iPad requirements

[jwt873]

Just bought an iPad mini 64gb with WiFi/cellular unlocked. So I should be able to fly using this with no problem. Will it need the Sim card?

A SIM card is only required if you want to have a direct cellular connection to the internet. (You would also need a cellular plan from some carrier).

The cellular iPad has a GPS receiver built in and it will work OK without a SIM card or an internet plan.

 

[RZR12]

This is kind of confusing for the novice, me. I've got a iPhone 10 and a iPad Air, I've used both and the iPad Air is pretty large for me, I've been thinking from reading about the iPad mini 4 and it seems like it would be the best all around size and I would only be suing it for my drone monitor, can someone tell me what would be the perfict Mini 4, I'm using it only for personal and
some video and still pictures on mostly my property and hope to not get too carried away a bunch of stuff I'll never use, I'm still learning how to fly my Mavic 2 Zoom, first and only drone! Thanks in advance for your expert advice

 

[MichiganMavic]

Get yourself a mini4 with cell service (for GPS) and 64g.
I have a 32g and wish I opted for the 64.

 

[Jimck9]

Ok, as a really new, newbie, please explain.
I have iPad Air 1, 2014 mode, no cell service. Would love to use it as a flight information/camera for my M2Z adventures. On the iPad, do I need to have Bluetooth on to use it for flight? Do I need to have wifi enabled on the iPad even though I may be out in the boonies where there is no wifi? Will it work? Do I need to have iPad use my iPhone as a hotspot for any reason?
Sorry if these seem silly questions...

 

[ff22]

Ok, as a really new, newbie, please explain.
I have iPad Air 1, 2014 mode, no cell service. Would love to use it as a flight information/camera for my M2Z adventures. On the iPad, do I need to have Bluetooth on to use it for flight? Do I need to have wifi enabled on the iPad even though I may be out in the boonies where there is no wifi? Will it work? Do I need to have iPad use my iPhone as a hotspot for any reason?
Sorry if these seem silly questions...

Hopefully, someone will be along with ipad experience.

What I can suggest is that you do not need bluetooth. You might want wifi because you can download maps to use offline using wifi (at home, office, starbucks, etc). And in a safe flying environment, give it a try. And you could use wifi on the ipad with your phone providing a wifi hotspot in the field if you want. I initially used an old Blackberry Android device that even had a physical keyboard and it worked. It proved to be a bit unwieldy but I used it a few times.

There is a limited reason why you want your device (phone, tablet) to have gps - that is if you move locations while flying and want to land WHERE YOU ARE - then you need a gps to convey that location. Many I don't use that feature.

 

[QSilver]

I just went through this since I bought a 6th gen 9.7” iPad to use with my M2Z. Att wanted $35 per month to add it to my current plan. I said that’s too much so then they offered to just send me a SIM card to put in it and it only costs $20 per month for cell service for the iPad.

 

[jwt873]

Att wanted $35 per month to add it to my current plan. I said that’s too much so then they offered to just send me a SIM card to put in it and it only costs $20 per month for cell service for the iPad.

Ouch.... My Canadian provider (Rogers) only charges $10 per month to add an iPad to a Cell phone plan.

 

[lmel2005]

You don't need Bluetooth, WiFi or cellular network, to fly a DJI drone.

But if you want GPS on iPad (not necessary), you have to buy the cellular version.
In this case, you can fly without a SIM card at all.

 

[Jimck9]

After reading DJI battery guidelines today I took my M2Z out for a one battery fly to discharge the battery a bit. Used my iPad
Air as my flight controller. Prettysure I had ~ %70 on the iPad when I started. Flying in beginner mode back and forth and up and down, all of a sudden my iPad had turned off due to very low battery. Can anyone report on expected iPad battery life after running DJI Go 4? Anyone report really fast power deterioration?

 

[lmel2005]

Cold weather can affect life of iPad battery.

 

[Jimck9]

It was only 36 F outside, could have been a factor. Hopefully, Ireland in June won't give me the same results!

 

[JDawg]

After reading DJI battery guidelines today I took my M2Z out for a one battery fly to discharge the battery a bit. Used my iPad
Air as my flight controller. Prettysure I had ~ %70 on the iPad when I started. Flying in beginner mode back and forth and up and down, all of a sudden my iPad had turned off due to very low battery. Can anyone report on expected iPad battery life after running DJI Go 4? Anyone report really fast power deterioration?

I ran two M2P batteries last week on my 9.7 and had no issues and it was around 28 degrees.

 

[JDawg]

I just went through this since I bought a 6th gen 9.7” iPad to use with my M2Z. Att wanted $35 per month to add it to my current plan. I said that’s too much so then they offered to just send me a SIM card to put in it and it only costs $20 per month for cell service for the iPad.

Don't need cell. I don't have it on my new ipad, it is a waste of $$ imo.

 

[JDawg]

Hopefully, someone will be along with ipad experience.

What I can suggest is that you do not need bluetooth. You might want wifi because you can download maps to use offline using wifi (at home, office, starbucks, etc). And in a safe flying environment, give it a try. And you could use wifi on the ipad with your phone providing a wifi hotspot in the field if you want. I initially used an old Blackberry Android device that even had a physical keyboard and it worked. It proved to be a bit unwieldy but I used it a few times.

