Hi everyone,

I took advantage of the Amazon Prime Day Deal and jumped into a MM W/Flymore package for $400. Im just getting my feet wet in the drone world, logged just under 2 hrs in 9 flights so far.
Within these flights, I've learned some things and also stumbled into some issues prompting me to do even more research.
Within those issues, my major concern at the moment is my limited range. I've experienced 2 loss of signal events returning home, 2 different days, at 2 different places.
The only common denominator is that I was flying in residential areas, adjacent to parks.
1st. event happened @ 480m distance and 65m alt.
2nd. event happened @ 203m distance and 34m alt.
Since then, I've learned a lot about the limitations of this modified Wi-Fi signal, interferences and some tips on avoiding similar scenarios. I've even purchased accessories for enhancing the signal strength. As I was familiarizing myself with the app and it's settings, I realized that I only have 4 different channels @ 5.8ghz. Are these the only available channels?
I live in the US obviously having the MT1SS5 (FCC) model.
Any input is greatly appreciated,

4 channel is more than enough for 5.8 Ghz if you ask me ... I see that you picked Manual mode ,but Auto do a nice job ... I know it's not well explained but if you go in manual mode you should pick the channel with almost nothing in it ... like 153 and 157 ... with 149 being the worst channel to choose in this situation.   More green is not better , is quite the opposite.  As the green raise in the bar it will turn red , so if you are in manual mode you should always choose the lowest bar.

Flaming Posted at 10-20 06:12
4 channel is more than enough for 5.8 Ghz if you ask me ... I see that you picked Manual mode ,but Auto do a nice job ... I know it's not well explained but if you go in manual mode you should pick the channel with almost nothing in it ... like 153 and 157 ... with 149 being the worst channel to choose in this situation.   More green is not better , is quite the opposite.  As the green raise in the bar it will turn red , so if you are in manual mode you should always choose the lowest bar.

Thank you for your reply Flaming.
The screen shot was me trying to mess around. I'm aware on the bar status, and still isn't sure on which is better Auto or Manual..
I've seen several reviews contradicting each other.
I do understand that auto would be better since it's recommended by DJi and obviously keeps your attention focused on other. More important tasks.

450m-500m is the average i get in a urban area.  I get easily 1.5km + in a rural zone.  I would say try to fly higher.  Just think that the interference are coming from the houses below.  Residential 5ghz wifi signal are relatively short so flying higher should help the Mini to "hear" your Remote better.  Also put your phone in airplane mode before flying , it help a lot.

I am usually able to get almost a mile with my mini in a urban area without any boosters. Are you pointing the anntennas correctly?

Flaming Posted at 10-20 08:43
450m-500m is the average i get in a urban area.  I get easily 1.5km + in a rural zone.  I would say try to fly higher.  Just think that the interference are coming from the houses below.  Residential 5ghz wifi signal are relatively short so flying higher should help the Mini to "hear" your Remote better.  Also put your phone in airplane mode before flying , it help a lot.

You're absolutely right. I've heard this already several times.
I've also learned recently on putting my phone on ✈ mode.
Thx. for the recommendation, I'll try to keep it high (as long as there's no high winds.

Scarves UP Posted at 10-20 08:59
I am usually able to get almost a mile with my mini in a urban area without any boosters. Are you pointing the anntennas correctly?

Yes. This was one of the primary rules I've learned to maintain optimal signal.
Thx.

djiuser_Svv7wtKn6U9c Posted at 10-20 09:21
Yes. This was one of the primary rules I've learned to maintain optimal signal.
Thx.

Hmmmm. Maybe try using airplane mode, turn any wifi on your phone, stay away from power plants and calbles ect,

The WiFi interference in residential areas can be brutal.  From my house, if I fly to the SouthWest, I can only get a couple hundred yards.  Best I ever did from my house was about 4,000 feet, and I picked a day and time when I speculated most people would not be surfing the web much.
Last weekend I was in a very remote area in the California desert and flew out almost 7,000 feet and it was still perfect.

K6CCC Posted at 10-20 14:30
The WiFi interference in residential areas can be brutal.  From my house, if I fly to the SouthWest, I can only get a couple hundred yards.  Best I ever did from my house was about 4,000 feet, and I picked a day and time when I speculated most people would not be surfing the web much.
Last weekend I was in a very remote area in the California desert and flew out almost 7,000 feet and it was still perfect.

I think this drone is amazing. It's capabilities vs. It's cost is the best bang for the buck.
Understanding the dynamic of connectivity and operations of the drone is key. I just want to know as much as I can on this, to get the most enjoyment out of this unit.
I will need to find areas with low interference and long line of sight.
I conducted a short test this morning and I learned how detrimental a few trees can be to this signal.
Thx. for your reply

This morning I also noticed an improvement using the parabolic signal reflectors together with the Yagi-UDA 5.8ghz antenna extenders. They noticeably improved the range.

djiuser_Svv7wtKn6U9c Posted at 10-20 15:32
This morning I also noticed an improvement using the parabolic signal reflectors together with the Yagi-UDA 5.8ghz antenna extenders. They noticeably improved the range.

