Help with iPad selection

[PhotoJim]

I searched for help on this but not finding answers. Sorry if this is been asked but I could not find it.

I want to get an iPad because my iPhone 6+ is too small and not happy with screen size.
Question is:
Do you have to have Cell version?
Is it worth the upgrade to a iPad 3 vs iPad 2?
If anyone can share their experiences I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dedstik]

When I purchased my P3P I decided to get a dedicated tablet.

After looking at what other P3 and Inspire pilots were using I opted for the iPad Mini 2 wifi only.
(I actually ended up with the Mini 3 as there was a promotion on at the time which dropped the Mini 3 to the price of the 2...)

Ultimately I found that the non Mini iPads were just too big and heavy. The Mini 2/3 seems just about right.

Since I do not have a cell version I just make sure I have a map of my local flying site cached in advance.

If you decide to get a larger iPad just make sure of the store's return policy in case you decide it's too big or, in the case of the Mini, too small.

:harry

 

[PhotoJim]

When I purchased my P3P I decided to get a dedicated tablet.

After looking at what other P3 and Inspire pilots were using I opted for the iPad Mini 2 wifi only.
(I actually ended up with the Mini 3 as there was a promotion on at the time which dropped the Mini 3 to the price of the 2...)

Ultimately I found that the non Mini iPads were just too big and heavy. The Mini 2/3 seems just about right.

Since I do not have a cell version I just make sure I have a map of my local flying site cached in advance.

If you decide to get a larger iPad just make sure of the store's return policy in case you decide it's too big or, in the case of the Mini, too small.

:harry

So the cell service provides???
Thanks for your advice
Jim

 

[saylor]

I share my phone screen over to a laptop and drive from there

 

[TimBarnhart]

The ipad 2 and three aren't compatible with the dji pilot app, if you are referring to the mini there is no difference between the ipad mini 2 and 3 other than touchid

 

[johnv]

The ipad 2 and three aren't compatible with the dji pilot app, if you are referring to the mini there is no difference between the ipad mini 2 and 3 other than touchid

The three has a 128 gig option.

 

[Panotaker]

With the cellular iPad, you can set a new home point, incase you move from your original location, because it has a built in GPS. Which is no big deal, if you are on the ground and only move a few feet, but it is a big deal if you are on a boat, and need to use return to home because you lost sight of your quad. Also with the cell version, you don't need to cache your maps ahead of time. So if you are driving around and find a cool spot to fly, you can instantly down load the maps, but you have to pay for the cell service to take advantage of that option.

 

[Marcfly]

Hi, I have a new I pad air 128 G. Works very well. I recommend it. It is relatively light, and you can see the maps details. It has anti glare screen which is useful in our case. However do not do the same mistake I did, I installed a protection glass which turn the ipad into a nice mirror in the sun and made it heavier... other than that this you should know that this new IPAD heats rapidly, it consumes its battery faster than the previous version (but still it holds well) and it has a bad audio output (sound vibrates and of bad quality). Marc

 

[williamjamesfpv]

With the cellular iPad, you can set a new home point, incase you move from your original location, because it has a built in GPS. Which is no big deal, if you are on the ground and only move a few feet, but it is a big deal if you are on a boat, and need to use return to home because you lost sight of your quad. Also with the cell version, you don't need to cache your maps ahead of time. So if you are driving around and find a cool spot to fly, you can instantly down load the maps, but you have to pay for the cell service to take advantage of that option.

(a)Can my sim card from my phone be transferred to the celluar iPad so I'm not paying for two cell service plans?
(b) If I don't get the one with the cellular service, will I still be able to reset the home position during flight?
(c) Do I need wi-fi service for the GPS to work?

 

[Panotaker]

(a)Can my sim card from my phone be transferred to the celluar iPad so I'm not paying for two cell service plans?
(b) If I don't get the one with the cellular service, will I still be able to reset the home position during flight?
(c) Do I need wi-fi service for the GPS to work?

(a)I don't know about the sim card, I pay for my cell service for the iPad.
(b) No, you can't reset the home point without a cellular iPad, but there is a work around by adding a Bad Elf Pro GPS adapter to a wifi only iPad. You will then be able to set a new home point, but you still have to cache the maps ahead of time.
(c)You need wifi to cache the maps ahead of time unless you pay for the cellular service. The GPS works as long as you have the maps cached to where you are flying. I don't like to cache maps, so I pay for the minimum cell service. Most phone providers will let you share your data plan with your iPad for around $10 a month. Some people use their phone as a hotspot by tethering their phone to their iPad and getting their maps that way out in the field. I have an unlimited data plan on my iPhone 6+ with AT&T. Unfortunately, AT&T won't let me share my data plan or let me tether my phone unless I get rid of my unlimited data plan. So I opted to just pay $15 a month for 250 megs of data for my iPad mini 2, which so far seems to be plenty since I just use the mini iPad for the DJI app.

Like you, I really couldn't find all the answers to all my questions about iPad Mini's, so I decided I had to buy one and figure it out for myself by trying all the different features. I wanted it to work exactly as my iPhone 6+ works, so I pay for the cell service. Most people are perfectly happy with a wifi only iPad and caching the maps ahead of time, and don't really need to set a new home point since they don't move from where they started from. They are mostly interested in having a bigger screen for the camera.

 

[PhotoJim]

I ended up with the iPad mini3 with cell service. Building sun visor with black foam core. hope to test tomorrow. Thanks for all the input. This forum is very helpful.

 

[williamjamesfpv]

(a)I don't know about the sim card, I pay for my cell service for the iPad.
(b) No, you can't reset the home point without a cellular iPad, but there is a work around by adding a Bad Elf Pro GPS adapter to a wifi only iPad. You will then be able to set a new home point, but you still have to cache the maps ahead of time.
(c)You need wifi to cache the maps ahead of time unless you pay for the cellular service. The GPS works as long as you have the maps cached to where you are flying. I don't like to cache maps, so I pay for the minimum cell service. Most phone providers will let you share your data plan with your iPad for around $10 a month. Some people use their phone as a hotspot by tethering their phone to their iPad and getting their maps that way out in the field. I have an unlimited data plan on my iPhone 6+ with AT&T. Unfortunately, AT&T won't let me share my data plan or let me tether my phone unless I get rid of my unlimited data plan. So I opted to just pay $15 a month for 250 megs of data for my iPad mini 2, which so far seems to be plenty since I just use the mini iPad for the DJI app.

Like you, I really couldn't find all the answers to all my questions about iPad Mini's, so I decided I had to buy one and figure it out for myself by trying all the different features. I wanted it to work exactly as my iPhone 6+ works, so I pay for the cell service. Most people are perfectly happy with a wifi only iPad and caching the maps ahead of time, and don't really need to set a new home point since they don't move from where they started from. They are mostly interested in having a bigger screen for the camera.

You make a very good point. I just called the Apple store to ask if my sim card from my cellular network could be transferred over and she said that it can not. Apparently, you will need a separate sim card for all tablets. Her recommendation, however, coincided with yours in that she suggested using the phone as a mobile hotspot. I'm gonna head to the Apple store sometime this week and try it out... if it works, you may have saved me some money. Thank you so much for all your help!