Mavic 2 Pro is on tight leash when just flying with Controller? (without smartphone)

[adiru]

Actually Geozones is a database stored in the AC and is functional even without app. Maps is just a human UI.

The reason for DJI deciding on limiting height/distance without the app is that the only situational awareness you have is VLOS. At least with the app, you have FPV to provide some sort of situational awareness when BLOS.
I know the RC display gives you some information, but one thing it lacks is orientation.

This would be more true with controllers like the Spark and Mini that don't display telemetry, but with the Mavic controllers with the telemetry on the controller itself that gives all the awareness that is needed. In addition, this wasn't locked down in the first version of the mavic because I clearly remember being able to do this, so it wasn't like this was a huge concern or oversight at the time that they later fixed. DJI made the decision to continue to force more and more training wheels. Why isn't there a setting for people who wish to override this? Even then, why isn't there a way to apply for DJI to get an exception or for example to have a more reasonable limit/radius, something that would still put the Mavic within VLOS but not as restrictive as merely 99 feet ?

 

[Thomas B]

Okay just tested and confirmed at night flight with clear skies and no NFZ zones, with the Mavic 1 without app/smartphone I can just use the controller and fly 300 feet high or more and at least 500 feet radius or further... (distance that I could still clearly see the drone lights in the sky) but with the Mavic 2 Pro it limited my height to 99feet and max radius to only 150feet

So basically without a smartphone the Mavic 2 Pro (adveristed at eight kilometer range ) is basically a kite with a 150feet leash?!

Go into the settings and reset the distance limit or turn it off.

 

[adiru]

Go into the settings and reset the distance limit or turn it off.

Nope, this isn't the case. I found out this change was implemented in a 2017 firmware update that put the electronic leash on all dji drones.

 

[Thomas B]

Nope, this isn't the case. I found out this change was implemented in a 2017 firmware update that put the electronic leash on all dji drones.

Maybe it is specific to the country wher you’re flying? My M2P, in a testing session in the Arizona rural deer easily flew to the limits of my nerves... and even in the town where I live I regularly fly a mile out (with 4 ARC2s on board) in town. All my devices are on current updates. Fly with CS, and sometimes SC.

 

[adiru]

Maybe it is specific to the country wher you’re flying? My M2P, in a testing session in the Arizona rural deer easily flew to the limits of my nerves... and even in the town where I live I regularly fly a mile out (with 4 ARC2s on board) in town. All my devices are on current updates. Fly with CS, and sometimes SC.

No, I'm specifically talking about flying with JUST the remote controller and not connected to smartphone, tablet, ipad, app etc....

 

[Thomas B]

No, I'm specifically talking about flying with JUST the remote controller and not connected to smartphone, tablet, ipad, app etc....

Wonder if some component is defective?

 

[adiru]

Wonder if some component is defective?

Nothing is defective. If you test, with the Mavic 2 Pro (not the original Mavic) and you fly with JUST the controller (NOT using a smartphone, ipad, and NOT using the DJI Go app) it will not let you fly higher than 99feet nor beyond a radius of max of 150 feet..... This is true for all mavic 2 pro, not just mine. I know you can fly miles and miles with the app, I'm talking about using only the controller and no connection to phone, or smart device.

I later found out DJI admitted to doing this on purpose in a firmware update they pushed out.

 

[Thomas B]

Nothing is defective. If you test, with the Mavic 2 Pro (not the original Mavic) and you fly with JUST the controller (NOT using a smartphone, ipad, and NOT using the DJI Go app) it will not let you fly higher than 99feet nor beyond a radius of max of 150 feet..... This is true for all mavic 2 pro, not just mine. I know you can fly miles and miles with the app, I'm talking about using only the controller and no connection to phone, or smart device.

I later found out DJI admitted to doing this on purpose in a firmware update they pushed out.

Interesting. Have you tried connecting the drone to your computer and changing the distance settings there?
I will admit I have always used a phone, CS, or SC to fly since that let’s me see things at a distance.

 

[adiru]

Interesting. Have you tried connecting the drone to your computer and changing the distance settings there?
I will admit I have always used a phone, CS, or SC to fly since that let’s me see things at a distance.

