We just received our Inspire 1, and aren't getting good video signal strength. The video cuts out or updates extremely slowly. Is there an antenna that needs to be installed in the aircraft itself? Every other drone we've owned has a transmission antenna. Any tips to improve this would be great... we read it had a 2km+ range but we're not even getting 1 foot range. We did just upgrade to the new firmware, maybe that's an issue?

Make sure  the RC Transmitter is updated as well.  You did register with DJI first correct ?  

What update did you perform to the aircraft ? was it a success?  If not sure place the SD card back in the PC or Mac and look for the "Result " file, make sure it says "success".  Is this a Inspire 1v2 orPro?
The antennas are in the "landing Gear Legs " of the aircraft.  Make sure the Antenna's  on the Transmitte are  Vertical when Holding the Transmitter, make sure they are not crossing .  

You will get much more than 1 foot of distance once set up correctly , I assure you .

-donnie

Hmmmmm...that is really odd.  From what you said, can you verify the Antennae are installed on the controller?  There should be 2 Antennae coming out of the front and folded down.  Please post a pic of your remote if you're unsure what I am talking about.  But yes, there should be 2 coming out of the RC or you have a major problem.  The Antennae on the craft are located in the landing gear.  Sorry, I read it wrong initially.  
Also, make sure that you're not anywhere near radio stations or power stations near you.  Avoid launching under telephone or power wires.  

The RC transmitter is updated through the GO App, You will need a Reliable WI-FI connection to do this.  Make sure the Transmitter  Charge is At least 50%-75%  .  I would prefer to see them both ( DEVICE AND TRANSMITTER )  at full charge but these are the minimums.  MAKE SURE THE AIRCRAFT IS NOT ON WHEN UPDATING THE   TRANSMITTER   AND THE TRANSMITTER IS NOT ON WHEN UPDATING THE AIRCRAFT.  
make sure the Device is compatibale as well, the best devices  are the apple  I- pads

***Do not use a cell network to update the RC transmitter or Go App.  Use a Fixed , Reliable, WI-FI internet connection for the best result.  It can be done with cell but I have seen a lot less trouble using fixed WI-FI.


donnie

As Donnie and others state, the aircraft antenna are located in the lower landing gear legs. The RC antenna radiate from the broad-flat side of the antenna so they should be oriented parallel to the legs of the aircraft. DJI-TIM's tutorial explains the basics.

After antenna orientation, the RC communicates with the RC via the USB cable. Often, non-vendor certified cables will cause performance issues, especially with iOS devices.

Where government communication agencies allow, the GO App will allow you to customize the transmission frequency and transmission rate. The default channel selection is automatic within the GO App. However, n my region, channel 20 is usually the clearest/cleanest channel. Take a quick look at this DJI tutorial for more information.

Lastly, optimization of your mobile device will sometimes benefit transmission quality. Check out these other forum articles for details for Android optimizations and Apple iOS device optimizations

Donnie Posted at 2016-3-31 10:40
Make sure  the RC Transmitter is updated as well.  You did register with DJI first correct ?  

What ...

We didn't register with DJI, and the aircraft and the controller were on at the same time. I haven't checked the update log, but will do so, Thanks for the tips!

sales@colbster. Posted at 2016-3-31 17:38
We didn't register with DJI, and the aircraft and the controller were on at the same time. I haven ...

You may have damaged the Aircraft, ( I hope not)  Please do not update the trasmitter at least until you register with DJI on the DJI go App.    Here is  a link to  view the hidden file. Please read the whole thing and then load the sd card used for the update so we can read it  .Do not erase that SD card .  When you read the Hidden file, look for the lines 0800 and 1500 if they say "Device Not Detected" you might as well take it back or send in for repair.  I think we still may be good because you have some video reception.  But once again please fire up the go app with the transmitter connected via cable to an I-pad preferebly.  I think once you update the transmitter AFTER YOU ARE  registered, you might be ok.  
***Also , I find this so strange,   Many Canadians leave on the Tranmitter while they update the aircraft, I just dont get it.  Must be Dam cold Up there !!!( Do Not Do  that in the future)

http://forum.dji.com/thread-44546-1-1.html

Ok Hooser  eh ....................Just kidding -  brother donnie

Do the 32 Channel Hack.......

I1ADDICT Posted at 2016-3-31 10:46
Hmmmmm...that is really odd.  From what you said, can you verify the Antennae are installed on the c ...

The antenna are definitely on the controller, and pointed straight out, not crossed.

Depending on where you live, you could be subject to intense interference .
Your controller most likely has only 8 channels that it can choose from, not the original 32 like they had in the early days of inspires.......many many people have had similar issues to what you are describing  and did the Hack that gives you back the original 32 channels and the problem is solved.......however bear in mind it may not be legal in your country , so its up to you to do it or not......if you do a search you will find links to the process on here somewhere.

harb@bigpond.ne Posted at 2016-3-31 20:39
Depending on where you live, you could be subject to intense interference .
Your controller most lik ...

Ok thanks, I found the config file, I'll try it.