Do all DJI broadcast their position, speed and direction locally?

[Me262]

I was reading into the Voluntary Flight Identification Option. However, by reading this article: DJI Introduces Voluntary Flight Identification Options For Drone Pilots, it seems DJI drones ALWAYS broadcast their location, speed, heading and serial number? The option in question merely provides additional info if we chose to turn it on?

Is there a way to turn off this broadcasting?

I flew around a Euro 2020 stadium, and did everything legal, outside of the restricted zone, below max altitude according to regulations, etc, yet I got intercepted by police within 5 minutes. Nothing happened since I was legal within all aspects, but it was a waste of an hour spending time with them, having them research my mini 2, being under 250g, showing them my flight path and that it was outside the restricted zone and all the jazz.

This broadcasting is sending info of where the remote controller is as well, since they told me they knew exactly where I was on the ground besides them knowing my drone was in the air.

 

[crazeuk]

I don't know about that transmission and who it is available to, however I do know DJI sell a device called Aeroscope which allows them to identify most drones with telematics.

Aeroscope - DJI

DJI AeroScope is able to identify the vast majority of popular drones on the market today by monitoring and analyzing their electronic signals to gain critical information, allowing users to protect the integrity of their flight-sensitive environment.

www.dji.com

 

[Me262]

I don't know about that transmission and who it is available to, however I do know DJI sell a device called Aeroscope which allows them to identify most drones with telematics.

Aeroscope - DJI

DJI AeroScope is able to identify the vast majority of popular drones on the market today by monitoring and analyzing their electronic signals to gain critical information, allowing users to protect the integrity of their flight-sensitive environment.

www.dji.com

Well police told me they identified my drone flying as soon as I took off. So either the drone is broadcasting making it easy to be detected or such equipment that you posted is made to detect most drones. The product page says "most popular drones", not all, so that means most drones are broadcasting?

 

[Meta4]

so that means most drones are broadcasting?

>>>do all dji broadcast their position speed and direction locally?
How do you think the app on your phone or tablet knows where the drone is, how fast it's going, what direction it's pointing, how high it is, how much battery is left etc, etc?

 

[crazeuk]

Well police told me they identified my drone flying as soon as I took off. So either the drone is broadcasting making it easy to be detected or such equipment that you posted is made to detect most drones. The product page says "most popular drones", not all, so that means most drones are broadcasting?

We should try it. Stand in 2 locations. Fly a normal zmr250 based sports drone and a dji and see who gets harassed

 

[crazeuk]

>>>do all dji broadcast their position speed and direction locally?
How do you think the app on your phone or tablet knows where the drone is, how fast it's going, what direction it's pointing, how high it is, how much battery is left etc, etc?

I would have assumed it's transmitted in the encrypted signal between transmitter and reciever.

 

[RGallant]

@Me262 I checked on my Air 1 and DJI GO 4 app the settings are there but in my case turned off. If you are up to date you should be able to turn it off.

 

[Kilrah]

The info you get on your display is part of the encrypted feed, but yes all recent DJI drones also broadcast a secondary stream to be picked by aeroscope. You can choose to add additional information in the app but the basics can't be disabled.

 

[ckoerner]

You can choose to add additional information in the app but the basics can't be disabled.

This appears to be true for drones using the Go app, and not for those that use Fly.

 

[RGallant]

@ckoerner Which is true for the fly app, you can turn the data stream off or add more info ?

 

[Vic Moss]

All drones manually controlled broadcast location homepoint data. And all can be intercepted if data encryption key is known. About the only drones not capable of data being intercepted are those flown solely with on board programmed flight path. And of course the small cheap drones, along with many homemade ones, don't have the data that can be transmitted.

As far as turning that off, no. It isn't possible. The drone and controlled (& app) all talk to each other using a data link. If you turn off that data stream, the drone won't fly, and it won't know where to return to if you need to institute and emergency RTH. And GO4 and the Fly app both broadcast that @ckoerner. As does the OG GO app. Additionally, Yuneec, Autel, and Parrot drones broadcast all of this info as well. As does any drone that shows homepoint or controller location.

Anyone with an electronic handshake can intercept the DJI data. And that's exactly what AeroScope does. I've played with the system, and was part of the testing at KDEN when they installed it. AeroScope has the capability of intercepting data streams from any drone broadcasting them, but that function (last I heard) was not activated yet. And whether or not is ever will be is to be determined.

There are plenty of other systems out there, both known and classified, that will intercept data streams from drones. And there is really no way to turn them off and still have control of your drone.

 

[Dave Maine]

The drone is putting its information out as long as it is powered up. That information is needed for the display map to work. Without that info, the app has no idea where the drone is, and cannot show the drone’s position on the map.

