My Mavic Mini lost connection last week during a morning flight at a hotel where I was staying and forced itself into autolanding over open water. At the same time I started seeing sensor errors properly caused by a rapid drop in GPS satellites.  My mini was purchased in EU, but I was flying in the US so broadcasting power should be better (App informed me that the connection has to changed based on location)

This thread is a heads up checking if others are seeing similar issues? This is not to bash the Mini for the record, and I hope I'm having a faulty unit.  

I screen recorded the whole thing in the video below, so you can see what I saw when it happened. And there are already indications this might have been linked to the location and the hotel wifi, but I did try it on another location later, and I kept losing connection at 150-300m, so not as bad as the first experience.  

scary! lucky the drone detected that the area is not suitable for landing, and you manged to land properly after all the prompts.

Have you looked at the logs to see if you can get any more details - https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/upload

Hi Henrik, we are sorry to hear about the difficulties that you encountered, could you please provide the below information for better assistance?
1. What is your firmware version and the APP version?
2. The serial number of your drone.
3. Flight logs under DJI Assistant 2 for Mavic (https://www.dji.com/mavic-mini/downloads) -- Log Export--Save to local. Please upload to Google Drive or Dropbox and then post the link here.
We'll forward it to the related team for a check, thank you in advance.

This is not the first post about it....

So you are not alone.

Need to do more testing.  First tests, out in country, well away from sources of WiFi.  Then tests in areas where there is some WiFi, but not as much as in hotel area.

Milo Van Posted at 11-24 22:59
scary! lucky the drone detected that the area is not suitable for landing, and you manged to land properly after all the prompts.

yes, that was a scary experience

DAFlys Posted at 11-24 23:54
Have you looked at the logs to see if you can get any more details - https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/upload

not, yet but I will do that

DJI Natalia Posted at 11-25 01:10
Hi Henrik, we are sorry to hear about the difficulties that you encountered, could you please provide the below information for better assistance?
1. What is your firmware version and the APP version?
2. The serial number of your drone.

Let me do that later tonight

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 11-25 01:51
Need to do more testing.  First tests, out in country, well away from sources of WiFi.  Then tests in areas where there is some WiFi, but not as much as in hotel area.

yes, it still has issues with connectivity in remote areas but not as bad.

Montfrooij Posted at 11-25 01:10
So you are not alone.

good to know, thanks

Uh?  what a bad experience Henrik!...

Did DJI change their mind about ATTI flying?  Too little satellites normally directs drone into ATTI, now into autolanding??

Both unwanted actions can be dangerous....a uncontrollabe ATTI drone (depends on operator ofcourse) or an autolanding drone above water/motorway/houses/etc?

See how DJI reacts on this.

cheers
JJB

Disney world or Disneyland? Hope you had a nice stay at least.

Were you trying to fly in 2.4ghz, this is not available in the US , you must be in 5.8ghz.
The reason it went to landing mode is because you were within 20 m of homepoint this is correct procedure .
You say you hope it’s not normal, but you must know that it’s not normal if it was we would know about it and drones would be dropping everywhere.
You used it in Europe how was it there, is the common denominator that you were trying it in the US, more information needed .

hallmark007 Posted at 11-25 02:35
Were you trying to fly in 2.4ghz, this is not available in the US , you must be in 5.8ghz.
The reason it went to landing mode is because you were within 20 m of homepoint this is correct procedure .
You say you hope it’s not normal, but you must know that it’s not normal if it was we would know about it and drones would be dropping everywhere.

Yeah, you are absolutely right about that 20 meters, loosing contact is autolanding.

But a question; a  CE model can transmit on 2.4 and 5.8. (and selectable in the app)
When i bring this CE model into the USA, the RC can still transmit on both freqs or??
Or will the sofware disable the use of 2.4 as you said?  How ?

As the CE combi RC and Drone can transmit on 2 freq bands, does not matter where i am at this globe....still the same CE combi, even at Mars  ;-)

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 11-25 03:02
Yeah, you are absolutely right about that 20 meters, loosing contact is autolanding.

But a question; a  CE model can transmit on 2.4 and 5.8. (and selectable in the app)

I’m not certain this drone is compatible with different regions yet, I thought I read here from dji Mindy last week that EU mini was not compatible with other regions yet, so I’m wondering if this needs a FW update, there is also a guy here who has FCC model in Romania but is not able to use it and his CE in 2.4 and 5.8 signal is much reduced. Or 5.8 not sure he isn't specific
Can’t find mindys post but this post similar problems.

