Drone detection smartphone app

[RayOZ]

And also how the DJI GO 4 app creates its flight data txt and DAT logs.

But the data that DJI Go 4 gets is from the RC, not wifi directly from the drone.
There must be handshaking between the drone and RC, hence pairing, otherwise you get issues when more that 1 person is flying their drone.
The DJI googles needs pairing to the drone too.

 

[gnirtS]

Pairing doesnt have to mean encryption. Its basically just creating an ID for a datastream to work out what belongs where.
And even then you can have multiple layers, some utilising and some not utilising encryption with varying amounts of data on each layer.

Ultimately its a know fact that some drone data is broadcast in a way that untrusted 3rd parties can access.
What is a closely guarded secret by DJI and its opposition counter-drone groups is how much information and also whether thats a 2 or 1 way thing.

(and thats without exploiting the protocols for security holes, backdoors or errors which are certainly going to be present in one degree or another)

 

[WithTheBirds]

But right now, MP and M2 are using OcuSync, and not standard Wifi. And with Spark, MA and MM, it would be a large set of telemetry data (motor speed, current, battery temp, etc that you can find in the flight logs) that gets transmitted to the RC. Sound like they need to enable a select subset of data to be transmitted over normal Wifi that any smartphone with DJI's app can pick up.
I still think they need a firmware update to enable the broadcast, otherwise our drones are already broadcasting these telemetry data and we don't know it.

Lightbridge, occusync, occusync2, enhanced wifi- all great names coined by the marketing department. Think of them all as wifi that doesn’t need every packet verified by the receiver. DJI is very tight lipped on the specifics, can’t blame them. Their transmission schemes are fantastic. A lot can be gleaned from various commentary published by the entities that produce the enabling tech however. Analogue Devices who supplies the software radio SOC for occusync enabled models has a few good explanations. As good as the transmission schemes are they are all glorified wifi.

I’m sure there was a packet sniffer for jailbroken iPhones a few years back. Getting the app approved by Apple would seem to be the hard part.

 

[Meta4]

It's not going to depend on a firmware update if the smartphone is simply receiving the control link transmissions.

There's a little more info in this article:

DJI makes app to identify drones and find pilots

The Chinese drone giant unveils a remote ID system it says can quickly stamp out rogue drone pilots.

www.bbc.com

 

[sar104]

There's a little more info in this article:

DJI makes app to identify drones and find pilots

The Chinese drone giant unveils a remote ID system it says can quickly stamp out rogue drone pilots.

www.bbc.com

Looks like the BBC talked to Adam Lisberg to get more details. And interestingly - that included a comment that it would require a FW update on current drones.

 

[hiflyer201]

There is a complete lack of privacy in aviation these days for better or for worse and I have no doubt at all that DJI will release this tracking app soon. In my opinion they are shooting themselves in the foot and it will just about end anyone's interest in drones except as a backyard toy. With the tracking App, any drone flying could be accused of invading someone's privacy and lets face it...anyone with a cell phone could be accused of the same thing, but with all the drone haters around I have a feeling that this could become a really big deal.

 

[anotherlab]

The app will get released, but I think it's mainly a PR thing. It's actual effectiveness is limited by a few things, like Apple not supporting W-Fi Aware. So that's half the market, more or less, off the table (US market, 10-15% elsewhere). If it requires a firmware update on existing DJI drones, then someone wanting to block it just needs to run a drone with an older firmware. Or use a non-DJI drone. DJI may be the biggest player, but it's not the only one out there. We had a problem with people flying racing drones in our office parking lot and breaking our outside light fixtures. This app would be of no use for that situation.

 

[Bigbird48]

Heres the thing this app if used the way its attended should be a plus for us as it goes after the bad guy and not the good guys. Yes LE will have to get much better educated on whats OK and whats not and this is no easy task. They can't be called out every time a drone goes up and people call and ***** about he's spying on me he's invading my privacy. LE has to learn that theres no expectation of privacy in public. If you can see it from the ground then its ok for a drone to take pictures of it. If a women is sunbathing on a beach and anyone can walk by and see her the you can take a picture with your drone as long as you don't fly directly over her. I think the whole thing about drones spying and invading privacy is a bunch of bunk. I have a 21x zoom on my handheld camera and I can stand 500 feet from sunbathers on the beach take picture and can see them as if I was standing next to them and they have no clue. I took a picture of a Bald eagle a 1/4 mile away on a cliff show me a 1000$ drone that can do this.The public needs to be educated on what the camera capabilities on most consumer drones is. this app is a good thing if used correctly, to catch the idiots at the airports, the baseball stadiums, flying in peoples backyards ect ect. Not the 99% of us taking pictures of the foliage, the lakes and rivers.Bottom line if your a law abiding citizen and fly buy the rules then nothing they come up with should be a problem for you.JMHO

 

[nafisgal]

Here in Europe, Drones used by a certified and professional pilot are required to carry a fireproof identification plate on the Drone and another on the RC; with your contact information ...
This is the same (the "digital license plate" of your Drone and its pilot ..)

