DJI too restrictive?

[PropSpin]

I just got my mavic 2 pro today and I'm having second thoughts after reading the terms of use and complaints about the DJI go 4 app. DJI seems to be like the nanny state and maybe overly restrictive/nosey.
How difficult is it to use a DJI with small airports / heloports?
I'm thinking about sending it back before I even activate it and maybe going with Autel's Evo, but I'm not sure the image quality is enough for commercial use.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[53-63-6f-74-74]

I'd take a look at the GeoZones map first, and see if where you plan to fly is going to be a problem or not. It was recently revised and, in many cases, is not as restrictive as it once was. I cannot speak to your local regulations or airspace; you should mention where you are located.

 

[FoxhallGH]

I just got my mavic 2 pro today and I'm having second thoughts after reading the terms of use and complaints about the DJI go 4 app. DJI seems to be like the nanny state and maybe overly restrictive/nosey.
How difficult is it to use a DJI with small airports / heloports?
I'm thinking about sending it back before I even activate it and maybe going with Autel's Evo, but I'm not sure the image quality is enough for commercial use.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

Welcome to the Forum ...
With all the ways that you can injure somebody or break something when you fly your DJI product, DJI just HAS to cover its a*** in regard to the responsibilities it has to inform you of, and the responsibilities it must delegate to the end-user (you). With all the crazy stuff shown on YouTube regarding people flying their drones where and in ways they shouldn't - I think we are fortunate that what we get from DJI - really - is minimal!! If you want to campaign in the right direction, then be an ambassador for your hobby and show everyone that you come across that you fly safe and responsibly ... If we all did that, there would be no need for the rules and regulations that we all complain about at some point!
There are a lot of video's on YouTube that will assist you with settings to get good [commercial] quality video from your Mavic Pro 2 ... Have fun and fly safe ...

 

[tcope]

Unless you want to launch within a mile of a major airport, you'd not have any flight issues. As far as the camera quality... the MP2 is within DJI's consumer line and not their professional line. Depending on the quality you are wanting, you may want to look at the Inspire 2.

 

[old man mavic]

no matter what UAV you plan to use the rules are the same DJI choose to help users fly safely by preventing the UAV from flying in restricted airspace if we all flew in a safe manner these rules would not be needed no one in their right mind would fly closer than one k from any airport perimeter fence as the uk rules state all UAVs no matter what make need to be flown responsibly

 

[AMann]

I just got my mavic 2 pro today and I'm having second thoughts after reading the terms of use and complaints about the DJI go 4 app. DJI seems to be like the nanny state and maybe overly restrictive/nosey.
How difficult is it to use a DJI with small airports / heloports?
I'm thinking about sending it back before I even activate it and maybe going with Autel's Evo, but I'm not sure the image quality is enough for commercial use.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

We can’t have nice things because of the people who like to ignore the rules. DJI is trying to keep their products available for us in the future. One single drone vs plane fatality is going to shut it all down, so it’s good prevention they’re doing it.

In the US, I fly near small airports in my area easily, but as an example to what happened to another member here when he was trying to follow the rules, (Trouble with FAA and Police), don’t rely on just calling the airport; make your notices and get ATC approval in writing before flying within 5-miles of an airport.

 

[sar104]

I just got my mavic 2 pro today and I'm having second thoughts after reading the terms of use and complaints about the DJI go 4 app. DJI seems to be like the nanny state and maybe overly restrictive/nosey.
How difficult is it to use a DJI with small airports / heloports?
I'm thinking about sending it back before I even activate it and maybe going with Autel's Evo, but I'm not sure the image quality is enough for commercial use.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

How difficult? Well if it's legal then DJI will not prevent the flight. If you are looking to be able to fly illegally then DJI equipment may not be the best choice.

 

[PropSpin]

Thanks for all the replies.
First, I'm not looking to fly it illegally, and I'm aware that there are plenty of idiots out there with drones. My concern is that the complaints and the frustrations that I've seen is that DJI is more, or has been more restrictive than the FAA regulations. Also it seems a lot of people have had problems getting their drone unlocked even though they're not in a no-fly zone and have authorization in the airspace in question. Or that they can't get the drone unlocked because they're in an area with no internet connection, or that the geofencing incorrectly designates their area as a no-fly zone. In other words, I've gotten the feeling that using a DJI product can be a huge painful, frustrating experience. It seems like a lot of professionals started complaining when DJI introduced more consumer level drones and started implementing more restrictive measures. And honestly, with DJI being a Chinese company, I'm not sure I trust them with my data.

