Dont make the same stupid mistake I made!

[fcarfan]

Very recently I purchased a Phantom 4 ProV2.0 from the DJI store. In the past, I have also owned a Phantom 2 Vision+.

The P4P V2.0 arrived fairly quickly. The first 2-3 exploratory flights went well, though I did notice that the video on my mobile device(S) was lagging and somewhat pixelized. The last 6 or so flights have been horrible. I have used two different Android mobile devices and several different USB cables. All combinations have yielded the same problems.

In addition to badly pixelized video I have also experienced "No Signal" error, "failed to enter tripod" error, "Flight altitude and distance restricted to 50 and 30 respectively..." error. Bottom line, the drone is unusable.

Back to the subject of this thread, i.e. my stupidity. I experienced problems with P2V+, specifically the infamous WIFI module failure. I had to send the P2 to California TWICE to have the issue addressed. Each time I was without the drone for 5 weeks.

My P4P is about to take its own journey to California. Another 5 weeks will pass and the only question is will the drone have to make yet another trip to be repaired.

Bottom line: DJI designs products with great features. From my own experience, DJI products are unreliable, and as many have experienced, their product support is totally unacceptable.

Dont make the same stupid mistake I made, do not buy DJI.

 

[JarrodF]

Out of curiosity, what frequency are you set to and what kind of terrain are you flying in?

 

[fcarfan]

I have tried both 2.4 and 5.8. I have tried several different locations. Same results.

 

[JarrodF]

Gotcha. I was going to recommend 5.8 auto (unless you were out in the wilderness) but it sounds like you've tried it. Sorry you're having such bad reception. It definitely could be a faulty drone. I'm not sure I would go along with the blanket don't buy anything DJI quite yet (since so many of us have had perfect experiences with our P4Ps) but I can certainly understand your frustration.

 

[Dirby]

fcarfan
what Drone other than DJI would you recommend?

 

[rhoffart]

Fcarfan ... Why come to a Phantom forum and tell people not to buy a Phantom? Doesn't make sense to me. Personally on my 3rd Phantom (P4PV2.0) and also own the Mavic Air. I always update and never had any big issues. Oh, and I will be buy the Mavic Pro 2 if that is what is getting released next month.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

The first 2-3 exploratory flights went well, though I did notice that the video on my mobile device(S) was lagging and somewhat pixelized. The last 6 or so flights have been horrible. I have used two different Android mobile devices and several different USB cables.

Out of curiousity, which Android devices are you using, and which OS version are you running on each?

 

[fcarfan]

fcarfan
what Drone other than DJI would you recommend?

Difficult question to answer. Unfortunately DJI does not have ?any? viable competitors. Autel is another company to consider instead of putting up with the DJI BS.

All that I know with 100% certainty is if DJI is not given a clear message that the quality of their products and their customer support is unacceptable, they (DJI) will not change their behavior. They

 

[fcarfan]

Out of curiousity, which Android devices are you using, and which OS version are you running on each?

Nexus 6p running 8.1

Nexus 10 tablet running Android 5.0 (IIRC)

 

[fcarfan]

Fcarfan ... Why come to a Phantom forum and tell people not to buy a Phantom? Doesn't make sense to me. Personally on my 3rd Phantom (P4PV2.0) and also own the Mavic Air. I always update and never had any big issues. Oh, and I will be buy the Mavic Pro 2 if that is what is getting released next month.

Why come here???

2 reasons:
1. hopefully DJI monitors this forum so that they can gauge first hand customer reactions to their products.
2. prospective customers monitor these types of forums.

Good luck with your future DJI purchase.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

1. hopefully DJI monitors this forum so that they can gauge first hand customer reactions to their products.

Yeah, no.

 

[fcarfan]

Yeah, no.

You are probably correct. DJI does not seem to care about their customers reactions. There are enough stupid customers (myself included) who buy their stuff despite the substandard products and unacceptable customer support they provide.

 

[bsartist]

Why come here???

1. hopefully DJI monitors this forum so that they can gauge first hand customer reactions to their products.

You may have better results along that line by posting in the official DJI forum. That they monitor.

 

[Meta4]

The last 6 or so flights have been horrible. I have used two different Android mobile devices and several different USB cables. All combinations have yielded the same problems.

In addition to badly pixelized video I have also experienced "No Signal" error, "failed to enter tripod" error, "Flight altitude and distance restricted to 50 and 30 respectively..." error. Bottom line, the drone is unusable.

My P4P is about to take its own journey to California. Another 5 weeks will pass and the only question is will the drone have to make yet another trip to be repaired.

Bottom line: DJI designs products with great features. From my own experience, DJI products are unreliable, and as many have experienced, their product support is totally unacceptable.

Dont make the same stupid mistake I made, do not buy DJI.

It sounds like the big mistake you made was to assume that it was the drone that was the problem.
The issues you've mentioned are mostly coming from the app and not the drone.
The app is demanding and trying to run it on a substandard phone or tablet will give poor results.
The distance 50/30 metres restriction is simply fixed by signing out of the app and signing back in.
There's no need to send the drone in when the drone is not the problem.

