Hi All!
I took my drone (DJI Spark fly more pack with R/C etc.) out yesterday evening having spent a lot of time downloading all the required firmware, apps, updates, pairing (God, one really wouldn't want to give one of these to a child!!)
I loved my quick bit of flying (about an hour), it was great getting used to the controls etc.
However, the range seems to be very, very limited?
I've read that the range in Europe is a lot shorter than in the USA?
I could only go 50m (150ft) high and approx 100m (300ft) away. Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to go setting any records or try fly 2 or 3 miles away!! I would like to be able to get to the other end of a field however (400-600m) and maybe get 100m altitude- just to get some spectactular footage.
I can't use OTG cables as my phone is a Huawei P9 Lite and they don't support OTG.
Should i try my phone in airplane mode? I'm thinking to myself have i the R/C + AC + phone paired correctly? They must be though if the RC joysticks are what I'm steering the craft with? I am correct to have wifi linked to the R/C??
Will airplane mode make any difference? As i said, I'm not looking for miracles, just average range.
These questions are probably silly but, as i said, I'm very new to drones.
All and any help would be very much appreciated!!
Thanks everyone!
Tom.

Here you'll probably the reason for your limited range: https://forum.dji.com/thread-114148-1-1.html

I am also in Ireland Tom and experiencing the exact same problem. I took the spark out yesterday evening to a castle and i Literally could not fly it around the castle (more than 40m) away from me before i got a weak transmission warning signal. I get prompted to update the Precise fly database however the fact i am on the RC wifi this does not give me a network connection to do this. Then when i switch to my mobile internet the update just stays at 0% and does not move. Can anyone confirm this and have a solution? Is it because i disconnected from the controller? I cant update this while connected to the controller because it requires internet

seanie2322 Posted at 2018-1-8 08:54
I am also in Ireland Tom and experiencing the exact same problem. I took the spark out yesterday evening to a castle and i Literally could not fly it around the castle (more than 40m) away from me before i got a weak transmission warning signal. I get prompted to update the Precise fly database however the fact i am on the RC wifi this does not give me a network connection to do this. Then when i switch to my mobile internet the update just stays at 0% and does not move. Can anyone confirm this and have a solution? Is it because i disconnected from the controller? I cant update this while connected to the controller because it requires internet

You have to switch your WiFi back and forth between Internet and RC. Any updates for the Spark or Batteries (not the RC) can best be done with DJI Assistant: https://www.dji.com/spark/info#downloads

Hi guys. What was the number next to the wifi signal icon at the top of the app screen? 2.4 and you should be getting further than you are. 5 and that might explain the short range. Tom I notice you are using android so my guess will be yours says 5, and will not be helping flight range. And you should be probably be in airplane mode anyway just to help avoid any other issues apart from range.

AlanIRL Posted at 2018-1-8 09:04
Hi guys. What was the number next to the wifi signal icon at the top of the app screen? 2.4 and you should be getting further than you are. 5 and that might explain the short range. Tom I notice you are using android so my guess will be yours says 5, and will not be helping flight range. And you should be probably be in airplane mode anyway just to help avoid any other issues apart from range.

See my post 2#. There are specific situations when a 50 meter altitude and 100 meter range limitation automatically will apply as described in OP. Actually one reason is missing in my list. When flying without RC and mobile device only, the same limitations apply.

Hi Tom, there seems to be problems using android and 2.4ghz, I don’t really want to comment on this as there are plenty of threads with information around here.

I have used a Crystalsky 5.8 monitor on WiFi 5.8ghz and can comfortably get range from 250metres to 350. However at the moment I find using iPhone is where I get most success , I can get up to 700metres on 2.4ghz, 300/350 5.8ghz with no loss in transmission or laggy transmission.
To get the most out of spark at the moment you will probably need iOS phone or mini iPad , dji have said they are working on solution to supporting otg so hopefully this will happen soon.
BTW I’m in Enniscrone Co Sligo.
Good Luck..

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-8 09:18
Hi Tom, there seems to be problems using android and 2.4ghz, I don’t really want to comment on this as there are plenty of threads with information around here.

I have used a Crystalsky 5.8 monitor on WiFi 5.8ghz and can comfortably get range from 250metres to 350. However at the moment I find using iPhone is where I get most success , I can get up to 700metres on 2.4ghz, 300/350 5.8ghz with no loss in transmission or laggy transmission.

