Hello everyone,
So, I got my Inspire 2 back from DJI a couple days ago, and the settings were so much different that I almost thought the aircraft was still damaged (it was fine, just ignorance on my part that the settings could have changed).  I adjusted the flight-related settings back to what felt close to what I remember it being (still not 100% the same), went for a flight, and was experiencing issues with camera signal as well as RC signal at distances I previously did not have any problems.

The catch, however, is that although I had flown often over the past month or so, that period was not with a camera attached.  And I do not recall how the signal performance was back when I had a gimbal camera connected and properly functioning.

Prior to sending my aircraft and camera into DJI, I was running the firmware versions for all hardware released back (I think) in April.  I had not yet updated to the June firmware.  Before flying, I figured I'd upgrade the aircraft/camera firmware, which I did.  So between the change in settings and the change in firmwares, I also couldn't say if either of those could be a contributing factor.

Of course there's always the "usual interference", but the near loss of RC and complete loss of video was a lot worse than usual, considering the distance.  Out of standard flight procedure to keep VLOS, the antennas are always aimed towards the Inspire 2 and kept clear of any obstructions aside from maybe a tree at one or two angles.

To understand the signal operation a little better ... Does anyone know if having the gimbal camera attached will impact the RC signal at all?  (Either a little or a lot?)  And if it has no impact, has anyone else noticed less reliable signal with the latest firmware versions?

I don't think there's an issue at all with the hardware.  My settings, maybe.  I'm just curious, as I honestly can't remember how the signal performance was 7 weeks ago when I had last flown with the camera attached.

Any insight to the signal operation and what I should expect with certain flight configurations versus others would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

From our flight last night, here's a little more to add to my confusion.

At times, the RC signal was actually almost lost, while the video feed was almost full bars.  I would assume that the RC should have a more consistent/stable connection, since it is sending very little data back and forth.  And then likewise, the HD feed should be more susceptible to interference.  But the opposite was true.

Anyhow, because of this, I'm thinking it's quite clear now (and probably already quite obvious to all of you) that the RC signal is different than the WiFi signal connecting the video feed.  Is that true?

Any thoughts?

Since the last FW update, I am having problems with signal quality, mainly on 2.4 GHz. In areas where I have previously had no problems or interference, the system is actually dropping connection entirely at times. Check out the Airdata UAV dump from a test flight today. http://app.airdata.com/main?share=sXlLaR&page_id=SENSORS

I'm experiencing the same issue with my I2 and ipad Mini 4
Barry

Seems to be a common problem after the last FW update, but so far, zero acknowledgment from anyone at DJI that is is not a hardware failure. I find it hard to believe that so many of us mysteriously had our Inspires fail in the same way after the update.  In my case, it's two Inspire 2's and two radios. If that's a hardware issue, then I should consider buying lottery tickets.  Still waiting for anyone at DJI to respond to this with useful information.

Dan M Posted at 2017-8-1 16:48
Seems to be a common problem after the last FW update, but so far, zero acknowledgment from anyone at DJI that is is not a hardware failure. I find it hard to believe that so many of us mysteriously had our Inspires fail in the same way after the update.  In my case, it's two Inspire 2's and two radios. If that's a hardware issue, then I should consider buying lottery tickets.  Still waiting for anyone at DJI to respond to this with useful information.

I agree in what you wrote and I have the same issue now after the firmware update,  Cant fly now

Seems to be a common problem after the last FW update, but so far, zero acknowledgment from anyone at DJI that is is not a hardware failure. I find it hard to believe that so many of us mysteriously had our Inspires fail in the same way after the update.  In my case, it's two Inspire 2's and two radios. If that's a hardware issue, then I should consider buying lottery tickets.  Still waiting for anyone at DJI to respond to this with useful information.

Interesting.

We were out of town for a bit, and didn't have my I2 with me.

But yea, it seems like a big difference in signal reliability from a previous version.  I'm trying to find some time this weekend to get out somewhere there are definitely no wifi signals and see what type of signal quality I get.

The thing that's really got me is that my video feed was much more reliable than my RC feed.  I don't like losing control of the aircraft ever ... (Of course) ... But to have full bars on the video feed and no control of the aircraft ... Yikes.  I wouldn't feel so bad about it if I had lost the video feed long before the RC signal.

Anyone know how long it takes for DJI to issue a new firmware update on average?  