I'm located in Virginia roughly between DC and Richmond. I'll be flying recreationally initially but will be getting my commercial certificate soon. I'm interested in doing real estate work. I figure that the mavic 2 pro's camera will be good enough for that.
If DJI equipment is going to be a huge pain to use I'd rather bail now. But from what I'm seeing you guys say, maybe it's not that bad?

 

[sar104]

Thanks for all the replies.
First, I'm not looking to fly it illegally, and I'm aware that there are plenty of idiots out there with drones. My concern is that the complaints and the frustrations that I've seen is that DJI is more, or has been more restrictive than the FAA regulations. Also it seems a lot of people have had problems getting their drone unlocked even though they're not in a no-fly zone and have authorization in the airspace in question. Or that they can't get the drone unlocked because they're in an area with no internet connection, or that the geofencing incorrectly designates their area as a no-fly zone. In other words, I've gotten the feeling that using a DJI product can be a huge painful, frustrating experience. It seems like a lot of professionals started complaining when DJI introduced more consumer level drones and started implementing more restrictive measures. And honestly, with DJI being a Chinese company, I'm not sure I trust them with my data.

I'm located in Virginia roughly between DC and Richmond. I'll be flying recreationally initially but will be getting my commercial certificate soon. I'm interested in doing real estate work. I figure that the mavic 2 pro's camera will be good enough for that.
If DJI equipment is going to be a huge pain to use I'd rather bail now. But from what I'm seeing you guys say, maybe it's not that bad?

The new version of DJI GEO is much better. They replaced the old circles with actual shapes to reflect the actual airspace and seem to have cleaned it up significantly. DJI unlocking seems to work just fine, but just a cursory perusal of the threads on this site will demonstrate that however simple and functional anything is, whether it's the aircraft, the software, of the unlocking, there is no shortage of people who don't read the instructions and can't make it work.

The photo and video quality from the M2, even the zoom version, is easily good enough for that kind of commercial work. What kind of personal data are you thinking you will be sharing with DJI?

 

[PropSpin]

The new version of DJI GEO is much better. They replaced the old circles with actual shapes to reflect the actual airspace and seem to have cleaned it up significantly. DJI unlocking seems to work just fine, but just a cursory perusal of the threads on this site will demonstrate that however simple and functional anything is, whether it's the aircraft, the software, of the unlocking, there is no shortage of people who don't read the instructions and can't make it work.

The photo and video quality from the M2, even the zoom version, is easily good enough for that kind of commercial work. What kind of personal data are you thinking you will be sharing with DJI?

Okay, that's good to know. I just looked at DJI's geo map for my area and it doesn't show a lot of the stuff that showed up on AirMap. There seems to be a lot of rinky dinky air strips (grass, inactive, so called heliports, etc.) I don't mind calling into the ATC, etc. to advise them of my activities and make sure they are okay with my flights, but I have no desire to jump through crazy hoops with DJI Go 4, etc. to get into the air. As long as DJI isn't enforcing more than what the regs are, that's cool.

As far as personal data being collected goes, I'm not terribly fond of them having flight and positional data, not to mention being able to access imagery. Too easily abused, especially by a foreign company that happens to be Chinese. In the end, they'll do whatever the Chinese gov't insists upon if they think that they can get away with it without anything of serious consequence happening.

Also, their user agreement states that DJI hardware may only be repaired by DJI. They also state by using their equipment, users may not join a class action lawsuit, etc. So yes, they are doing all they can to maintain as much control in the relationship that they possibly can.

So although I'm a little hesitant, I guess I'll go ahead and take the plunge and activate and use it.

 

[tcope]

Thanks for all the replies.
First, I'm not looking to fly it illegally, and I'm aware that there are plenty of idiots out there with drones. My concern is that the complaints and the frustrations that I've seen is that DJI is more, or has been more restrictive than the FAA regulations.

You would only see this from people who don't understand.... and I'm not sure I've even seen posts like you mentioned.

DJI is _far less_ restrictive than the FAA requirements. You think any drone DJI makes won't fly beyond VLOS? You think any drone DJI makes won't fly unless you call a local airport? Moving on... you think DJI makes any drone that won't go higher than 400'? So what are these "frustrating" limits you think DJI is more restrictive with?

