Mavic Mini Range

[Shawnp53]

Hey guys, Im considering buying a Mavic mini and I have a question on the range and controller.
I’m going to be flying on my 350+ acre property and a large part of this is wooded. I was hoping to get some good aerial shots. How far can I expect the Mavic mini to fly if trees are in the way?
My phantom 3 was able to travel nearly a half mile without any issues. Can I expect similar results with the mini?

 

[Thomas B]

Hey guys, Im considering buying a Mavic mini and I have a question on the range and controller.
I’m going to be flying on my 350+ acre property and a large part of this is wooded. I was hoping to get some good aerial shots. How far can I expect the Mavic mini to fly if trees are in the way?
My phantom 3 was able to travel nearly a half mile without any issues. Can I expect similar results with the mini?

Best just keep VLOS per FAA regs. Could prevent loss of your drone.

 

[Mikey's]

It should be more with MM. Assuming 5.8 GHz FCC (US) variant as per DJI product specs the Phantom's 3 RC reach is about 1 km, MM 4 km.

 

[old man mavic]

the phantom was huge when compared to the MM and although it could fly further, you probably would not be able to see it at a thousand feet let alone further for my old eyes i struggle at around 600 ft but can see my MPP out to around 1200 ft and don't forget trees will absorb WIFI signals as well

 

[Shawnp53]

To what extent will they absorb the WiFi signal is my question ?

 

[old man mavic]

To what extent will they absorb the WiFi signal is my question ?

they are worse when in leaf or wet they attenuate the signal and disperse it away from the drone and if you get behind trees they can block the signal as well you need a direct LOS to the drone from the controller so going up higher above the trees would help but keep in mind the max height and VLOS rules as well

 

[Thomas B]

To what extent will they absorb the WiFi signal is my question ?

Up to 100% depending on the density. If you experiment be sure it is set to RTH on signal loss and that RTH height is set higher than the trees in case you lose controller signal to the drone.

 

[Mikey's]

To what extent will they absorb the WiFi signal is my question ?

This question is really hard to answer. It depends on many circumstances. Signal absorption is not the issue here but the signal reflection altering the timing and path length of the signals.

 

[Dave Maine]

As stated already, it is difficult to make any generalizations. Time of year and moisture content of the vegetation both play key roles. Flying around and watching the WIFIsignal strength meter will give you a general idea of the conditions on a particular day at a particular time. You can clearly see the drop off as you descend below the line of sight between you and the drone going below the tree level. Be careful as you do this, as the signal strength can change very rapidly in these conditions.

ANd always, make sure your RTH is set properly for the site conditions

 

[chriscuk]

If you're flying the other side of dense trees even 10-15m worth of trees can completely block out the wifi signal. I tested this a while back by dropping behind a row of trees with the RTH height set well above the trees. 2.4ghz or 5ghz I lost signal all the same.