So the distance ?

mascot · Jan 26, 2018

can someone please take the time to explain to me, and hopefully others out there why the Air will not go as far as the pro (not including battery and flight time).
Why will the image received on the controller/phone/tablet disappear while flying out on the Air and does that also occur on the pro? Why does it happen on one and not the other?
Thank you in advance and please discuss

BD0G · Jan 26, 2018

WiFi is used a the method of connection and transmission of signal on the Mavic Air to the remote controller. The Mavic Pro conversely uses Occusync which has much more range and stability.

If the Mavic Pro looses connection it will begin to display choppy real time video and if you have your Return to Home Settings setup correctly in the DJIGO 4 app then it will begin to return to home. Typically as it flys closer on its way back to the Home Point/ Remote Controller one is able to regain live image transmission as well as flight controls.

Superdaddy · Jan 26, 2018

BD0G said:
If the Mavic Pro looses connection it will begin to display choppy real time video and if you have your Return to Home Settings setup correctly in the DJIGO 4 app then it will begin to return to home.

The Air will also return home if signal is lost.

Both OcuSync and WiFi use similar frequencies but OcuSync, based upon my limited understanding, uses compression, dynamic band selection and a digital communications method that results in greater distances.

ac0j · Jan 26, 2018

That is part of the reason the mavic air is cheaper than the pro.

MichiganMavic · Jan 26, 2018

Simply put, the Mavic uses an awesome proprietary link between the Remote and the drone. The Air uses the WiFi that everything uses.
My Yuneec Q5004K and the Spark both use WiFi and I kept having issues losing LOS in them.
The Lightbridge and Occu Sync are awesome connections that Work and have great distances right out of the box. IMO, that’s what sets DJI apart from the rest.
Btw, my fleet includes Q5004K, Phantom P3A, P3P, P4, Inspire1, Inspire V2, Mavic Pro, Spark[emoji848], and another Mavic Pro. All in that order. The Air dowwwn the road, maybe. I’ll have to be convinced.

R1Mavic · Jan 26, 2018

So this may be an issue with the Air after all. This kid says he was only able to manage about a mile with the Air in an area with little interference and about 500m in the city.

Skip to 12:55

Superdaddy · Jan 26, 2018

R1Mavic said:
So this may be an issue with the Air after all. This kid says he was only able to manage about a mile with the Air in an area with little interference and about 500m in the city.

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Tom's tech time is based in Germany. The limits there are about half the U.S. limits. I don't know if that is limited by software or the strength of the signal. The US units hopefully have better range than he was able to achieve.

We will all know in a week or so.

Simmo · Jan 26, 2018

Superdaddy said:
Tom's tech time is based in Germany. The limits there are about half the U.S. limits. I don't know if that is limited by software or the strength of the signal. The US units hopefully have better range than he was able to achieve.

We will all know in a week or so.

Simply different protocols and radio power. FCC standards in the US and CE standards in Europe etc..
2.4GHz
FCC:<=26 dBm; CE: <=20 dBm; SRRC:<=20 dBm; MIC:<=18 dBm
5.2 GHz
FCC:<=23 dBm
5.8 GHz
FCC:<=23 dBm; CE <=13 dBm; SRRC: <=23 dBm; MIC: -

mascot · Jan 30, 2018

This just happened.
Costco 799$

tomnjfl · Jan 30, 2018

2km is more than enough for most people I would think.

thongbong · Jan 30, 2018

If we all followed FAA guidlines, we wouldn't be having this conversation. lol

maxboxa · Jan 30, 2018

2k is more than enough distance for me, as well as 15 minutes flight time. i just fear that with more drones being delivered, it's going to be apparent that DJI has been very optimistic with the air's performance figures.

BD0G · Jan 30, 2018

Congratulations Mascot! That is a great deal on a new Mavic Pro.
Plus Costco has such a great return / exchange program.

"The new Costco return policy states: "We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, with a full refund. Exceptions: Televisions, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPod/MP3 players and cellular phones must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund."

Other items have a virtually unlimited return /exchange window.

mascot · Jan 30, 2018

BD0G said:
Congratulations Mascot! That is a great deal on a new Mavic Pro.
Plus Costco has such a great return / exchange program.

"The new Costco return policy states: "We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, with a full refund. Exceptions: Televisions, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPod/MP3 players and cellular phones must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund."

Other items have a virtually unlimited return /exchange window.

They had a $100 instant rebate that expires on feb 2. I wanted to take advantage of that.
I travel to some remote places and the added distance and flight time is what appealed to me.
The air was enticing but after seeing the size differences I could not give up the range and time that the pro packs. It’s just a tad bit larger, not enough to sway me towards the air.

thongbong · Jan 30, 2018

MichiganMavic said:
Simply put, the Mavic uses an awesome proprietary link between the Remote and the drone. The Air uses the WiFi that everything uses.
My Yuneec Q5004K and the Spark both use WiFi and I kept having issues losing LOS in them.
The Lightbridge and Occu Sync are awesome connections that Work and have great distances right out of the box. IMO, that’s what sets DJI apart from the rest.
Btw, my fleet includes Q5004K, Phantom P3A, P3P, P4, Inspire1, Inspire V2, Mavic Pro, Spark[emoji848], and another Mavic Pro. All in that order. The Air dowwwn the road, maybe. I’ll have to be convinced.

Its a little too early to say if the WiFi on the mavic air is bad or not since it is a newly designed system. One thing for sure it is an improvement over the sparks wifi. Although I do love Ocusync and know the Air wont be as "connected".

mtnstream · Jan 30, 2018

mascot said:
They had a $100 instant rebate that expires on feb 2. I wanted to take advantage of that.
I travel to some remote places and the added distance and flight time is what appealed to me.
The air was enticing but after seeing the size differences I could not give up the range and time that the pro packs. It’s just a tad bit larger, not enough to sway me towards the air.

Smart money!!!