Ordering Mavic Pro today... need help

JetJockey767 · Oct 7, 2017

I too am a new Mavic Pro owner. I was asking the same questions regarding which monitor is best. I was using my iPhone 7 plus and had A LOT of problems connecting and staying connected. So many problems I was thinking about getting rid of the drone because of the frustration. After listening to many people on this forum I chose the mini iPad 4 with cellular. (no phone activation, no sim card needed) Having a mini with cellular gives you the GPS (in the iPad) which allows more features.

I went on eBay and bought a used Mini iPad 4 with cellular for $275. IT WORKS GREAT! I would highly recommend the mini 4 I believe it has a faster processor than the 2. First time I plugged in it worked with no issues and I am a happy camper. Thanks to all of those who recommended the iPad mini 4 with cellular to me.

msinger · Oct 7, 2017

Reprofish said:
DJI shows walmart.com as an authorized retailer, but it says on their website that the mavic "is sold and shipped by The Pixel Hub". The Pixel hub does not appear on DJI website as a authorized retailer. Is this still considered an authorized vendor because walmart facilitates the transaction?

It'll only be considered as a purchase from an authorized DJI dealer if the Mavic is sold to you by an authorized DJI dealer. I've never seen Pixel Hub on any of DJI's authorized dealer lists.

MrMavic · Oct 7, 2017

Reprofish said:
I am ordering a mavic today and have a couple of questions. I'm new to this, so please bear with me.

First question is does it matter where I order from as far as warranty goes?

Also, the current phone that i have is a galaxy j3, which is full of apps and garbage and I do not believe it's going to be what I need to fly the mavic. So either I want to order a new phone, or a dedicated device. I've been browsing here and reading, and I've noticed people talking about tablets with and without GPS. I would prefer not to use my phone because of the problems associated with calls, texts, notifications etc. But I also do not want to lose the features associated with the GPS and having cellular service. I'm a little confused about how all that works. Oh, and I am not a fan of Apple, and I do not really want to switch out my current phone for an iPhone. So I'd rather stay android based.

Would someone please help me with this? I've read so many conflicting experiences I've confused myself beyond belief LOL.

Get the iPad mini for your FPV.
I don't think it matters where you buy it as long as it's not a homeless bum on the street.

msinger · Oct 7, 2017

MrMavic said:
I don't think it matters where you buy it as long as it's not a homeless bum on the street.

AFAIK, this only matters if you purchase a Mavic in the US. DJI's warranty states that they will not honor their warranty if the Mavic was not purchased from an authorized DJI dealer. You can find that stated at the bottom of the "Part III - Types of After-sales Service" section here.

Reprofish · Oct 8, 2017

I ended up ordering a mavic pro fly more bundle from an authorized retailer for $1,175 which also included a $100 amazon gift card in that price. I also ordered an iPad mini 4 wifi+cellular from Apple to be used as a dedicated device. I'm hoping I made good buying decisions.

Thank you all for your help and your suggestions. Everything will be here by Tuesday, and I'm sure there will be many more questions to follow. Glad to know there's such a helpful community here. Thanks again.

pixl · Oct 8, 2017

My pleasure.

Testman · Oct 8, 2017

Reprofish said:
I ended up ordering a mavic pro fly more bundle from an authorized retailer for $1,175 which also included a $100 amazon gift card in that price. I also ordered an iPad mini 4 wifi+cellular from Apple to be used as a dedicated device. I'm hoping I made good buying decisions.

Thank you all for your help and your suggestions. Everything will be here by Tuesday, and I'm sure there will be many more questions to follow. Glad to know there's such a helpful community here. Thanks again.

Your decision is very good. This is the my Ipad Mini 4 16G cellular. You need only connect the lighting cable in bundle Ipad with usb central port of Mavic Pro RC. Never problem, never freeze app Dji Go 4, never disconnection.Bye

Dragonfly · Oct 8, 2017

You do not need cellular or GPS on the device you use as a monitor for your Mavic but and this is the but, if you dont have cellular then you need to A} cache the maps for your aera you are flying before hand if you want tha maps B} you will have to at least have wifi and Hotspot to your phone to possibly login to DJI and or to download maps if not pre Cached.
You also may like and would eventually find it useful to have GPS incorporated in the device you choose, although the Mavic uses its own GPS, some of the Smart modes that are used in the GO4 app allows the Mavic to lock onto the GPS of your device as you move position and this can only work if the device you are using has its own GPS built in.
So it makes things a lot simpler if the device you choose has a GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular service.
For Android, lowend J7 or S5 work fine or bigger screen Galaxy S2 even Tab4 8inch works great. But there are many others.

Reprofish · Oct 8, 2017

Dragonfly said:
You do not need cellular or GPS on the device you use....
So it makes things a lot simpler if the device you choose has a GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular service.
For Android, lowend J7 or S5 work fine or bigger screen Galaxy S2 even Tab4 8inch works great. But there are many others.

Thanks for the info Dragonfly, but i ordered an iPad mini 4 that is both Wi-Fi & cellular capable. I am not going to activate cellular service, but had to get that model so I would have GPS. It is my understanding that will be sufficient for the mavic to lock on to my position. Thanks again!

Top Hat · Oct 8, 2017

If money is no objects

Reprofish said:
Thanks for the info Dragonfly, but i ordered an iPad mini 4 that is both Wi-Fi & cellular capable. I am not going to activate cellular service, but had to get that model so I would have GPS. It is my understanding that will be sufficient for the mavic to lock on to my position. Thanks again!