As far as I remember Dji Mindy confirmed that the FCC model will have reduced 5.8GHz power in a CE country, but the CE version will not have increased power in a FCC one. And since the FCC mini does not have the 2.4GHz, it is supposed to become quite restricted in a CE zone.  

I mean yes it is scary, many things come to mind, first satelite signal seems weak, I dont feel confortable unless it picks up 11 satelites or more... the wifi signal in the Hotel was probably quite high too.

But one thing I see cler is that 1m above the water, is clearly indicated in the manual as not advisable. The down sensors can get wrong data while flying to close to the floor and moving fast, over certain patterns too or monochrome, so suming low GPS + 1m above water seems risky. If the down sensor thinks its flying higher you could easily dive the drone in the water.

Also the Manual says if any RTH starts when you are within 20m of the aircraft, it will land automatically.

Henrik Olsen Posted at 11-25 02:28
good to know, thanks

Hope that DJI will do whatever they can to prevent this behaviour!

Henrik Olsen Posted at 11-25 02:28
yes, it still has issues with connectivity in remote areas but not as bad.

In remote areas, I would not expect it to still have connectivity issues.

Perhaps your MM has problems, and needs to be checked out by DJI?
Loose or disconnected WiFi antenna inside MM would cause connectivity issues.

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 11-25 07:22
In remote areas, I would not expect it to still have connectivity issues.

Perhaps your MM has problems, and needs to be checked out by DJI?

When talking about safety, I just don't understand the need to limit the CE version of the Mini, resulting in frequent problems of non-connection and loss of signal.
the limitations are already given to us by local laws, we do not also need to have limited connection and stability by the manufacturer itself.
personally I never fly beyond the allowed distances, but in the past few days I have had signal leaks already at 50 meters high or 100-200 meters away, and this can't be acceptable, always talking about the safety of the flight itself
I do not think it is so useful to make European users risk their drones, because of a power between drone and rc is not sufficient enough to cover the distances  allowed for the flight in VLOS.

I hope in a better solution with firmware updates, to make sure that even the CE versions have stable connection, without loss of signal after a few hundred meters, making even their riders insecure at every flight.

gfab71 Posted at 11-25 08:41
When talking about safety, I just don't understand the need to limit the CE version of the Mini, resulting in frequent problems of non-connection and loss of signal.
the limitations are already given to us by local laws, we do not also need to have limited connection and stability by the manufacturer itself.
personally I never fly beyond the allowed distances, but in the past few days I have had signal leaks already at 50 meters high or 100-200 meters away, and this can't be acceptable, always talking about the safety of the flight itself

Very well said....

DJI Natalia Posted at 11-25 01:10
Hi Henrik, we are sorry to hear about the difficulties that you encountered, could you please provide the below information for better assistance?
1. What is your firmware version and the APP version?
2. The serial number of your drone.

1.

2. + App

3. https://www.dropbox.com/s/1pjuds ... 5_20-26-06.DAT?dl=0

BobB Posted at 11-25 02:34
Disney world or Disneyland? Hope you had a nice stay at least.

yes, the stay was nice. It was work, so not so much fun

hallmark007 Posted at 11-25 02:35
Were you trying to fly in 2.4ghz, this is not available in the US , you must be in 5.8ghz.
The reason it went to landing mode is because you were within 20 m of homepoint this is correct procedure .
You say you hope it’s not normal, but you must know that it’s not normal if it was we would know about it and drones would be dropping everywhere.

yes, you are right in regards to auto landing within 20min. This is definitely what happened.

I was so so in the EU, I lost connection at 80m in height at some point, but I would have expected this to better in the US, but now I learn there is a difference in the physical hardware.

Henrik Olsen Posted at 11-25 11:46
yes, the stay was nice. It was work, so not so much fun

I used to live in Anaheim,CA and was only 5 miles from Disneyland. Watched the fireworks every night if i wanted but they got boring lol Glad you didn't lose your Mini in the water! and taking one for the team using a CE in a FCC environment.

