I am going to be traveling to west Texas soon and want to know if I can fly my Mavic Pro drone using my iPad mini 4 without an active cell or internet connection.  I use my drone with the iPad mini 4 now at home with no probnlems.
If yes, how?  Can someone please exlain it step by step in non-techie lingo please along with any links that might be needed.  
I have reviewed other threads asking the same question and either it is not asnwered with 9yes) but enough information was given to know how to do it or uses some lingo I am not familiar with.
Thanks!

Hello and good day Dapectin. Welcome to DJI forum and thank you for the inquiry. You won’t need cell service, but I would recommend you check by WiFi before you fly that you are signed into the DJI Go 4 application. If you're not signed into the application you flight limitations will be curtailed. There are some things you'll miss, like maps and in the field self-authorization etc. Some of that may be regained via using a cell phone. Thank you.

There is a good chance you will not be able to fly with updated firmware and no internet access to unlock.  It seems that DJI will try to ruin every single flight with a NFZ or unlock authorization that will require a txt message and internet access on the iPad. I have had this experience many times before getting NLD mod.

Bob Brown Posted at 2-2 18:15
There is a good chance you will not be able to fly with updated firmware and no internet access to unlock.  It seems that DJI will try to ruin every single flight with a NFZ or unlock authorization that will require a txt message and internet access on the iPad. I have had this experience many times before getting NLD mod.

I'm getting ready to go with NLD mod myself, I'm getting real tired of waiting on DJI to reverse there latest update. I can't even start mine in my back yard which I was able to do before the last firmware update. Once the word gets out about this NFZ issue DJI will be losing a lot of customers.

Before leaving, check the places in West Texas you plan to fly your Mavic Pro at.   

Make sure areas are not NFZs and there will not be any temporary flight restrictions in place during those times.
Assuming areas have no drone flight restrictions and areas are not mistakenly flagged by DJI's software, then you do not need internet access to fly your Mavic Pro.  


Some of us have gotten to where we turn off all radio transmissions (BlueTooth, WiFi, Cellular) on our SmartDevices prior to heading out to fly.  Which also prevents the Pain-n-Rear last minute system software updates.

Short answer yes, long answer yesssssssssss

Hi Dapectin , If you know the locations that you plan to fly over, download the maps of the area to your iPad before leaving home, zoom in on and around all the locations to cache the maps and have fun

It’s pretty simple, you don’t ever need WiFi to fly, before leaving home if you think you may be at an area with no WiFi stay signed into app then check before you leave for updates, checkNFZ on maps from dji and you should be good to fly in all areas that are free from NFZ .

You never need WiFi to fly, you need WiFi for maps which no one uses or at least very few , but even updates can be postponed until your in WiFi area. You don’t need updates to fly just ignore them.

Yes you can fly without wifi or cell data. The maps can be examined and cached at home if desired for use when no wifi or cell available. As DJI Stephen points out make sure you have logged into your DJI account on the DJI Go 4 App' you are using when at home. All you need to do when on location is power all up and fly.
As some have said you would need to be aware if any authorisations needed, which would need a connection. If you have a cellphone  (with a data plan), you could set it up as a wifi hotspot if needed.

ok what does NLD mean, someone used that abbreviation above.  If I download an offline map using google maps onto my iPad mini 4 of the area I want to fly, does the remote control or drone need to be on and powered when I do this?  
I am going to Big Bend National Park, way out in the middle of nowhere.  
Once I download the map using google maps, is that all I need to do?
Someone said .
Why does Bob Brown say "There is a good chance you will not be able to fly with updated firmware and no internet access to unlock", and what does that mean?
Sorry, as I said, completely new guy here, I'm not a techie, and i don't know the lingo.  

Dapectin Posted at 2-3 06:30
ok what does NLD mean, someone used that abbreviation above.  If I download an offline map using google maps onto my iPad mini 4 of the area I want to fly, does the remote control or drone need to be on and powered when I do this?  
I am going to Big Bend National Park, way out in the middle of nowhere.  
Once I download the map using google maps, is that all I need to do?

