Hi Mini 2 experts,

I got my Mini 2 about 3 weeks ago and took it for flying several times (which is what most of you do here I guess). What I found not normal is the following:
I had a flight on the countryside with a few (2-3) houses around 50-100m where I took off. I headed with the Mini towards a little lake which was ca. 150m away in a height of 60-80m. Suddenly the signal bars went orange and for a few seconds I had no connection. The Mini 2 returned towards me and I could take the control again.
Today I took off in the city. Distance ca. 2-15m (varied as I flew back and forth a little) and I just went up to ca. 30-35m. At around that height I received a warning on the flightapp that the signal quality degraded. I was able to bring it back to 10m height and it was ok.
Has anyone here experienced such a behaviour? I expected at least a few hundred meters of perfect signal quality. Any advise?

Thanks,
Gunter  

Not sure if yours is defective, but my #1 tip when flying over obstacles like houses or trees is, make sure there's plenty of distance between where your standing and the first obstacle.  For example if you're in an open field and there's a tree 50 ft in front of you, you might get a worse signal, than flying over a forest that starts 500 ft away.

trader6777 Posted at 11-25 05:19
Not sure if yours is defective, but my #1 tip when flying over obstacles like houses or trees is, make sure there's plenty of distance between where your standing and the first obstacle.  For example if you're in an open field and there's a tree 50 ft in front of you, you might get a worse signal, than flying over a forest that starts 500 ft away.

Thanks, good tip for sure. I'll keep it in mind. However, that wasn't the case for me.

Hi, -Gunter-. We're sorry reading about your experience. The signal between the aircraft and the remote controller is most reliable when the antennas are positioned in relation to the aircraft (please refer to the attached image below). If you have not yet used this method, it is highly advised to use it to have an optimal transmission. We suggest also trying it on a different spot and make sure that everything, both the firmware and the DJI Fly, is up to date. Hope this information helps and should the same result applies, please let us know.

DJI Gamora Posted at 11-25 05:43
Hi, -Gunter-. We're sorry reading about your experience. The signal between the aircraft and the remote controller is most reliable when the antennas are positioned in relation to the aircraft (please refer to the attached image below). If you have not yet used this method, it is highly advised to use it to have an optimal transmission. We suggest also trying it on a different spot and make sure that everything, both the firmware and the DJI Fly, is up to date. Hope this information helps and should the same result applies, please let us know. [view_image]

Perfect, I'll give it one more try in the next days. Of course I'm not pointing it precisely at the Mini 2 (if it's hovering above me I can't  see my phone screen then :-)). Anyway, thanks and I'll test it out.
Ah.. one more thing that comes into my mind: Could it be my mobile phone? I always have the WLAN activated. So can this create interferences?

-Gunter- Posted at 11-25 05:49
Perfect, I'll give it one more try in the next days. Of course I'm not pointing it precisely at the Mini 2 (if it's hovering above me I can't  see my phone screen then :-)). Anyway, thanks and I'll test it out.
Ah.. one more thing that comes into my mind: Could it be my mobile phone? I always have the WLAN activated. So can this create interferences?

I usually put my mobile device in airplane mode while flying.  

-Gunter- Posted at 11-25 05:49
Perfect, I'll give it one more try in the next days. Of course I'm not pointing it precisely at the Mini 2 (if it's hovering above me I can't  see my phone screen then :-)). Anyway, thanks and I'll test it out.
Ah.. one more thing that comes into my mind: Could it be my mobile phone? I always have the WLAN activated. So can this create interferences?

WLAN on ? Airplane mode and bluetooth off is the best option. Still weird, I thought Occosync was so amazing, mmhh.

So after I wrote above lines I tested it out... I live in a tower building with loads of steel and concrete. So I put the Mini 2 on the floor and left the apartment (and closed the steel entrance door). I had the WLAN turned off (bluetooth on, good one, thanks @jonny007 will turn it in airplane mode next time!). Walked down the corridor and controlled the gimbal. At a certain point (ca. 30m from home in the corridor) connection got bad. I would assume this is normal but I can't judge. Repeated it.
Then, I did the same test with WLAN on my mobile on (no connection, so I guess the phone was scanning for SSIDs). And: At half the range or less sometimes(!) I got a complete disconnect. With a reconnect after ca. 2 or 3 seconds. This was reproducible. I tested it in two corridor directions. So the thing is it seems to happen when my phone and the remote hit the same band. I suppose the remote then switches over and the connection is back. This is all a bit of guessing here but the influence can't be neglected.

