I just wanted to stop in to tell my story. Two years ago I bought a MP2 and their Smart Controller.  During Christmas of 2021, I did a standard firmware update on the controller and Mavic 2 Pro. Went flying and the controller kept losing connection while in flight and booting back to the GO FLY page, requiring me to hit "go" then it would reconnect to the drone.  It seems to happen when I use the controls, versus just letting the drone hover and going hands off on the controller.  As soon as I make a maneuver of any kind the unit disconnects and goes back to the screen right before you are in fly mode.  Strangely, I attributed that to a software issue since this happened the same day I did the firmware update.  

Tom at DJI asked me to uninstall and reinstall the firmware from drone and remove the operating system from the Controller and reinstall, which I did. I also updated the Go4 APP which was several revisions behind.  Went out flying again and the same issue happened.  So I submitted a ticket per Tom's request and was asked to send in the controller, which I did.  Two weeks later I received another controller. They said the issue was a defective SDR Board and charged me $145 for the board and $65 for the labor, then ended up sending me a refurbished controller.  Obviously, the disconnection issue root cause was not the SDR board. It's really like they just took a best guess.  I truly believe it's a firmware issue and that was simply ignored. Fine. Maybe it's not.  But here I am out $220 (with tax) with no real assessment of the root cause.

Today I filed another repair request and sent in both the MP2 and the new controller, asking them to not sent it back to me until they personally fly the drone and prove that there is no disconnection issue.  My gut is that they will now want to send me a refurbished drone without any true problem solving.  I guess my frustration is that my career is problem solving so it's easy for me to reasonably conclude that they didn't do any real problem solving, rather just use probability.  That didn't solve anything so I am hopeful that they will actually do some testing and isolate the root cause as opposed to guessing at it.


Joe

Hi Joe, I feel sorry for the inconvenience caused, sorry that the issue still exists after you received the package. Please send both the drone and smart controller back, I have taken notes on your case, as long as the package is received, we will check on it, manage the assessment and provide you an update as soon as possible.

DJI Susan Posted at 3-26 18:28
Hi Joe, I feel sorry for the inconvenience caused, sorry that the issue still exists after you received the package. Please send both the drone and smart controller back, I have taken notes on your case, as long as the package is received, we will check on it, manage the assessment and provide you an update as soon as possible.

Thank you, Susan. I sent in both the Drone and Controller today via UPS.  Submitted another repair request. Let me know if you need my case number.

Thanks again.

Joe

Joe_Diver Posted at 3-26 18:46
Thank you, Susan. I sent in both the Drone and Controller today via UPS.  Submitted another repair request. Let me know if you need my case number.

Thanks again.

Thanks for your update.  We managed to find out your case number through your forum account. We will keep an eye on your case. Please rest assured.

DJI Thor Posted at 3-26 22:57
Thanks for your update.  We managed to find out your case number through your forum account. We will keep an eye on your case. Please rest assured.

Hello,

Today I got another bill with only that a Camera module needed to be fixed. Another $500 on top of the last repair that didn’t solve the connection problem.  While I don’t claim to be any expert in the area of drone repair, how would a camera module have anything to do with the controller continuing to lose connection with the drone? I have a distinct feeling that if I pay this, the drone will still disconnect and we will be right back to square 1.  Did the techs actually fly the drone and whitness the disconnection problem?  i have never had a camera problem, that's news to me. The drone is only  2 years old with light use.  Im not feeling good about this. Is there any way you can check the drone for the connection issue before I pay the fee?
This is getting very frustrating.

Joe

What equipment do you currently have in your possesion?


It's a bit late now but after reading your first post I am wondering, did you calibrate the controller after the udpate?

I recollect that that was/is sometimes necessary though I do not remember with which drone it happened. It would have been with std controllers not a smart controller. From memory the need to calibrate the controller prevented the controller doing something but I can not remember whether that something was connecting to the drone, or starting the drone's mtors. or.........

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 4-6 13:37
What equipment do you currently have in your possesion?

I am using the DJI Smart Controller with a Mavic 2 Pro. The controller keeps reverting to the GO4 start screen during flight. I lose connection, click enter device and it reconnects for a little while. Seems to do it most when i use a control stick.  Happened when Indid a firmware update last December. Sent the controller to DJI and they said it was the Smart Controller and sent me a refurbished one.  That didn’t solve the issue. So I sent back the controller with the drone and now they say its the camera.  