You made a perfect decision in ordering those items.
Now, start downloading/reading the Manual:watch YT vids on how to's etc if you haven't yet.
Congrats!!!

Reprofish · Oct 8, 2017

Top Hat said:
If money is no objects...

Lol well money definitely was an object here. Ive been saving for a while for this purchase. I also ordered a Nanuk hard case, rapid charger, nd/Pl filters, dirty j tablet mount, among other things. I learned a long time ago.... if you do your homework and buy the right stuff the first time, it ends up saving you money and headache in the long run.

Raymond To · Oct 9, 2017

If this is your first time to fly a drone, it is highly recommend to purchase DJI care Refresh for your new MAVIC too!!

sasnak · Oct 9, 2017

As an alternative to DJI refresh you might check with state farm. I went with them because they had some advantages, like if you lose the drone they still pay for replacement. I think it's cheaper too. Mine was 60 a year.

Reprofish · Oct 9, 2017

So how does one go about getting insurance? Either option.

*UPDATE* - nevermind, I just looked into this and got a State Farm policy which covers everything. Accessories, case, drone and even the ipad mini 4. I will also double cover with DJI care. Thanks for the heads up about that.

GMG · Oct 10, 2017

I’ll take your question as to whether it matters where you buy your Mavic from very literally: if you’re likely to move abroad it matters a great deal.
I’m in France (now) but I move around and after having my MP stolen I’m not going to replace it as I move around and wouldn’t have local warranty coverage when I move abroad (to Australia). I CAN ship it back to France for a warranty repair if I wanted to but the price of shipping and insurance would make that exorbitant. Which seems silly as DJI is a global company and offering an international warranty seems like a no brainer!

Mr G · Oct 13, 2017

You can get an iPad 4 Mini for around $300. Apple sells refurbs and there are several on eBay. I have an iPad 4 Mini that I paid a little over $300 on eBay. I use it only for the drones. Maybe since Apple stores sell DJI products it's common knowledge that in general, iOS works better than Android which has too many variations, etc. I have cell and about 128MG on the iPad 4 Mini which is the latest model and has more than enough power to run drone apps, etc.

pixl · Oct 13, 2017

Mr G said:
You can get an iPad 4 Mini for around $300. Apple sells refurbs and there are several on eBay. I have an iPad 4 Mini that I paid a little over $300 on eBay. I use it only for the drones. Maybe since Apple stores sell DJI products it's common knowledge that in general, iOS works better than Android which has too many variations, etc. I have cell and about 128MG on the iPad 4 Mini which is the latest model and has more than enough power to run drone apps, etc.

It's worth noting that if you're buying a Mini 4, you should buy the cellular version even if you have no plans to have a cellular sim running. The reason for this is that the wifi-only iPad mini does not have a GPS antenna, and GPS on the tablet is needed for some of the Intelligent flight modes (ie "follow me" mode). If you have no need for any of these modes, then you can get by with the wifi only mode by downloading maps in advance, or you can also get the mini to act like cellular connected one if you simply tether to your cell phone. Unfortunately, in my experience, Bluetooth tethering is not always stable... and of course you can't USB tether because the port is in use connecting to the RC.

The whole tablet option is a PITA due to the additional costs involved. It's worth it if your eyesight isn't great (like me), but it adds a lot of expense, and sacrifices some of the portability, which is one of the main attractions with the Mavic in the first place.

I suspect I'll end up with a tablet soon enough -- I'm not getting any younger and my eyesight isn't getting any better. But I'm resisting hard. I love the stealth nature of this little machine.

Hotelone · Oct 13, 2017

If you're in the US there are always refurbs and used on Amazon for very cheap, some fulfilled by Amazon.

Lone Droner 10 · Oct 14, 2017

First and foremost, the Mavic Pro or Mavic Platinum are very sophisticated drones and require a great deal of knowledge of computers, devices (either IOS or Android) and piloting skills. Do not get too comfortable with the YouTube or DJI videos on how easy these drones are to operate.

Secondly, understand that in the US as far as I know, there is only one authorized warranty dealer for DJI and that is in California. Anything goes wrong, you will need to ship it to them. Trust me, that process by itself is very complicated if you do not know your way around computers.

Third, once out of warranty, there are numerous DJI repair shops. My suggestion is to purchase from one of these dealers. Just remember, warranty work must be performed by the California DJI warranty service.

The DJI Go 4 app is specifically designed to work with IOS devices. While you can use Android, I would not. Anything goes wrong, the "blame game" could come into play.

As far as wifi, cell service, etc the Mavic uses what is called Ocusync Transmission System. The aircraft connects to the controller and the DJI Go 4 app is merely the telemetry information including GPS. None the less, I would highly recommend your device has cell service.

Some other comments to consider:

Insurance. Make sure your homeowners policy covers drones.

Malfunctions with the Mavic. I have lost two Mavic's are a result of the failure of RTH activation. Fortunately, DJI replaced them after having to send them the flight records recorded on the app. So you know, that alone requires considerable knowledge of computers, uploading data etc. Next is an issue that occurs with the connection cable from the controller to your device. Again, you will encounter disconnects unless you use a certified IOS lightening connector. Easy to do.

Last but not least, DJI customer service. For the most part, 3 out of 5 stars but only if you can understand foreign languages and do not mind being on the phone for an hour every time you call. 30 minutes on hold, 30 minutes of evaluation only to find out you need to send it in to DJI.

These drones are not for the feint of heart or novices.