DJI Go App Waypoints feature

[Suhail78]

Just curious....

I see a lot of people talking about Litchi...but never anyone mentioning the DJI GO App way points feature......does it work well? Is there a reason people prefer Litchi over it? I've never used that feature in the DJI GO app, but i would probably play with that at some point......Can anyone who has used both compare and contrast?

 

[Dragonfly2016]

In GO you need to fly to the waypoint location to create it. In Litchi you can just tap where you want to fly

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[Suhail78]

In GO you need to fly to the waypoint location to create it. In Litchi you can just tap where you want to fly

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Oh wow, so in GO, i cant just set waypoints on the map, adjust altitude and speed, and then just send her off to complete the mission?? Interesting.


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[nhoover]

The one benefit I can think of in Go's waypoint mode is that there is a simple button to cancel a waypoint mission in progress. In Litchi, there isn't (since there is no call in the SDK to do that). Instead you change modes on the controller to cancel.

Overall, Litchi is far superior. There is even an auto-sync feature where you can design your mission in the Mission Hub and (if you're logged in to Litchi on your device and it has internet) it automatically syncs to your device. Then you just load and go. DJI must not be serious about this feature or surely they would've implemented more like Litchi did. DJI's is useless for me.

 

[John Locke]

The Litchi app is very powerful, way beyond what DJI provides, just to claim they have waypoint navigation. Autopilot is good too, but more difficult to understand and remember how to use. Litchi seems more intuitive.

Using the online Litchi MISSION HUB, their app provides you with ASL elevations for anywhere in the US, as well as doing the math to tell you how high you are in relation to your first waypoint. Others don't. This is very useful to plot your course, then later upload to your device, to execute later. Each waypoint lets you point the camera at a POI of any location or height. You can also download missions that others have created and then make your own changes and fly the similar mission yourself. Most of all, the Litchi mission can run 100% autonomous, beyond the range of your RC and continue the mission on it's own until it returns to radio range to view the video feed. This helps if you need to go behind a hill, around a tall building, or simply beyond the radio range of your RC. And since the P4 RC is the weakest Lightbridge radio DJI has manufacture to date (GL300C), the Litchi program comes in handy for missions that are more than a mile away. The accuracy is really good, however it takes a while to gain confidence. Avoiding power lines and other wire is key when flying low, you never want to fly a mission without scouting the entire route first if you plot a flight under 100' AGL.

 

[John Locke]

The one benefit I can think of in Go's waypoint mode is that there is a simple button to cancel a waypoint mission in progress. In Litchi, there isn't (since there is no call in the SDK to do that). Instead you change modes on the controller to cancel.

Just a note on this, I actually prefer using the mode switch to cancel or pause a Litchi mission, so I disagree the DJI method is a benefit.. This is because it's easy to confuse the pause button on the right hand side of the RC with the photo shoot button that sits right next to it. The mode switch is simply easier to find without looking at the RC, so I have grown to like the Litchi method better to cancel/pause the mission, it's easier IMO.

 

[Suhail78]

The Litchi app is very powerful, way beyond what DJI provides, just to claim they have waypoint navigation. Autopilot is good too, but more difficult to understand and remember how to use. Litchi seems more intuitive.

Using the online Litchi MISSION HUB, their app provides you with ASL elevations for anywhere in the US, as well as doing the math to tell you how high you are in relation to your first waypoint. Others don't. This is very useful to plot your course, then later upload to your device, to execute later. Each waypoint lets you point the camera at a POI of any location or height. You can also download missions that others have created and then make your own changes and fly the similar mission yourself. Most of all, the Litchi mission can run 100% autonomous, beyond the range of your RC and continue the mission on it's own until it returns to radio range to view the video feed. This helps if you need to go behind a hill, around a tall building, or simply beyond the radio range of your RC. And since the P4 RC is the weakest Lightbridge radio DJI has manufacture to date (GL300C), the Litchi program comes in handy for missions that are more than a mile away. The accuracy is really good, however it takes a while to gain confidence. Avoiding power lines and other wire is key when flying low, you never want to fly a mission without scouting the entire route first if you plot a flight under 100' AGL.

