hi guys, is attempting to use a range extender on a MM is something that is forbidden ? or it is not feasible in MM ? I hardly have time to fly, when i do, its around the city, where there a lot of inferences. Football fileds deserted parks, so, i am not bothering anyone or flying at no fly zones.
I am asking, because i intend to get an extender, but i dont seem to get any useful answers from the page, which i posted. So, any view or advice would be appreciated.

From what Iv'e read here and in a couple other forums, these things are hit/miss.
The mini being wifi, is so susceptible to interferance, especially in urban areas.
you can go ahead and try one, but be careful, and don't expect to much "gain" in range...

I thank saving your coin for now and get comfortable with your flying environment within site

Honestly - they are pointless in my experience of using them. For one, the Mini has omni antennas but once you have the parabolic range extender on the antenna becomes ridged and you need to point the extender directly at the drone at all times with absolutely no obstructions in the LOS. Further more, any damage to the surface of the extender will render it useless - even the slightest scratch line. The weight of the extender also pulls a little on the antenna and will loosen it overtime. You may get a little extra range in optimal conditions but we're talking feet, not miles and it won't cut the mustard in urban areas. They cost a fiver for a reason...

A J Posted at 7-1 09:58
Honestly - they are pointless in my experience of using them. For one, the Mini has omni antennas but once you have the parabolic range extender on the antenna becomes ridged and you need to point the extender directly at the drone at all times with absolutely no obstructions in the LOS. Further more, any damage to the surface of the extender will render it useless - even the slightest scratch line. The weight of the extender also pulls a little on the antenna and will loosen it overtime. You may get a little extra range in optimal conditions but we're talking feet, not miles and it won't cut the mustard in urban areas. They cost a fiver for a reason...

I had a good experience using such an extender!

About 30% more range, but you have to aim more precise to the MM!!!  

frankymusik Posted at 7-1 11:53
I had a good experience using such an extender!

About 30% more range, but you have to aim more precise to the MM!!!

Are you 100% sure it was a bit of foil that gave the extra 30%? Did you land the drone then take them off and fly to exactly the same place following exactly the same flight path straight after to compare? And 30% of what distance? I used them and did direct comparisons on the Spark, Mavic Pro, Phantom 3 Pro - they made little to no difference and most definitely not 30%. If the range could be increased to that extent have you ever wondered why DJI do not sell them on their store or indeed even make them for their own drones?

DJI don't recommend you use anything that changes what they supply you. So you will find DJI staff here comment they don't recommend you use them in case you have issues with the flight as a result.

At my flying spot overlooking the mine (you can find video of the place in this forum) I had a range of about 1.2 Km without parabolic reflectors w/ 5.8 GHz, and about 2 Km w/ the parabolics.

My Yagi/Udas didn't offer any significant range gain over the parabolics but narrowed the beam so that I've had to use precise aim, with the parabolics instead I could just roughly orient myself and they would just work.

I have done a test with Yagi/Uda and parabolics combined and I reached 2.2 Km.

If you'd ask me the safest bet are the parabolics as they are cheap, convenient and also add something to the remote presence. A good set of Yagi/Uda might add further yield or give better results but the beam is narrower and in my experience better suited at receiving.

While with the parabolics I was losing video feedback completely at 2 Km I was still in "loose" control of the drone, contrary to the Yagi/Uda where even pointed the best as I could for a 2 km range I was getting a more reliable video stream but was continually having signal disconnection, causing the drone to drop off and enter RTH countdown.

A J Posted at 7-1 12:16
Are you 100% sure it was a bit of foil that gave the extra 30%? Did you land the drone then take them off and fly to exactly the same place following exactly the same flight path straight after to compare? And 30% of what distance? I used them and did direct comparisons on the Spark, Mavic Pro, Phantom 3 Pro - they made little to no difference and most definitely not 30%. If the range could be increased to that extent have you ever wondered why DJI do not sell them on their store or indeed even make them for their own drones?

... "a bit of foil" doesn't sound very convincing, of course.
The MM actually has a very limited radio performance, just WiFi.
And yes, I also made direct comparisons, on the same day, in the same position, so largely the same conditions.
As I already wrote, you actually have to "aim" with the antenna positions exactly in the direction of the MM, because the spread of the radio waves in other directions will certainly be weakened, but "intensified" in the open direction of the parabolic mirror.

Unfortunately, I very often had signal interference in the range of 300 - 400 m, and if this area was covered well, I was also very satisfied with the MM (by using the range extender).

Parabolic antennas (very precisely manufactured) are the "only" way in space research to receive and transmit signals far away, for example to control satellites ...

frankymusik Posted at 7-2 05:14
... "a bit of foil" doesn't sound very convincing, of course.
The MM actually has a very limited radio performance, just WiFi.
And yes, I also made direct comparisons, on the same day, in the same position, so largely the same conditions.

