How much does the Mavic Air 2 extend transmission range over the Mavic Mini during times when line-of-sight is lost, such as an intervening hilltop? I assume range is affected considerably for both drones, but I’m specifically wondering whether the Air 2’s range is much more than Mini’s in those obstructed situations. And, more usefully, how much better (if any) is the Air 2’s obstructed range is in comparison to the obstructed range for a Mini if the Mini is equipped with a cheap parabolic reflector range extender?

It's much, much better than the wifi of the mini.  Obviously, it will depend on the terrain but if you lose VLOS with Occusync, you usually still have complete control of your drone.

BKahuna Posted at 5-8 09:23
It's much, much better than the wifi of the mini.  Obviously, it will depend on the terrain but if you lose VLOS with Occusync, you usually still have complete control of your drone.

Thanks for the reply BKahuna! Very encouraging. To clarify, with OcuSync do you usually continue getting video from the drone (as well as control to it)?

BKahuna Posted at 5-8 09:23
It's much, much better than the wifi of the mini.  Obviously, it will depend on the terrain but if you lose VLOS with Occusync, you usually still have complete control of your drone.

I’m not sure that’s correct. If you fly behind a hill for instance, I don’t think there’s gonna be a huge difference. It will probably be a little better because of the stronger signal that would have a better chance of bouncing around other obstacles and finding a way back to the controller but I wouldn’t expect miracles

If you do happen to break vlos with a hard barrier, (i.e. a building) even with Occusync, it can become disconnected.
But way head and shoulders above wifi....

My experience may not be the whole story but -

My first drone experience was when a friend brought his Mavic Pro (with Occusync) over to my house.  He flew up, around a large earthen berm and descended down into the reservoir on the other side.  This reservoir can't be seen from our house because of the berm.  He was able to go all the way down and circle a structure in the reservoir with perfect, uninterrupted control and HD video.

I was in love!  So I bought the Mavic Air (with wifi similar to that of the mini) and for my first flight tried to recreate the MP's feat.  I got around the berm and started to descend and immediately lost contact with the drone.  Thanks to the safety net of RTH, all ended well.

So while this may not be representative of every situation and certainly is a small sample size - the MP with Occusync had much better connectivity despite being around a small hill and out of VLOS.  The Wifi connection of the MA and Mini is useless as soon as you leave VLOS.

How much does the Mavic Air 2 extend transmission range over the Mavic Mini during times when line-of-sight is lost, such as an intervening hilltop?
Don't take any notice of someone that can't tell the difference between line of sight and keeping your drone in visual range.
If you fly behind a hill, you lose signal.
Radio waves don't go through hills.
You have to have line of sight to maintain control.

Ive had both and while I expected a much improvement with the Air 2, I was dissapponted it was only slightly better

Greetings friends. During christmas i took my drone around my neighborhood to see their christmas light displays. I can say that i was truly impressed. At one point i was nearly a mile away with many homes and streets between myself and my mavic air 2. I found a home that was particularly beautiful so i descended to only 5 foot from the ground and hovered there to get good close ups. My connection was only one bar in the orange. My drone remained very responsive with little to no lag that i could tell. Video paused once and for only a spilt second before regaining a smooth and seemless connection. I am very happy with mine. I cant speak to any other drone such as the mini as of yet. Prior to my air 2, ive had the blade chroma, the yuneec Q500 plus some other not worth mentioning and nothing, NOTHING can compare to the performance of my mavic air 2..