Newbie here - answer questions about DJI drones please

[corneliuslasvegas]

Greetings from Nevada. I purchased a drone last week as we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups.

Last week I purchased a drone Aovo-W11 from Amazon for $350. Takes great 4k vids and has a cool interface and all that and its easy to fly. Here is my huge gripe: the wifi signal from the drone to my iphone screen that shows the video from the drone sucks distance wise. In wide open space I get maybe 500'. If I go around my house or around a wall the wifi drops to zero. It really sucks.

So my question is with these pricey DJI drones... do they offer better wifi distance? I really don't want to have to be stuck within a few hundred feet of the drone I'm using.

Second gripe that I can sort of live with: battery life. I charge the battery for 6 hours and get 15-20 mins flying time? Is that 'normal' for drones?

 

[brett8883]

Greetings from Nevada. I purchased a drone last week as we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups.

Last week I purchased a drone Aovo-W11 from Amazon for $350. Takes great 4k vids and has a cool interface and all that and its easy to fly. Here is my huge gripe: the wifi signal from the drone to my iphone screen that shows the video from the drone sucks distance wise. In wide open space I get maybe 500'. If I go around my house or around a wall the wifi drops to zero. It really sucks.

So my question is with these pricey DJI drones... do they offer better wifi distance? I really don't want to have to be stuck within a few hundred feet of the drone I'm using.

Second gripe that I can sort of live with: battery life. I charge the battery for 6 hours and get 15-20 mins flying time? Is that 'normal' for drones?

Yes DJI drones have better video feed reception. That’s one of the huge benefits with DJI. In a wide open area you can go much further than it would be legal to do so before losing signal. With any drone including DJI going through walls or other solid large solid objects, such as dense forest, is always going to be an issue but better than you are experiencing.

15-20 minutes flight times is normal but it only takes about 90 minutes to fully charge a battery.

Just FYI to use the video as you intend, for marketing purposes you’ll need to get your Part 107 Remote Pilot certification.

 

[Wreckhunter]

The current lineup of DJI drones fly further than you need to fly.The DJI mini 2 is in a reasonable price area.
And has great range,and uses occusync technology and not straight wifi.The DJI mini SE is wifi,and is the cheapest
in the lineup.if you are looking for something with a reliable signal stay away from the mini SE.

Greetings from Nevada. I purchased a drone last week as we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups.

Last week I purchased a drone Aovo-W11 from Amazon for $350. Takes great 4k vids and has a cool interface and all that and its easy to fly. Here is my huge gripe: the wifi signal from the drone to my iphone screen that shows the video from the drone sucks distance wise. In wide open space I get maybe 500'. If I go around my house or around a wall the wifi drops to zero. It really sucks.

So my question is with these pricey DJI drones... do they offer better wifi distance? I really don't want to have to be stuck within a few hundred feet of the drone I'm using.

Second gripe that I can sort of live with: battery life. I charge the battery for 6 hours and get 15-20 mins flying time? Is that 'normal' for drones?

The current DJI lineup all have good reliable signal strength that use Occusync technology.
Not true wifi.You still need pretty good line of sight from your controller to the drone.Out in the
open you will have no problems.A wall or say trees in the way may cause some issues.The only
DJI drone I would not even consider is the Mini SE as this uses regular wifi.

 

[Sparc343]

There certainly are DJI drones that will have better distances, I am not familiar with all the different models that DJI has to offer but I personally opted for the DJI Mini 2. That model doesn't even use "wifi" (and likely has a much better range than using wifi), it uses "OcuSync 2.0". (that statement in red is not quite true - Ocusync is a modified WiFi that is less affected by other normal WiFi signals and is usable over longer distances and is proprietary to DJI: moderator edit DM) Ocusync 2.0 has a purported (max) range of 10km. Of course in reality you'd quite possibly be lucky to get 8km, but either way; I am sure it will likely go (work) a lot farther than WiFi will...