I should say that the remote only operates on 2.4 Ghz band - seems this country version didn't get the 5 GHz as a second option (while my phone has...).
Will test it tomorrow outside again flying with airplane mode.

Make sure you point the antenna directly at the drone at all times during flgiht and that none of the obstacles block the signal between the RC and AC. Also shut down all other apps running in the back ground on your phone. If using an older phone it is also best to switch off the video cache in the app and also ensure both bluetooth and WiFi are disabled.

Is your fly app upto date 1.2.1? I've had connection issues that were from a bad usb connection, if you can try using a different cable and see if things improve at all.

ABeardedItalian Posted at 11-25 09:20
Is your fly app upto date 1.2.1? I've had connection issues that were from a bad usb connection, if you can try using a different cable and see if things improve at all.

Yes, it is. All is up to date. I blame it for the moment on my mobile phone and think the above hint to send the phone to "flight mode" is the best one.
Pointing the antenna towards the drone as writte a couple of times by other experts is understood as well. However, this should be a topic for distances more than 30-50m

As long  as you have line of sight with the drone and you are pointing the antenna towards where it's supposed to be you can fly pretty far even with the CE controller in urban areas.

Remember to configure the return home altitud high enough to avoid it hitting anything and as soon as you lose rc or video signal press the button and wait for it to return close enough to regain control.

With CE controller in a radious of 2Km with direct line of sight flies pretty well, from 2Km to 3Km you can fly... but only with 2-3 bars or so. I'd never go further than 3Km or so, 4Km seems to be the point of no return for this drone, due to the battery duration.

Allways return home before emptyinig the green part of the cirle and you'll be safe.

To understand about the radiation pattern of the antenna...


Consider that there are two vertically directed dipoles in the upper part of the console. By the way,
I wonder why DJI didn't make one vertically directed, and the other horizontally, but judging by the logic of the other consoles, there was essentially one antenna working there....

For the MM2 remote, Yagi antennas have already been made, buy them and you will see more clearly where to direct the remote, plus the gain will increase slightly.

Either you have some extreme interference in that zone, or you have a problem with the drone/remote. Those are Mini1 problems, not 2's
I can fly M2 in some very busy zones for more than 500m without pointing the remote, without plane mode and stuff like this with 0 problems. Perfect connection.

Cap0ne Posted at 11-26 01:19
Either you have some extreme interference in that zone, or you have a problem with the drone/remote. Those are Mini1 problems, not 2's
I can fly M2 in some very busy zones for more than 500m without pointing the remote, without plane mode and stuff like this with 0 problems. Perfect connection.

That's what I would expect, too! I wouldn't complain if it's 300-500m. But with 30-50m... Anyway, I'll be heading out now to test the same spot with Airplane mode "ON" for my phone.

-Gunter- Posted at 11-26 03:05
That's what I would expect, too! I wouldn't complain if it's 300-500m. But with 30-50m... Anyway, I'll be heading out now to test the same spot with Airplane mode "ON" for my phone.

Better in the morning, in daylight...

Alevpi Posted at 11-26 03:25
Better in the morning, in daylight...

Haha, good one! Yes - but your warning came too late I went out and flew it at the same place where I had troubles yesterday and this time with "Flight mode" on my phone. It was maybe a bit better but not reliable and I had disconnects after 60m height (distance 0-10m). There was a large, empty building behind me which is under construction ca. 100m high and nothing that blocked the line of sight of my Mini 2 and the remote. I pointed it as good as I could towards the Mini 2.

I then went to another place where I had no disconnects (still many buildings) and flew it at a height of 60m to a distance of ca. 200-250m (I was afraid to fly further at night). There signal was full or one bar less.

I'll give it a try on the weekend on a plain field and see how it goes. But confidence in reliability is gone.