Curious how you used both a parabolic and yagi at the same time.  From an RF standpoint, that may not be overly sound.

You should set it to auto. The channel pollution is the higher amount so the manual channel you have selected isn't the optimal channel, channel 2 is with 153.

itsdavesdrone Posted at 10-20 18:27
You should set it to auto. The channel pollution is the higher amount so the manual channel you have selected isn't the optimal channel, channel 2 is with 153.

He stated he knows and was just playing around.

Scarves UP Posted at 10-20 19:02
He stated he knows and was just playing around.

He obviously has no idea what he is doing, that's all.

itsdavesdrone Posted at 10-20 19:14
He obviously has no idea what he is doing, that's all.

Maybe. Im not going to defend him or attack.

itsdavesdrone Posted at 10-20 19:14
He obviously has no idea what he is doing, that's all.

Isn't it the point of forums, for individuals to learn more?
Besides, on my opening post, I clarified that this is my first drone thus by default limiting my knowledge base on this topic.
On another response, I also clarified that the screenshot on the channels was just me messing around.

You're entitled to your opinion but a positive reply or constructive criticism would have been accepted positively.
Reading comprehension is fundamental.

K6CCC Posted at 10-20 17:28
Curious how you used both a parabolic and yagi at the same time.  From an RF standpoint, that may not be overly sound.

I got the idea initially from Amazon. I saw a package that included both, but I did not like the parabolic/mirror unit that was in the package. The sellers claims that the signal strength is significantly improved, using both.
So I looked into it by running into a couple of videos confirming on actual tests, that it does improve the signal by combining them.
I purchased the 2 individually, figuring that if it doesn't work, there's not much of a lo$$.

..but what do I know right?

djiuser_Svv7wtKn6U9c Posted at 10-21 06:11
Isn't it the point of forums, for individuals to learn more?
Besides, on my opening post, I clarified that this is my first drone thus by default limiting my knowledge base on this topic.
On another response, I also clarified that the screenshot on the channels was just me messing around.

Maybe you shouldn't mess around if you don't know what you are doing. just a thought.

itsdavesdrone Posted at 10-21 11:42
Maybe you shouldn't mess around if you don't know what you are doing. just a thought.

I was messing around with the app, in my house while the drone was grounded. At this point I wasn't aware on the details of the frequencies, channels & FCC vs. CE. I just remembered others having the same drone with much more channels.
Unlike your believes of not messing with it, the majority of the tutorials I've seen from reowned & proficient drone users, encourages to do so, in order to familiarize yourself with the settings and what they're for.

I'm willing to bet that you did not come into this world as sagacious as you are in drones or at least portrays to be, by never exploring or trying something new for which you had no knowledge on.

...just saying

djiuser_Svv7wtKn6U9c Posted at 10-21 15:59
I was messing around with the app, in my house while the drone was grounded. At this point I wasn't aware on the details of the frequencies, channels & FCC vs. CE. I just remembered others having the same drone with much more channels.
Unlike your believes of not messing with it, the majority of the tutorials I've seen from reowned & proficient drone users, encourages to do so, in order to familiarize yourself with the settings and what they're for.

No worries man, I'm not here to pick a fight. I replied to this thread genuinely trying to help. Enjoy the drone, it's a lot of fun.

Flaming Posted at 2020-10-20 06:12
4 channel is more than enough for 5.8 Ghz if you ask me ... I see that you picked Manual mode ,but Auto do a nice job ... I know it's not well explained but if you go in manual mode you should pick the channel with almost nothing in it ... like 153 and 157 ... with 149 being the worst channel to choose in this situation.   More green is not better , is quite the opposite.  As the green raise in the bar it will turn red , so if you are in manual mode you should always choose the lowest bar.

Thank you very very much.. i was wondering why on the far right it shows 1 km and 4 km, but the 4 km is positioned under the 1km, a perfect indicator of what you said.  This is very helpful!

djiuser_47OCnoV6Irvt Posted at 3-6 14:11
Thank you very very much.. i was wondering why on the far right it shows 1 km and 4 km, but the 4 km is positioned under the 1km, a perfect indicator of what you said.  This is very helpful!

The communications between the RC unit and the aircraft is not WiFi, nor is it modified WiFi. It does use the same frequency band as WiFi though, as do thousands of other devices. For this reason, when in an urban area, you will be competing with many other devices for radio spectrum space. I notice you are near several schools, and that may be you problem. Schools are a prime source of high power WiFi. Try getting away from the urban area and see how you get on.