NLD Mod is a hack you can get that will allow you fly in NFZ, but I don’t recommend as you may be flying illegally, Bob was also just being cynical, he’s obviously having some problems with NFZ’s.

If your flying in a National Park you may need to check if it’s a NFZ .

Dapectin Posted at 2-3 06:30
ok what does NLD mean, someone used that abbreviation above.  If I download an offline map using google maps onto my iPad mini 4 of the area I want to fly, does the remote control or drone need to be on and powered when I do this?  
I am going to Big Bend National Park, way out in the middle of nowhere.  
Once I download the map using google maps, is that all I need to do?

"Once I download the map using google maps, is that all I need to do?"

You don't need to use google for maps. There is an option in DJI Go 4 to 'cache map in the background'.
So when at home with wifi connection, open DJI Go 4 and tap on the map to take it to full screen, then drag map to area you plan to fly and zoom in and scan around. DJI Go 4 should preserve this data so when on location it uses this 'cached' map instead of needing to download fresh data.

Dapectin Posted at 2-3 06:30
ok what does NLD mean, someone used that abbreviation above.  If I download an offline map using google maps onto my iPad mini 4 of the area I want to fly, does the remote control or drone need to be on and powered when I do this?  
I am going to Big Bend National Park, way out in the middle of nowhere.  
Once I download the map using google maps, is that all I need to do?

You should be aware there is a ban on flying in National Parks in the USA.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/unm ... -national-parks.htm

No flying from National Parks.  Technically, you can fly over a park, just like an airplane can.  But you cannot take off, land, or control from within the park.

hallmark007 Posted at 2-3 08:06
NLD Mod is a hack you can get that will allow you fly in NFZ, but I don’t recommend as you may be flying illegally, Bob was also just being cynical, he’s obviously having some problems with NFZ’s.

If your flying in a National Park you may need to check if it’s a NFZ .

I am being realistic to my experience. My guess is that most that do not have issues do not live around or near an airport or NFZ. I live within a NFZ that should not be an NFZ at all.. class G airspace. I had to unlock constantly and finally got the 3 month unlock... that worked as long as I renewed it every 3 months and if I wanted to fly outside of that unlocked NFZ I had to disable it and unlock again. SO RIDICULOUS!  NLD is a mod that honestly made things work. To be clear, NLD does not remove consequences it just lets you be a grown up and make your own decisions. LOVE IT! --- Oh and Big Bend National Park/ any National Parks are a no fly. NLD will allow the flight but the consequences are fines, confiscation and possible jail time if you are caught.

Please report back after your trip.. curious if all these people that say you can fly without internet or cell service are correct. I hope for your sake they are right.

Good luck!

Bob Brown Posted at 2-4 07:31
I am being realistic to my experience. My guess is that most that do not have issues do not live around or near an airport or NFZ. I live within a NFZ that should not be an NFZ at all.. class G airspace. I had to unlock constantly and finally got the 3 month unlock... that worked as long as I renewed it every 3 months and if I wanted to fly outside of that unlocked NFZ I had to disable it and unlock again. SO RIDICULOUS!  NLD is a mod that honestly made things work. To be clear, NLD does not remove consequences it just lets you be a grown up and make your own decisions. LOVE IT! --- Oh and Big Bend National Park/ any National Parks are a no fly. NLD will allow the flight but the consequences are fines, confiscation and possible jail time if you are caught.

Please report back after your trip.. curious if all these people that say you can fly without internet or cell service are correct. I hope for your sake they are right.

" I hope for your sake they are right."

And what makes you think they are not right ? It has been pointed out that if authorisation is required then a data connection will be needed. Authorisation is easily checked by looking at DJIs flysafe maps. If no authorisation needed then no wifi or cell data needed.

All my flights are without wifi or cell data connection using an iPad pro 9.7.

Bob Brown Posted at 2-4 07:31
I am being realistic to my experience. My guess is that most that do not have issues do not live around or near an airport or NFZ. I live within a NFZ that should not be an NFZ at all.. class G airspace. I had to unlock constantly and finally got the 3 month unlock... that worked as long as I renewed it every 3 months and if I wanted to fly outside of that unlocked NFZ I had to disable it and unlock again. SO RIDICULOUS!  NLD is a mod that honestly made things work. To be clear, NLD does not remove consequences it just lets you be a grown up and make your own decisions. LOVE IT! --- Oh and Big Bend National Park/ any National Parks are a no fly. NLD will allow the flight but the consequences are fines, confiscation and possible jail time if you are caught.

