P4Pro ... Utterly Disappointed

Tommygun45 · Jun 2, 2017

I know people have commented on this before but I am usually one of the lucky ones. I read a review on stuckincustoms.com and it was horrifying.

Preface... I own a Mavic Pro. I love it. But I crashed it and had to send it in to get fixed and since I use it for my real estate business I needed a replacement drone. I realized I would always need 2 drones for redundancy so I bit the bullet and bought a Phantom 4 Pro at the Apple Store by my house. (I knew B&H had it almost $200 cheaper but I needed it that day.)

So I brought this one home, charged it, hooked up my iPad Mini 2, and started flying it. All kinds of issues.
When flying this first one the screen tears itself down to a green screen every 5-15 seconds. It is constantly glitchy and will pause and go blank non-stop. This was in 4k 30 mode, or when just trying to take pictures. I used Auto connection and then tried switching between 5.8 and 2.4 In 2.4 the connection was more reliable but the image quality is such garbage its tough to even make things out on the screen.

I figured I got a dud, and my new cheaper Phantom 4 Pro from B&H arrived so I returned the first one to Apple, charged up my second one, took it out of the box last night, and started flying it around.

It is even worse. This one has the same screen issues but also has the sudden stopping at 400 feet when it points towards the sun, citing object avoidance. Also last night while flying it lost its GPS signal, at least it told me it lost its GPS signal over 4 times. This is at 400 feet flying around over my house in a suburban neighborhood with 10-14 satellites available right before it losing connection.

It also has the sidewards gimbal problem. Every time on the ground, or on a table, or on other levelled flat surfaces I do a gimbal calibration. Then I take off and the thing is at least 15 degrees off. I can adjust it in the sky but why do I have to do it every time?

Don't get me wrong, the footage is amazing and the pictures come out wonderful. But everything else about it so far is a nightmare. Am I just spoiled by the Mavic, with which I have had none of these issues? Should I return this one and buy a third? How many drones do I have to go through before I get one that works? Clearly there are ones out there people are happy with but this is insane.

Here is a little fly around from yesterday. Two times while flying back towards my house you can notice it just dead stop. This is when it is facing a somewhat setting sun.

sandman259 · Jun 2, 2017

Well the screen problem is because the iPad mini 2 isn't powerful enough for the dji go 4 app. It is just barely sufficient for the original go app...

Tommygun45 · Jun 2, 2017

Really? Because it works perfectly with my Mavic Pro. Same App. Same iPad Mini 2. How would you explain this?

shockwave199 · Jun 2, 2017

Yeah I was gonna suggest that the mini 2 may not be enough. I'm the opposite and usually have bad luck with purchasing. I'm hoping my p4p coming in Monday breaks the cycle, lol. I know OA is a big part of the bird but for me, all that will likely never be turned on. I've never even turned on the downward sensor on my p3a, since I mostly fly at night. But I've heard of the sun glitch and the gps glitch and I'm resolved to have to adjust the gimbal because that seems universally bad. I'm just thankful it can be adjusted to counter the problem and hope they can fix it with firmware. I don't throw in the towel unless I covered everything, including an ios update, deleting and reinstalling the app, updating bird and rc firmware, choosing a custom channel and a low bit rate for live view, trying hardware acceleration on and off, turning off video cache, different cable- all those things. But I've heard plenty of people having to return multiple birds until they found a good one. I hope you get it sorted.

flyboy73 · Jun 2, 2017

Tommygun45 said:
Really? Because it works perfectly with my Mavic Pro. Same App. Same iPad Mini 2. How would you explain this?

I am just guessing but perhaps because the Phantom 4 Pro has much better video than the Mavic, ie sending more data to be processed by your iPad Mini 2, seems likely that your processor is choking. Should be easy to test.

KingDad1985 · Jun 2, 2017

I also agree the IPad mini 2 is not strong enough. Also flying towards a setting sun triggers the OA. It's normal.