Joe_Diver Posted at 4-6 12:44
Hello,

Today I got another bill with only that a Camera module needed to be fixed. Another $500 on top of the last repair that didn’t solve the connection problem.  While I don’t claim to be any expert in the area of drone repair, how would a camera module have anything to do with the controller continuing to lose connection with the drone? I have a distinct feeling that if I pay this, the drone will still disconnect and we will be right back to square 1.  Did the techs actually fly the drone and whitness the disconnection problem?  i have never had a camera problem, that's news to me. The drone is only  2 years old with light use.  Im not feeling good about this. Is there any way you can check the drone for the connection issue before I pay the fee?

Hello, Joe. This situation has filled us with regret, we are sincerely sorry for the trouble you’ve been experiencing. Our engineers always conduct comprehensive and strict inspections on the products you send back. A strict flight test will be carried out to ensure that all functions are normal before sending it back to you. The disconnection may be caused by both the aircraft and remote controller. Please rest assured. Some potential problems cannot be judged by appearance, we help you to detect them to ensure the flight safety of your products.

DJI Thor Posted at 4-6 19:39
Hello, Joe. This situation has filled us with regret, we are sincerely sorry for the trouble you’ve been experiencing. Our engineers always conduct comprehensive and strict inspections on the products you send back. A strict flight test will be carried out to ensure that all functions are normal before sending it back to you. The disconnection may be caused by both the aircraft and remote controller. Please rest assured. Some potential problems cannot be judged by appearance, we will help you to detect them to ensure the flight safety of your products.

So do I just wait for a response in here or via email?

Thank you.

Joe

Joe_Diver Posted at 4-7 11:50
So do I just wait for a response in here or via email?

Thank you.

We have looked into your case and learned that last time we got your controller repaired. The disconnection may be caused by both the aircraft and remote controller. After conducting comprehensive and strict inspections on your drone, we conclude the Camera Module (Pro) malfunctioned. Since your drone has out of warranty, we will charge appropriate maintenance fees based on the actual maintenance cost. Thanks for your understanding.

DJI Thor Posted at 4-7 19:00
We have looked into your case and learned that last time we got your controller repaired. The disconnection may be caused by both the aircraft and remote controller. After conducting comprehensive and strict inspections on your drone, we conclude the Camera Module (Pro) malfunctioned. Since your drone has out of warranty, we will charge appropriate maintenance fees based on the actual maintenance cost. Thanks for your understanding.

So now my package is lost with UPS. I cannot seem to get anyone to help. Please have your customer care team contact me. It looks like the package was shipped to the wrong address. The UPS tracking number just says "on the way" not "out for delivery". The address on the packing notice is incorrect. This experience has been among the worst I've had.

Joe_Diver Posted at 4-19 17:44
So now my package is lost with UPS. I cannot seem to get anyone to help. Please have your customer care team contact me. It looks like the package was shipped to the wrong address. The UPS tracking number just says "on the way" not "out for delivery". The address on the packing notice is incorrect. This experience has been among the worst I've had.

Hi, Joe. I regret the pain you’ve been inflicted. We have forwarded it to our related team for further confirmation. If there is any feedback, we will keep you updated ASAP. We will try our best to help you get it addressed.

DJI Thor Posted at 4-19 22:37
Hi, Joe. I regret the pain you’ve been inflicted. We have forwarded it to our related team for further confirmation. If there is any feedback, we will keep you updated ASAP. We will try our best to help you get it addressed.

I just have to stop in and say what an awful experience this has been. After DJI lost my drone, they finally managed to get me a new one which I received today.  I registered it, went through all the start up criteria and guess what:

1. The touch screen won't accept commands. Sometimes it's choppy and most of the time it just does not respond. Could not set video or camers settings let alone gimbal settings.....nothing. No way for user interface.
2. Then, the smart controller gives me a "your smart controller is not responding" ....it's frozen
3. I cannot do a compass calibration. It won't recognize the rotation and keeps popping back to the flight screen all by itself telling me I still need to calibrate, so it won't let me change settings internally to customize my functions.
4. There is a firmware error on "overall status screen" on the smart controller that keeps popping and disconnecting the drone from the controller. It says please connect to the remote controller to check the latest firmware, that is followed by a disconnect error that says something like please aircraft tilt is too large, dontact DJI for help.ike fatal error, your pitch is too steep, not connected to Mavic.
5. I try to do a firmware update using the desktop DJI App on the controller at it beeps 4 times at 16% every time during the process and powers off the controller in the middle of the update. So virtually impossible to determine if this is a firmware issue because I can't reinstall it. I hit the power button during the beeping and it installed all the way up to 98% then death.6. Did a drone update and that worked.
So again, this is a new controller and a new Mavic 2 Pro and they don't work.  How do I get this remediated by DJI and without further cost to me?  At this point I'd accept a $3000 refund and DJI can keep their crummy drone.  
https://vimeo.com/704758636
https://vimeo.com/704758891https://vimeo.com/704758979
Seriously, at this point I don't know what to do. But this is clearly a product defect issue and I'm stuck.  

If any of these admins have any clout, I could use some help.  Not going to pay any more money, but DJI needs to assess this issue and remedy it.

Joe_Diver Posted at 4-29 16:33
I just have to stop in and say what an awful experience this has been. After DJI lost my drone, they finally managed to get me a new one which I received today.  I registered it, went through all the start up criteria and guess what:

1. The touch screen won't accept commands. Sometimes it's choppy and most of the time it just does not respond. Could not set video or camers settings let alone gimbal settings.....nothing. No way for user interface.

Sorry to hear about that. This situation has filled us with regret, we are sincerely sorry for the trouble you’ve been experiencing. Please try to slide down the menu bar on the main page, and click Settings>Factory Data Reset. Besides, remember to use internal storage. Pull out the SD card if you have installed one. After that, please try to refresh the firmware of the controller to see if it works. If the issue persists, please send it back for testing. Sorry again for any inconvenience caused.

DJI Thor Posted at 4-30 01:21
Sorry to hear about that. This situation has filled us with regret, we are sincerely sorry for the trouble you’ve been experiencing. Please try to slide down the menu bar on the main page, and click Settings>Factory Data Reset. Besides, remember to use internal storage. Pull out the SD card if you have installed one. After that, please try to refresh the firmware of the controller to see if it works. If the issue persists, please send it back for testing. Sorry again for any inconvenience caused.

Unfortunately that did not work.  I'm not using an SD card on the SC. Same issue. At 16% I get four loud beeps, then the controller powers off, and the DJI software tells me it's lost connection with the SC. I was able to hit the power button during the four beeps and it did not power down and it got to 100%. However, the issues remain.  In fact here is another short video of the DISCONNECT problem. After I did the refresh I connected to the drone.  Told me I needed to calibrate the compass, so I went outside and tried and two things happened. When I was in the calibrate screen, it keeps popping back to the main screen before I had a chance to rotate the drone. After that it would disconnect from the aircraft.

So you have a firmware problem like I cited in my ORIGINAL COMPLAINT when you charged me $220 to fix my controller, yet that did not solve the problem. Then you charged me $500 the second time around and that did not solve the problem, which tells me your team is NOT ROOT CAUSE COUNTER MEASURING the problem. Instead you just cop out and send me used/new equipment hoping that will solve the problem, instead of getting your software engineers involved.  It's BUGGY software.

https://vimeo.com/704857808
https://vimeo.com/704860386
I would ask, can I just swap out the Smart Controller for a standard controller? I will invest money in an iPad and bypass the SC altogether.

Joe

Joe_Diver Posted at 4-30 05:36
Unfortunately that did not work.  I'm not using an SD card on the SC. Same issue. At 16% I get four loud beeps, then the controller powers off, and the DJI software tells me it's lost connection with the SC. I was able to hit the power button during the four beeps and it did not power down and it got to 100%. However, the issues remain.  In fact here is another short video of the DISCONNECT problem. After I did the refresh I connected to the drone.  Told me I needed to calibrate the compass, so I went outside and tried and two things happened. When I was in the calibrate screen, it keeps popping back to the main screen before I had a chance to rotate the drone. After that it would disconnect from the aircraft.

So you have a firmware problem like I cited in my ORIGINAL COMPLAINT when you charged me $220 to fix my controller, yet that did not solve the problem. Then you charged me $500 the second time around and that did not solve the problem, which tells me your team is NOT ROOT CAUSE COUNTER MEASURING the problem. Instead you just cop out and send me used/new equipment hoping that will solve the problem, instead of getting your software engineers involved.  It's BUGGY software.