Battery life is very common to be somewhere between X-31 minutes ("listed")... Going back to the DJI Mini 2 that I chose, it has a "listed spec" flight time (max) of 31 minutes... It does seem this unit can actually attain that too, although you have to bear in mind, any machine/drone is going to suffer a reduction in flight time if it's inclement conditions, such as wind... Not to mention other factors like how fast you move around, ascend/descend etc... I'm almost sure you could put the mini 2 into "cinema" mode and fly around slow and not perform much altitude changes and actually see the full 31 minutes... On the other hand you could put it in sport mode and probably burn the battery out in 1/2 that time!

All that being said, I have to "chime in" (add) with a few important details, just in case you did not know / weren't aware... Firstly, to fly recreation-ally you must take the TRUST test (and carry that document with you whenever you fly)... I personally recommend getting it through the Pilot Institute... It is completely free, and done entirely online, and only takes about half of one hour. IIRC you only have to provide your name and an email address (no physical address required)... But this will cover all of the "ultimate basics", like TFR, VLOS, LAANC, 400' limit, uncontrolled/controlled airspace etc... It should also cover the next few aspects I'm about to get in to. To fly for recreation: if your drone is <250 grams - you will *not* need to register. If your drone is >250 grams, you *will* need to register. Also, you don't actually individually register each and every drone you own, you are basically registering yourself, to fly pretty much any drone you desire for recreation, between 0-55 lbs. Registration is $5 for 3 years. That being said, there is a CLEAR distinction for "recreation", and there really is NO "grey area"... Either you are "flying for fun" or you're not... If you *are* flying for fun, then that is "recreation"... If you are *NOT* flying for fun, then you are NOT flying for recreation and will require a Part 107/commercial license (has nothing to do with "for monetary gain")... You can surely study for this completely on your own, and take the test (I think it's $150)... Though I would also (again) recommend @pilotinstitute for their preparation courses for the Part 107 (I have not personally taken it but I hear it's "top notch"). ALL drones used under Part 107 MUST be registered (there's no 250 gram "cut-off" like there is for "recreation")! They (however) must be individually registered @ $5 / 3 years.

So, your intent as you describe it ("we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups"), would certainly be a Part 107 use by the way...

At any rate, another good "starting point" is this following link : https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/

Personal recommendations for DJI drone models - I went with the Mini 2:
- DJI Air 2S
- DJI Mini 2
- DJI Mini SE

 

[Wreckhunter]

There certainly are DJI drones that will have better distances, I am not familiar with all the different models that DJI has to offer but I personally opted for the DJI Mini 2. That model doesn't even use "wifi" (and likely has a much better range than using wifi), it uses "OcuSync 2.0". Ocusync 2.0 has a purported (max) range of 10km. Of course in reality you'd quite possibly be lucky to get 8km, but either way; I am sure it will likely go (work) a lot farther than WiFi will...

Battery life is very common to be somewhere between X-31 minutes ("listed")... Going back to the DJI Mini 2 that I chose, it has a "listed spec" flight time (max) of 31 minutes... It does seem this unit can actually attain that too, although you have to bear in mind, any machine/drone is going to suffer a reduction in flight time if it's inclement conditions, such as wind... Not to mention other factors like how fast you move around, ascend/descend etc... I'm almost sure you could put the mini 2 into "cinema" mode and fly around slow and not perform much altitude changes and actually see the full 31 minutes... On the other hand you could put it in sport mode and probably burn the battery out in 1/2 that time!