My RC disconnected from the I2 where the green power LED went off, and iPad Air 2 screen went dark from no camera, but the remaining four white ones on the RC stayed on.  The drone hovered in place (My default on disconnect.) while I restarted the RC unit and got it all connected back up and underway again.  Rollbacks are no longer I found as it says "None" on the last one.

So it stays grounded for the time being until I can trust the thing.  Maybe with a new firmware as the last one had promises for a "Yaw Calibration Control" adjustment in the last version and that didn't appear either.

fansa84fe8a4 Posted at 2017-8-7 17:12
Anyone know how long it takes for DJI to issue a new firmware update on average?  

My RC disconnected from the I2 where the green power LED went off, and iPad Air 2 screen went dark from no camera, but the remaining four white ones on the RC stayed on.  The drone hovered in place (Mt default on disconnect.) while I restarted the RC unit and got it all connected back up and underway again.  Rollbacks are no longer I found as it says "None" on the last one.

From what I can tell, we see a firmware update once every 2 months on average.

But I'm sure if DJI was able to find something that is significantly impacting a certain firmware version, that they would address that situation and provide a fix for that as soon as possible.

We also don't have much information on hardware versions. For example, if DJI was to begin implementing a more reliable chip for their wireless signals, which may have worse performance compared to a less reliable chip -- depending on firmware.

From what I've been able to read on the forums, the people currently experiencing a significant degradation of signal quality and performance are in the minority according to DJI.

In my opinion, nobody complains if things are working or if they are unaware of anything that may cause issues for them. (For example, someone who flies on a regular basis with zero obstacles, zero interference, and only within 100 meter distance.)

And for those that are having problems, there's probably a small percentage that actually post on the forums. Many may call or email to support.

Realistically, it would be very hard to say any issue "is only affecting a small percentage" when there aren't many (if any) people coming onto the forum saying that their signal quality and performance is excellent on latest firmware, and who have had zero impact on my flights.

It's how they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Except for the opposite way around.

=]

I've not had any issues with range with the new firmware. DJI doesn't generally mess with image or radio transmission protocols as these things were pretty much optimised some time ago. I remember making a big fuss around this time last year about RF transmission / video link but it turned out I had an issue with a connection from the camera to the aircraft.

In some instances, a new source of radio interference has come up. Others, someone has forgotten to orient the antennas properly.

As far as I can tell, most of the recent FW updates related to geofencing and flight authorisation issues and the addition of a few additional functionalities that relate to flight control. These do not alter the basic transmission characteristics of the flight control or image transmission systems.

While this must sound annoying and officious to you, be rest assured that there is a large enough community of testers and users that a fundamental issue such is image transmission / range restriction will be picked up, communicated and addressed.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-8-7 21:01
I've not had any issues with range with the new firmware. DJI doesn't generally mess with image or radio transmission protocols as these things were pretty much optimised some time ago. I remember making a big fuss around this time last year about RF transmission / video link but it turned out I had an issue with a connection from the camera to the aircraft.

In some instances, a new source of radio interference has come up. Others, someone has forgotten to orient the antennas properly.

Thanks for your input, Mike. I would agree with you that there is definitely a large enough base of users and testers that things like this should most definitely not go unnoticed if they were legitimate.

Regarding a new source of interference ... I would also agree that is probably the most likely cause.

I wonder if there are devices we can get to scan the airwaves and locate any sources of extreme interference. Not that it is very likely, but it would be great to be able to pinpoint someone who thinks it's funny (or their right) to operate a signal jammer at their location to simply "deter" drone activity.

We generally do our training flights out from the back yard, which sits next to about 40 acres of unusable land on one side, and a little over 1000 homes on the other (street) side. There are maybe 2-3 neighbors in the community that post online about signal jammers and other ways (shotguns) of deterring drone activity -- all of which are illegal by federal law. And we do have at least 4 pilots in the neighborhood that I know about who regularly fly into the empty land.

They advertise links like http://ctstechnologys.com/tag/drones-jammer-for-sale and http://www.jammer-buy.com/gps-jammer/c-25.html ... Which as far as I know are not legal to use in the United States. I find it odd that they are able to sell these.

Anyway, if the actual cause of our new issue here is due to people using signal jammers, it would be great to be able to locate the source of that interference and report them to the authorities.

paraviz02 Posted at 2017-8-8 12:38
Thanks for your input, Mike. I would agree with you that there is definitely a large enough base of users and testers that things like this should most definitely not go unnoticed if they were legitimate.