With The Birds · Jun 2, 2017

While the Mini 2 is seemingly named as a comparable device you shouldn't expect glitch free performance in the video transmission based on the reported experience of others. Current devices are much more capable (faster processors).

KevMo Photog · Jun 3, 2017

Hate to hear your bad luck with two P4P's man! An ND filter might help with your OA warning going off into the sun if your not using one. I never fly without one and I have never had my bird stop because of this. I have seen object distances show up but they never did stop the drone. The only issue I have had with mine in the last 8 months is the occasional gimble twitch and about 4-5 gimble hard jerks. This happened usually in pretty strong winds in a turn. But I have not had any of these issues for several weeks now. So I'm hoping those issues have been fixed maybe! Other than that, I have been super happy with this drone! Your bird has the slight gimble twitch I noticed too. Mine has that every great once in a while. Your def going to want to get out of the Auto Exposure Mode that your shooting in! Your exposure is changing all through your video which can be annoying. No reason to shoot vid straight into sun as your coming back either. The flares that your getting are what's causing the OA to go off and stop your bird. Try to change your angle to the sun just slightly and it won't do it near as bad. Hopefully an IMU calibrate as John said will help with your crooked gimble too. I still have it drift some on my but it's not too bad.

John Locke · Jun 3, 2017

Tommygun45 said:
It is even worse. This one has the same screen issues but also has the sudden stopping at 400 feet when it points towards the sun, citing object avoidance. Also last night while flying it lost its GPS signal, at least it told me it lost its GPS signal over 4 times. This is at 400 feet flying around over my house in a suburban neighborhood with 10-14 satellites available right before it losing connection.

It also has the sidewards gimbal problem. Every time on the ground, or on a table, or on other levelled flat surfaces I do a gimbal calibration. Then I take off and the thing is at least 15 degrees off. I can adjust it in the sky but why do I have to do it every time?

I suggest you try doing an IMU calibration, AFTER you update to the latest firmware in the craft and RC. I assume you haven't done the firmware update because you didn't mention it, and you're new here. The app should tell you if you need an upgrade. You should check the DJI website to see what the latest rev is, but below is what I see for revisions today. With the aircraft on, look in the ABOUT section in GO4 and see if your firmware rev matches.

After you upgrade the firmware and calibrate the IMU on a level surface, then do a gimbal calibration. With all that done, if it doesn't fly right, then send it back to B&H.

As for the Mini2 mention that people are suggesting is the problem, I disagree. I run Go4 on my Mini2 all the time, no problem The only issue with Mini2 is that it will overheat in temps of 90F+, that's my experience. There's no difference in downlink speeds between craft, 10mbps is the max Lightbridge speed to the RC from the craft, no matter if it's Inspire, P4P or P3P, or Mavic. You can reduce that to 4mbps to get more distance, but I haven't had to yet.

It's possible you have a lemon, it certainly wouldn't be the first. Buying at Apple is a good option so you can swap out the craft if you get a bad apple (pun intended), assuming you can afford the higher price.

You should expect 3 to 4 miles range when flying AUTO on 5.8Ghz, assuming you have a LOS connection, even in suburban areas, it's really awesome. Using a windsurfer can help. My P4P, 2wks old, is working great, and I'm picky. This is my 5th DJI craft, and I'm reading this forum all the time looking for the issues to be aware of. I actually waited and waited until I felt the P4P firmware was close to being mature enough to rely on before I bought my P4P. There are annoyances, like the gimbal flip at high speeds, some do this more than others, and the stupid wind warnings. But so far I'm pretty happy with my bird.

shockwave199 · Jun 3, 2017

Are cold IMU calibrations still recommended for the P4P? I use windsurfers on my P3. Will they work on the P4P?

John Locke · Jun 3, 2017

shockwave199 said:
Are cold IMU calibrations still recommended for the P4P? I use windsurfers on my P3. Will they work on the P4P?