Also it seems a lot of people have had problems getting their drone unlocked even though they're not in a no-fly zone and have authorization in the airspace in question. Or that they can't get the drone unlocked because they're in an area with no internet connection, or that the geofencing incorrectly designates their area as a no-fly zone. In other words, I've gotten the feeling that using a DJI product can be a huge painful, frustrating experience. It seems like a lot of professionals started complaining when DJI introduced more consumer level drones and started implementing more restrictive measures. And honestly, with DJI being a Chinese company, I'm not sure I trust them with my data.

That is because these people are not following a set procedure. Also, those situation are _very_ far and few.

What is a Chinese company going to do with your flight data that a US company would not? This "data" is hardly personal data.

 

[JDawg]

"having second thoughts after reading the terms of use "

I had no idea people read those.

 

[sar104]

Okay, that's good to know. I just looked at DJI's geo map for my area and it doesn't show a lot of the stuff that showed up on AirMap. There seems to be a lot of rinky dinky air strips (grass, inactive, so called heliports, etc.) I don't mind calling into the ATC, etc. to advise them of my activities and make sure they are okay with my flights, but I have no desire to jump through crazy hoops with DJI Go 4, etc. to get into the air. As long as DJI isn't enforcing more than what the regs are, that's cool.

As far as personal data being collected goes, I'm not terribly fond of them having flight and positional data, not to mention being able to access imagery. Too easily abused, especially by a foreign company that happens to be Chinese. In the end, they'll do whatever the Chinese gov't insists upon if they think that they can get away with it without anything of serious consequence happening.

Also, their user agreement states that DJI hardware may only be repaired by DJI. They also state by using their equipment, users may not join a class action lawsuit, etc. So yes, they are doing all they can to maintain as much control in the relationship that they possibly can.

So although I'm a little hesitant, I guess I'll go ahead and take the plunge and activate and use it.

You can turn off the cloud storage option and then the flights and images are not stored on their servers. I don't find DJI particularly difficult to deal with, although my interactions have all been with the Enterprise people. The hardware is basically excellent. Apart from my very first Phantom 2, which was DOA and would not boot, and the infamous P2 j-hook problem that took a few months of beta testing to fix - I've had no issues at all.

 

[Meta4]

As far as personal data being collected goes, I'm not terribly fond of them having flight and positional data, not to mention being able to access imagery. Too easily abused, especially by a foreign company that happens to be Chinese. In the end, they'll do whatever the Chinese gov't insists upon if they think that they can get away with it without anything of serious consequence happening.

That's a common but quite incorrect idea.
DJI don't have access to your personal flight data or your images (unless you choose to share them with DJI).
But even if they did, once you see what flight data looks like and what people's videos and stills look like, it would be difficult to see why they would be interested anyway.

Also, their user agreement states that DJI hardware may only be repaired by DJI.

Do they really say that, or do they say that not doing that may affect your warranty status?
There's nothing to stop you having repairs done by anyone you choose.

 

[DanMan32]

For continued warranty coverage, repairs by DJI or DJI recommend repair center.
US companies would also void warranties if improperly worked on by an unauthorized repair center. Notice those seals on screws on some products?

 

[PropSpin]

You would only see this from people who don't understand.... and I'm not sure I've even seen posts like you mentioned.

DJI is _far less_ restrictive than the FAA requirements. You think any drone DJI makes won't fly beyond VLOS? You think any drone DJI makes won't fly unless you call a local airport? Moving on... you think DJI makes any drone that won't go higher than 400'? So what are these "frustrating" limits you think DJI is more restrictive with?


That is because these people are not following a set procedure. Also, those situation are _very_ far and few.

What is a Chinese company going to do with your flight data that a US company would not? This "data" is hardly personal data.

In terms of restrictions what I've read in multiple places is in regards to geofencing. Being locked out in areas that should be clear to fly. Again, I've come across it in more than one place, more than a few times. That's part of what raised my concern and why I've asked here.

DJI has the potential ability to access images and GPS data at the behest of the Chinese gov't. They were in the news within the last year over these concerns. I don't really care to debate or argue about it, that's just the way it is. For what it's worth, I don't care to have ANY company have my flight data. But again, that's my personal feelings on the matter. Nobody is going to change my mind.

