I am not satisfied with the distance range of my Mini 3 Pro, where I live, a village with a lot of open space I get after about 250m, that the drone has a weak connection and the report of a return to homepoint
I had the same problem when I was in the middle of the city of Ghent between buildings last week that were about 20m high, then I thought this was normal in densely built cities, but not where I live, where all the houses are open around me And max 10 m high?
I have the latest firmware and updates, is this normal, can this be fixed? I was hoping for a range of around 500 meters which is sufficient for me

Unless your small village is saturated with heavy wifi interference you should get much better range.  My range doubled after the last firmware update.  I have found that you really have to keep the top of the RC screened controller facing directly at the drone to get maximum signal strength.  If I tip the top of the screen upward away from the drone then I see immediate drop of 1-2 bars.  I'm thinking this is because the antennas are located internally and on the top of the RC screened controller.  

Bottom line, 250m is definitely not a very good range.  If you can find an open field away from houses, etc give that a try and if your max is 250 I'd recommend you contact DJI Support.

The truth is there are no other consumer products on the market which can handle your expectations, it is probably no longer software issue in your case

DowntownRDB Posted at 7-30 12:26
Unless your small village is saturated with heavy wifi interference you should get much better range.  My range doubled after the last firmware update.  I have found that you really have to keep the top of the RC screened controller facing directly at the drone to get maximum signal strength.  If I tip the top of the screen upward away from the drone then I see immediate drop of 1-2 bars.  I'm thinking this is because the antennas are located internally and on the top of the RC screened controller.  

Bottom line, 250m is definitely not a very good range.  If you can find an open field away from houses, etc give that a try and if your max is 250 I'd recommend you contact DJI Support.

Thanx for your answer, I am pointing the controller always to the sky en moving around in the direction to the  the drone, it doesn't help much

Selfiebooth Posted at 7-31 00:18
Thanx for your answer, I am pointing the controller always to the sky en moving around in the direction to the  the drone, it doesn't help much

Open the radar in the bottom left corner, may have to enable it in the settings too 1st. then you can see where the drone is in relation to the RC and you can point the arrow at the rc. That only makes sure the horizontal axis is aligned, you then need to point the top of the RC directly at the drone, if there is anything in between then you will have issues.

Selfiebooth Posted at 7-31 00:18
Thanx for your answer, I am pointing the controller always to the sky en moving around in the direction to the  the drone, it doesn't help much

Sorry to hear that.  Also, see DreamWorks tips in Post 5 to ensure perfect RC and drone alignment.

DowntownRDB Posted at 7-31 04:27
Sorry to hear that.  Also, see DreamWorks tips in Post 5 to ensure perfect RC and drone alignment.

My MINI2 performs 10x better.

Even flying 600 meters away and point the RC the 180 degrees the opposite way i don`t loose connection!

Don`t think DJI can find a solution without changing hardware ; postions of the antennas in both the drone and the RC.

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 7-31 04:33
My MINI2 performs 10x better.

Even flying 600 meters away and point the RC the 180 degrees the opposite way i don`t loose connection!

I have no doubt you are right about the antenna positions.  When they cut the legs off the Mini 3 they took away the position where the antennas were on the first two iterations of the Mini.  No sure why they even decided to place the RC antennas internally.  Seems like that was a really bad decision.

Even flying 600 meters away and point the RC the 180 degrees the opposite way I don't loose connection!


I agree as I've also done that with the Mini 2 and Air 2S and didn't loose connection.

fateofangel Posted at 7-30 12:31
The truth is there are no other consumer products on the market which can handle your expectations, it is probably no longer software issue in your case

Wrong. The Autel Nano definately has a much better range than the Mini 3 - especially in noisy / wifi heavy environments, due to its 3 wireless bands (compared to only 2 that the Mini 3 can choose from) and better antenna design.

djiuser_mRT3IobkwCrF Posted at 7-31 05:32
Wrong. The Autel Nano definately has a much better range than the Mini 3 - especially in noisy / wifi heavy environments, due to its 3 wireless bands (compared to only 2 that the Mini 3 can choose from) and better antenna design.