Regarding a new source of interference ... I would also agree that is probably the most likely cause.

I too, like Mike have been doing fine with my Inspire 1 and 2 after all of the FW and App updates. But I have not been flying these past 5 days due to the heatwave out here in the West.  I think MTC did a nice job of explaining the updates and what they affected on the aircraft. Doesn't mean you have not had an issue.  One thing you do not want to do is point the antennas at the Inspire (this is the weakest spot)   see video below

I find it very sad that companies are selling illegal frequency blockers and other devices that can affect our hobby. People must realize that you can buy a pair of binoculars for 40 bucks to spy on the neighbors ....  really .    I am not interested in spending 3-8K to do this..... come on get a life.

Hope you can figure out what is going on
Rich

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-8-7 21:01
I've not had any issues with range with the new firmware. DJI doesn't generally mess with image or radio transmission protocols as these things were pretty much optimised some time ago. I remember making a big fuss around this time last year about RF transmission / video link but it turned out I had an issue with a connection from the camera to the aircraft.

In some instances, a new source of radio interference has come up. Others, someone has forgotten to orient the antennas properly.

Mike, I would love to say that the recent radio issues with my Inspire 2 are from new sources of interference, or even a hardware issue. To rule out both, I tested both of my Inspire 2 systems in three locations where I had previously recorded flights of over a mile with no significant issues.

One location was on the Hudson River, roughly 150 yards from a weather station that does have a transmitter. Prior flight was over 2 miles there. Now? about 3/4 of a mile on one I2, and about a mile on the other. Open sky over water for both flights.

Second test was from a private island on the Long Island Sound. Prior flight was 9100' over open water. No signal issues. New firmware on both birds, and neither was able to break about 3/4 mile.  The island has no electricity, and no transmitters of any kind.

Last test was on a golf course. Same dismal results on both Inspire 2 systems.  While I had been able to travel to the boundaries of the course from a home point in the center earlier this year, my current range is down to a couple thousand feet.  The course is surrounded by homes, and there are some trees, but there is nothing new at the course (my buddy is the head pro, so I was able to confirm that there wasn't a new radio system or cell site on the property).

While not much of a range test, I did (just for fun, I guess) power up in the middle of a football field.  Heavily wooded area to one side, and additional fields and parking areas on the other three sides.  Standing only a few feet from the Inspire, I received the strong wireless interference warning every time I switched to 2.4 GHz.  Same problem on the second I2 & radio.  We used to test all sorts of systems on the field with no RF issues.  While I can't say for sure that the area doesn't have a new high powered transmitter somewhere, I find it hard to believe that all three flight test locations suddenly acquired new sources of RF interference the same week that I updated both Inspire 2 systems.

It's easy for me to accept that some of the RF issues are hardware related, operator error, or just bad luck with new cell sites, etc.  It's nearly impossible for me to accept it given the update and geographically diverse testing on two completely separate Inspire 2 systems.

I have no theories about what happened, beyond wild speculation that there may be different suppliers for parts of the Inspire 2 radio system over time.  That would make it an easy leap to guessing how identical firmware updates impacted some systems, but not others.  Sadly, wild speculation gets me nowhere.

All I know for now is that the range on both birds has been crippled since the last FW update. *shrug*

Dan M Posted at 2017-8-9 18:48
Mike, I would love to say that the recent radio issues with my Inspire 2 are from new sources of interference, or even a hardware issue. To rule out both, I tested both of my Inspire 2 systems in three locations where I had previously recorded flights of over a mile with no significant issues.

One location was on the Hudson River, roughly 150 yards from a weather station that does have a transmitter. Prior flight was over 2 miles there. Now? about 3/4 of a mile on one I2, and about a mile on the other. Open sky over water for both flights.

To say for CERTAIN that the problem is FIRMWARE related (or not), since you have two systems: downgrade one and keep the other. Fly both system systems at a problematic location.

If it is firmware, all of DJI needs to know.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-8-9 19:34
To say for CERTAIN that the problem is FIRMWARE related (or not), since you have two systems: downgrade one and keep the other. Fly both system systems at a problematic location.

If it is firmware, all of DJI needs to know.

Wait, how can we downgrade? I know how to downgrade the RC firmware, but the aircraft and camera?

I actually thought about trying that. But from everything I read, I figured it was not possible to do?