Please report back after your trip.. curious if all these people that say you can fly without internet or cell service are correct. I hope for your sake they are right.

I sympathize with you and the problems your having, but you are wrong you don’t need Internet WiFi to fly any dji aircraft, that’s a fact and is also the answer to one of questions asked by OP.

hallmark007 Posted at 2-4 10:45
I sympathize with you and the problems your having, but you are wrong you don’t need Internet WiFi to fly any dji aircraft, that’s a fact and is also the answer to one of questions asked by OP.

You misunderstand. I no longer have unlock problems with my AC. It works perfectly now. I click cancel on the unlock nag and I fly. I would agree though that if not in a NFZ and no unlocks enabled prior you can fly without internet. Still in my experience this has not been the case since I live and fly within a NFZ. I had to have internet and a mobile device to fly. Period.

This conversation is moot since the OP sounds like he wants to fly in a National Park so he will not get to fly under DJI NFZ and FAA rules.

Aardvark Posted at 2-4 10:01
" I hope for your sake they are right."

And what makes you think they are not right ? It has been pointed out that if authorisation is required then a data connection will be needed. Authorisation is easily checked by looking at DJIs flysafe maps. If no authorisation needed then no wifi or cell data needed.

Agreed. My experience has been all NFZ related.
I did have an instance where I had the NFZ area unlocked and went outside the NFZ and tried to fly without internet. No fly / flight ruined because I forgot to bring my cell phone. So just be sure that if you do unlock in a NFZ and then go outside of it... you will need to authorize to fly again or can do it before you go.

Bob Brown Posted at 2-5 08:35
Agreed. My experience has been all NFZ related.
I did have an instance where I had the NFZ area unlocked and went outside the NFZ and tried to fly without internet. No fly / flight ruined because I forgot to bring my cell phone. So just be sure that if you do unlock in a NFZ and then go outside of it... you will need to authorize to fly again or can do it before you go.

"My experience has been all NFZ related."

It must've been difficult for you at times to fly. In U.K and particularly North Scotland there are few problems regarding airfield density. But certainly awareness of military activity, and flying to the CAA regulations can feel a bit prohibiting sometimes.

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 2-2 21:32
Before leaving, check the places in West Texas you plan to fly your Mavic Pro at.   

Make sure areas are not NFZs and there will not be any temporary flight restrictions in place during those times.

Perfect response from Hedge here. take his advise before leaving. To save yourself a lot of grief as you continue flying and using your drone, DO NOT update any firmware going forward. If your drone is flying good for you now. DO NOT update, even if it tells you to in the DJIgo app. Just ignore all flysafe updates and go4 updates turn off auto updates on your phone and leave everything alone if it is working. Have fun.

VIOLATION to fly within any National Park. See article for reference. Good Luck! https://medium.com/@askdroneu/what-are-the-rules-for-flying-your-drone-in-national-parks-and-national-forests-1d27554984ad

I fly everyday in a nfz, in my back yard, and also fly alot in open zones, I have never had to unlock the license to fly in an open zone, in fact, the blue zone I live in ends 100ft out from where I fly, and always fly from the blue zone into the open zone with out any warnings,Tim

DJI Stephen Posted at 2019-2-2 09:00
Hello and good day Dapectin. Welcome to DJI forum and thank you for the inquiry. You won’t need cell service, but I would recommend you check by WiFi before you fly that you are signed into the DJI Go 4 application. If you're not signed into the application you flight limitations will be curtailed. There are some things you'll miss, like maps and in the field self-authorization etc. Some of that may be regained via using a cell phone. Thank you.

Hi Stephen please please give me up to date accurate infirmation.   I have just recieved my new phone , a Samsung S21 Ultra.   Will it be compatable and safe to fly my Spark using the DJI Go4.   Many thanks

Kind regards
Ray