What frequency is that third band? Do you belive that? Which smartphone is triple-banded?
Somehow it fly longer but its unstable

All these range tests are futile. Especially when some pilots fiddle some external antennas on the RC (which is simply dumb to do in many ways) and see it as success getting 3 kilometers of distance. There are plenty of videos on youtube where pilots reach 6, 7, or even more kilometers of range without any modification. Just see the videos of XenonSky at YT, he does nothing else than long range flights and is some short of 10 kilometers at this time. I by myself have seen 1,5 kilometers with my DJ RC in EU mode and in not optimal conditions.

If you do not know what a fresnel zone is, if you don't know how microwaves propagate within different mediums, if you don't know what else is on the move than WiFi networks in the used frequency bands 2.4, 5 and 5.8G, whis is not seen in the signal display, the you simply cannot estimate anything concerning a possible range of your drone. Fact is, drones operate in ISM frequency bands where many other services may be active. If you do not measure the actual signal strength (which is not the display content of WiFi bands!) you cannot tell a thing. At all.

The drones operate in band sharing. Go live with it.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRgv8JVMOAqQk6ROiATLfVQ?app=desktop
go give him a watch, it's very interesting

This is an image of a fresnel zone. Almost everyone without a degree in electronics or physics think the direct line of sight is enough. And that is not true. Trees below the line of sight may attenuate the signal in a big way. They contain water. And water attenuates microwaves.



And this is only one topic you have to take into account if you want to take about ranges.

I'm easily getting 4500 meters in Philadelphia...

If this issue is caused b a design flaw we can only hope that some hardware mod on the drone itself will help.

Tuxtard Posted at 7-31 11:23
If this issue is caused b a design flaw we can only hope that some hardware mod on the drone itself will help.

On what exact data are you basing your theory?

Personally, the DJI Mini 3 Pro with DJI RC combo configuration has produced the best overall range I ever experienced on a DJI drone. Sorry to hear you're having issues, hope it works out for you. Cheers!

fateofangel Posted at 7-31 09:09
What frequency is that third band? Do you belive that? Which smartphone is triple-banded?
Somehow it fly longer but its unstable

The smartphone doesn't have to be triple band, that's connected to the RC via cable so wifi to the phone is moot.

DreamWorks Posted at 7-31 21:37
The smartphone doesn't have to be triple band, that's connected to the RC via cable so wifi to the phone is moot.

so why you cant use ocusync with non dual band smartphone
Thats very doubtful for me if you are able to transmit video from RC to the Iphone via Lighting Cable, what do you think?

I was able to fly about 2 km far (even in CE mode) before getting weak signal. It was in the ideal place (standing on the cliff) but I am not completely sure about interefernce, there might be some and I didn't try to fly further. I am more than happy with the range and fly characteristics. Maybe it is variation in make (faulty device), my drone has unfortunately decntered lens.

This user is getting 9315 meters with his M3P + extended battery.

hey selfie, unfortunately there are several users that are pointing out locations around the world where the interference is minimal and the range is just fine for the mini 3 pro.  perhaps you should fly in those locations if you want to get the most use from your drone. /s

DowntownRDB Posted at 7-31 04:57
I have no doubt you are right about the antenna positions.  When they cut the legs off the Mini 3 they took away the position where the antennas were on the first two iterations of the Mini.  No sure why they even decided to place the RC antennas internally.  Seems like that was a really bad decision.

Even flying 600 meters away and point the RC the 180 degrees the opposite way I don't loose connection!

The mini 3 has 4 antennas.  They are located within each of the 4 arms.  They are horizontal (vs the mini 2 that had 2 antennas which were oriented vertically).

The RC has 2 antennas.  They seem to be vertically oriented.  I thought that might cause a polarization issue (ie: RC has vertical but drone has horizontal antennas), but maybe that's not an issue at 5.8GHZ (which seems to be what my Mini3 and RC are always using when I check).

fansb4f50ec1 Posted at 8-1 16:32
The mini 3 has 4 antennas.  They are located within each of the 4 arms.  They are horizontal (vs the mini 2 that had 2 antennas which were oriented vertically).

The RC has 2 antennas.  They seem to be vertically oriented.  I thought that might cause a polarization issue (ie: RC has vertical but drone has horizontal antennas), but maybe that's not an issue at 5.8GHZ (which seems to be what my Mini3 and RC are always using when I check).