I have disconnection problems, according to the Manual, it must reach 3 km in the City with a lot of interference.  Take to test the drone to the beach without obstacles and the range of the droe in 800M disconnects and you lose control of the aircraft

djiuser_qvmHNVLvoAeD Posted at 11-29 21:37
[view_image]

I have disconnection problems, according to the Manual, it must reach 3 km in the City with a lot of interference.  Take to test the drone to the beach without obstacles and the range of the droe in 800M disconnects and you lose control of the aircraft

Thanks for the feedback. I get weak signal outside of the city at around 400-600 meter so I get nowhere close to 3km *inside*. Inside it's happening at 50m already.

Airplane mode on the phone (very important), auto settings in the bandwidth options in DJi Fly, visual line of sight with the drone (no obstacles), and point the controller towards the drone.

I fly in Europe (CE mode) and in short ranges (200-300m) I don't even have to point the controller or have direct line of sight.

My max range over a populated area is about 3Km... but on another occasion I lost signal for about 10 seconds when flying near a big antenna. Allways set the return home altitude according to where you are going to flight, I'ts a life savior feature XD

I don't have a compass on the phone, so unfortunatelly I can't use drone-controller orientation feature so i just guess it's position based o n the map when flying long distances and have no problem working at 1-2.5Km distances.

PS: There's a bug that happens sometimes when you lose video connection even at close range, but you maintain RC control, so the auto return home doesn't trigger automatically. Happened me once but never happened again.

Hi there,

just wanted to post an update to the connectivity issues. After I got pretty frustrated, I've sent the Mini 2 to the Japan support center. They checked it and found no problems. I couldn't believe it so, I asked them to give me a new remote control as I suspected the defect there. They did so and sent the drone back to me. I paid nothing.

When I received it back I actually found the source of the the problem: The USB-C port of my Android mobile phone was gradually giving up the ghost! When I plugged it in to the controller, finally the app wasn't recognizing any connection. The same was true for any other USB connection to my mobile. Well, a good reason to purchase a new smartphone (Christmas is coming).

I used the second smartphone of my wife (thanks!) and it works very nice from now on! No connectivity issues. I must say DJI's support (in Japan) was very kind and quick. Maybe this can go into the checklist - it's not always the drone or controller that causes connectivity errors.

This has also happened to me while the mini 2 is a few meters away, only for a few seconds but it's happened 3 times all in different locations. I'm gonna re install the app see if that works but NOT HAPPY, since it says the controller isn't disconnected so I'm not hopeful that the app reinstall will fix anything.

I am also having this same problem. I have updated the firmware to the latest version and for the last 4 flights (different locations) the RC and the Mavic Mini 2 lost complete connection only a few meters high in the air in front of me.  The controller antenna is facing directly at the drone for optimal connection as the drone is still very closeby.  The drone will begin RTH sequence and then regain connection, once connected again it does not have any further problems during the flight. Although it regains connection this is very concerning and I am always worried there will be problems on each flight. Any suggestions? It is hard to enjoy the full drone experience with fear of losing connection.

gmoses Posted at 5-24 05:10
I am also having this same problem. I have updated the firmware to the latest version and for the last 4 flights (different locations) the RC and the Mavic Mini 2 lost complete connection only a few meters high in the air in front of me.  The controller antenna is facing directly at the drone for optimal connection as the drone is still very closeby.  The drone will begin RTH sequence and then regain connection, once connected again it does not have any further problems during the flight. Although it regains connection this is very concerning and I am always worried there will be problems on each flight. Any suggestions? It is hard to enjoy the full drone experience with fear of losing connection.

This is happening on mine and it's making me very nervous about flying. I've not figured out what the issue is..

I have this same problem, fly straight up to about 50m with clear line of sight and remote pointing directly at drone, signal gets lost for around 3 seconds and then returns. It randomly started doing this about 2 weeks ago, I have flown it around 30 times in this same location and never had this issue, it now happens every flight.

I am using an iPhone, as far as I tell some others with the same problem are using other phones so I don’t think it is due to the phone.

