Mavic 4 Pro - 4G Dongle with RC2

[Alienatrix]

I appreciate this may have been discussed previously, but before I decide to purchase an RC2, I would like to ensure that this is still correct.

I have the Mavic 4 Pro Creater Combo Kit, with RC PRO 2 controller.

Previously had an AIR 3s with RC2, and using the DJI Cellular Dongle 2 worked perfectly on the AIR 3s.

However, I made the mistake of not researching if the 4G dongle will work on the Mavic 4 Pro with the RC Pro 2.

I can source an RC2 for about £100.

Am I right in saying that as long as I downgrade the firmware of the drone to 1.0000 (or whatever the correct number is), the 4G Dongle will then work with the RC2?

Also, how does that work in terms of warranty? For example, I have a 2 year Care Refresh cover on the Mavic 4 Pro.

If something went wrong whilst on 4G connection only, would DJI try and wriggle out and say that because I downgraded the firmware, technically they won't cover any claims? Because, there's nothing in their terms and conditions regarding this.

Thank you in advance.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Are you suggesting that the dongle won't work in the UK with the RC Pro 2?
Has a recent FW update disabled the dongle functionality in the UK on the RC2?

"DJI Cellular Dongle 2 is designed to work with the DJI RC Pro 2 controller and Mavic 4 Pro (especially in China, where it's a core feature), providing 4G/5G connectivity for enhanced, extended range, though it needs a cellular data plan"

 

[Suren]

Yes, to use the 4G Dongle 2 on the Mavic 4 Pro outside of China then you will need the RC 2 and the Mavic 4 must be on the original FW which is 0.0000. Any FW after this disables the 4G Enhanced Transmission.

@GadgetGuy Dongle 2 is not compatible with Mavic 4 Pro and has been disabled in software after FW 0.0000. It only works now with the drones below but if you use the RC Pro 2 then it will not work at all as the software in that RC has disabled it as well.

 

[Alienatrix]

Hi GadgetGuy,

I'm unsure if it's FW update that's done this of not.

However, previous topics on this matter seem to back up the message I'm getting on my RC Pro 2 when attempting to enable the Enhanced Transmission (4G) on the Mavic 4 Pro.

The only work around at the moment, apparently, is using the RC2 remote and downgrading the FW on the drone.

Unless someone knows otherwise obviously...

 

[Suren]

Hi GadgetGuy,

I'm unsure if it's FW update that's done this of not.

However, previous topics on this matter seem to back up the message I'm getting on my RC Pro 2 when attempting to enable the Enhanced Transmission (4G) on the Mavic 4 Pro.

The only work around at the moment, apparently, is using the RC2 remote and downgrading the FW on the drone.

Unless someone knows otherwise obviously...

No other way other than what I mentioned above.

 

[Alienatrix]

No other way other than what I mentioned above.

Hi Suren,

Thanks for that. Yeah, that confirms it then.

Any information regarding if the FW downgrade would affect/void the warranty of the drone?

For example, previoyslt on my AIR 3s, and currently on my Mavic 4 Pro, I always took Care Refresh.

On one occasion, when the AIR 3s RC and 4G signal disconnected, it never returned to home. Luckily, I was able to locate the drone based on its last location. Had I not found it, I would have to enlist the Care Refresh cover to claim under Flyaway.

But, I never had to downgrade the FW on the AIR 3s, as the 4G dongle worked as standard.

Given that a FW downgrade is required on the Mavic 4 Pro to make the dongle work, I'm just wondering if in the event of a claim of accidental damage to the drone, whilst operating under 4g signal only, if DJI would known I downgraded the FW and turn around say "Hang on a second, why did you downgrade the FW?" and may use this as an excuse to reject the claim under Care Refresh.

 

[GadgetGuy]

No other way other than what I mentioned above.

Any idea why DJI have restricted it in the manner you describe? Was the Dongle 2 inadvertently enabled internationally in 0.0000?

Any other functionality relating to RID that is possible through 0.0000?
It was originally maintained by several prominent YouTubers that the KR (Korean) Mavic 4 Pro units would not broadcast RID in the U.S., but we now know that under current FW they all do.

Did later FW updates change RID broadcasting to be based upon GPS location of the drone, rather than the country where it was originally intended to be sold, especially when there is no RID requirement in S. Korea?

Any other capabilities of the RC 2 related to RID that distinguish it from the RC Pro 2? My DroneTag RIDER frequently detects a particular 64GB Mavic 4 Pro with the pilot’s location always concealed. Is there something different about the RC 2 that might prevent RID from broadcasting the RC 2 location while still broadcasting the drone location?