RichJ53 Posted at 2017-8-8 17:09
I too, like Mike have been doing fine with my Inspire 1 and 2 after all of the FW and App updates. But I have not been flying these past 5 days due to the heatwave out here in the West.  I think MTC did a nice job of explaining the updates and what they affected on the aircraft. Doesn't mean you have not had an issue.  One thing you do not want to do is point the antennas at the Inspire (this is the weakest spot)   see video below

I find it very sad that companies are selling illegal frequency blockers and other devices that can affect our hobby. People must realize that you can buy a pair of binoculars for 40 bucks to spy on the neighbors ....  really .    I am not interested in spending 3-8K to do this..... come on get a life.

Right!

I mean seriously, I can go upstairs with a pair of binoculars and get a ton more spying in (if that was my thing) compared to flying the Inspire 2.

By nature, I'm rather paranoid. So when I see neighbors posting about signal jammers and how to get rid of drones (and the guy who said he'd have his shotgun with him next time he goes outside to the pool) ... It's like "wow, they have the same passion against my hobby that I do for it!"

It would be truly devastating to learn that someone would go to this much trouble. It's already disappointing -- as the neighbors who are discussing the jammers are actually people I know and get along well with! (I have never discussed flying with them.)

I thought about talking to them about it, but they speak so angry and violently at times, I really don't want to try and tell them they are completely wrong about everything they are saying.

:-(

paraviz02 Posted at 2017-8-10 10:49
Right!

I mean seriously, I can go upstairs with a pair of binoculars and get a ton more spying in (if that was my thing) compared to flying the Inspire 2.

Sometimes sharing our hobby with the folks that are negative towards drones can be helpful for their understanding. Sometimes its nice to let them see the video on your monitor and share your experience.

Explaining how things work and what you are doing when you go flying is another angle to win the over to the light side of the force.

Rich
   

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-8-9 19:34
To say for CERTAIN that the problem is FIRMWARE related (or not), since you have two systems: downgrade one and keep the other. Fly both system systems at a problematic location.

If it is firmware, all of DJI needs to know.

Mike, downgrading from the current firmware is no longer an option. You may still be able to roll back on the remote, but not the aircraft unless DJI has been feeding us bad info.The image below is with a direct connection from the CS 7.85 to an Inspire 2.  The lack of options for a rollback is kind of a kick in the gut.

Dan M Posted at 2017-8-10 11:20
Mike, downgrading from the current firmware is no longer an option. You may still be able to roll back on the remote, but not the aircraft unless DJI has been feeding us bad info.The image below is with a direct connection from the CS 7.85 to an Inspire 2.  The lack of options for a rollback is kind of a kick in the gut.

DJI stopped us from rolling back the Firmware,  Trying to reduce the distance of the Inspire 2

This was Planned by DJI 100 % No Emergency Firmware Plan or Roll back for us ,  you lucky if you 600 Meters or better from what I was told.



SO DJI when are you going to Release the fix?  if it is not broken leave it alone

paraviz02 Posted at 2017-8-10 10:49
Right!

I mean seriously, I can go upstairs with a pair of binoculars and get a ton more spying in (if that was my thing) compared to flying the Inspire 2.

Not to knock a man who is down but if you have TWO systems (lucky guy ) why don't you upgrade one system first before the other?

As for the neighbours I really feel for you. Well, if someone takes out their shotgun, you'll have a mighty dogfight worth bragging about!

Dan M Posted at 2017-8-10 11:20
Mike, downgrading from the current firmware is no longer an option. You may still be able to roll back on the remote, but not the aircraft unless DJI has been feeding us bad info.The image below is with a direct connection from the CS 7.85 to an Inspire 2.  The lack of options for a rollback is kind of a kick in the gut.

Hey Dan

Very sorry for your trouble with the 2 birds. I was wondering if you have tried to switch into custom (manual mode) on the video HD? I have been running mine in custom mode for the longest time. I find the best channel in the location I am flying and pick that one.
IMO some of the problem with the range could be the fact that the automatic switching of frequency's isn't working as it should.

Please try it and see if you get some improvement...
All the best
Rich ( the guy with only 1 Inspire 2)   

RichJ53 Posted at 2017-8-10 19:05
Hey Dan

Very sorry for your trouble with the 2 birds. I was wondering if you have tried to switch into custom (manual mode) on the video HD? I have been running mine in custom mode for the longest time. I find the best channel in the location I am flying and pick that one.