Edit: I have just checked all my flight logs and noticed this started happening on 24 May 2021, it looks like another user reported having this issue and it was posted in that exact day, does anyone know if any updates went out around the 24?

gmoses Posted at 5-24 05:10
I am also having this same problem. I have updated the firmware to the latest version and for the last 4 flights (different locations) the RC and the Mavic Mini 2 lost complete connection only a few meters high in the air in front of me.  The controller antenna is facing directly at the drone for optimal connection as the drone is still very closeby.  The drone will begin RTH sequence and then regain connection, once connected again it does not have any further problems during the flight. Although it regains connection this is very concerning and I am always worried there will be problems on each flight. Any suggestions? It is hard to enjoy the full drone experience with fear of losing connection.

Did you ever sort your issue out, I have the same issue and just noticed my issue started happening on the 24th of May, the same day you posted about your issue.

I have the same issue!  This started happening around June 5th. Thankfully I was in a wide open spot in La Jolla. I had flown there before with no problem. But this time, every time I started recording video, it lost connection. Return home orients the drone and it flies straight back to me… does not go to the altitude for RTH.

I’ve spoken to customer service multiple times, gotten the run around. I’ve updated firmware. I’m not in a no-fly zone. No metal. I fly in Hermosa Beach in a wide open area. Previously no issues, but now it FAILS every time. It’s SO FRUSTRATING!!! I am using an iPhone 8.  Help!

djiuser_tyf6XiZqevm3 Posted at 7-21 21:36
I have the same issue!  This started happening around June 5th. Thankfully I was in a wide open spot in La Jolla. I had flown there before with no problem. But this time, every time I started recording video, it lost connection. Return home orients the drone and it flies straight back to me… does not go to the altitude for RTH.

I’ve spoken to customer service multiple times, gotten the run around. I’ve updated firmware. I’m not in a no-fly zone. No metal. I fly in Hermosa Beach in a wide open area. Previously no issues, but now it FAILS every time. It’s SO FRUSTRATING!!! I am using an iPhone 8.  Help!

Please refresh firmware of said drone to an earlier version and also uninstall said DJI Fly app version 1.4.8 and instead install 1.4.2 version for a better, far more stable flight experience.

I have also had this issue arise recently on my Mini 2. I seem to always lose connection within 60 seconds of takeoff. I now make sure to always give it plenty of room if/when it decides to RTH. It’s a consistent problem that occurs every flight, but only seems to occur once at the beginning of the flight and then performs normally for the duration. I’ll probably switch back to the prior firmware but am unsure how to accomplish this.

I have exactly same problem as described above! What should we do?

I'm having the same problem and it started around the beginning of June. The RTH created a crash which sent my Drone back to DJI for repairs as I was under a canopy of trees when it happened. Fortunately DJI fixed it for free with the Refresh program, but now it's doing it again. Exact same thing, happens ONCE within the first minute of flight, loses connection. Starts the RTH then connects again. The problem is you can only film in wide open places and it really shakes your confidence in the drone. I will no long fly over water which is a shame as those are some of the most dramatic shots. Because several people have noted this started happening around June 1 I'd like to know when the latest 1.4.8 software came out. It sure seems software related.   DJI care to weigh in on this please?

Does going to Airplane mode on iPhone solve it?
Is it something with the iPhone software or does it do it on Android phones as well?
How about turning off Bluetooth?

QUESTION: How do I uninstall 1.4.8 and reinstall 1.4.2?   Is 1.4.2 available on the DJI site?

Thanks so much in advance everyone. This has really put a damper on using the Mini 2. I'm already looking at selling my Drone and getting a Skydio.

djiuser_felrXUDkCTIz Posted at 8-4 06:32
I'm having the same problem and it started around the beginning of June. The RTH created a crash which sent my Drone back to DJI for repairs as I was under a canopy of trees when it happened. Fortunately DJI fixed it for free with the Refresh program, but now it's doing it again. Exact same thing, happens ONCE within the first minute of flight, loses connection. Starts the RTH then connects again. The problem is you can only film in wide open places and it really shakes your confidence in the drone. I will no long fly over water which is a shame as those are some of the most dramatic shots. Because several people have noted this started happening around June 1 I'd like to know when the latest 1.4.8 software came out. It sure seems software related.   DJI care to weigh in on this please?

Does going to Airplane mode on iPhone solve it?

You could for now set RTH to just hover if your close by, just an option till you get this rectified.