I have my distance setting all the way to max. One way around this is to bring a smartphone along with the dji go app installed. Each time, I would have to connect the controller to the app/smartdevice and then I can upon/after takeoff unplug the phone/ipad from the rest of the controller and I can fly with only the controller and not be limited to 99 feet....

However if you try a brand new flight with only the controller and not initially plugged into an app/phone, you will not be able to go beyond the 99 feet max radius.

The distance setting has nothing to do with the built in limitation that DJI set for when you just use the controller without app....

Sometimes I just want to go to the park or beach or along empty stretch of something and fly visually with just the controller and not using a hookup to some ipad or phone. My first drone was a syma s107, sure that thing was basic, but did it require an app, connection to a tablet, did it have NFZ, did it need firmware updates, did it force user to take a "quiz" using the app before allowing to fly? No to all.... The point is there is nothing in the FAA rules that "require" the use of an smartphone or app to be connected to the remote controller, and there is nothing in the rules that dictate an artificial boundary of 99 feet! The vast majority of the time VLOS can be maintained well outside of the 99 feet limitation! It should be up to the user to follow the law not the DJI to artifically cap. I mean its illegal to drive upon the speed limit, does this mean Toyota should cap all cars to max of 50mph?

This would be more true with controllers like the Spark and Mini that don't display telemetry, but with the Mavic controllers with the telemetry on the controller itself that gives all the awareness that is needed. The current FAA rules require VLOS but says nothing about the manufacturing mandating an electronic lease of only 99feet! That is like a car manufacturer making a speed cap at 60mph even though on some roads there allows 70mph! (on good days I can clearly see the Mavic Pro at 200 feet or more!) In addition, this wasn't locked down in the first version of the mavic because I clearly remember being able to do this, then later they retroactively locked it down with a firmware update, the important thing to note is that there is currently NO law that requires this, DJI simply decided to do it because it is control freak, and not only that, limited it to well within VLOS, I mean a could understand a limit of say 200 feet, but 99 feet is just ridicioulous! ... so it wasn't like this was a huge concern or oversight at the time that they later fixed. DJI made the decision to continue to force more and more training wheels. Why isn't there a setting for people who wish to override this? Even then, why isn't there a way to apply for DJI to get an exception or for example to have a more reasonable limit/radius, something that would still put the Mavic within VLOS but not as restrictive as merely 99 feet ?

I used to be able to go to this one park near my home, no NFZ zones for miles... Sometimes I wanted to fly the original Mavic Pro drone just by hand and only using the Remote Controller without having to connect it to any smartphone. It would let me do that and even when the original Mavic went pretty far away where it was only a dot in the sky, I could still bring it back using the parameters displayed on the RC itself in terms of distance to "dead reckon" myself back in the general direction until I could get a clear idea of the Mavic's bearing/heading and bring it back.

With the Mavic 2 Pro, recently I was doing a same flight at the same park and noticed that this time it was like an invisible bounding box or sphere/dome was keeping my Mavic from being able to be flown to any distance away past a short threshold. Of course if I connect it to my phone it allows it to fly further, but I hadn't put the MC2 in "beginner mode" and also hadn't put any kind of distance restrictions on it.

In any case, with the new FAA Remote ID rules requiring active Internet connection just to be able to start engines, takeoff and fly at all, this kinda converges into that rule to some extent...

Its sad that legislation and regulations will effectively kill off the hobby drone industry within 3 years. Probably why DJI is diversifying into nondrone stuff a lot more now, plus in 2020 dji will end up on US entity list like Huawei and ZTE

 

[Thomas B]

I have my distance setting all the way to max. One way around this is to bring a smartphone along with the dji go app installed. Each time, I would have to connect the controller to the app/smartdevice and then I can upon/after takeoff unplug the phone/ipad from the rest of the controller and I can fly with only the controller and not be limited to 99 feet....

However if you try a brand new flight with only the controller and not initially plugged into an app/phone, you will not be able to go beyond the 99 feet max radius.

The distance setting has nothing to do with the built in limitation that DJI set for when you just use the controller without app....

