Mavic Pro connection between Controller and Drone

[Capt. Jim Ferman]

Hello fellow forum participants. I just returned from vacation and used my Mavic Pro quite a lot for video and stills. Towards the beginning of my trip I was flying and the video on my monitor (iPhone 7) went blank and I received a warning note (while using the DJI Go 4 app) that it was disconnected. I landed the drone and went through the shutdown procedure and then re-checked all connections, including making sure all wires were connected properly. I then restarted the drone and the monitor screen was still blank. I decided to disconnect the very short connection between the controller and iPhone with a standard Apple USB to Flash cord. After restarting, I looked and I had a video feed again from the drone. I sent out an order for a couple of replacement cords to be delivered to an address I was visiting in about a week. In the meantime, I continued to use the Apple cord and the drone and video worked normally. I received the replacement cords and re-installed the cord and it worked perfectly- for about 2-3 flights and then the monitor went blank and I got another "disconnected" message. I replaced the cord with the second new cord and the same thing happened. For the remaining vacation I went back to using the Apple cord and the drone performed flawlessly.
I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced this sort of problem, and, if so, what can be done? I am hesitant to attempt to try dealing with DJI Technical Support after previous experiences which left me exasperated. I did send an e-mail to DJI Customer Support and am awaiting their reply (which, from previous dealings could be anywhere from a day to a week).
Thanks in advance for any assitance or advice anyone can provide.

 

[Mavic19963]

That was great information. When I made my Mavic's maiden voyage last month, zero issues. But today, she was acting erratic. Got a message about 'CPU on mobile devise full', and had a disconnection with app and aircraft. Also have very heavy wifi use in the area I live. By using your idea of connecting the standard Apple USB to the RC (vs. short cable), I'm hoping that may, at least, eliminate the disconnection problem. It's one more rule out in diagnosing the problem I experienced today. Txs!

 

[alconartz]

I have had the same issue and have narrowed it down to interference between my phones cell connectivity and the mavic's controller frequency. I started putting my phone in airplane mode and my disconnect issues went away...

 

[Mavic19963]

I have had the same issue and have narrowed it down to interference between my phones cell connectivity and the mavic's controller frequency. I started putting my phone in airplane mode and my disconnect issues went away...

What is 'airplane mode'? Does it reduce functionality? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Capt. Jim Ferman]

I have had the same issue and have narrowed it down to interference between my phones cell connectivity and the mavic's controller frequency. I started putting my phone in airplane mode and my disconnect issues went away...

Interesting- I will try that. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[Qoncussion]

What is 'airplane mode'? Does it reduce functionality? Inquiring minds want to know.

It's a feature that is available on every smartphone. It turns off all transmission communications, like cellular, wifi, bluetooth...etc.

 

[Mavic19963]

So you're only flying with RC? Is RTH disabled?

 

[Qoncussion]

So you're only flying with RC? Is RTH disabled?

No, your phone is connected normally to the RC - just as it should be. But, the phone is in airplane mode. The phone does not do any sending or receiving of signals to the Mavic through radio transmissions, so putting it in airplane mode simply reduces the likelihood of the phone's radios interfering with the transmission signals from the RC to the Mavic. It also limits background applications that use wifi or data connections from eating up processor resources while in flight.

 

[Mavic19963]

Ok, but I'm a bit unclear. Does airplane mode override/bypass the DJI app?

 

[cmoney1976]

Ok, but I'm a bit unclear. Does airplane mode override/bypass the DJI app?

No it just cuts your wireless service to your cell provider, so no live map data unless you cache maps before turning on airplane mode. Your Mavic is controlled through the RC signal, your phone is just a data center for the drone. You should put it in airplane mode right before you take off, that way you have map gps data, updates if wanted, dji go app sign in data done.

 

[Mavic19963]

So I can't control the Mavic via the app? Do I have control over app settings while in airplane mode? Really new to this. Thank you for your input.

 

[mkp2020]

Airplane mode will not impact your ability to control the Mavic - when using the app you are using the phone's wired connection to the RC. Airplane mode simply turns off the wireless signals in the phone so that the phone and app cannot be affected by cell or wifi signals coming in while you are flying.

 

[Qoncussion]

Airplane mode has NOTHING to do with DJI GO. Nothing. The app will work 100% normally while in airplane mode. You lose nothing (except real-time maps - discussed below). Your phone's radio signals have NOTHING to do with actually flying. Nothing. You are simply taking the phone offline - no data connection, no wifi connection, no bluetooth connection - basically, no wireless connections. But remember, your phone is hardwired to the remote. That's how the remote communicates with the Go app on the phone. No wireless signals are shared between them. Since airplane mode takes you offline, you will not be able view real time maps in the Go app. You can cache the maps to your phone in advance from the menu at the top of the Go splash screen (that white screen that loads before you enter into the flight controls).