Multiple controlers for Mavic 3?

[thearborist]

Mavic 3, iPhone 14 Pro; I have 2 controllers, RC and RC-N1. For general use I have been using the RC controller, as there is little set up and I don't have to deal with a connected device. However, I want to use programed apps like Litchi, which requires that I connect to my iPhone or iPad. Is there a way I can set to use the controllers interchangeably?

 

[old man mavic]

@thearborist ,with regards to the Mavic 3 ,i may be wrong, but i dont think that the Litchi App is compatable with it yet

 

[mavic3usa]

Mavic 3, iPhone 14 Pro; I have 2 controllers, RC and RC-N1. For general use I have been using the RC controller, as there is little set up and I don't have to deal with a connected device. However, I want to use programed apps like Litchi, which requires that I connect to my iPhone or iPad. Is there a way I can set to use the controllers interchangeably?

Yes, you can use either compatible controller you wish with your drone; they will be interchangeable....just not at the same time. As of Dec 2023, the Mavic 3 series consumer drones are not yet compatible with Litchi.

 

[MS Coast]

Don't you have to re-pair the controller and drone each time you swap controllers?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Yes, you can use either compatible controller you wish with your drone; they will be interchangeable....just not at the same time. As of Dec 2023, the Mavic 3 series consumer drones are not yet compatible with Litchi.

That needs some clarification I think, I am fairly sure you are correct in that the OP can swap between the two controllers BUT I suspect that at each swap the OP will have to re-pair the 'new' controller with the drone as I suspect that the drone will only 'store the details' of one controller and pairing a 'new' controller will 'unpair' the old controller.
In addition, if the OP has flyaway insurance on the drone the OP MUST also unbind the old controller from the drone and re-bind the new controller to the drone, if they do not then the flyaway insurance is invalid.


Ahh, Ninja'd by MS Coast.

 

[msinger]

Don't you have to re-pair the controller and drone each time you swap controllers?

Yes

 

[mavic3usa]

That needs some clarification I think, I am fairly sure you are correct in that the OP can swap between the two controllers BUT I suspect that at each swap the OP will have to re-pair the 'new' controller with the drone as I suspect that the drone will only 'store the details' of one controller and pairing a 'new' controller will 'unpair' the old controller.
In addition, if the OP has flyaway insurance on the drone the OP MUST also unbind the old controller from the drone and re-bind the new controller to the drone, if they do not then the flyaway insurance is invalid.


Ahh, Ninja'd by MS Coast.

This is likely true, there are several things you probably need to do to make this work smoothly. As far as I know, there is no "hot swapping" and you won't end up with two different profiles on your drone that can automatically link up to 2 different remotes (wish it were that easy).

I was under the impression that the OP was asking if it is worthwhile to own two different controllers since some people believe a drone is tied to a single controller and that's it. I can say regardless of the process, DJI never makes it easy to switch things up. There will always be some inconsistencies in the process which is why so many people have their confusion about the process. For some drones, it seems to work easy and straightforward and the new controller finds the drone and away you fly. Then the next time, it seems to "forget" and you have to press/hold the power buttons.

Ultimately if you want to own 2 different controller so you can use them from different purposes (one for everyday and one for Litchi), I think you are ok to own both and you can carry them both with you without worry about if you can choose which one you would like to use at any given time in the field. Just be prepared to follow the instructions and just know that you cannot connect up both at the same time. As far as the flyaway is concerned, it's such a pain to keep re-binding but this is no limit on how many times you can do this. Still, I think you have 5 flights to fly if you choose not to act right away.

Yes you are correct. When I switch from the Mini 3 Pro RC Pro remote to the Goggles Integra, the goggles told me I was using an unbound device. So I went thru the binding process. Then when I switched back to RC Pro and *eventually* it told me I need to [re]bind the smart controller. If it means anything, I'm not asked to re-pair when I switch back and forth between RC and Goggles....it's "knows." Anyway, this is what DJI says about bind/unbind:

DJI Fly App Account and Device Binding/Unbinding Guide

After unboxing your new product, it is important to promptly bind it to your DJI account. Failure to do so will result in your inability to produce a DJI Care Aircraft Flyaway Report in case of a flyaway incident. To bind your aircraft and remote controller, or to perform an unbinding operation...

support.dji.com

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

This is likely true, there are several things you probably need to do to make this work smoothly. As far as I know, there is no "hot swapping" and you won't end up with two different profiles on your drone that can automatically link up to 2 different remotes (wish it were that easy).

I was under the impression that the OP was asking if it is worthwhile to own two different controllers since some people believe a drone is tied to a single controller and that's it. I can say regardless of the process, DJI never makes it easy to switch things up. There will always be some inconsistencies in the process which is why so many people have their confusion about the process. For some drones, it seems to work easy and straightforward and the new controller finds the drone and away you fly. Then the next time, it seems to "forget" and you have to press/hold the power buttons.

Ultimately if you want to own 2 different controller so you can use them from different purposes (one for everyday and one for Litchi), I think you are ok to own both and you can carry them both with you without worry about if you can choose which one you would like to use at any given time in the field. Just be prepared to follow the instructions and just know that you cannot connect up both at the same time. As far as the flyaway is concerned, it's such a pain to keep re-binding but this is no limit on how many times you can do this. Still, I think you have 5 flights to fly if you choose not to act right away.

Yes you are correct. When I switch from the Mini 3 Pro RC Pro remote to the Goggles Integra, the goggles told me I was using an unbound device. So I went thru the binding process. Then when I switched back to RC Pro and *eventually* it told me I need to [re]bind the smart controller. If it means anything, I'm not asked to re-pair when I switch back and forth between RC and Goggles....it's "knows." Anyway, this is what DJI says about bind/unbind:

DJI Fly App Account and Device Binding/Unbinding Guide

After unboxing your new product, it is important to promptly bind it to your DJI account. Failure to do so will result in your inability to produce a DJI Care Aircraft Flyaway Report in case of a flyaway incident. To bind your aircraft and remote controller, or to perform an unbinding operation...

support.dji.com

If it weren't for the binding malarkey, swapping controllers is quite simple if you know the button sequence on the drone controller, in that case you don't even need the app. I have used one controller to fly three drones, one after the other of course and it probably took about 20 sec to make each swap, i.e. trigger pairing on the controller then trigger pairing on the drone and wait for them to connect.
I think the biggest problem lies in the vocabulary used, people mix the usage of pairing, binding and linking. That may have been workable prior to flyaway insurance, when they all referred to the same thing, but with the advent of flyaway insurance "binding" now has a specific meaning, that differs from the meaning of "pairing" and "linking".

 

[Alejandro Villegas]

No SDK Realzase for the M3, sorry, yours truly (hated by AUVSI & Skydio) DJI. We would not devalue the Enterprise line.