Sometimes I just want to go to the park or beach or along empty stretch of something and fly visually with just the controller and not using a hookup to some ipad or phone. My first drone was a syma s107, sure that thing was basic, but did it require an app, connection to a tablet, did it have NFZ, did it need firmware updates, did it force user to take a "quiz" using the app before allowing to fly? No to all.... The point is there is nothing in the FAA rules that "require" the use of an smartphone or app to be connected to the remote controller, and there is nothing in the rules that dictate an artificial boundary of 99 feet! The vast majority of the time VLOS can be maintained well outside of the 99 feet limitation! It should be up to the user to follow the law not the DJI to artifically cap. I mean its illegal to drive upon the speed limit, does this mean Toyota should cap all cars to max of 50mph?

This would be more true with controllers like the Spark and Mini that don't display telemetry, but with the Mavic controllers with the telemetry on the controller itself that gives all the awareness that is needed. The current FAA rules require VLOS but says nothing about the manufacturing mandating an electronic lease of only 99feet! That is like a car manufacturer making a speed cap at 60mph even though on some roads there allows 70mph! (on good days I can clearly see the Mavic Pro at 200 feet or more!) In addition, this wasn't locked down in the first version of the mavic because I clearly remember being able to do this, then later they retroactively locked it down with a firmware update, the important thing to note is that there is currently NO law that requires this, DJI simply decided to do it because it is control freak, and not only that, limited it to well within VLOS, I mean a could understand a limit of say 200 feet, but 99 feet is just ridicioulous! ... so it wasn't like this was a huge concern or oversight at the time that they later fixed. DJI made the decision to continue to force more and more training wheels. Why isn't there a setting for people who wish to override this? Even then, why isn't there a way to apply for DJI to get an exception or for example to have a more reasonable limit/radius, something that would still put the Mavic within VLOS but not as restrictive as merely 99 feet ?

I used to be able to go to this one park near my home, no NFZ zones for miles... Sometimes I wanted to fly the original Mavic Pro drone just by hand and only using the Remote Controller without having to connect it to any smartphone. It would let me do that and even when the original Mavic went pretty far away where it was only a dot in the sky, I could still bring it back using the parameters displayed on the RC itself in terms of distance to "dead reckon" myself back in the general direction until I could get a clear idea of the Mavic's bearing/heading and bring it back.

With the Mavic 2 Pro, recently I was doing a same flight at the same park and noticed that this time it was like an invisible bounding box or sphere/dome was keeping my Mavic from being able to be flown to any distance away past a short threshold. Of course if I connect it to my phone it allows it to fly further, but I hadn't put the MC2 in "beginner mode" and also hadn't put any kind of distance restrictions on it.

In any case, with the new FAA Remote ID rules requiring active Internet connection just to be able to start engines, takeoff and fly at all, this kinda converges into that rule to some extent...

Its sad that legislation and regulations will effectively kill off the hobby drone industry within 3 years. Probably why DJI is diversifying into nondrone stuff a lot more now, plus in 2020 dji will end up on US entity list like Huawei and ZTE

Thanks for the detailed explanation and info.

 

[adiru]

I just found one of my old posts.... seems like this was indeed possible just two years ago... Sad that DJI is putting more and more retroactive restrictions post-sales and after the fact (that aren't even as of yet mandated or required by law to exists, see the skydio or autel for example) even before the new laws that will come into play a few years from now....

 

[MacCool]

DJI knows what's best for you.

 

[adiru]

DJI knows what's best for you.

Like I said for smaller spark, mini and others that came out with controllers that didn't have LED telemetry I could understand that completely. If DJI wanted to implement more training wheels coinciding with the debut of the Mavic 2, then sure that is there pejorative. (and of course they indeed did do precisely this)
But to retroactively post-sales lock down the original Mavic 1 in the same way, (when it wasn't locked down as-sold) via a firmware update and then removing ability to downgrade firmware, no option for those that had pre-existing ability to be grandfathered in with at least the option in menu to toggle this off etc or even so much as increaes/tweak a slider to something greater than 99 feet but still within reasonable values of VLOS etc, is just draconian in my opinion.

Imagine if you brought a prius, then later the Toyota forced you to do a firmware update or else your car won't even turn on engines, and the firmware update included stuff like without purchasing their GPS unit you can only drive a max radius of 10 miles away from home before Toyota out of kindness of their heart wants to make sure you don't ever get lost if not using a GPS unit. Oh and you have to take their driving test quiz in order to start up the car at all, even though their "quiz" isn't santionced nor approved by the State or Federal level and not at all a substitute for a valid drivers license.