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi Suren,

Thanks for that. Yeah, that confirms it then.

Any information regarding if the FW downgrade would affect/void the warranty of the drone?

For example, previoyslt on my AIR 3s, and currently on my Mavic 4 Pro, I always took Care Refresh.

On one occasion, when the AIR 3s RC and 4G signal disconnected, it never returned to home. Luckily, I was able to locate the drone based on its last location. Had I not found it, I would have to enlist the Care Refresh cover to claim under Flyaway.

But, I never had to downgrade the FW on the AIR 3s, as the 4G dongle worked as standard.

Given that a FW downgrade is required on the Mavic 4 Pro to make the dongle work, I'm just wondering if in the event of a claim of accidental damage to the drone, whilst operating under 4g signal only, if DJI would known I downgraded the FW and turn around say "Hang on a second, why did you downgrade the FW?" and may use this as an excuse to reject the claim under Care Refresh.

Is it even possible to downgrade the Mavic 4 Pro FW back to 0.0000? Usually, the updates are anti-rolback.

 

[Fanti]

Is it even possible to downgrade the Mavic 4 Pro FW back to 0.0000? Usually, the updates are anti-rolback.

Yes it is

 

[Riptide]

Any idea why DJI have restricted it in the manner you describe? Was the Dongle 2 inadvertently enabled internationally in 0.0000?

Any other functionality relating to RID that is possible through 0.0000?
It was originally maintained by several prominent YouTubers that the KR (Korean) Mavic 4 Pro units would not broadcast RID in the U.S., but we now know that under current FW they all do.

Did later FW updates change RID broadcasting to be based upon GPS location of the drone, rather than the country where it was originally intended to be sold, especially when there is no RID requirement in S. Korea?

Any other capabilities of the RC 2 related to RID that distinguish it from the RC Pro 2? My DroneTag RIDER frequently detects a particular 64GB Mavic 4 Pro with the pilot’s location always concealed. Is there something different about the RC 2 that might prevent RID from broadcasting the RC 2 location while still broadcasting the drone location?

I’ve tried every Mavic 4 Pro firmware revision paired with my RC 2 and they all broadcast the pilots location. Maybe its dependent on an earlier RC 2 firmware that I can’t go back to.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I’ve tried every Mavic 4 Pro firmware revision paired with my RC 2 and they all broadcast the pilots location. Maybe its dependent on an earlier RC 2 firmware that I can’t go back to.

Is there any way to turn off GPS on the RC 2 after launching?
That is where the RID pilot's location is coming from.

 

[Riptide]

Is there any way to turn off GPS on the RC 2 after launching?
That is where the RID pilot's location is coming from.

Not that I could find. Android on the RC 2 seems pretty locked down.

 

[Suren]

Hi Suren,

Thanks for that. Yeah, that confirms it then.

Any information regarding if the FW downgrade would affect/void the warranty of the drone?

For example, previoyslt on my AIR 3s, and currently on my Mavic 4 Pro, I always took Care Refresh.

On one occasion, when the AIR 3s RC and 4G signal disconnected, it never returned to home. Luckily, I was able to locate the drone based on its last location. Had I not found it, I would have to enlist the Care Refresh cover to claim under Flyaway.

But, I never had to downgrade the FW on the AIR 3s, as the 4G dongle worked as standard.

Given that a FW downgrade is required on the Mavic 4 Pro to make the dongle work, I'm just wondering if in the event of a claim of accidental damage to the drone, whilst operating under 4g signal only, if DJI would known I downgraded the FW and turn around say "Hang on a second, why did you downgrade the FW?" and may use this as an excuse to reject the claim under Care Refresh.

You will need to downgrade via the Drone Hacks app using a Windows 10/11 PC. In regards to the Care Refresh, If the drone is damaged etc, I don't think Dji is going to worry about your FW version. I have my Mavic 3 on demo FW when it took off some years ago and Dji replaced it no issues but I could be wrong.

 

[Suren]

Any idea why DJI have restricted it in the manner you describe? Was the Dongle 2 inadvertently enabled internationally in 0.0000?

Any other functionality relating to RID that is possible through 0.0000?
It was originally maintained by several prominent YouTubers that the KR (Korean) Mavic 4 Pro units would not broadcast RID in the U.S., but we now know that under current FW they all do.

Did later FW updates change RID broadcasting to be based upon GPS location of the drone, rather than the country where it was originally intended to be sold, especially when there is no RID requirement in S. Korea?