This is interesting data since there is RF attenuation between polarization, from where you found that the mini 2 antennas are vertical vs the mini 3 horizontal polarization? Interesting detail...

fateofangel Posted at 8-1 09:53
so why you cant use ocusync with non dual band smartphone
Thats very doubtful for me if you are able to transmit video from RC to the Iphone via Lighting Cable, what do you think?

I am sorry I know it's the language barrier but i am not sure what you mean. but i will try.

Occusync is just another name for WIFi, probably for marketing.
By rights, the drone can connect to the phone directly over WiFi but only to allow transferring of files.

Mobile phone Wifi is what precludes any direct connection for controlling the drone as the Wifi on the phone isn't strong enough at any distance.

djiuser_FMapDUFyImnx Posted at 8-1 10:19
I was able to fly about 2 km far (even in CE mode) before getting weak signal. It was in the ideal place (standing on the cliff) but I am not completely sure about interefernce, there might be some and I didn't try to fly further. I am more than happy with the range and fly characteristics. Maybe it is variation in make (faulty device), my drone has unfortunately decntered lens.

FYI, the RC may report a weak signal, 2 maybe 3 bars but it can fly about 2/3rds further on those bars alone before it really struggles, as long as the alignment between RC and Drone is spot on it has no issues.

fansb4f50ec1 Posted at 8-1 16:32
The mini 3 has 4 antennas.  They are located within each of the 4 arms.  They are horizontal (vs the mini 2 that had 2 antennas which were oriented vertically).

The RC has 2 antennas.  They seem to be vertically oriented.  I thought that might cause a polarization issue (ie: RC has vertical but drone has horizontal antennas), but maybe that's not an issue at 5.8GHZ (which seems to be what my Mini3 and RC are always using when I check).

In the US, your 2.4 and 5.8 are the same power output from the remote, what i can tell.

Your theory does not hold up in CE countries where 5.8 is only but a fraction of the power that 2.4 is.

It may hold up if you can include 2.4 in your theory as i am fairly certain that for the drone to reach over 5km in CE that it has to be on the 2.4ghz band because i doubt very much that in CE, the 5.8ghz band power in the remote is strong enough to reach that far.

fpb Posted at 8-1 18:49
This is interesting data since there is RF attenuation between polarization, from where you found that the mini 2 antennas are vertical vs the mini 3 horizontal polarization? Interesting detail...

The data is partly empirical... I have repaired a few mini 2 devices, and have looked at some mini 3 "teardown" videos.  I have also disassembled a dji RC.

DreamWorks Posted at 8-1 19:44
I am sorry I know it's the language barrier but i am not sure what you mean. but i will try.

Occusync is just another name for WIFi, probably for marketing.

What is your source that ocusync is wifi?  I saw that comment on a video and doubted it then too.  Just because two systems use the same frequency does not mean it is the same protocol.  I have never heard of a Wi-Fi that works over multiple kilometers and I doubt that's what's being used here.

fansb4f50ec1 Posted at 8-1 20:55
What is your source that ocusync is wifi?  I saw that comment on a video and doubted it then too.  Just because two systems use the same frequency does not mean it is the same protocol.  I have never heard of a Wi-Fi that works over multiple kilometers and I doubt that's what's being used here.

ok, what do you think it is? Other companies, Autel for example, don't call anything special and can still get 5+ miles

fansb4f50ec1 Posted at 8-1 16:32
The mini 3 has 4 antennas.  They are located within each of the 4 arms.  They are horizontal (vs the mini 2 that had 2 antennas which were oriented vertically).

The RC has 2 antennas.  They seem to be vertically oriented.  I thought that might cause a polarization issue (ie: RC has vertical but drone has horizontal antennas), but maybe that's not an issue at 5.8GHZ (which seems to be what my Mini3 and RC are always using when I check).

  

DreamWorks Posted at 8-1 19:44
I am sorry I know it's the language barrier but i am not sure what you mean. but i will try.

Occusync is just another name for WIFi, probably for marketing.

Dude, so you think all that big size aparature are just joystick and the aircraft is connected directly to the smartphone
And the phone send signal form the connected by cable controller to the aircraft via Wifi?
Consider that you can control / fly the aircraft WITHOUT the smartphone
Rethink your standpoint please

Some times an image is better than 1000 words …… in this video



Minute 4:00 you can see opened the RC and see the antenas

BTW …in this video, they modify the RC to connect  external RF antenas …. I don’t say it’s better or not.