We fully understand your feeling. Sorry again for the pain you've been inflicted. We still recommend you send it back for testing ASAP. We will keep an eye on your case and try our best to help you out. Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.

Thanks for this post. I have Air 2s / RC Pro controller with connection problems and am within return period. I came here to decide whether to return for refund and lose retooling free or get repair. After reading this I’ve decided to return it. I don’t want refurb and I need it for pictures.

fans136f2aa8 Posted at 5-12 06:31
Thanks for this post. I have Air 2s / RC Pro controller with connection problems and am within return period. I came here to decide whether to return for refund and lose retooling free or get repair. After reading this I’ve decided to return it. I don’t want refurb and I need it for pictures.

So far I am still without a drone. DJI has been unable to get to the root cause. I’m waiting on another drone system to be sent. I will say that they have been responsive to my emails and calls. But getting actual technical intervention hasn’t happened. They have claimed that the drone sent to me has been fully tested with the controller only for it to not work, so that’s probably standard language. In any case, I’ve invested $720 in repairs that have not solved anything.  We will see what happens with the next unit, but I am inclined to move to a tablet to see if that remedies the situation.

Joe_Diver Posted at 5-12 07:12
So far I am still without a drone. DJI has been unable to get to the root cause. I’m waiting on another drone system to be sent. I will say that they have been responsive to my emails and calls. But getting actual technical intervention hasn’t happened. They have claimed that the drone sent to me has been fully tested with the controller only for it to not work, so that’s probably standard language. In any case, I’ve invested $720 in repairs that have not solved anything.  We will see what happens with the next unit, but I am inclined to move to a tablet to see if that remedies the situation.

Hi, Joe. Sorry for the unpleasant experience. After checking your case, we have shipped out the drone. Please test the drone when you received the package. If you have any issues in this process, don't hesitate to contact us.

DJI Gamora Posted at 5-13 01:26
Hi, Joe. Sorry for the unpleasant experience. After checking your case, we have shipped out the drone. Please test the drone when you received the package. If you have any issues in this process, don't hesitate to contact us.

Today I received the replacement drone and SC. I can tell they tested it because the SC was already connected to the drone.  Was able to easily set all of the Yaw, pitch, gimbal, camera and video settings very easily.  Thank you DJI.  Will test fly it tomorrow.

Just one question. The Smart Controller is stuck on 99% and just keeps blinking very fast. I'm using the DJI charger and cable.  I've unplugged it, rebooted it then reconnected the charger and it just stays on 99%, continuing to "charge" for three hours now.  When I remove the cable and turn it on it shows 99% charged still. Any idea?

Joe

Joe_Diver Posted at 5-13 15:53
Today I received the replacement drone and SC. I can tell they tested it because the SC was already connected to the drone.  Was able to easily set all of the Yaw, pitch, gimbal, camera and video settings very easily.  Thank you DJI.  Will test fly it tomorrow.

Just one question. The Smart Controller is stuck on 99% and just keeps blinking very fast. I'm using the DJI charger and cable.  I've unplugged it, rebooted it then reconnected the charger and it just stays on 99%, continuing to "charge" for three hours now.  When I remove the cable and turn it on it shows 99% charged still. Any idea?

Sorry for the inconvenience. Please try to update the firmware to the latest version to see if it works.

DJI Thor Posted at 5-13 17:07
Sorry for the inconvenience. Please try to update the firmware to the latest version to see if it works.

So I took the drone out to the park today to test it and nothing has been resolved.  While flying it, the flight screen keeps reverting back to the GO 4 App screen while my drone is in the air.  Once again, this ONLY started happening after updating the firmware in December. Prior two that I had no issues.  So this is the second drone and controller sent to me by DJI and that has not solved the problem.  I know DJI is not going to put any time into solving a firmware glitch on an obsolete product, so I am stuck with a $3000 set up that is unusable (UNSAFE).  I am not going to even bother sending this back for yet another replacement because I already know the outcome.  I'm going to have to invest in a regular controller and buy a tablet, hoping that the issue is not with the GO4 software but is a SC firmware problem that I can  bypass through this alternative, yet expensive fix.

I would prefer that DJI swap my SC for a standard controller then I'll buy a tablet and go that route.

Extremely disappointed and I have no idea why this isn't a more universal issue that's being reported.

Here is a quick video clip of what I get on the SC during flight.  When it originally started with my drone, it happened every 10-15 minutes. As a few days went by it got exponentially worse and went out every 15-30 seconds. I have every bit of confidence this one also will.  It went out twice in 10 minutes.