Crikey seems a bit daft in this day and age that DJI can't have full functionality for both iPhone and android. I'm using my galaxy s8 for FPV maybe this is the problem with some of the issues I'm having

Wachtberger Posted at 2018-1-8 08:27
Here you'll probably the reason for your limited range: https://forum.dji.com/thread-114148-1-1.html

Thanks very much for that Wachtberger...used airplane mode yesterday and got 100 meters altitude and 200 meters distance (at approx. 30-40m altitude)...still not great, and kept jumping in and out of "signal lost/weak".
I tried to switch to 2.4 ghz from 5.8 ghz to see if it made a difference... found myself using 2.4 but on phone (it switched to phone only, no RC) and it took ages to switch back to my r/c as kept getting message that my phone 2.4 ghz and not compatible with 5.8 ghz?!
Can you suggest a way that i could switch to 2.4 this afternoon and remain on the RC? I'd love to try 2.4 ghz on the RC, just to see if it'd make any difference!
Thanks man!

TomIreland Posted at 2018-1-9 01:06
Thanks very much for that Wachtberger...used airplane mode yesterday and got 100 meters altitude and 200 meters distance (at approx. 30-40m altitude)...still not great, and kept jumping in and out of "signal lost/weak".
I tried to switch to 2.4 ghz from 5.8 ghz to see if it made a difference... found myself using 2.4 but on phone (it switched to phone only, no RC) and it took ages to switch back to my r/c as kept getting message that my phone 2.4 ghz and not compatible with 5.8 ghz?!
Can you suggest a way that i could switch to 2.4 this afternoon and remain on the RC? I'd love to try 2.4 ghz on the RC, just to see if it'd make any difference!

If you mobile does not support 5.8 Ghz, I know only two ways to do it. 1. Get an iOS device (they apperently support both bands) or 2. Downgrade your GO 4 to version 4.1.15 and use an OTG cable for your connection to the RC which then leaves both bands available for the RC - Spark connection.

seanie2322 Posted at 2018-1-8 08:54
I am also in Ireland Tom and experiencing the exact same problem. I took the spark out yesterday evening to a castle and i Literally could not fly it around the castle (more than 40m) away from me before i got a weak transmission warning signal. I get prompted to update the Precise fly database however the fact i am on the RC wifi this does not give me a network connection to do this. Then when i switch to my mobile internet the update just stays at 0% and does not move. Can anyone confirm this and have a solution? Is it because i disconnected from the controller? I cant update this while connected to the controller because it requires internet

Hiya Seanie!
I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone...used airplane mode yesterday and got 100 meters altitude and 200 meters distance (at approx. 30-40m altitude)...still not great, and kept jumping in and out of "signal lost/weak".
I tried to switch to 2.4 ghz from 5.8 ghz to see if it made a difference... found myself using 2.4 but on phone (it switched to phone only, no RC) and it took ages to switch back to my r/c as kept getting message that my phone 2.4 ghz and not compatible with 5.8 ghz?!
If you're using a samsung s8 you should definitely get an OTG cable as they are a compatible phone (I'm 99% sure I'm correct)
I am still in and out of signal from 100m distance but pushed it to 200m.
Put DJI Assitant 2 on your laptop for certain, just so you can run firmware updates.
Keep in touch and we'll struggle together!!!
Tom

AlanIRL Posted at 2018-1-8 09:04
Hi guys. What was the number next to the wifi signal icon at the top of the app screen? 2.4 and you should be getting further than you are. 5 and that might explain the short range. Tom I notice you are using android so my guess will be yours says 5, and will not be helping flight range. And you should be probably be in airplane mode anyway just to help avoid any other issues apart from range.

Thanks for that Alan!...used airplane mode yesterday and got 100 meters altitude and 200 meters distance (at approx. 30-40m altitude)...still not great, and kept jumping in and out of "signal lost/weak".
I tried to switch to 2.4 ghz from 5.8 ghz to see if it made a difference... found myself using 2.4 but on phone (it switched to phone only, no RC) and it took ages to switch back to my r/c as kept getting message that my phone 2.4 ghz and not compatible with 5.8 ghz?!
Yes the number on the app control screen is 5.8 and the only time i switched to 2.4 i lost my R/C and had phone control only
Can you suggest a way that i could switch to 2.4 this afternoon and remain on the RC? I'd love to try 2.4 ghz on the RC, just to see if it'd make any difference!
Thanks Alan!