Bonjour, j’ai moi aussi des difficultés avec les pertes de connexions.
Il m’est arrivé de perdre la connexion vidéo et télécommande a 60 mètre de hauteur seulement et une dizaine de mètres de distance
J’ai vendu mon mavic pro pour acheter celui ci mais s’il ne va même pas à 100 mètre d’altitude sans perte il est réellement nul !
Sachent que je n’étais pas en ville donc loin des antennes qui peuvent créer des interférences.
Réellement triste et déçu j’ai perdu mon argent j’espère sincèrement qu’une mise à jour va venir régler ce problème

gfab71 Posted at 11-25 08:41
When talking about safety, I just don't understand the need to limit the CE version of the Mini, resulting in frequent problems of non-connection and loss of signal.
the limitations are already given to us by local laws, we do not also need to have limited connection and stability by the manufacturer itself.
personally I never fly beyond the allowed distances, but in the past few days I have had signal leaks already at 50 meters high or 100-200 meters away, and this can't be acceptable, always talking about the safety of the flight itself

CE sets standards for heath and safety.  There are different ideas on how much power and at what frequencies radio transmissions are dangerous to humans over given time.  Different countries, different agencies, different limits.

Another factor may also be at play.  Europe's version of U.S.'s FCC, may be limiting transmitted power to minimize interference with other nearby devices using same frequencies.  Population density, leading to device density, leading to chances of interference.  


At issue is picking frequencies for devices like drones to use that are globally accepted for public usage.  Different frequencies transmitter better over distances and through different types of materials.  There are trade offs.

JJB* Posted at 11-25 03:02
Yeah, you are absolutely right about that 20 meters, loosing contact is autolanding.

But a question; a  CE model can transmit on 2.4 and 5.8. (and selectable in the app)

It seems, you take your mini to The US you can use 5.8ghz only, but and here’s the thing you don’t have range of 4K fcc you have range of 500m so while I’m no radio specialist Im thinking CE could have different HW. Yes your craft will auto change to FCC but your limited to 5.8ghz and range of 500m.

Now that being said I have already clocked 1350m on 5.8ghz .

Henrik Olsen Posted at 11-25 11:44
1. [view_image]

2. [view_image] + App [view_image]

Hi Henrik, thank you for providing the information, it has been forwarded to the related team for analysis. If there is an update, we'll let you know. Appreciate your patience.

DJI Natalia Posted at 11-27 04:21
Hi Henrik, thank you for providing the information, it has been forwarded to the related team for analysis. If there is an update, we'll let you know. Appreciate your patience.

Based on the Mavic Mini lost connection issue I saw when I was in the US. I decided to repeat the test back in DK in an open area with no wifi interference.

Henrik Olsen Posted at 12-1 07:56
Based on the Mavic Mini lost connection issue I saw when I was in the US. I decided to repeat the test back in DK in an open area with no wifi interference.

https://youtu.be/qQwDqhOV7xs

The mini in the right environment will be so much better.
One of the things you didn’t seem to know was when flying a CE MM although your drone will change to FCC you will now be limited to 5.8ghz only and you will NOT get increased signal because you are in the US but you will still be limited to CE rule for 5.8ghz which is 500m in ideal locations.

I know that for other dji drones this is different but I’m afraid for MM you will always be limited to CE distance wherever you are in the world.

I think considering the windy conditions for a drone that weighs 249g it preformed pretty well , good job .

Henrik Olsen Posted at 11-25 11:44
1. [view_image]

2. [view_image] + App [view_image]

Hi Henrik, we confirmed with the related team, if the issue persists, you are recommended to send the drone in for a diagnosis.
Please start an online repair request on our official web and then send it back. Here is the link: https://repair.dji.com/repair/index?site=brandsite&from=nav
We will do our best to help this out.

DJI Natalia Posted at 12-4 19:29
Hi Henrik, we confirmed with the related team, if the issue persists, you are recommended to send the drone in for a diagnosis.
Please start an online repair request on our official web and then send it back. Here is the link: https://repair.dji.com/repair/index?site=brandsite&from=nav
We will do our best to help this out.

Thank you I will do that

I have had exactly the same issue that you have been facing. I have flown at around 60M High and less than 10M in distance and the RC Signal has been lost, the drone will initiate automatic landing. I have been flying in different locations (farm land, no nearby interference possible & urban parks).  PLEASE DJI investigate this as a priority, it makes flying UNSAFE!

Seems this is the CE version problem specifically?

BobB Posted at 12-5 02:32
Seems this is the CE version problem specifically?

it seems that way :-(

ItsJustMarky Posted at 12-5 03:10
it seems that way :-(

Hopefully this can be fixed by an update by firmware or application or both.

I had the same issue this morning, losing connecting multiple times in flight, only 25m high and 10m in distance, in a relativly open urban area. Yesterday i had no problems in closed urban areas flighing 60m high and 200+ meters far, but after the update last night i had the problems today and now im little scared to fly my drone high and far. I have a CE