I have to say that the DJI Mini 3 Pro is absolutely fantastic for distance, never had one problem at all, in fact it keeps going so much so that I cant see the M3P which is then going against VLOS rules, obviously I turn the craft back and return to VLOS, sorry your not having the same satisfaction as I am having with the M3P.

PeterIOM Posted at 8-2 10:11
I have to say that the DJI Mini 3 Pro is absolutely fantastic for distance, never had one problem at all, in fact it keeps going so much so that I cant see the M3P which is then going against VLOS rules, obviously I turn the craft back and return to VLOS, sorry your not having the same satisfaction as I am having with the M3P.

Could you provide the setup you have?  RC or Basic controller with phone type etc..  Interested to see what you're using.

best

DowntownRDB Posted at 7-30 12:26
Unless your small village is saturated with heavy wifi interference you should get much better range.  My range doubled after the last firmware update.  I have found that you really have to keep the top of the RC screened controller facing directly at the drone to get maximum signal strength.  If I tip the top of the screen upward away from the drone then I see immediate drop of 1-2 bars.  I'm thinking this is because the antennas are located internally and on the top of the RC screened controller.  

Bottom line, 250m is definitely not a very good range.  If you can find an open field away from houses, etc give that a try and if your max is 250 I'd recommend you contact DJI Support.

This is what I never understood. This thing is so small when it's not too far away you can't see it at all, so how do you point the antennas at something you can't see?

If DJI can claim these results, doesn't this mean they are lying to the public? Unless they basically expect everyone to fly in the sahara.

Signal Transmission Ranges
(FCC) [6]
Strong Interference (urban landscape): Approx. 1.5-3 km
Medium Interference (suburban landscape): Approx. 3-7 km
Low Interference (suburb/seaside): Approx. 7-12 km

fateofangel Posted at 8-2 08:49
Dude, so you think all that big size aparature are just joystick and the aircraft is connected directly to the smartphone
And the phone send signal form the connected by cable controller to the aircraft via Wifi?
Consider that you can control / fly the aircraft WITHOUT the smartphone

I am still unsure of what youre trying to say to me,I think you have misunderstood what i have been saying because i have not disputed that the controller cannot control the ac without the phone???  

Are you saying that Occusync is not wifi?

Dygme Posted at 8-2 11:38
This is what I never understood. This thing is so small when it's not too far away you can't see it at all, so how do you point the antennas at something you can't see?

If DJI can claim these results, doesn't this mean they are lying to the public? Unless they basically expect everyone to fly in the sahara.

The published transmission ranges are based on perfect flying conditions and they may not have a VLOS requirement in China.

I do struggle to see the Mini 3 on occasion but always try to maintain VLOS.  Granted the Air 2S is much easier to see.  

DreamWorks Posted at 8-2 22:28
I am still unsure of what youre trying to say to me,I think you have misunderstood what i have been saying because i have not disputed that the controller cannot control the ac without the phone???  

Are you saying that Occusync is not wifi?

wifi is operating two bands 2.4 and 5.8 all that started from the triple - band Autel

DreamWorks Posted at 7-31 04:02
Open the radar in the bottom left corner, may have to enable it in the settings too 1st. then you can see where the drone is in relation to the RC and you can point the arrow at the rc. That only makes sure the horizontal axis is aligned, you then need to point the top of the RC directly at the drone, if there is anything in between then you will have issues.

Thanks for your answer, aiming the controller according to the compass helps a bit, a new test after about 400 meters showed that my signal was reduced, going to do another test next week near here where I will be in an open landscape (mainly farmland) and let's see what my reach is there
greetings,
Guy

Selfiebooth Posted at 8-4 23:54
Thanks for your answer, aiming the controller according to the compass helps a bit, a new test after about 400 meters showed that my signal was reduced, going to do another test next week near here where I will be in an open landscape (mainly farmland) and let's see what my reach is there
greetings,
Guy

Hi, please note that even though the signal is showing as reduced, do not take that to heart, it can go a lot further in the right conditions, I have managed 5.5km at around 30m high and it was showing 2 bars for a lot of that, i turned back cause of the battery, i reckon it can do 6km at a push, in CE.