Plenty of other threads on here about this that go in depth about it and yout tube vids available also. Long story short if you have an Android you can't use 5GHz, its not officially a CE standard. If you have an iPhone you can force a 5GHz connection between iPhone and RC and then the 2.4 is free for the RC to AC.  

Power on AC, Power on RC. Now put iPhone in Airplane mode and then switch on WIFI.  Choose Spark RC wifi on the iPhone. Now you have AC connected to RC and RC connected to iPhone.

Now you need to go to settings in the DJI app, go to wifi, and select custom. Then you need to change the wifi connection to 2.4 by manually choosing a channel in that range that doesn't have red bar. (see youtube vids for example of this)
This is forcing the wifi connection between RC and AC to 2.4 which then automatically sets the wifi connection between RC and iPhone to 5.

Thats just a quick reference guide.

Keep in mind also Wachtberger's advice. Could well be related to the direction he has provided also.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-8 09:18
Hi Tom, there seems to be problems using android and 2.4ghz, I don’t really want to comment on this as there are plenty of threads with information around here.

I have used a Crystalsky 5.8 monitor on WiFi 5.8ghz and can comfortably get range from 250metres to 350. However at the moment I find using iPhone is where I get most success , I can get up to 700metres on 2.4ghz, 300/350 5.8ghz with no loss in transmission or laggy transmission.

Hi Hallmark and thank you,
I had to google crystalsky and i am very impressed but unfortunately I've not got the budget for it!
Actually, would you have a recommendation for maybe a cheap secondhand tablet that i should consider purchasing solely for use with the R/C??
Thanks Hallmark!

Wachtberger Posted at 2018-1-9 01:26
If you mobile does not support 5.8 Ghz, I know only two ways to do it. 1. Get an iOS device (they apperently support both bands) or 2. Downgrade your GO 4 to version 4.1.15 and use an OTG cable for your connection to the RC which then leaves both bands available for the RC - Spark connection.

Hi again Wachtberger!
Yes, my default on the phone was 5.8 Ghz but i tried to change to 2.4 Ghz to see if it'd make any difference and that's when i ran into trouble, and I'm on android with no facility for OTG unfortunately.
Do you use apkpure.com to get access to older versions of GO 4, or is there a more straightforward way?
Thanks again,
Tom.

I originally got about 80m with an Android phone on 5.8ghz wifi. It became better with an OTG cable and I could get around 250 - 300m, but had regularly loss of signal. I then changed to an iPhone 6S and 7 plus on 2.4ghz and have never had any loss of signal or other issues, easily reaching the 500m limit set in the app. I have never used an OTG cable since. The Spark is a great wee machine with this set up and is quite amazing for its size.

TomIreland Posted at 2018-1-9 01:48
Hi Hallmark and thank you,
I had to google crystalsky and i am very impressed but unfortunately I've not got the budget for it!
Actually, would you have a recommendation for maybe a cheap secondhand tablet that i should consider purchasing solely for use with the R/C??

If you could get a secondhand iPad mini they work great.

Hi all, been struggling with video transmission (video latency) since day one last summer!! Moaned on here and tried every fix out there, even tried Iphones. Nothing has helped so far really and DJI updates have only worsened my isssues, the max distance i have ever achieved was 320M distance and that was a sketchy sweaty palmed affair where i completely lost signal and the drone was performing very strangely with the gimble wobbling around but i'm happy to say i did get it back and haven't pushed that kind of distance since, tend to remain at under 100m away and at a maximum of 90M upwards.

Anyone tried these........ https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/prod ... smid=A1X8PLOLRI77UK

Very tempted to buy especially as its only a tenner!!!

Mullheliflier Posted at 2018-1-9 02:45
I originally got about 80m with an Android phone on 5.8ghz wifi. It became better with an OTG cable and I could get around 250 - 300m, but had regularly loss of signal. I then changed to an iPhone 6S and 7 plus on 2.4ghz and have never had any loss of signal or other issues, easily reaching the 500m limit set in the app. I have never used an OTG cable since. The Spark is a great wee machine with this set up and is quite amazing for its size.

Hi Mullheliflier!
Wow...so it really does seem to be an android issue, doesn't it?! And you don't even need to use the OTG to get it out to 500m with the iPhone?! That's very impressive! Hallmark (above) recommends getting a secondhand iPad mini to use with the RC...that might well be the next thing on my shopping list!!
Thanks very much,
Tom.