Fun, right? Yes! I have run a few flights on clean channels, and the range is generally better. There does seem to be a lack of a graceful handoff when the system hops around in auto, leaving plenty of disconnects. Few actual drops with a manually selected channel, but still only a fraction of the range it had.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-8-10 18:23
Not to knock a man who is down but if you have TWO systems (lucky guy  ) why don't you upgrade one system first before the other?

As for the neighbours I really feel for you. Well, if someone takes out their shotgun, you'll have a mighty dogfight worth bragging about!

If I had owned the second one before updating the first, I definitely would have waited. I always delayed updating the backup bird with the I1, but didn't have that as an option this time around. I picked up the second so that I could continue working with an I2 when my bird was in for repair. The new one was current from the start.  Now that it's pretty clear there is no hardware issue, at least I'm back to running identical backup systems.  Less of a fun thing, and more of a practical consideration.

Dan M Posted at 2017-8-11 04:33
If I had owned the second one before updating the first, I definitely would have waited. I always delayed updating the backup bird with the I1, but didn't have that as an option this time around. I picked up the second so that I could continue working with an I2 when my bird was in for repair. The new one was current from the start.  Now that it's pretty clear there is no hardware issue, at least I'm back to running identical backup systems.  Less of a fun thing, and more of a practical consideration.

A few other suggestions

1.Switch to 5.8 GHz
2. If on 2.4 ghz go to the page where you can assess interference

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2017-8-11 05:33
A few other suggestions

1.Switch to 5.8 GHz

I have been using 5.8 almost exclusively since the range-killing update. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the range or penetrating ability that 2.4 has. A little foliage can be enough to attenuate a 5.8 GHz signal enough to cause problems. Still, it's better than guaranteed dropout.  Since I have been getting better signal stability and range from 5.8 since the update (even compared with 2.4 set manually on a clean channel), I just make sure I am not on 2.4 as part of my pre-flight.

This video clip was part of a job we did for the paving company.  Direct line of sight to the I2 using strobes so that we could actually see it at about a mile out.  We were able to just barely get the range on this one with 5.8, but could not make it on 2.4, even with a manually set, clean channel.  (Olympus 45mm on the X5S)

Dan M Posted at 2017-8-11 04:33
If I had owned the second one before updating the first, I definitely would have waited. I always delayed updating the backup bird with the I1, but didn't have that as an option this time around. I picked up the second so that I could continue working with an I2 when my bird was in for repair. The new one was current from the start.  Now that it's pretty clear there is no hardware issue, at least I'm back to running identical backup systems.  Less of a fun thing, and more of a practical consideration.

Dan
Thanks for the feedback and your video clip. I am surprised that manual mode did not work much better and usually 5.8 does not have the range as 2.4 has. Very strange situation and I hope that DJI will improve this for us on the next FW update.

I remember that we had this same problem with the FW on the Inspire 1 and I posted a video showing the drop out problem over a year ago.

Rich

RichJ53 Posted at 2017-8-10 11:18
Sometimes sharing our hobby with the folks that are negative towards drones can be helpful for their understanding. Sometimes its nice to let them see the video on your monitor and share your experience.

Explaining how things work and what you are doing when you go flying is another angle to win the over to the light side of the force.

Yea, if someone was flying a drone (and I had never done so) I'd be angry out of pure jealousy. That's probably the real issue here ...

I've tried 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz ... currently using 5.8GHz, as it seems slightly better. (?)

But our iPad mini 4 quickly starts throwing CPU maxed out warnings, then the video feed starts getting garbled.  From then, it just gets worse.  The connection with the RC gets extremely unreliable, and when panning or circling a subject, I have very little control.  It over-turns and the video just spins back and forth as I'm trying to control it proper.

And I don't recall it having these issues back in June.

paraviz02 Posted at 2017-8-11 08:36
I've tried 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz ... currently using 5.8GHz, as it seems slightly better. (?)

But our iPad mini 4 quickly starts throwing CPU maxed out warnings, then the video feed starts getting garbled.  From then, it just gets worse.  The connection with the RC gets extremely unreliable, and when panning or circling a subject, I have very little control.  It over-turns and the video just spins back and forth as I'm trying to control it proper.