All that being said, I have to "chime in" (add) with a few important details, just in case you did not know / weren't aware... Firstly, to fly recreation-ally you must take the TRUST test (and carry that document with you whenever you fly)... I personally recommend getting it through the Pilot Institute... It is completely free, and done entirely online, and only takes about half of one hour. IIRC you only have to provide your name and an email address (no physical address required)... But this will cover all of the "ultimate basics", like TFR, VLOS, LAANC, 400' limit, uncontrolled/controlled airspace etc... It should also cover the next few aspects I'm about to get in to. To fly for recreation: if your drone is <250 grams - you will *not* need to register. If your drone is >250 grams, you *will* need to register. Also, you don't actually individually register each and every drone you own, you are basically registering yourself, to fly pretty much any drone you desire for recreation, between 0-55 lbs. Registration is $5 for 3 years. That being said, there is a CLEAR distinction for "recreation", and there really is NO "grey area"... Either you are "flying for fun" or you're not... If you *are* flying for fun, then that is "recreation"... If you are *NOT* flying for fun, then you are NOT flying for recreation and will require a Part 107/commercial license (has nothing to do with "for monetary gain")... You can surely study for this completely on your own, and take the test (I think it's $150)... Though I would also (again) recommend @pilotinstitute for their preparation courses for the Part 107 (I have not personally taken it but I hear it's "top notch"). ALL drones used under Part 107 MUST be registered (there's no 250 gram "cut-off" like there is for "recreation")! They (however) must be individually registered @ $5 / 3 years.

So, your intent as you describe it ("we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups"), would certainly be a Part 107 use by the way...

At any rate, another good "starting point" is this following link : https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/

Personal recommendations for DJI drone models - I went with the Mini 2:
- DJI Air 2S
- DJI Mini 2
- DJI Mini SE

You came up with a good article for him ,but did you remember that the Mini SE is WiFi based,anyway
have a good one.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Welcome the DJI Forum , You will find a lot of inspriation here.

Please return the Aovo-W11 back to Amazon. you will not find a love of drones with something like that.
I would also skip the Mini and get the Air 2 pony up so you can be constantly surprised with the drone and not let down.

There is a reason why DJI is so loved, and respected because these drones amaze and blow away most any other drone company.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain. Land on the Water.

 

[Sparc343]

You came up with a good article for him ,but did you remember that the Mini SE is WiFi based,anyway
have a good one.

Welcome the DJI Forum , You will find a lot of inspriation here.

Please return the Aovo-W11 back to Amazon. you will not find a love of drones with something like that.
I would also skip the Mini and get the Air 2 pony up so you can be constantly surprised with the drone and not let down.

There is a reason why DJI is so loved, and respected because these drones amaze and blow away most any other drone company.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain. Land on the Water.

I did actually fail to remember that the SE was "WiFi", but also like Phantomrain.org said; I'd be willing to bet the DJI Mini SE would still be better than the Aovo ~ because "There is a reason why DJI is so loved, and respected because these drones amaze and blow away most any other drone company. "! Even the SE - IMHO

That being said, I completely understand budget being an issue for most... Which is why my top 3 recommendations are (priced highest to lowest): the Air 2S, Mini 2, Mini SE... With JUST the drones (no fly more/bundle); they can be had for $999,$449,$299, respectively... Or *with* the fly more bundle combo: $1299,$599,$449, respectively...! I would like to think 1 of those 6 options should be financially viable for almost anyone... As *anything* less than $299 is *definitely* going to be a "toy" (that is NOT going to take good pix/video)!

I think (at least to some degree) I could agree with not necessarily "recommending" the SE, but for someone with an extremely tight budget, it would be better than a "toy" or a "non brand name"! Personally I would recommend "no less" than the Mini 2; but not everyone can afford to drop $450 or $600 on their first drone! Certainly if "money is no object" then why not go with something like the Air2S (or an even "higher end" DJI)!?

Then there's the weight thing too... I know a few people who aren't bothered by having to register something like the Air2S, but I also know people that (even though they're "bloody rich") would go with the Mini 2, JUST because they don't have to register (as a "hobbyist")... Although that's clearly not an issue here because the OP clearly plans to use it for a Part107 use...

 

[Yaros]

The mavic mini 1 and mini se has wifi that is not very good, you probably will have the same range.

The mini 2 has much better range because it uses Occusync 2 instead of WiFi, its range is 10 km in US and 6 km in EU. You probably will not get such range anyway because it is expected only in perfect conditions, but you for sure will get at least 1 km at 100 meters height.