Honestly the easiest option is to just switch to FCC mode. Works great on the spark in 5.8 - more than enough range then. Cant discuss that here, but plenty of guides on net

WilfredFireStee Posted at 2018-1-9 03:37
Hi all, been struggling with video transmission (video latency) since day one last summer!! Moaned on here and tried every fix out there, even tried Iphones. Nothing has helped so far really and DJI updates have only worsened my isssues, the max distance i have ever achieved was 320M distance and that was a sketchy sweaty palmed affair where i completely lost signal and the drone was performing very strangely with the gimble wobbling around but i'm happy to say i did get it back and haven't pushed that kind of distance since, tend to remain at under 100m away and at a maximum of 90M upwards.

Anyone tried these........ https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0724ZLZKZ/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X8PLOLRI77UK

I have a brand new available. Had bought it a few months ago but never used it. If interested, send me a PM.

TomIreland Posted at 2018-1-9 02:06
Hi again Wachtberger!
Yes, my default on the phone was 5.8 Ghz but i tried to change to 2.4 Ghz to see if it'd make any difference and that's when i ran into trouble, and I'm on android with no facility for OTG unfortunately.
Do you use apkpure.com to get access to older versions of GO 4, or is there a more straightforward way?

Yes, Apkpure or APKMirror are the places to get them.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-9 03:17
If you could get a secondhand iPad mini they work great.

Hallmark i think that sounds like the next move i should make.
Now, this question is probably ridiculous but i need to ask it!
If i do get an iPad mini, does it need to have a SIM and be on a network?
Would i need to take my SIM out of my phone and put it into the iPad?
Would i need to be on a price plan to use an iPad purely as a controller in conjunction with my RC??
Silly questions, i know!
Thanks,
Tom.

TomIreland Posted at 2018-1-9 03:47
Hallmark i think that sounds like the next move i should make.
Now, this question is probably ridiculous but i need to ask it!
If i do get an iPad mini, does it need to have a SIM and be on a network?

Just set iPad to hotspot from phone it works fine I’ve used it for the last two years . So you don’t need sim or network iPad .
But you need an iPhone.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-9 04:14
Just set iPad to hotspot from phone it works fine I’ve used it for the last two years . So you don’t need sim or network iPad .
But you need an iPhone.

Ah sh*te! So i can't hotspot from an Android phone to an iPad?! I didn't know that!!
Thanks again for your help Hallmark!
Tom.

TomIreland Posted at 2018-1-9 04:38
Ah sh*te! So i can't hotspot from an Android phone to an iPad?! I didn't know that!!
Thanks again for your help Hallmark!
Tom.

You can still use iPad mini without hotspot, you just won’t have maps, I thing ive used maps about 3 times since I started flying.
Your best bet is to borrow an iPad mini download the dji go 4 app and go out and try it. You will have to sign into app once so just sign in when your in a WiFi area. You don’t need Internet to fly.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-9 05:09
You can still use iPad mini without hotspot, you just won’t have maps, I thing ive used maps about 3 times since I started flying.
Your best bet is to borrow an iPad mini download the dji go 4 app and go out and try it. You will have to sign into app once so just sign in when your in a WiFi area. You don’t need Internet to fly.

Thanks very much Hallmark!
Tom

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-8 09:18
Hi Tom, there seems to be problems using android and 2.4ghz, I don’t really want to comment on this as there are plenty of threads with information around here.

I have used a Crystalsky 5.8 monitor on WiFi 5.8ghz and can comfortably get range from 250metres to 350. However at the moment I find using iPhone is where I get most success , I can get up to 700metres on 2.4ghz, 300/350 5.8ghz with no loss in transmission or laggy transmission.

I am getting more than 1.5 km using Android @5.8 Ghz .

You must switch off the internet while you fly long range.

Wachtberger Posted at 2018-1-9 03:44
I have a brand new available. Had bought it a few months ago but never used it. If interested, send me a PM.

Oh wow, good man. Shall do

TomIreland Posted at 2018-1-9 01:28
Hiya Seanie!
I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone...used airplane mode yesterday and got 100 meters altitude and 200 meters distance (at approx. 30-40m altitude)...still not great, and kept jumping in and out of "signal lost/weak".
I tried to switch to 2.4 ghz from 5.8 ghz to see if it made a difference... found myself using 2.4 but on phone (it switched to phone only, no RC) and it took ages to switch back to my r/c as kept getting message that my phone 2.4 ghz and not compatible with 5.8 ghz?!