Bottom line: DJI designs products with great features. From my own experience, DJI products are unreliable, and as many have experienced, their product support is totally unacceptable.

Dont make the same stupid mistake I made, do not buy DJI.

Bottom line is that DJI make great products that are exceptionally reliable and that most users have no problems with.
Almost certainly your problems are due to your tablet and/or configuration.
Don't buy DJI??
Show me a drone that comes close to DJI for features and performance.
I'm not aware of any.
There's a reason that DJI sells more than 70% of all ready to fly drones.
If your assumptions were correct, they wouldn't be able to dominate the market as they do.

 

[Zoran]

Nexus 6p running 8.1

Nexus 10 tablet running Android 5.0 (IIRC)

Speaking from experience a Nexus 10 tablet running 5.0 is not powerful enough to run the Go4 app, for my Spark and P4P I alternate between a Nexus 6 Shamu phone running 7.0 and a 9.7 inch iPad and they both work beautifully...and both drones perform flawlessly.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

The first 2-3 exploratory flights went well, though I did notice that the video on my mobile device(S) was lagging and somewhat pixelized. The last 6 or so flights have been horrible. I have used two different Android mobile devices and several different USB cables. All combinations have yielded the same problems.

Based on my own personal experience with multiple devices, the problems that you've described above are more likely attributed to the devices/OS versions that you're using. I would tend to agree with @Meta4, and with @Zoran, your Nexus 10 as currently outfitted and configured with a slow dual-core processor and limited available memory would be hard pressed to keep pace with the demands of the current Go4 app. That's why I specifically asked which devices and OS versions you were using when you mentioned issues with the video feed to your devices. I would expect your Nexus 6p to do better. I'm currently running the Go4 app on an M3 Media pad and it runs very well.

 

[fcarfan]

Based on my own personal experience with multiple devices, the problems that you've described above are more likely attributed to the devices/OS versions that you're using. I would tend to agree with @Meta4, and with @Zoran, your Nexus 10 as currently outfitted and configured with a slow dual-core processor and limited available memory would be hard pressed to keep pace with the demands of the current Go4 app. That's why I specifically asked which devices and OS versions you were using when you mentioned issues with the video feed to your devices. I would expect your Nexus 6p to do better. I'm currently running the Go4 app on an M3 Media pad and it runs very well.

You are absolutely correct.

I will start this update with a mea culpa.....

As it turns out the problem I was experiencing was due to the fact that both the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 10 do not have sufficient horsepower to handle the data the P4P throws at it. Today I got access to a recent model iPad, everything worked smoothly. I must say I am very surprised that the Nexus 6P did not work properly.

I have been thinking of upgrading my phone to OnePlus 6. Has anyone flown the P4P v2.0 with this device?

 

[fcarfan]

It sounds like the big mistake you made was to assume that it was the drone that was the problem.
The issues you've mentioned are mostly coming from the app and not the drone.
The app is demanding and trying to run it on a substandard phone or tablet will give poor results.
The distance 50/30 metres restriction is simply fixed by signing out of the app and signing back in.
There's no need to send the drone in when the drone is not the problem.

Bottom line is that DJI make great products that are exceptionally reliable and that most users have no problems with.
Almost certainly your problems are due to your tablet and/or configuration.
Don't buy DJI??
Show me a drone that comes close to DJI for features and performance.
I'm not aware of any.
There's a reason that DJI sells more than 70% of all ready to fly drones.
If your assumptions were correct, they wouldn't be able to dominate the market as they do.

Hate to say this...I jumped the gun a bit. To my defense I told the DJI support rep I had an online chat with which mobile devices I tried. He/she didnt say anything about the mobile device being the problem.

 

[Zoran]

You are absolutely correct.

I will start this update with a mea culpa.....

As it turns out the problem I was experiencing was due to the fact that both the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 10 do not have sufficient horsepower to handle the data the P4P throws at it. Today I got access to a recent model iPad, everything worked smoothly. I must say I am very surprised that the Nexus 6P did not work properly.

I have been thinking of upgrading my phone to OnePlus 6. Has anyone flown the P4P v2.0 with this device?

Good to hear your moving forward with your problem, I'm surprised your Nexus 6P can't handle the Go4 app though, my Nexus 6 Shamu which is the older model to your phone works beautifully, I only use it for my drones so I've uninstalled all other apps, factory reset it and I only have a data sim in it to get GPS for maps, the Big wide 6 inch screen is perfect for my drones.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

I must say I am very surprised that the Nexus 6P did not work properly.

I have been thinking of upgrading my phone to OnePlus 6. Has anyone flown the P4P v2.0 with this device?

I'm a bit surprised myself that the 6P didn't hold up better based on its specs.

If you haven't already done so, you may want to review the current list of compatible devices vetted by DJI prior to upgrading your phone. Speaking from experience, if the device that you're considering hasn't been vetted by DJI, you may end up with the same or other issues that you recently experienced. Just my two cents.

In closing, I believe you'll find far more practical working knowledge in this forum than you will get from DJI. That's just my opinion, but I believe others would support that assessment.