Mine did this CPU maxed out warnings for the first time today after the update.. I run a mini 2. Range crippling too, I tested in the middle of No man's land on my land and it is now only going .5k in 2.4 and .39k in 5.8 until a loss of signal and a RTH... I bought it for these specs below and although I never fly that far away, I never had a issue going a 3/4 to a mile in anything since lighbridge came out at and around this location. Are we getting a roll back or fix, this needs to be done ASAP, I can't buy more DJI product until it's fixed.
2.4 GHz:
FCC: 4.3 miles (7 km);
CE: 2.2 miles (3.5 km);
SRRC: 2.5 miles (4 km);
MIC: 2.5 miles (4 km);
5.8 GHz:
FCC: 4.3 miles (7 km);
CE: 1.2 miles (2 km);
SRRC: 3.1 miles (5 km);
MIC: - ;

JohnnieYaz Posted at 2017-8-11 20:35
Mine did this  CPU maxed out warnings for the first time today after the update.. I run a mini 2. Range crippling too, I tested in the middle of No man's land on my land and it is now only going .5k in 2.4 and .39k in 5.8 until a loss of signal and a RTH... I bought it for these specs below and although I never fly that far away, I never had a issue going a 3/4 to a mile in anything since lighbridge came out at and around this location. Are we getting a roll back or fix, this needs to be done ASAP, I can't buy more DJI product until it's fixed.
2.4 GHz:
FCC: 4.3 miles (7 km);

Glad to see that Johnnie Yaz, did his homework.

Most important no one is writing about the firmware rollback that we were promised.

JohnnieYaz Posted at 2017-8-11 20:35
Mine did this  CPU maxed out warnings for the first time today after the update.. I run a mini 2. Range crippling too, I tested in the middle of No man's land on my land and it is now only going .5k in 2.4 and .39k in 5.8 until a loss of signal and a RTH... I bought it for these specs below and although I never fly that far away, I never had a issue going a 3/4 to a mile in anything since lighbridge came out at and around this location. Are we getting a roll back or fix, this needs to be done ASAP, I can't buy more DJI product until it's fixed.
2.4 GHz:
FCC: 4.3 miles (7 km);

Same with us, we did some more testing yesterday (finally) and were only able to get 600m from home. We had previously been able to achieve more than 1300m from home in the same environment -- or possibly further, that's just what I can remember.

The video and RC signal was extremely choppy, and the green/black feed issues were plaguing the flight for the entire time. We used to have smooth HD (720p) to the RC, now it is choppy, lower quality, and cuts out on a very regular basis, even when the HD signal is at full bars.

nazar404.yahoo Posted at 2017-8-12 04:43
Glad to see that Johnnie Yaz, did his homework.

Most important no one is writing about the firmware rollback that we were promised.

Im sure DJI is trying to figure this out. We do technology development as well, and when our clients are complaining about something that we can't quickly get a handle on, it is always difficult to deal with.

We all obviously have complaints. But DJI will have to be able to replicate these issues in their testing environment, and provide good data to their engineers to work with.

I'm sure DJI is working hard to troubleshoot our issues, and will provide a proper fix for us as soon as they have a solution. But until then, it would be great to have the ability to downgrade to the firmware from April for all devices (RC, I2, gimbal cam), and also possibly the app too if that has anything to do with the problem.

In our testing yesterday, we had two major issues. First, was signal reliability and video feed quality. Noth suffered greatly, even when manually setting channel on 2.4GHz. Second issue was the mobile device CPU warning, which was almost always immediately followed by a black/green screen and 3-5 seconds of no usable image.

Sometimes the FPV cam would have the issue by itself, other times the gimbal cam alone, and even sometimes both cams together would be out. So I'm not really sure what's up, but we never had these issues back in June.

Hopefully we will be given the ability to downgrade to a stable firmware. I would really love to rewind back to April or May firmware.

paraviz02 Posted at 2017-8-12 06:47
Im sure DJI is trying to figure this out. We do technology development as well, and when our clients are complaining about something that we can't quickly get a handle on, it is always difficult to deal with.

We all obviously have complaints. But DJI will have to be able to replicate these issues in their testing environment, and provide good data to their engineers to work with.

DJI Mindy ,

Any luck with Engineers with the firmware issues ?  

Is there a way to roll back our firmware yet until the Software correct the range reduction issues .

Thank you

Please watch video

I came home to see a utility company truck and they were working on my gas meter which I thought odd.  Seems the guy was changing a battery in it.  These SmartMeters connect to the cell towers for billing.  He said the gas meter battery was supposed to last 20 years, but they only last 10 years.

