Crash prevention...

[OverheadAerial]

I'll try to keep this simple. Wifi interference can come from a number of sources. Residential internet routers, commercial buildings (some have a wifi protection band set up to prevent hacking) even as simple as a GoPro wifi remote control can disrupt your flight. Think of it this way - if you're flying and you encounter a wifi frequency close to your transmitter frequency, which ever source is closer your Phantom is going to react to it. IE: Turn on GoPro wifi then TRY to fly - you'll see (not always but in most cases) it fly erractically. Here's a test I did weeks ago using wireless mics at a festival - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvNUzi5 ... VSNdmm127A

Thank you for the explanation but it creates another question. WiFi is everywhere, in fact here in Augusta there is a public WiFi downtown. Is there anything we can do to counteract this issue?

 

[helishmeli]

You might be more cautious flying over water when water is calm because surface can reflect yours and any other nearby wifi causing loss of stabilty. We see it often when flying over frozen lakes in winter or over "glass like" lakes.

I'll try to keep this simple. Wifi interference can come from a number of sources. Residential internet routers, commercial buildings (some have a wifi protection band set up to prevent hacking) even as simple as a GoPro wifi remote control can disrupt your flight. Think of it this way - if you're flying and you encounter a wifi frequency close to your transmitter frequency, which ever source is closer your Phantom is going to react to it. IE: Turn on GoPro wifi then TRY to fly - you'll see (not always but in most cases) it fly erractically. Here's a test I did weeks ago using wireless mics at a festival - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvNUzi5 ... VSNdmm127A

Thank you for this ELI5 explanation! I did not know that wifi can be reflected over calm water. Regardless, I am assuming that this is still better than flying over a residential neighborhood with a bunch of wifi?

You got some balls to do that RF interference test in the video, I hope your quad was okay. So if my P2 has wifi interference, will I get a warning or is it guaranteed to drop like it did in the video? Like maybe see it twitch on my monitor. Should I just turn off my controller if I notice wifi interference and let it do RTH, or do you recommend something else?

Edit: Also agree with user OverheadAerial's question. For crying out loud if I have wifi interference over the ocean, where do I fly to get away from wifi? I mean what else is there to do? Do I go to the middle of Yosemite to get away from interference?

...Nope, someone will probably be around with a hotspot enabled on their phone.

 

[EMCSQUAR]

RE: RF interference warning - your only warning is it flies erratic and gets progressively worse- doesn't want to hover in place, acts unstable, etc. It acts like a compass way out of calibration is best way to describe it. Best thing to do when you see unstable flight is pull it back towards you. I've switched to a Futaba Tx and Rxs on most of mine - did it for range but found it tends to reject RF in areas I've encountered issues with stock Tx. I'm also under the understanding that DJI is addressing RF issues in software updates as the #s of wifi issues/fly aways seems to be less with newer Phantoms.

Re: Flying over oceans and large bodies of water - usually isn't a problem. It's the calm water or (in our part of the world) ice acts like a mirror. Last winter I flew over a hockey rink and it was like putting two magnets together - the closer I got to above it the more erratic it became.

Re: my quad/RF test - That was done w/my Kongcopter 450 - it survived that easily (it's a brute) I'm just trying to make folks aware that wifi is all over & not just in residential areas. ( for those who dare experience this - turn the wifi on your GoPro and then try to hover for a few minutes roughly 30+ feet out in front of you - not high and over a soft landing area).

 

[helishmeli]

RE: RF interference warning - your only warning is it flies erratic and gets progressively worse- doesn't want to hover in place, acts unstable, etc. It acts like a compass way out of calibration is best way to describe it. Best thing to do when you see unstable flight is pull it back towards you. I've switched to a Futaba Tx and Rxs on most of mine - did it for range but found it tends to reject RF in areas I've encountered issues with stock Tx. I'm also under the understanding that DJI is addressing RF issues in software updates as the #s of wifi issues/fly aways seems to be less with newer Phantoms.

Re: Flying over oceans and large bodies of water - usually isn't a problem. It's the calm water or (in our part of the world) ice acts like a mirror. Last winter I flew over a hockey rink and it was like putting two magnets together - the closer I got to above it the more erratic it became.

Re: my quad/RF test - That was done w/my Kongcopter 450 - it survived that easily (it's a brute) I'm just trying to make folks aware that wifi is all over & not just in residential areas. ( for those who dare experience this - turn the wifi on your GoPro and then try to hover for a few minutes roughly 30+ feet out in front of you - not high and over a soft landing area).

RE: RF interference warning - So I have been thinking about switching controllers. What do you mean when you say the futaba rejects RF in areas you have encountered issues with stock Tx? Do you mean it blocks interference or just doesn't connect altogether? I see everyone has Futaba but I am curious if Spektrum would be worst. (I like Spektrum)

Re: my quad/RF test - I always wanted to turn on the gopro wifi during flight because I would love to control the shutter button, but I have been too scared. You say to try this 30 feet in the air. If the RF interference does anything like what happened in your video, then I can't do that. If you're saying it will probably just act erratically, then maybe I should try it so I know what to look for.

I really appreciate all your answers, as well as the organization of answers. I know I am all over the place with questions, sorry! (I just got into this Hobby in June)

 

[IrishSights]

In the UK it has to be unaided line of sight according to the regs. A bright strobe on the craft may aid getting it back in your 'eye' if you take your eye off it for sec and lose it. However i never got a strobe bright enough and I have even tried proper Zenon strobes!

Never thought of a strobe, sounds pretty cool though I'll have to check it out.

So long range fpv is not popular in the UK then, eh? That really would be a bummer for me, one of the things that sold me on getting into quads was long range stuff. An by long range, I mean relative to that of multirotors. Fixed wings take long range to a while new level at 3+ hours of flight.

Long range FPV is not that popular and against the Air Navigation Order 2009. However that has not stopped people doing it. There are a few UK'ers on the forum here that have done many multi km runs, I'm not sure if its their passion or they were just seeing how far it can go. You never know, one might chime in here

 

[Wedeliver]

i would have wanted to see some info from that rf test. like how the gps was working, how many sats etc. couldnt you do the test without flying so it would be safer? wondering also if the alum foil mod would help with this issue. when i hear that the wifi reflects from,say ice, i am not sure why that is a problem. the receiver in the craft either gets a good signal or what? is binding interrupted, does it start to go into failsafe mode? from experience i can say that water can block a wifi signal. for instance trees that a signal would usually go through gets blocked when rain covers the trees leaves.

 

[helishmeli]

i would have wanted to see some info from that rf test. like how the gps was working, how many sats etc. couldnt you do the test without flying so it would be safer? wondering also if the alum foil mod would help with this issue. when i hear that the wifi reflects from,say ice, i am not sure why that is a problem. the receiver in the craft either gets a good signal or what? is binding interrupted, does it start to go into failsafe mode? from experience i can say that water can block a wifi signal. for instance trees that a signal would usually go through gets blocked when rain covers the trees leaves.

whats the aluminum foil mod?

 

[OI Photography]

whats the aluminum foil mod?

Aluminum tape works best. It helps a bit with initial lock time for sats, and can also help keep you from dropping below 6 sats in areas with spotty GPS reception (not always, but in some cases)

 

[OverheadAerial]

Thank you all for the great responses!