Any other capabilities of the RC 2 related to RID that distinguish it from the RC Pro 2? My DroneTag RIDER frequently detects a particular 64GB Mavic 4 Pro with the pilot’s location always concealed. Is there something different about the RC 2 that might prevent RID from broadcasting the RC 2 location while still broadcasting the drone location?

Not sure why they have restricted it after that FW but I and many others have asked and we all got the same answer that the countries do not want it. I don't know about the RID because I have never worried about it here in NZ.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Not that I could find. Android on the RC 2 seems pretty locked down.

At least one 64GB Mavic 4 Pro pilot has clearly managed to circumvent broadcasting pilot location, while most likely using the RC 2 the 64GB drone version ships with. I'll have to catch him in the act of landing and inquire! LOL!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Not sure why they have restricted it after that FW but I and many others have asked and we all got the same answer that the countries do not want it. I don't know about the RID because I have never worried about it here in NZ.

So is the Dongle 2 supported internationally on 0.0000?
Lucky you, in RID free NZ!
Is it your understanding that the Mavic 4 Pro does not broadcast RID in the countries where there is no RID requirement, or does it do so anyway, but no one is looking for it?
If its broadcasting is GPS based, should one theoretically be able to circumvent it being broadcast by spoofing the GPS location to that of a country without RID requirements?

 

[Suren]

So is the Dongle 2 supported internationally on 0.0000?
Lucky you, in RID free NZ!
Is it your understanding that the Mavic 4 Pro does not broadcast RID in the countries where there is no RID requirement, or does it do so anyway, but no one is looking for it?
If its broadcasting is GPS based, should one theoretically be able to circumvent it being broadcast by spoofing the GPS location to that of a country without RID requirements?

I would assume that it is broadcasting RID but no one bothers to look for it. Lots of trust here in NZ and it is expected for people to do the right thing. 4G Enhanced worked for me flawlessly when I was using the RC 2 and Mavic 4 on FW 0.0000. I only upgraded to test the RC Pro 2 and found with the range from the RC Pro 2, I did not need the 4G because of the solid connection. Could fly kilometers and kilometers with no drop even from inside my house, I could go a few KM's and get only 1 bar drop.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I would assume that it is broadcasting RID but no one bothers to look for it. Lots of trust here in NZ and it is expected for people to do the right thing. 4G Enhanced worked for me flawlessly when I was using the RC 2 and Mavic 4 on FW 0.0000. I only upgraded to test the RC Pro 2 and found with the range from the RC Pro 2, I did not need the 4G because of the solid connection. Could fly kilometers and kilometers with no drop even from inside my house, I could go a few KM's and get only 1 bar drop.

I would think unnecessary RID broadcasting uses up power and processor overhead, and might require parts that could be eliminated for country specific versions like (KR) from South Korea, saving money, where an external RID module from the pilot would still satisfy use internationally, which would not update the pilot’s location, unlike manufacturer's RID. Hmmm.

Early reviews of U.S. imported (KR) Mavic 4 Pro units by YT reviewers stated it wouldn't broadcast RID, as did some users buying units from European countries on vacation, where there was no RID requirement, but the units then suddenly did broadcast RID in the U.S. after returning home and updating FW, leading me to believe some GPS activation of RID exists.

 

[Alienatrix]

I can confirm after receiving my used RC2 today, and downgrading the FW on the Mavic 4 Pro, that 4G dongle work in the UK.

Which now leaves me with the following dilemma...

Should I sell my RC PRO 2 controller and get a decent return on it, in the knowledge that DJI will likely never turn on the 4G option whilst using the RC PRO 2 and updated FW on the Mavic 4 PRO.

Or, wait and hope that an update will enable it at some point in the future..and wait..and wait..and wait.

 

[Suren]

I can confirm after receiving my used RC2 today, and downgrading the FW on the Mavic 4 Pro, that 4G dongle work in the UK.

Which now leaves me with the following dilemma...

Should I sell my RC PRO 2 controller and get a decent return on it, in the knowledge that DJI will likely never turn on the 4G option whilst using the RC PRO 2 and updated FW on the Mavic 4 PRO.

Or, wait and hope that an update will enable it at some point in the future..and wait..and wait..and wait.

Honestly, I don't think it will be opened up for the Mavic 4 Pro. If they end up allowing the RC Pro 2 to work with 4G for the Air 3S then we will have a chance but unless that happens, we are out of luck. For me, because NZ has been added to FCC and not CE anymore I don't need 4G