 

[Mossiback]

According to the article, DJI "is developing technology that would allow the public to track the registrations of drones in flight using just a smartphone..." I am not sure what registration information the article is referring to. I can only think of two possible "registration numbers" that a DJI drone would broadcast; the drone serial number and the DJI account ID that was used upon activation. Neither of which can prove that the person associated with the numbers was flying at the time when someone was offended enough to look it up. And if someone does get a number through an app, is DJI going to set up a system to release the owner information for anyone that requests it or will they allow only LE to access their database with a court order? It seems that it could be easily circumvented by logging into your DJI account and changing your name and address to Wrigley Field (as long as you don't have a Refresh policy).

On a side note, if the "registration information" does get to owner information, why won't they give out that information when someone finds a DJI drone?

 

[mtb.arizona]

It's actual effectiveness is limited by a few things, like Apple not supporting W-Fi Aware. So that's half the market, more or less, off the table.

That limitation from Apple is why we were able to convince corporate to allow IT folks in the field to skip the iPhone and get something decent for work =)

That said, you severely overestimate Apple's market share. There are a lot of different sources for such stats, but they all tend to show iOS with around 13-22% worldwide market share, and Android at 74-87%. It always makes me chuckle when hipster-indoctrinated businesses prioritize apps for iOS.

 

[sar104]

That limitation from Apple is why we were able to convince corporate to allow IT folks in the field to skip the iPhone and get something decent for work =)

That said, you severely overestimate Apple's market share. There are a lot of different sources for such stats, but they all tend to show iOS with around 13-22% worldwide market share, and Android at 74-87%. It always makes me chuckle when hipster-indoctrinated businesses prioritize apps for iOS.

It's nothing to do with hipster-indoctrinated anything - it's revenue based decision making. A large proportion of those Android devices worldwide are barely smartphones, running only basic apps, and not generating any significant revenue stream for developers.

 

[anotherlab]

...That said, you severely overestimate Apple's market share. There are a lot of different sources for such stats, but they all tend to show iOS with around 13-22% worldwide market share, and Android at 74-87%.

You're right, I left out the part of the 50% being a US thing. I went back and clarified that post.

It always makes me chuckle when hipster-indoctrinated businesses prioritize apps for iOS.

It's not a hipster thing, it's a money thing.

Even with Android having a larger global market share, developers generate more income from iOS apps. There are a number of factors involved. One is the point that @sar104 made about many of the Android phones in the global market are low end devices. Another factor is that while China is one of the largest Android markets in the world, the app stores are all Chinese based. The Google Play app store is not available in China. To sell an app in China means supporting multiple Chinese language app stores. Localizing an app for the largest market is not a trivial task. Especially of you do not have a presence in China.

Also, iPhone users on average spend twice as much on apps that Android users. If you are a smaller shop, it makes sense to do the version of the app that brings in the most money first, before tackling the platform that will bring in less money. If you do an app on iOS and it tanks, you'll think twice before spending the resources on the Android version.

And it's not just a money thing, it's an API thing

On the software side, iOS is pretty much locked down for what you can and can not do (don't even get me started on Bluetooth & NFC support). Google (for the most part) allows just about anything. When we do our apps, we start with iOS. If we can do it in iOS, 99% of the time we can do the same or close enough to same thing with Android. The reverse is not true. So we'll get the iOS version running first, then get it running on Android.

 

[Photo Booth]

I have five iOS devices and one Android device in my home. The iOS devices are 2 iPhones and 3 iPads.

The Android device is a smart TV. Yet, it still gets counted in the Android "marketshare". ?

Mark

 

[mtb.arizona]

So it takes 5 apple devices to equal one potential consumer. good to know.

 

[sar104]

So it takes 5 apple devices to equal one potential consumer. good to know.

I tried really hard to make sense of that comment, but I failed miserably.

 

[gnirtS]

I have five iOS devices and one Android device in my home. The iOS devices are 2 iPhones and 3 iPads.

The Android device is a smart TV. Yet, it still gets counted in the Android "marketshare". ?

Mark

...and just counting phones and tablets Android still has 73% globally.
No matter how you try to fiddle the stats, apple is small-fry globally even WITH fanbois buying multiple numbers of every device available as soon as they're released.

 

[WithTheBirds]

I tried really hard to make sense of that comment, but I failed miserably.

Your not alone. Hopefully @mtb.arizona might return to add some clarity- it is nonsensical as it stands. There must be significantly more consumers of Apple devices than reported as only those who own 4+ are counted?

 

[Thomas B]

Please get back on topic, which is DJI’s drone tracking app, not an Apple vs Android discussion. Thank-you.