Sounds like they’ve improved in recent years then. Well given how cheap they are the best thing is for the OP to buy them and see if they work for him. I agree the results will be more pronounced on a basic wifi drone than say one with OcuSync

Hello there SKyHigh05. Thank you for reaching out and for these information about the use f the Extender Antenna Range for your DJI Mavic Mini . I hope that you will get the best information from our valued DJI co pilots who uses the said accessories when flying tere DJI Drones. Just reminder that DJI does not recommend you to your 3rd party accessories on your DJI Drones or modify your DJI product. These 3rd party accessories might affect the said DJI drone when in use. Actually, there is a possibility that these 3rd party accessories will be able work. However, since it's not yet optimized and tested by DJI we cannot guaranteed the stability of the said 3rd party accessory if it will work all the time with no issues and might void the warranty of the said DJI product. Thank you and have a safe flight always.

Flycaster Posted at 7-1 09:20
From what Iv'e read here and in a couple other forums, these things are hit/miss.
The mini being wifi, is so susceptible to interferance, especially in urban areas.
you can go ahead and try one, but be careful, and don't expect to much "gain" in range...

i guess it does not work in all situations/areas. Not expecting much, just trying to cut the too frequent 'low signal' warning. Thanks for the info.

3Recon Posted at 7-1 09:53
I thank saving your coin for now and get comfortable with your flying environment within site

okay. Noted.

A J Posted at 7-1 09:58
Honestly - they are pointless in my experience of using them. For one, the Mini has omni antennas but once you have the parabolic range extender on the antenna becomes ridged and you need to point the extender directly at the drone at all times with absolutely no obstructions in the LOS. Further more, any damage to the surface of the extender will render it useless - even the slightest scratch line. The weight of the extender also pulls a little on the antenna and will loosen it overtime. You may get a little extra range in optimal conditions but we're talking feet, not miles and it won't cut the mustard in urban areas. They cost a fiver for a reason...

You are right about the need to point the antennas. True about the weight as well. But i am looking at the antennas being totally changed, not the fiver. Yes void of warranty. True about the urban areas as well. A lot to consider i guess.

frankymusik Posted at 7-1 11:53
I had a good experience using such an extender!

About 30% more range, but you have to aim more precise to the MM!!!

Which type did you use, if i may ask.

22340179 Posted at 7-1 12:42
DJI don't recommend you use anything that changes what they supply you. So you will find DJI staff here comment they don't recommend you use them in case you have issues with the flight as a result.

thank you.

SKyHigh05 Posted at 7-3 04:16
You are right about the need to point the antennas. True about the weight as well. But i am looking at the antennas being totally changed, not the fiver. Yes void of warranty. True about the urban areas as well. A lot to consider i guess.

Ah, I see. Proper range extenders then. That's different and they do work in a big way but you're right about the warranty from what I've seen.

m80116 Posted at 7-1 12:59
At my flying spot overlooking the mine (you can find video of the place in this forum) I had a range of about 1.2 Km without parabolic reflectors w/ 5.8 GHz, and about 2 Km w/ the parabolics.

My Yagi/Udas didn't offer any significant range gain over the parabolics but narrowed the beam so that I've had to use precise aim, with the parabolics instead I could just roughly orient myself and they would just work.

Quite some work you have done there in combining both.  The parabolics also seem to be not adding tension onto the antennas,while being a cheap attempt.  2Km is a good range, i seriously don't dare to fly that far, just trying to the MM out of my sight   that all. you certainly did not fly in urban areas, did you ?

thanks for the good info.

frankymusik Posted at 7-2 05:14
... "a bit of foil" doesn't sound very convincing, of course.
The MM actually has a very limited radio performance, just WiFi.
And yes, I also made direct comparisons, on the same day, in the same position, so largely the same conditions.

"Unfortunately, I very often had signal interference in the range of 300 - 400 m, and if this area was covered well, I was also very satisfied with the MM (by using the range extender"

your above comment is what i am facing. Will be ever so satisfied if i could cover 500m without signal lost.

DJI Stephen Posted at 7-2 20:03
Hello there SKyHigh05. Thank you for reaching out and for these information about the use f the Extender Antenna Range for your DJI Mavic Mini . I hope that you will get the best information from our valued DJI co pilots who uses the said accessories when flying tere DJI Drones. Just reminder that DJI does not recommend you to your 3rd party accessories on your DJI Drones or modify your DJI product. These 3rd party accessories might affect the said DJI drone when in use. Actually, there is a possibility that these 3rd party accessories will be able work. However, since it's not yet optimized and tested by DJI we cannot guaranteed the stability of the said 3rd party accessory if it will work all the time with no issues and might void the warranty of the said DJI product. Thank you and have a safe flight always.

Thank you.

SKyHigh05 Posted at 7-3 04:27
Quite some work you have done there in combining both.  The parabolics also seem to be not adding tension onto the antennas,while being a cheap attempt.  2Km is a good range, i seriously don't dare to fly that far, just trying to the MM out of my sight   that all. you certainly did not fly in urban areas, did you ?

thanks for the good info.