Yes and yes.

shockwave199 · Jun 3, 2017

Cool & thanks

Techcop50 · Jun 3, 2017

Basic electronic troubleshooting experience would suggest you "divide and conquer". There are 3 different systems at work here: The Phantom, the RC, and the device running the Go 4 software. Most folks don't have spare Phantoms or RCs to try, so I always try an alternate phone/tablet as the first step in eliminating the problem. (Even if you have an "approved" device, the loaded software and basic configuration can make all the difference between flawless performance and none at all.)
You need a lot of cpu power to properly run the Go app, and as they add features the cpu load will likely increase. A dedicated device with a clean, up-to-date install of OS and Go 4 will probably give you the best results. Any unneeded bs programs running in the background should be avoided, IMHO. My 2 cents...

phantomAlex · Jun 3, 2017

I honesty have an iPad mini 2 just for my Phantom, I never installed anything else on it, I keep it software clean and never had any issue.

The background services from other apps could interfer and take away resources from the go software.

The suggestion of trying on a second tablet should be your first move.

Jason Porembski · Jun 3, 2017

My P4P performs perfectly. I am using an iPhone 6S Plus since my Mini 2 doesn't work properly using the DJI Go App.

lickitysplit11111 · Jun 3, 2017

sandman259 said:
Well the screen problem is because the iPad mini 2 isn't powerful enough for the dji go 4 app. It is just barely sufficient for the original go app...

I never had a problem with my Mini 2

m0j0 · Jun 3, 2017

I use my mini 2 with all my birds and have never had a problem until I was flying in the heat 92 degrees. Then I got stuttery footage. I have done nothing with my bird since so I will update my findings.

JB999 · Jun 3, 2017

Tommygun45 said:
I know people have commented on this before but I am usually one of the lucky ones. I read a review on stuckincustoms.com and it was horrifying.

Preface... I own a Mavic Pro. I love it. But I crashed it and had to send it in to get fixed and since I use it for my real estate business I needed a replacement drone. I realized I would always need 2 drones for redundancy so I bit the bullet and bought a Phantom 4 Pro at the Apple Store by my house. (I knew B&H had it almost $200 cheaper but I needed it that day.)

So I brought this one home, charged it, hooked up my iPad Mini 2, and started flying it. All kinds of issues.
When flying this first one the screen tears itself down to a green screen every 5-15 seconds. It is constantly glitchy and will pause and go blank non-stop. This was in 4k 30 mode, or when just trying to take pictures. I used Auto connection and then tried switching between 5.8 and 2.4 In 2.4 the connection was more reliable but the image quality is such garbage its tough to even make things out on the screen.

I figured I got a dud, and my new cheaper Phantom 4 Pro from B&H arrived so I returned the first one to Apple, charged up my second one, took it out of the box last night, and started flying it around.

It is even worse. This one has the same screen issues but also has the sudden stopping at 400 feet when it points towards the sun, citing object avoidance. Also last night while flying it lost its GPS signal, at least it told me it lost its GPS signal over 4 times. This is at 400 feet flying around over my house in a suburban neighborhood with 10-14 satellites available right before it losing connection.

It also has the sidewards gimbal problem. Every time on the ground, or on a table, or on other levelled flat surfaces I do a gimbal calibration. Then I take off and the thing is at least 15 degrees off. I can adjust it in the sky but why do I have to do it every time?

Don't get me wrong, the footage is amazing and the pictures come out wonderful. But everything else about it so far is a nightmare. Am I just spoiled by the Mavic, with which I have had none of these issues? Should I return this one and buy a third? How many drones do I have to go through before I get one that works? Clearly there are ones out there people are happy with but this is insane.

Here is a little fly around from yesterday. Two times while flying back towards my house you can notice it just dead stop. This is when it is facing a somewhat setting sun.

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Hi, sorry to here you are disappointed. I have also noticed that the P4P is much less plug and play then the previous, you need to tweak/tune the settings much more etc.
The screen glitches is most likely due to a too slow SD card, I had the same problem before upgrading to a compatible card.
Do not give up, the P4P is magnificent when u get the tuning done.
Cheers!!