Its really strange how this effects some and not others

https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/dji-technology-co-ltd/

Go to apps and uninstall it, you could then remove the DJI folder too so there is nothing to mess with a new install.

Bashy Posted at 8-4 19:44
You could for now set RTH to just hover if your close by, just an option till you get this rectified.

Its really strange how this effects some and not others

Today: Deleted DJI Fly app and files from my phone (iPhone 12 Pro Max) Put phone in airplane mode

Flew in wide open area. 1st flight 3 min no problem. After landing I powered down the Drone, powered up. Waited for GPS signal, profiles show 21 satellites. Flew for about 1 minute and controller self initialed an RTH without an error signal. I cancelled and laded safely myself. Powered down. Powered up, waited for Satellites, showing 21. Hovered for 2 minutes A-OK. Then flew and was 4.4 m off the ground 15m away and got a "weak signal antenna" which initiated an RTH. I was able to cancel and landed safely manually. Powered down. Changed batteries. Powered up, waited for satellites, 24 found. flew. 1:04 into flight got an "Ascending to Home" warning which was an RTH for no reason. Over rode and laded safely. Did NOT power down. Take off and made 4 successful flight.

Recap. RTH is initiated by "weak antenna", or "loss of RC signal" or for no reason at all. In all cases I was able to override RTH and land safely. Once over ridden the drone will be fine UNTIL you power down or change batteries. For me this really limits the use of the drone. I can initially ONLY fly in a wide open space and probably set my RTH height to 50 meters.


I called DJI support and they said I could send back but I'm concerned I won't get it back in time for a trip I'm leaving on 8-29-21.  Does anyone have any other ideas before I send back to DJI? I also asked them about trading the Mini 2 in for a Mavic 2S but they said they no longer offer an upgrade path. Oh well...

Thanks,

MM

Looks like ya need to send it back, dont wait, you should get it back in time all being well

Last thing to try is a refresh of the firmware in the controller though, ya not done that yet, i think ya do it through DJI Assistant

I'm having the same issue here. About 30 seconds after take-off drone loses connection with the controller and starts auto RTH. The distance between the drone and me is around 10 meters, no obstacles around, just open space.

It never happened before, started only in last 2 weeks. I'm not sure if this matters, but I was flying in spring, summer and autumn without any problems. But now temperature drops to around 0 degrees Celsius. Did anyone experienced something like this in cold weather?

Same problem here. A few minutes after take off I get "Aircraft not connected to RC" fault and the drone will start RTH. In all incidents the drone was in a direct line of sight and less than 100m distance, the fault will go away after a few seconds and I can stop the RTH.

My confidence in the drone is gone, I don't feel safe flying it in close proximity to people. It started doing this after I updated the firmware in November 2021.

Dear All ,
I think this is common issue for all of us having DJI mini 2 . I have same issue of loosing signal for no valid reason . I tried all means as I am flying drones since very long time and aware of technical part of it . It gives an error code 80003 and message ‘ adjust your antenna’ which you can never do . Adjustment  of antenna is just not possible !
I stopped using this unreliable model and waiting if any solution DJI comes up with . I think this is a hardware issue and can’t be solved with software .
I suggest all of you write to DJI and also put negative feedback on the product link so that DJI authority notices this issue and takes appropriate step , if not then it’s just a junk for all of us . This model can not be trusted and can not be used by professional like us as in between the shoot it looses signal suddenly and we miss the recording and it is dangerous when you are capturing a live program.
Any one gets any solution kindly post here .

Bashy Posted at 2021-8-4 19:44
You could for now set RTH to just hover if your close by, just an option till you get this rectified.

Its really strange how this effects some and not others

does this work ? any one tested and succeeded ?  

Hi all
I have the same problem also. With the drone just a few meters away I now and then loose connection. No external interferrance (it's at the countryside with just some small houses around) and YES, I'm pointing the remote towards the drone. And YES, in VLOS. When the connection is lost I quite often also get a "GPS weak" warning. This confuses me even more. I have a good lock on 27-28 satelites and flying in an open area without any trees or buildnings around. How can the GPS signals then suddenly drop? And why does it happened at the same time as i loose the connection to the remote? The connection to the remote should not have anything to do with the gps signals, or?