There is a limited reason why you want your device (phone, tablet) to have gps - that is if you move locations while flying and want to land WHERE YOU ARE - then you need a gps to convey that location. Many I don't use that feature.

From Meta4

Having no GPS in the tablet is no big deal and makes almost no difference.
The only GPS the Mavic needs is the one inside the Mavic.
There are only two things that need a GPS unit in the tablet:
1. Follow me flight - no big deal since Active Track is better and doesn't need a separate GPS anyway.
2. Resetting home to the current location of the controller - used if flying from a moving car, boat etc
Again, no big deal since you don't want to drone to land on your car or boat and as soon as you reset the home point, it's out of date anyway.
The main reason to reset, is to prevent the drone from going back to the launch point when it believes it only has enough battery to go all the way back.
Resetting the home point to the current location of the drone is just as good.

 

[Mike4884]

After thinking about it for awhile i was gonna purchase something like an ipad mini 4 but specs are old and my buddy always had problems in the summer with is mav pro...thinking about getting a newer gen ipad pro or air...atleast they have newer specs and screen is beautiful.....its ashame because im an android guy but the only thing that i think will keep up is the tab s4 i know for a fact the tab s2 is a laggy piece....my s9+ is fantastic in regards to performance and brightness....just wish it was bigger......sigh first world problems

 

[lmel2005]

From Meta4

Having no GPS in the tablet is no big deal and makes almost no difference.
The only GPS the Mavic needs is the one inside the Mavic.
There are only two things that need a GPS unit in the tablet:
1. Follow me flight - no big deal since Active Track is better and doesn't need a separate GPS anyway.
2. Resetting home to the current location of the controller - used if flying from a moving car, boat etc
Again, no big deal since you don't want to drone to land on your car or boat and as soon as you reset the home point, it's out of date anyway.
The main reason to reset, is to prevent the drone from going back to the launch point when it believes it only has enough battery to go all the way back.
Resetting the home point to the current location of the drone is just as good.

I don't know if Active Track is better that Follow Me.
It depends.

Follow Me can track our device, even if obstacles come between AC and RC, from bigger altitude, and generally when Active Track fails, Follow Me works better.

Also, updating home point is critical for those flying from boats, or those who go away from takeoff point while flying.

Of course, if you have a non GPS iPad, you can attach an external GPS module.

 

[Mike4884]

I don't know if Active Track is better that Follow Me.
It depends.

Follow Me can track our device, even if obstacles come between AC and RC, from bigger altitude, and generally when Active Track fails, Follow Me works better.

Also, updating home point is critical for those flying from boats, or those who go away from takeoff point while flying.

Of course, if you have a non GPS iPad, you can attach an external GPS module.

Yea its def better with the new mavics without a doubt...problem with follow me is yes when obstacles come between rc and ac it doesnt stop!!!! Yea u can be up high and use it but what fun is that and shot gets old.... I also had a p4 just shoot to the left and almost hit a tree 5 seconds after i entered follow me mode.

 

[lmel2005]

Yea its def better with the new mavics without a doubt...problem with follow me is yes when obstacles come between rc and ac it doesnt stop!!!! Yea u can be up high and use it but what fun is that and shot gets old.... I also had a p4 just shoot to the left and almost hit a tree 5 seconds after i entered follow me mode.

I didn't mean obstacles in the route of the drone, but obstacles that can stop active track, because of losing sight of the subject been tracked.

It's obvious that when using automated modes, we must be careful.

I don't use them often, but it's an advantage of Follow Me mode, the fact that can follow RC from an altitude away from every tall obstacle, even if operator moves under trees or behind walls.

 

[Mike4884]

I didn't mean obstacles in the route of the drone, but obstacles that can stop active track, because of losing sight of the subject been tracked.

It's obvious that when using automated modes, we must be careful.

I don't use them often, but it's an advantage of Follow Me mode, the fact that can follow RC from an altitude away from every tall obstacle, even if operator moves under trees or behind walls.

U can be careful all u want but when an automated mode trys to kill the drone...no bueno

 

[swoermck]

I really can't understand why some people in here are advocating to buy an iPad with cellular. Don't most people walk around with their phones always on them? So just use the phone as a WiFi hotspot and voila --- you get live maps while you're flying. Problem solved, and you just avoided another monthly bill for wireless service.

Just a question for my understanding here: how will the DJI Go App know where the take-off point is on the map with a non-gps iPad? On the Mavic 1 the controller had no GPS, did that change with the controller of the Mavic 2? Or will the mavic send coordinates of the homepoint after GPS fix to the app?

Tethering an iPhono to an iPad will provide internet connection for the iPad (so the map can be loaded), but no GPS data:

Can I use my iPhone as a GPS source for my non-GPS equipped iPad when connected via a hotspot?

I remember there was the myth a while ago that a tethered iPhone will provide GPS for the iPad, but finally we figured out the non-gps iPads do wifi-based locating of the device:

Wi-Fi positioning system - Wikipedia

Just curios to know if GPS data from the Mavic will be send to DJI Go app.. but this approach won't work if you want to use "dynamic home point" (which you would like to use when the mavic is following you via e.g. Active Track).