I own the air 2 and it has the same system and range, the maximum I have gotten on mine is 6.2 km in Europe, but I was standing on top of a mountain. When flying around my area I get 2 - 4 km of range normally.

You can go with any DJI drone you want, but make sure it has occusync system. For example the mini 2 and the air 2S are great options!

 

[Gagey52]

Welcome to the forum from the land of Oz. Best of luck with your purchase, can't go wrong with DJI.
Regards

 

[howardK]

I guess i am old school and dont have alot of money as i still fly the M1P's. With my strobes on i can get VLOS out to close to 3000' and have no issues with the video feed at this distance. You can get one on Ebay or other second hand markets for about $500.00. I get about 25 minutes of flight out of a battery. I currently have 2 of them and a total of 10 batteries.

 

[cgmaxed]

I guess i am old school and dont have alot of money as i still fly the M1P's. With my strobes on i can get VLOS out to close to 3000' and have no issues with the video feed at this distance. You can get one on Ebay or other second hand markets for about $500.00. I get about 25 minutes of flight out of a battery. I currently have 2 of them and a total of 10 batteries.

LOL. I used some very expensive lights to see my drone at 3000' during daylight hours. The drone was more visible than even those 3 mile FAA strobes, but I sure got a heap of flack from the forum members for doing it. Most people will say VLOS (Visual Line of Site) max, night or day, is between 1000-1500 feet. Some will push it to 2000 feet. The key to VLOS is to visually know the orientation of your drone and to have situational awareness of the area surrounding the drone, in case you need to maneuver out of the way of a low flying manned aircraft or maybe perform an emergency landing.

You can buy a good inexpensive new or used DJI drone on EBAY. Find a reputable seller who has been there for a while and has good reviews.

 

[howardK]

LOL. I used some very expensive lights to see my drone at 3000' during daylight hours. The drone was more visible than even those 3 mile FAA strobes, but I sure got a heap of flack from the forum members for doing it. Most people will say VLOS (Visual Line of Site) max, night or day, is between 1000-1500 feet. Some will push it to 2000 feet. The key to VLOS is to visually know the orientation of your drone and to have situational awareness of the area surrounding the drone, in case you need to maneuver out of the way of a low flying manned aircraft or maybe perform an emergency landing.

You can buy a good inexpensive new or used DJI drone on EBAY. Find a reputable seller who has been there for a while and has good reviews.

I also have high visibility wraps on my two M1P's. One is orange and the other is green. When i use my strobes (which i admit is not all the time) I will typically put one on front, one on back and one on top

 

[SkiProiii]

DJI Mini 2 - sub250g with Occusync 2.0 is still wi-fi technology but with less interference than the Mini or other earlier DJI generations or drone manufacturers. Range will depend on a number of factors like area you’re flying like city vs. country, but DJI is one of the best for range.

20-25 minutes is normal flight times for drones with any amount of wind and hovering for pictures.

On thing to note though- If your drone is on the other side of a building or around a wall, you are no longer in Visual Line of Sight (VLOS). You can see what the drone sees but you don’t have situational awareness of what is around the aircraft, which is important as a pilot.

 

[Chaosrider]

Greetings from Nevada. I purchased a drone last week as we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups.

Last week I purchased a drone Aovo-W11 from Amazon for $350. Takes great 4k vids and has a cool interface and all that and its easy to fly. Here is my huge gripe: the wifi signal from the drone to my iphone screen that shows the video from the drone sucks distance wise. In wide open space I get maybe 500'. If I go around my house or around a wall the wifi drops to zero. It really sucks.

So my question is with these pricey DJI drones... do they offer better wifi distance? I really don't want to have to be stuck within a few hundred feet of the drone I'm using.

Second gripe that I can sort of live with: battery life. I charge the battery for 6 hours and get 15-20 mins flying time? Is that 'normal' for drones?

Well, well, a new local droner! I'm in Carson City, and I've been droning since May 1st, inspired by the Ingenuity drone we're flying on Mars.