 

[Yeunglings]

@ckoerner Which is true for the fly app, you can turn the data stream off or add more info ?

You can choose to broadcast additional info like FAA number and flight info in Fly but I don't think you can turn off the basics

 

[Ralph thompson]

Maybe your thinking of ADS-B broadcast. No consumer drones have Broadcast but the Enterprise and some highend DJI drones have ABS-B IN which means the opposite of broadcast, they receive squawks from commercial ‘planes operating nearby, you see the location and flt ID but not velocity.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

What about the transmitter, let alone the drone... the Tx is always transmitting data, why try to find the drone when they can just find YOU holding a box that is transmitting a broadcast signal?

 

[Ralph thompson]

no different to the wifi in your house (same frequencies), if someone knows you key then they can see all the info going back and fore. Without the key it’s pretty safe

 

[Sixdollars]

I was flying my Air 2S this morning near Longmont, CO with Aeroscope turned on. I got a voice message that an aircraft was heading in my direction and to be sure to avoid it. About 5 minutes later, a large helicopter flew by at a height well over the 400' we are allowed, but within about 1,000 feet horizontally. I think it is a good feature for both aircraft involved.

 

[Repaid1]

I was flying my Air 2S this morning near Longmont, CO with Aeroscope turned on. I got a voice message that an aircraft was heading in my direction and to be sure to avoid it. About 5 minutes later, a large helicopter flew by at a height well over the 400' we are allowed, but within about 1,000 feet horizontally. I think it is a good feature for both aircraft involved.

Don't get systems confused, the Air2S doesn't have a Aeroscope system. It has a ADS-B rcv'r But it as well as any DJI drone for the last 6 years can be detected with a AeroScope system.

 

[ckoerner]

You can choose to broadcast additional info like FAA number and flight info in Fly but I don't think you can turn off the basics

Ah, perhaps I’m just not finding that setting.

 

[Me262]

@Me262 I checked on my Air 1 and DJI GO 4 app the settings are there but in my case turned off. If you are up to date you should be able to turn it off.

The info you get on your display is part of the encrypted feed, but yes all recent DJI drones also broadcast a secondary stream to be picked by aeroscope. You can choose to add additional information in the app but the basics can't be disabled.

All drones manually controlled broadcast location homepoint data. And all can be intercepted if data encryption key is known. About the only drones not capable of data being intercepted are those flown solely with on board programmed flight path. And of course the small cheap drones, along with many homemade ones, don't have the data that can be transmitted.

As far as turning that off, no. It isn't possible. The drone and controlled (& app) all talk to each other using a data link. If you turn off that data stream, the drone won't fly, and it won't know where to return to if you need to institute and emergency RTH. And GO4 and the Fly app both broadcast that @ckoerner. As does the OG GO app. Additionally, Yuneec, Autel, and Parrot drones broadcast all of this info as well. As does any drone that shows homepoint or controller location.

Anyone with an electronic handshake can intercept the DJI data. And that's exactly what AeroScope does. I've played with the system, and was part of the testing at KDEN when they installed it. AeroScope has the capability of intercepting data streams from any drone broadcasting them, but that function (last I heard) was not activated yet. And whether or not is ever will be is to be determined.

There are plenty of other systems out there, both known and classified, that will intercept data streams from drones. And there is really no way to turn them off and still have control of your drone.

Thank you, this makes a lot of sense. Yes, I know the broadcast option in the app and it's turned off. But like Vic Moss mentioned, it must be the broadcast that communicates with the drone, and something like aeroscope that detect it and get all the info it gets sent to the remote control (drone location including where I am sitting with the remote on the ground). I fly a mini 2 btw, so I use the DJI Fly app.

So for this event, they must've had something similar to aeroscope that was able to immediately detect my drone and know exactly where I was flying it from (since they immediately showed up to my location). So they must definitely have the function activated to intercept the stream and know everything I know from my DJI Fly

This makes me wonder, if this sort of thing exists, how come Heathrow airport was shut down for hours because of drones flying around. It's hard to believe a huge international airport doesn't have a system similar to aeroscope, but a sporting event did. Or were those drones home built or something custom that does not send information where the remote controller is located, thus being able to find the person operating it?

What about the transmitter, let alone the drone... the Tx is always transmitting data, why try to find the drone when they can just find YOU holding a box that is transmitting a broadcast signal?

True, but the transmitter would not be detected since there are trees and obstacles around to detect it directly. But if the drone sends the transmitter location (for RTH function, etc), then it's the same thing as soon as the drone is detected in the sky.