Wow, thank you for that explanation, you certainly must be an expert. This sounds like pretty advanced stuff, and i've only been flying for about a 8 days now. I think its probably going to take some time for me to get to that level, but the journey has begun. Thanks again for the information.

 

[nhoover]

Just a note on this, I actually prefer using the mode switch to cancel or pause a Litchi mission, so I disagree the DJI method is a benefit.. This is because it's easy to confuse the pause button on the right hand side of the RC with the photo shoot button that sits right next to it. The mode switch is simply easier to find without looking at the RC, so I have grown to like the Litchi method better to cancel/pause the mission, it's easier IMO.

I agree - I was just trying to find something positive to say about DJI's implementation and that was the only difference that I could possibly think was positive. In reality, no one would really use DJI's waypoint stuff for anything beyond a simple test, so it's moot.

 

[John Locke]

I agree - I was just trying to find something positive to say about DJI's implementation and that was the only difference that I could possibly think was positive. In reality, no one would really use DJI's waypoint stuff for anything beyond a simple test, so it's moot.

Yes, trying to find something good can be tricky. I sometimes I sound cynical about DJI because I criticize so much. They are actually an amazing manufacturer, and today I wouldn't consider any other brand, but software isn't one of their strong points. Funny thing is, their GO app is way ahead of the competition.

 

[brettinteriors]

I believe dji didn't include the same kind of way point mission ability because of liability. I can certainly understand. That being said I use litchi for way point mission and vr mode.

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[alokbhargava]

In short Litchi gives you a way to plan your waypoints offline and then fly. This way one can sit calmly and plan out detailed and complex missions.

DJI go waypoints is a primitive way to setup your simple and visible waypoints.


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[Larry56]

Using the online Litchi MISSION HUB, their app provides you with ASL elevations for anywhere in the US, as well as doing the math to tell you how high you are in relation to your first waypoint. Others don't.

John, Admittedly I don't use Mission Hub much (except to import AGL-calculated routes from Google Earth). In the little I've used MH, I've never seen any elevation information included or the relationships of waypoint elevations to the first waypoint you set. I've only seen the distances between waypoints displayed. Waypoint ASL or calculated AGL information based on home point would be a priceless feature. I could then avoid using Google Earth for this purpose. Can you please tell me how I get to these features in MH? Thanks.

 

[John Locke]

John, Admittedly I don't use Mission Hub much (except to import AGL-calculated routes from Google Earth). In the little I've used MH, I've never seen any elevation information included or the relationships of waypoint elevations to the first waypoint you set. I've only seen the distances between waypoints displayed. Waypoint ASL or calculated AGL information based on home point would be a priceless feature. I could then avoid using Google Earth for this purpose. Can you please tell me how I get to these features in MH? Thanks.

In the MISSION HUB, when you setup your route you will see this data, as shown below. When you click and drag each waypoint around you will these numbers change, assuming the ground isn't perfectly flat. It's very cool, one of the best features of Litchi.

 

[r62ewa]

I understand the liability side to offline waypoint mission planning and this may be DJI's reason for doing it the way they have. If you have to physically fly the mission to set up your waypoints than it is scouted and known to be safe to recreate autonomously. If you can just click on points on a map without due diligence to what is actually there than you can run into trouble. I fully agree Litchi is the way to go for waypoint missions but understand the liability of planning them this way also.

 

[Suhail78]

This has changed on the DJI side since previous versions it would seem. I clearly remember just being amazed seeing a YouTube video demonstration of this feature on an older Phantom where he simply pulls up the map, sets his way-points, adjusts for height and speed, and then clicks go and the bird takes of and completes the mission.


UPDATE: I found the video.. This is DJI Vision app.

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[Larry56]

In the MISSION HUB, when you setup your route you will see this data, as shown below. When you click and drag each waypoint around you will these numbers change, assuming the ground isn't perfectly flat. It's very cool, one of the best features of Litchi.
View attachment 62944

I never even noticed that info before. Thanks for the great tip! That IS very cool.