We should get together and fly sometime!

As was mentioned, you need your 107 for the use you intend. I have my 107, and I'd be happy to assist with doing that work for you, until you get your own 107. As long as we structure it correctly, you could do the actual flying, with me supervising, if you like. Perfectly legal.

I have a little mini-fleet of Mini-2s, and I'd be happy to give you a Mini-2 demo, and let you try it a bit. The Mini-2 is vastly superior to your current drone. I haven't been much beyond 1000 ft away, because that's my VLOS limit with the strobe attached. At that distance I've never seen the slightest degradation in either the video signal or the control signal.

If you like the Mini-2, I might even be willing to sell you one of mine, at a discount for being slightly used. I have the full Fly More kits for all of them.

Let's connect! I'm at [email protected]




TCS

 

[akdrone]

I'll chime in with a additional "yes!" in terms of better signal. It was -25F yesterday and I flew a quarter mile from the house from inside the house, maintaining VLOS, with no problem at all. As was mentioned, if you are intending on making money or using the drone in any way to make money, you have to pass an FAA test, part 107. If you don't you could be fined for more than the cost of the test.

 

[Vic Moss]

Greetings from Nevada. I purchased a drone last week as we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups.

Last week I purchased a drone Aovo-W11 from Amazon for $350. Takes great 4k vids and has a cool interface and all that and its easy to fly. Here is my huge gripe: the wifi signal from the drone to my iphone screen that shows the video from the drone sucks distance wise. In wide open space I get maybe 500'. If I go around my house or around a wall the wifi drops to zero. It really sucks.

So my question is with these pricey DJI drones... do they offer better wifi distance? I really don't want to have to be stuck within a few hundred feet of the drone I'm using.

Second gripe that I can sort of live with: battery life. I charge the battery for 6 hours and get 15-20 mins flying time? Is that 'normal' for drones?

Many others have mentioned the need for your 107. I HIGHLY recommend @pilotinstitute. Greg and crew do a phenomenal job. www.pilotinstitute.com.

 

[akdrone]

There certainly are DJI drones that will have better distances, I am not familiar with all the different models that DJI has to offer but I personally opted for the DJI Mini 2. That model doesn't even use "wifi" (and likely has a much better range than using wifi), it uses "OcuSync 2.0". (that statement in red is not quite true - Ocusync is a modified WiFi that is less affected by other normal WiFi signals and is usable over longer distances and is proprietary to DJI: moderator edit DM) Ocusync 2.0 has a purported (max) range of 10km. Of course in reality you'd quite possibly be lucky to get 8km, but either way; I am sure it will likely go (work) a lot farther than WiFi will...

Battery life is very common to be somewhere between X-31 minutes ("listed")... Going back to the DJI Mini 2 that I chose, it has a "listed spec" flight time (max) of 31 minutes... It does seem this unit can actually attain that too, although you have to bear in mind, any machine/drone is going to suffer a reduction in flight time if it's inclement conditions, such as wind... Not to mention other factors like how fast you move around, ascend/descend etc... I'm almost sure you could put the mini 2 into "cinema" mode and fly around slow and not perform much altitude changes and actually see the full 31 minutes... On the other hand you could put it in sport mode and probably burn the battery out in 1/2 that time!