He said the electric SmartMeters also connect via cell towers but they don't need a battery to do so.  There is a flood of info they get at certain times of day as they can poll the meters during peak times and adjust the rate during the day.  Some sign on for reduced rates during hot parts of the day from 2PM until 8 PM so the meters are active to report if the customer is within the expensive billing period or not.

Could be when these things go active, could be some concern of interference if near a tower or a lot of SmartMeters going active in reporting.  I never realized how and when the things got data, but it was interesting talking to the guy.  Could be they have their own frequency band, but didn't think to ask him.

fansa84fe8a4 Posted at 2017-8-24 05:28
I came home to see a utility company truck and they were working on my gas meter which I thought odd.  Seems the guy was changing a battery in it.  These SmartMeters connect to the cell towers for billing.  He said the gas meter battery was supposed to last 20 years, but they only last 10 years.

He said the electric SmartMeters also connect via cell towers but they don't need a battery to do so.  There is a flood of info they get at certain times of day as they can poll the meters during peak times and adjust the rate during the day.  Some sign on for reduced rates during hot parts of the day from 2PM until 8 PM so the meters are active to report if the customer is within the expensive billing period or not.

That's an interesting thought ... Our smart meters use ZigBee SE protocol, which runs at 2.4GHz. And of course every house nearby is equipped with that.

Here's an interesting link: https://support.metageek.com/hc/ ... nd-WiFi-Coexistence

From what I can tell, the ZigBee channels that our smart meters use actually do overlap the WiFi channels, but the ZigBee channels are called 11 through 26, while the WiFi channels are 1 through 11. But they take up the same frequency space.

So combining the channels between WiFi and ZigBee, if you were flying in an area that had a lot of interference from these two things, you'd realistically have to be on what would be the equivalent of ZigBee channel 26 or beyond WiFi channel 11 in order to have a cleaner signal.

Some people have posted about using a RF analyzer to find out what the bad channels are. I'd like to do that, but the good ones aren't cheap.

Either way, the signal quality for Inspire 2 on the latest firmware went from very good to extremely disappointing. I would imagine that it has something to do with the way the aircraft is now broadcasting its signal.

I'd be curious to know if they optimized the Inspire 2 to be more "friendly" with coexisting 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz devices, instead of overpowering them, or what exactly they changed. Because it is very apparent.

nazar404.yahoo Posted at 2017-8-24 01:20
Please watch video

Yea -- I checked out the video, forgot to respond. I was blown away ...

The really irritating thing is that DJI does not publish any changes to the signal management when they release these firmwares. It always talks about fixing a camera thing, or adding a new feature ... But they don't address changes that impact (for example) signal quality for the Inspire aircraft in the video.

Which is a little scary, because what else is being changed that we are unaware about? Or if there is a reason completely unrelated to our aircraft as to why this change happened (for example, it was mistakenly overstepping FCC regulations) ... ?

paraviz02 Posted at 2017-8-24 06:41
That's an interesting thought ... Our smart meters use ZigBee SE protocol, which runs at 2.4GHz. And of course every house nearby is equipped with that.

Here's an interesting link: https://support.metageek.com/hc/en-us/articles/203845040-ZigBee-and-WiFi-Coexistence

Yes, the 2.4GHz channels seem to differ depending on the device.

I have the drone RC units set up to trigger my studio flash units wirelessly using a Paul Buff CyberCommander (Elsewhere on this forum.).

I happened to have the channels on the same frequency although the channel numbers were different.  I was getting misfires and found out that I was sharing the frequency by accident from the table below.  Channel 13 on the CyberCommander is the same frequency as channel 19 on the P4 RC box.


CyberCommander channel, followed by Frequency (GHz)
1, 2.427
2, 2.429
3, 2.431
4, 2.433
5, 2.435
6, 2.437
7, 2.439
8, 2.441
9, 2.443
10, 2.445
11, 2.447
12, 2.449
13, 2.451
14, 2.453
15, 2.455
16, 2.457

DJI Phantom P4 channel followed by Lower, Center Frequency, and Upper Frequency band (GHz):
13, 2.381, 2.391, 2.396
14, 2.391, 2.401, 2.406
15, 2.401, 2.411, 2.416
16, 2.411, 2.421, 2.426
17, 2.421, 2.431, 2.436
18, 2.431, 2.441, 2.446
19, 2.441, 2.451, 2.456
20, 2.451, 2.461, 2.466

There appears to be some wide overlap of the channels in DJI's setup too so one has to be careful with them.