Tom,
i picked up an OTG Cable on amazon the other day, this morning took it for a test flight. The difference is night and day! I Had no video lag, the image was very clear and i got the drone nearly a km away without any warning message for weak signal. Also the return to home landed it in near the exact same spot it took off from where as when i was on wifi it landed it about 8 metres away which wouldnt be ideal if you were flying this thing on the cliffs of moher or somewhere like that!

I cant understand why Dji disabled the OTG functionality in the last update, was it only disabled on ios?Because it is working fully on my Galaxy s8

seanie2322 Posted at 2018-1-10 02:37
Tom,
i picked up an OTG Cable on amazon the other day, this morning took it for a test flight. The difference is night and day! I Had no video lag, the image was very clear and i got the drone nearly a km away without any warning message for weak signal. Also the return to home landed it in near the exact same spot it took off from where as when i was on wifi it landed it about 8 metres away which wouldnt be ideal if you were flying this thing on the cliffs of moher or somewhere like that!

Wow!! Brilliant Seanie! A kilometre would be amazing- more than I'd ever need!! And you didn't even need to downgrade the GO 4 version that you are currently on?! Excellent! OK...i think i need a new android phone or try hack into my huawei and make it OTG compatible (which seems very technical when i look at videos on youtube!!) I wonder should i look at maybe a cheap android tablet with OTG compatibility and tether it to my phone? Hard to know...

I was operating on Android, Samsung S6, with issues and minimum distance. I swapped to iPad and now enjoy fun, trouble free flying, with great distance.

seanie2322 Posted at 2018-1-10 02:37
Tom,
i picked up an OTG Cable on amazon the other day, this morning took it for a test flight. The difference is night and day! I Had no video lag, the image was very clear and i got the drone nearly a km away without any warning message for weak signal. Also the return to home landed it in near the exact same spot it took off from where as when i was on wifi it landed it about 8 metres away which wouldnt be ideal if you were flying this thing on the cliffs of moher or somewhere like that!

And can you see the flight data (remaining batery charge, speed, distance, height ....) when are you using the OTG cable ? The OTG itself never stopped working, but the last version that displayed the flight data is DJI GO 4 4.1.15 for android.

-I can't use OTG cables as my phone is a Huawei P9 Lite and they don't support OTG.-

You may rethink this:

It is a OTG from RC to Phone
Not from phone to RC
So your phone don't need to support OTG
(which it actually does)

;-)

Flighty Posted at 2018-1-10 03:52
I was operating on Android, Samsung S6, with issues and minimum distance. I swapped to iPad and now enjoy fun, trouble free flying, with great distance.

Hi Flighty,
That's cool...do you use an OTG cable with the iPad?
Tom.

S-e-ven Posted at 2018-1-10 05:53
-I can't use OTG cables as my phone is a Huawei P9 Lite and they don't support OTG.-

You may rethink this:

Hi S-e-ven!
Thank you very much for that.
I had actually seen Tech Mizen's video before but i found it very complicated (my fault, not his, believe me!)
So, are you saying i can just "plug and play" with an OTG cable straightaway as things stand with my huawei P9 lite or do i firstly need to carry out all of the instructions set out in Tech Mizen's video??
Thanks for your help my friend!
Tom.

Imho:
You need to connect hour phone as "the usb device" to the RC.
The direction of the otg adapter is important.
Your phone is not the host for it, that is the RC.
So the video would only be of interest, if you would like to connect p.ex. usb sticks to your phone.

S.J Posted at 2018-1-9 07:44
I am getting more than 1.5 km using Android @5.8 Ghz .

You must switch off the internet while you fly long range.

Thank you very much for your help S.J
Do you mean airplane mode, doesn't that mean internet is off?
Thank you,
Tom.

S-e-ven Posted at 2018-1-11 00:37
Imho:
You need to connect hour phone as "the usb device" to the RC.
The direction of the otg adapter is important.

Thanks again S-e-ven!
So, is there a menu in the phone where i would need to "pair" the phone and RC using the OTG cable?
Or just attach them with the cable and the RC will recognise what is going on??
Tom.