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a possible solution to perceived OTG problem?
1785 12 2017-12-27
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MikB
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I have zero technical knowledge but whilst browsing the forum the following advert popped up.

ADVERT


Would it be practical to connect this gizmo to the end of the OTG cable, making a stronger wifi link to the RC instead of a direct link - or am I talking my usual boll%&ks again?
2017-12-27
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S.J
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this cannot be connected to the mobile or spark
2017-12-27
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Conrod
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True, but this one allegedly works with Android:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/600Mbps ... ports/dp/B07255JRZ9

If so, then in theory this could be plugged into the phone to enable it to see the RC on a 5.8GHz channel, and at that price I might just order one to test!

Alan
2017-12-27
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MikB
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Be interesting to see if it works Alan.
2017-12-27
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Conrod
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Ordered with Amazon Prime delivery, so should be landing on my doormat tomorrow!

Will report back .......     
2017-12-27
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lannes
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The RC and the phone are within cm's of each other, I don't understand how the signal strength is impacted in anyway and why it would need boosting.

That amazon dongle is designed for devices that don't have wi-fi capability or old wifi capability that needs upgrading to .ac standard
The phone and tablet already have this built in

For extra range  when using wi-fi (2.4ghzdefault ) to connect the phone and RC,  what you want is a signal strength increase from the RC to the AC and the way to do this is to get a amplified 5.8 ghz antenna
Something like the Titan Atlas ,  Titan Cyclone , Titan Control etc.

Using OTG you can get the RC to transmit to the AC by 2.4ghz,  by connecting to wifi first changing to 2.4ghz channel via custom then otg connect again. The frequency should stay at 2.4 ghz

2017-12-27
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Vyborny83
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lannes Posted at 2017-12-27 05:15
The RC and the phone are within cm's of each other, I don't understand how the signal strength is impacted in anyway and why it would need boosting.

That amazon dongle is designed for devices that don't have wi-fi capability or old wifi capability that needs upgrading to .ac standard

You are missing the point. The dongle mentioned above is ment for phones that does not support 5,8 GHz WiFi at all (European problem, otherwise solved by an OTG cable). The extended range comes from the fact that when you use this dongle on your phone, you should (if it works) be able to connect the phone to the RC via 5,8 GHz and use the 2,4GHz for the RC - Spark connection which has much better range.
2017-12-27
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Conrod
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The issue is that most (all?) Android phones sold within the EU can't operate on the 5.8GHz band, so have to connect to the RC on the 2.4GHz band. As I understand it, this then forces the RC to communicate with the Spark using the 5.8Ghz band, which within the EU is subject to strict power and range limits. So for Android users within the EU, the end result is severely limited ranges and frequent AC-RC communication dropouts.

So IF this device will operate over an OTG connection to an Android phone, and IF it supports the channels used by the RC in the 5.8GHz band, and IF the Go 4 app will recognise and utilise it rather than the phone's built-in (2.4GHz only) wifi controller, this might just solve the core underlying problem with using the Spark within the EU!

That's the understanding I've reached from reading all the posts on this topic on the forum at any rate!

Alan

2017-12-27
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lannes
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Vyborny83 Posted at 2017-12-27 05:26
You are missing the point. The dongle mentioned above is ment for phones that does not support 5,8 GHz WiFi at all (European problem, otherwise solved by an OTG cable). The extended range comes from the fact that when you use this dongle on your phone, you should (if it works) be able to connect the phone to the RC via 5,8 GHz and use the 2,4GHz for the RC - Spark connection which has much better range.

Ok , now I understand.
2017-12-27
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Conrod
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The dual-band USB wifi adapter has just dropped through my letterbox but, as I suspected, it certainly isn't a "plug & play" connection to Android - so unfortunately it fell at the first hurdle! For information, under the hood its a Realtek RTL8811AU 802.11ac USB 2.0 network adapter. The description on Amazon says it can be used with Android, and one user comment says he plugged it into an Android set-top box and it worked stratight away. However, I suspect he was getting confused between Linux and Android .....

But no matter - it was cheap, and it now adds 2.4 and 5GHz wi-fi connectivity to my desktop PC so I can at least do some experimentation and check what frequencies and channels the AC and RC are using. I rooted my Moto G3 phone the other day, so I'm going to see if there's a way to delve into the operating system to get it to see the adapter - but without an Android driver I suspect that's unlikely! I'm a Windows and .net/C# man, so Android is a big challenge for me!

Another idea occurred to me though having come across the Netgear 750AC EX6100 wifi extender, which supports "Fastlane" technology. To quote from the user manual - " with FastLane technology, the extender connects to your router using one band and connects to your devices using another band".  So basically it will connect a 2.4GHz device to a 5GHz router ......

The first problem is that it's a mains powered device, designed to plug directly into a mains socket. So it would require mofification to use a powerbank to make it portable. Then I suspect there might be configuration issues with the Spark RC. But again, it's worth doing some ongoing research - starting with trying to find an alternative dual band extender with Fastlane support that can be powered via a 5v USB adapter.

It would all be so much easier if we knew for sure that DJI have definite plans to support OTG for connection to an Android phone. I've had my Spark for about a month, and haven't flown it yet. I'm therefore in no hurry, and am happy to wait several months if this is on DJI's development schedule - if only they'd let us all know one way or the other!

Alan
2017-12-28
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S-e-ven
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I assume, that still android will switch of the needed Channels!
As it is android via the chipset now, which is controlling the available channels in 5G, I doubt a external antenna will change a thing!
But curious if I am right or wrong.
Also, if android takes the CE or FCC  ruling from the network (location), or like some expecting, from the origin of the simcard (country).
2017-12-28
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MikB
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France
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In that case could we not simply use a proxy server or buy a  simcard from America?
2018-1-2
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Conrod
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S-e-ven has raised a good point. I had assumed that the allocation of bands would be via the Remote Control firmware - i.e. it sees a 5.8GHz connection to the phone (although the phone, via the proposed intermediate router, sees a 2.4GHz channel), and then selects the 2.4GHz band for the Spark communication. But if this is indeed controlled via the Go 4 app then it would see 2.4GHz to the remote, and still force 5.8GHz for the RC-AC link, thus defeating the object!

One thing (well, there are lots actually!) I don't fully understand is why the choice is between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz - for example, why not use 2.4GHz for both the phone/table and the Spark, but on different channels? I guess interference may be the issue, but I have multiple wifi routers in my house all operating on different frequencies, and the links are reliable.

I discovered last weekend that my Huawei MediaPad M2 10" tablet supports dual band wifi (2.4/5GHz), and having set one of my routers to 5GHz it connected with no problems - but it can't see the 5.8GHz band. Is the remote capable of supporting 5GHz s well as 5.8GHz. If so, that might offer a practical way forward for CE users, as there seem to be quite a few Android devices intended for the CE market that support 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Alan
2018-1-2
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