All that being said, I have to "chime in" (add) with a few important details, just in case you did not know / weren't aware... Firstly, to fly recreation-ally you must take the TRUST test (and carry that document with you whenever you fly)... I personally recommend getting it through the Pilot Institute... It is completely free, and done entirely online, and only takes about half of one hour. IIRC you only have to provide your name and an email address (no physical address required)... But this will cover all of the "ultimate basics", like TFR, VLOS, LAANC, 400' limit, uncontrolled/controlled airspace etc... It should also cover the next few aspects I'm about to get in to. To fly for recreation: if your drone is <250 grams - you will *not* need to register. If your drone is >250 grams, you *will* need to register. Also, you don't actually individually register each and every drone you own, you are basically registering yourself, to fly pretty much any drone you desire for recreation, between 0-55 lbs. Registration is $5 for 3 years. That being said, there is a CLEAR distinction for "recreation", and there really is NO "grey area"... Either you are "flying for fun" or you're not... If you *are* flying for fun, then that is "recreation"... If you are *NOT* flying for fun, then you are NOT flying for recreation and will require a Part 107/commercial license (has nothing to do with "for monetary gain")... You can surely study for this completely on your own, and take the test (I think it's $150)... Though I would also (again) recommend @pilotinstitute for their preparation courses for the Part 107 (I have not personally taken it but I hear it's "top notch"). ALL drones used under Part 107 MUST be registered (there's no 250 gram "cut-off" like there is for "recreation")! They (however) must be individually registered @ $5 / 3 years.

So, your intent as you describe it ("we want to use it to take videos for our online advertising. We run outdoor tours and want to make overhead videos of our tour groups"), would certainly be a Part 107 use by the way...

At any rate, another good "starting point" is this following link : https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/

Personal recommendations for DJI drone models - I went with the Mini 2:
- DJI Air 2S
- DJI Mini 2
- DJI Mini SE

That's a good reminder about the "nothing to do with monetary gain" which is what so many people, including myself, revert to. I am reminded of an example I read once where if you are using your drone to check out your roof for problems, it requires a Part 107 because it is not purely for fun. I think that is crazy odd. I will never intentionally fly for anything but fun. Strangely, I think, if you fly over your house for fun and by coincidence...see a problem with your roof...you are good to go, just like (or as is my understanding) if you fly over an area and something dramatic happens, you can sell the footage for a big profit and still be within the regs because your intent was just fun. Correct me if I'm wrong. It brings up another question I will post as a separate thread.

 

[Dave Maine]

There is a lot of confusion here about “WIFI”and “OCCUSYNC”. They both operate on the same radio frequencies. The basic frequency selected has a direct link to signal loss as distance increases. OCCUSYNC attempts to reduce the performance impact of this signal strength loss by encoding the video and control information in a way to make it less susceptible to failures. It is helpful, but not a miracle cure.

 

[Smooth Rhythm]

Welcome to the MavicPilots forum. Enjoy safe and happy flying!

 

[Wreckhunter]

I did actually fail to remember that the SE was "WiFi", but also like Phantomrain.org said; I'd be willing to bet the DJI Mini SE would still be better than the Aovo ~ because "There is a reason why DJI is so loved, and respected because these drones amaze and blow away most any other drone company. "! Even the SE - IMHO

That being said, I completely understand budget being an issue for most... Which is why my top 3 recommendations are (priced highest to lowest): the Air 2S, Mini 2, Mini SE... With JUST the drones (no fly more/bundle); they can be had for $999,$449,$299, respectively... Or *with* the fly more bundle combo: $1299,$599,$449, respectively...! I would like to think 1 of those 6 options should be financially viable for almost anyone... As *anything* less than $299 is *definitely* going to be a "toy" (that is NOT going to take good pix/video)!

I think (at least to some degree) I could agree with not necessarily "recommending" the SE, but for someone with an extremely tight budget, it would be better than a "toy" or a "non brand name"! Personally I would recommend "no less" than the Mini 2; but not everyone can afford to drop $450 or $600 on their first drone! Certainly if "money is no object" then why not go with something like the Air2S (or an even "higher end" DJI)!?

Then there's the weight thing too... I know a few people who aren't bothered by having to register something like the Air2S, but I also know people that (even though they're "bloody rich") would go with the Mini 2, JUST because they don't have to register (as a "hobbyist")... Although that's clearly not an issue here because the OP clearly plans to use it for a Part107 use...

I gotcha,my first drone was made by Force1,called the F200C Specter,wifi,horrible camera,it did
not fly real bad for $150 drone.But I would think the Mini SE would pretty much smoke that one.
Anyway have yourself a great day.