run their expensive drone.

The Mavic is a mechanical and technological marvel. To get that much technology in a device smaller than a loaf of bread is just amazing. DJI has done their part to bring you up to and into the future, so why stay in the past using an old device? I have found that I have to replace my device every 2 years to keep up with DJI's cycle of innovation. If you are trying to run a device that's more than 3 or 4 years old, try not to expect too much from your drone. Some older Apple devices might be able to keep up, but I have found that android devices need to be replaced more often.

I also believe you should treat your Mavic like a lady. Don't you want your lady to look beautiful? You can keep her looking that way if you show her respect. One of my pet peeves is people using glue instead of replacing a part. Glue might work in emergency but it's unsightly and sometimes will cause you more problems than it will solve.

Self repair is another way to save money, but sometimes by trying to fix one thing you end up breaking another. More complicated repairs should be left to professionals who know what they're doing and will return your drone to you in flyable condition. I'm not using this to self promote, but to discourage amateurs from attempting the complicated repair that could cost them more in the long run.

My whole point is if you want to fully enjoy this hobby you should think about spending a little bit of money up front. One thing would be adding a contemporary device to operate your Mavic if you don't already have one. If you are professional it is really not an option to try to capture customers footage with an inferior device.

Another thing is drone damage insurance. Why take the risk of something bad happening when you could easily buy DJI refresh or get a drone insurance policy from an Insurance company. These policies are readily available and quite reasonably priced.

Every time I do a repair or sell a drone I mention all of these things to my customers. Most listen and enjoy the additional input I give them and wonder why they didn't think of it sooner.

Thank you for reading this long post and I hope you're making the most of this great weather we are having in the USA.

Best regards,

Rob
Thunderdrones
 
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The thing is there are lots of tablets that work very well that aren't on DJIs approved list.
Even a 7" that I picked up for $38 works well.
But the thing is a lot of the devices not on the approved list DON’T work well. The point being made here is spot on, why not use a control device that is on the list? If you don’t, don’t complain to DJI until you’ve at least borrrowed one to try out.
 
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But the thing is a lot of the devices not on the approved list DON’T work well. The point being made here is spot on, why not use a control device that is on the list? If you don’t, don’t complain to DJI until you’ve at least borrrowed one to try out.

I have nothing to complain about nor do I need to try any other devices.
I'm very happy with what I have.
BTW I only keep the $38 one as an emergency spare.
 
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Yep. I'm currently using an ancient Nexus 5 phone, which technically works, but has rather a dim screen - rendered even dimmer when using neutral density filters.

I'm awaiting delivery of a tablet, donated by a friend, and hope it will improve things, otherwise I'll invest in one from the list.

I paid the extra $$ for DJI refresh.

(Glue might work in an emergency, but real men use duct tape! :p)
 
I have nothing to complain about nor do I need to try any other devices.
I'm very happy with what I have.
BTW I only keep the $38 one as an emergency spare.
I wasn’t criticising you, I was just supporting the OP’s comments. If what you’re using works for you, that’s great. But a lot of people on here are moaning of problems when they are not using approved devices!
 
i agree in needing proper devices to perform tasks well,thought i never would but recently went to an ipad
does the interest in new devices ever taper off>i recently did some work on my router and realized i have 88 devices connected.,i cringe at the thought of having to redo everything once my router takes a dump.
 
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I was considering getting a tablet. Is this "list" of approved devices on DJI's site?
 
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Yep. I'm currently using an ancient Nexus 5 phone, which technically works, but has rather a dim screen - rendered even dimmer when using neutral density filters.

I'm awaiting delivery of a tablet, donated by a friend, and hope it will improve things, otherwise I'll invest in one from the list.

I paid the extra $$ for DJI refresh.

(Glue might work in an emergency, but real men use duct tape! :p)

Have you tried Litchi?
I find the display a lot better than using GO.
 
I was considering getting a tablet. Is this "list" of approved devices on DJI's site?

The "official" list is here Mavic Pro– Specs, FAQ, Tutorials and Downloads under the "APP / LIVE VIEW" heading.

I used a Google Nexus 7 2013 tablet in the past, but have since switched to an iPad. Go tends to eat more and more CPU as "features" get added, the Nexus was starting to get choppy.

I think iPad is the way to go if you want something that just flat out works and will continue to do so for the longest possible time. The fragmented Android ecosystem seems to lead to less consistent results.
 
Two things:

....you didnt look on the list of approved devices and are having a compatibility problem?

Where is this mythical list of approved devices? All I can see at DJI Consumer Drones Comparison- DJI down the bottom under Required Operating System is iOS v9.0 or later Android v4.4 or later. No link to a list of devices.

I do recall seeing a list DJI published list of devices at some point a fair while back. Do DJI maintain an up to date list? This isn't readily obvious to me right now, so I am not sure how can you expect a potential Mavic buyer to find it.

Many are from new pilots who are trying to use older devices to run their state-of-the-art drone. OK, some are due to software and firmware, but the majority are from people who are just trying to use a cheap or older device to run their expensive drone.
I use a state of the art Samsung S9+ (Android v8.0) and if is quiet problematic with DJI Go4 app disconnects occurring every other flight (No, it is not the USB lead). I suppose I fit in your software exception here. Point being, having the latest phone is no guarantee of avoiding connection problems.

Anyhow can someone dig up the DJI official compatible device list? It is all a bit Moot without that IMO.

EDIT @microlinux Thanks for posting that link. Interestingly it is only for the Mavic Pro & there is not an equivalent list in the MP Platinum specs. S9 is not on that list. I recall the S7 being missing too, back in the day. So at least DJI must know it has issues and are hopefully working on it.
 
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The Mavic List... (29/6/18)

iOS Version v4.2.12.
Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPad Air, iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 4 and iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular. This app is optimized for iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus.
Android Version v4.2.8.
Android version 4.4.0 or later. Compatible with Samsung S8, Samsung S7 edge, Samsung S7, Samsung S6, Samsung S5, Samsung NOTE4, Samsung tabs 705c, Ascend Mate 9, Ascend Mate 7, Huawei Honor 8, Huawei P8 Max, Vivo X7, Xiaomi 5, Google Nexus 6p, Nexus 9, Google Nexus 7 II, LG V20.

*Support for additional devices available as testing and development continues.

Interesting how the two respective headings in bold list version that conflict with required version on the following line.
 
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Point being, having the latest phone is no guarantee of avoiding connection problems.

Maybe you're right, but having an older device with insufficient memory and storage will guarantee problems. Having a modern device increases your odds of success. Too bad about your S9+, must have cost you a pretty penny. I started with an S5, then S6, Tab, S7 and now S8+. No complaints whatsoever.
 
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