I've flown in several environments, including cities.

My conclusion was to always stick to 5.8 GHz using the parabolics in every environment.

2.4 GHz can bring you a better yield, providing you don't find any other interfering source in the flight path... which is oftentimes unlikely. Thus your connection can last only few hundred meters before you enter an area of a strong Wi-Fi signal or a concurrent signal starts modulating (which disrupts your signal workings). The only solution at that point is to take note of channel usage bars in that area and head back, land the AC and set another channel that is possibly as clean at your homepoint as well at the furthest point you reached.

Meanwhile with 5.8 GHz you're pretty much clear of specific channel interference, in fact what i've discovered is that 5.8 is outside of the home/office Wi-Fi routers and seem to be more affected by general electromagnetic pollution rather than specific usage, probably picking up cross-channel interference and resonance. Thus using the 5.8 GHz band I am pretty confident I can make to 850m or thereabouts in the cities and almost 2 kilometers in the countryside.

Oh... and I prefer my cheap parabolics at my poor quality Yagi/Udas, as on the limit you start to lose video backback instead of having to deal with much more scary AC disconnection. And I've recently learned that should I need additional range I can mount the Y/U with the parabolics and I can max out at about 2.2 Km in the outback, unfortunately peaking with control (meaning that despite video choppiness I get AC disconnection before video feedback black outs).

SKyHigh05 Posted at 7-3 04:17
Which type did you use, if i may ask.

It's called:

Hensych Booster (Range Extender for DJI Mavic Mini / PRO / DJI Spark / DJI Mavic Air)

frankymusik Posted at 7-4 08:04
It's called:

Hensych Booster (Range Extender for DJI Mavic Mini / PRO / DJI Spark / DJI Mavic Air)

Sorry.
I don't know why the picture was inserted 3 times ...

SKyHigh05 Posted at 7-3 04:33
Thank you.

Hi there SKyHigh05. You are very much welcome and thank you for the reply. If you have any other inquiries or concerns with DJI. Please feel free to post it here at DJI Forum. We are all here to help and support you.

frankymusik Posted at 7-4 08:06
Sorry.
I don't know why the picture was inserted 3 times ...

its fine. Thanks for posting. So its the common parabolic.

stephjant Posted at 7-9 05:32
I don't understand why you are even asking this question?  Not sure which country you are from or what restrictions you have, but here in the UK you have to keep your drone within line of sight.  So the fact that the MM can fly some considerable distance without a range extender is a red herring because its ILLEGAL to fly beyond line of sight, above 400 feet, etc, etc.  However, lots of people flout the regulations - and then they wonder why government's bring in new and even tighter drone rules.  Simple - its because people disobey the rules.  So for me the question about using a range extender is irrelevant - unless you are using it to improve the signal strength whilst staying within the legal operating distance

I wish to explain in broad terms, but if you are not even able to note the simple information, which is evident below the avatar of every forummer, unless it is disabled purposely, which is not the scenario herein, it suggests the lack of one's awareness, at such point, i understand your ability to not to be able understand. So let's not get into this.

Also, your first sentence is a statement, a question mark does not apply therein.  

A J Posted at 7-1 12:16
Are you 100% sure it was a bit of foil that gave the extra 30%? Did you land the drone then take them off and fly to exactly the same place following exactly the same flight path straight after to compare? And 30% of what distance? I used them and did direct comparisons on the Spark, Mavic Pro, Phantom 3 Pro - they made little to no difference and most definitely not 30%. If the range could be increased to that extent have you ever wondered why DJI do not sell them on their store or indeed even make them for their own drones?

I have to say that I tried one of the remote control booster and I have improved the range of my MM.
Flying always in the same area where there are a lot of wifi interferences.
It cost between 10/15 € so worth it a try.

Eddy2000 Posted at 7-9 05:55
I have to say that I tried one of the remote control booster and I have improved the range of my MM.
Flying always in the same area where there are a lot of wifi interferences.
It cost between 10/15 € so worth it a try.

Good for you

Eddy2000 Posted at 7-9 05:55
I have to say that I tried one of the remote control booster and I have improved the range of my MM.
Flying always in the same area where there are a lot of wifi interferences.
It cost between 10/15 € so worth it a try.

It’s good to hear that you have had results. But may i ask on as to the place you flew the AA. I mean around the city or else. Also, which band did you experiment with ?

SKyHigh05 Posted at 7-9 21:54
It’s good to hear that you have had results. But may i ask on as to the place you flew the AA. I mean around the city or else. Also, which band did you experiment with ?

I use the automatic connection and radio frequency . Be careful becuase sometimes the remote (app) select "Manual" by itself and sometimes the app select wick signal.
I can see that normally is 2.8ghz but I will need to check.
In my area a lot of people use internet via radio connection and not cable so I was getting a lot of interferences which I have limited using the booster.

the only down thing is that you will need to direct the remote as much as you can in the drone direction.