 

[PropSpin]

"having second thoughts after reading the terms of use "

I had no idea people read those.

Well, it's not fun, that's for sure. But having spent $1400 on this thing, I wanted to know what I was getting into. I don't like surprises.

 

[PropSpin]

You can turn off the cloud storage option and then the flights and images are not stored on their servers. I don't find DJI particularly difficult to deal with, although my interactions have all been with the Enterprise people. The hardware is basically excellent. Apart from my very first Phantom 2, which was DOA and would not boot, and the infamous P2 j-hook problem that took a few months of beta testing to fix - I've had no issues at all.

Okay, I'll have to look into that. I don't remember the details, but I read something to the effect that DJI would collect flight data and would make it available to authorities, if required. Not that I plan on doing anything illegal or stupid, but I'm a private kind of guy.

 

[PropSpin]

That's a common but quite incorrect idea.
DJI don't have access to your personal flight data or your images (unless you choose to share them with DJI).
But even if they did, once you see what flight data looks like and what people's videos and stills look like, it would be difficult to see why they would be interested anyway.


Do they really say that, or do they say that not doing that may affect your warranty status?
There's nothing to stop you having repairs done by anyone you choose.

Okay, I'll have to go back and check, but I didn't sound like I had an option to not share it with them.

Same for the repairs, it seemed to me they were saying you just weren't allowed, regardless of effect on warranty. Obviously you can do what you want with the drone, but if that's what the agreement stipulated, you would be in violation of that agreement. Maybe I misunderstood though, I was really tired when I read through it last night.

 

[PropSpin]

For continued warranty coverage, repairs by DJI or DJI recommend repair center.
US companies would also void warranties if improperly worked on by an unauthorized repair center. Notice those seals on screws on some products?

Yeah, I don't remember it being worded in a way that implied it would void the warranty. Seemed to say you just weren't allowed by the terms of the agreement. I was tired though and maybe misread/misunderstood it. Will need to go back and look again.

 

[Meta4]

Again, I've come across it in more than one place, more than a few times.

That's not surprising.
The world is full of paranoid and often ignorant people, many of whom are noisy.
That doesn't mean they are correct.

DJI has the potential ability to access images and GPS data at the behest of the Chinese gov't.
They were in the news within the last year over these concerns. I don't really care to debate or argue about it, that's just the way it is.

Correction .. That's not the way it is.
That's just the way it was spun by some dubious sources you've plugged in to.

For what it's worth, I don't care to have ANY company have my flight data. But again, that's my personal feelings on the matter.
Nobody is going to change my mind.

So how would DJI have the ability to access my images or flight data (unless I share it with them)?
The simple answer is, they don't have a way to.
My drone can only transmit flight data over a short range, same goes for the controller.
Neither of them can transmit back to China.
My images are saved to an SD card that I copy to my computer.
How could DJI see those? Answer: They can't
My tablet is wifi only and there's no wifi in most places I fly.
How is that going to phone home to China? Answer: It isn't.
If you are paranoid, it's not very hard to switch your phone or tablet to airplane mode and there is no communication with anywhere.

Here is a little more on the topic (although it's never going to satisfy conspiracy theorists):
DJI Touts Report Saying It Doesn't Spy for China

But having analysed data from hundreds of flight logs, I can't see how people's flight data would have any value to DJI or the Chinese government.
The same goes for people's images and videos.

Okay, I'll have to go back and check, but I didn't sound like I had an option to not share it with them.

That little detail spoils the conspiracy theory for those that want to believe it.
You can upload your flight record if you choose and it could be helpful if you have a warranty claim for DJI to be able to see it.
I had a lost Phantom replaced once because DJI were able to study the flight record and see where the problem was.
But if you don't click the cloud icon on your flight record page and select which records you want to upload, nothing gets uploaded.

Same for the repairs, it seemed to me they were saying you just weren't allowed, regardless of effect on warranty. Obviously you can do what you want with the drone, but if that's what the agreement stipulated, you would be in violation of that agreement. Maybe I misunderstood though, I was really tired when I read through it last night.

It's going to be a standard disclaimer so that if unauthorised repairs are the cause of a problem, DJI aren't going to honour a warranty claim.

One thing to keep in mind though is that despite the ongoing paranoia campaign, DJI owns the ready-to-fly drone market with a market share of something like 80% with all the other manufacturers sharing a very small slice of the pie.
Ask yourself why that might be?