Joe_Diver Posted at 5-14 11:21
So I took the drone out to the park today to test it and nothing has been resolved.  While flying it, the flight screen keeps reverting back to the GO 4 App screen while my drone is in the air.  Once again, this ONLY started happening after updating the firmware in December. Prior two that I had no issues.  So this is the second drone and controller sent to me by DJI and that has not solved the problem.  I know DJI is not going to put any time into solving a firmware glitch on an obsolete product, so I am stuck with a $3000 set up that is unusable (UNSAFE).  I am not going to even bother sending this back for yet another replacement because I already know the outcome.  I'm going to have to invest in a regular controller and buy a tablet, hoping that the issue is not with the GO4 software but is a SC firmware problem that I can  bypass through this alternative, yet expensive fix.

I would prefer that DJI swap my SC for a standard controller then I'll buy a tablet and go that route.

Hello, there. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. You may refresh the firmware update and clear the unnecessary data to relieve your storage. We recommend you remove your SD card to see whether it works normally. If the issue persists, please expert the logs on Smart Controller and record a video showing the abnormality for us. For the phenomenon shown in this video, you may find it through Peaking Threshold and switch to None.

DJI Wanda Posted at 5-15 01:33
Hello, there. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. You may refresh the firmware update and clear the unnecessary data to relieve your storage. We recommend you remove your SD card to see whether it works normally. If the issue persists, please expert the logs on Smart Controller and record a video showing the abnormality for us. For the phenomenon shown in this video, you may find it through Peaking Threshold and switch to None.

This goes way beyond an inconvenience.  I've been fighting this issue since December when I did a firmware update.  So now, if I hear you correctly, you want me to turn off focus peaking? This could be causing the issue?  That's new. First it was a board in the SC ($220). That didn't fix the problem. Then it was the camera causing the issue ($497). That didn't fix the problem. This was after several firmware refreshes, reinstalling the GO4 software, etc.  None of that solves anything.  So as it stands now, DJI has $720 of mine and I still have an unusable drone.  It flys.  It just disconnects in flight, making it a flight safety issue.
Rather than go around and around, can I just swap out my SC for a standard 1A controller?

Joe_Diver Posted at 5-15 04:49
This goes way beyond an inconvenience.  I've been fighting this issue since December when I did a firmware update.  So now, if I hear you correctly, you want me to turn off focus peaking? This could be causing the issue?  That's new. First it was a board in the SC ($220). That didn't fix the problem. Then it was the camera causing the issue ($497). That didn't fix the problem. This was after several firmware refreshes, reinstalling the GO4 software, etc.  None of that solves anything.  So as it stands now, DJI has $720 of mine and I still have an unusable drone.  It flys.  It just disconnects in flight, making it a flight safety issue.
Rather than go around and around, can I just swap out my SC for a standard 1A controller?

We are sorry for the inconvenience and unpleasant experience you encountered. We understand your frustration very well. Sorry for any confusion caused. For the Go 4 issue, could you please try the suggestions below to see if the issue can be resolved? Please try to refresh the firmware and clear the cache of the Smart Controller. If there is an SD card on the Smart Controller, please remove the SD card and test it again to see if the issue still exists. If yes, please export the logs for our further analysis. Please rest assured that we will do our best to help you solve this issue.

Joe_Diver Posted at 5-12 07:12
So far I am still without a drone. DJI has been unable to get to the root cause. I’m waiting on another drone system to be sent. I will say that they have been responsive to my emails and calls. But getting actual technical intervention hasn’t happened. They have claimed that the drone sent to me has been fully tested with the controller only for it to not work, so that’s probably standard language. In any case, I’ve invested $720 in repairs that have not solved anything.  We will see what happens with the next unit, but I am inclined to move to a tablet to see if that remedies the situation.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am horrified by this and based on this information, have decided to return my controller and Air 2s to the vendor even if I get hit with a restocking fee. Sad indeed as I may lose US $300 over

Evangeline Posted at 5-16 07:55
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am horrified by this and based on this information, have decided to return my controller and Air 2s to the vendor even if I get hit with a restocking fee. Sad indeed as I may lose US $300 over

Sorry to hear about that. We have replied to your other posts. Please provide us with the logs and we will try our best to help you out. Sorry again for the inconvenience.