Q on stolen drone, how to find?

[Boggus]

Wondering if drones are traceable if they are stolen. Assume it was taken in a burgarly of a vehicle and was later sold online (eBay, Facebook, etc). Is there a way to find it - if someone flys it? Would DJI have record of it, etc?

Kinda like find my iPhone, is there a way to locate a drone?

 

[Meta4]

Wondering if drones are traceable if they are stolen. Assume it was taken in a burgarly of a vehicle and was later sold online (eBay, Facebook, etc). Is there a way to find it - if someone flys it? Would DJI have record of it, etc?
Kinda like find my iPhone, is there a way to locate a drone?

Sorry to tell you but it's gone. There's no way to track it.

 

[msinger]

Would DJI have record of it, etc?

DJI would have the flight records if the next owner syncs them in DJI GO. That would allow one to see where the drone has been flown. They won't share that info though (or any other info that's unknowingly retrieved from DJI GO).

 

[Boggus]

It’s not mine, someone was asking me since I own and fly drones.

Seems similar to cell phones, they know if the mei is being used but won’t tell you.

 

[Meta4]

It’s not mine, someone was asking me since I own and fly drones.
Seems similar to cell phones, they know if the mei is being used but won’t tell you.

It's not really.
A cell phone connects to the phone network every time it's turned on.
The Phantom has no way to "phone home".
When you fly a Phantom it doesn't have to connect to anything.

 

[Boggus]

So when you connect your drone to the controller (DJI GO) this has to register what is flying, data into the app. At some point when it connects to WiFi. So in theory, DJI would have that data and could tell you when the last time it was flown and gps coordinates.

Appreciate the input, just trying to help someone out. We know it’s gone but there is no reason why it couldn’t be found if it was synced.

 

[Meta4]

So when you connect your drone to the controller (DJI GO) this has to register what is flying, data into the app. At some point when it connects to WiFi. So in theory, DJI would have that data and could tell you when the last time it was flown and gps coordinates.

.
When you fly, the Phantom has no way to transmit anything to DJI.
The Phantom and controller only communicate with each other and DJI has no idea that the Phantom is flying.

We know it’s gone but there is no reason why it couldn’t be found if it was synced.

If it was synched, the flight records would go to DJI's server.
But ...
Very few flyers synch records
DJI won't look for or give out any details

 

[AdelineBurington]

If you didn't install any tracker then you can't find it easily.

 

[RedDog7]

Excuse me for jumping in, I saw a gadget a few months ago which sent out a signal which was trackable using the receiver which came with the kit. Can anyone help me with a name, I'd like to buy one for my Mavic Pro. After seeing this thread it's even more important I do something to protect my investment. What a shame nothing can be traced by DJI, it would be a great selling point if any of the quads were traceable. I'm not too worried about having it stolen, but more finding if it's landed after a flyaway. The one I saw was completely stand alone and could be fitted within seconds on whichever quad you wanted to fly. I tried searching for it, but can't seem to find it. Good luck for your friend Boggus. Tell him to drive around the area where it was stolen, Thief's aren't normally known for their intelligence, maybe it was a kid and he's flying it not far from where it went missing. Or the thief may have sold to and the buyer is in the area.

 

[msinger]

I saw a gadget a few months ago which sent out a signal which was trackable using the receiver which came with the kit. Can anyone help me with a name

Are you thinking of the Marco Polo tracker?

 

[Juiceguy]

Excuse me for jumping in, I saw a gadget a few months ago which sent out a signal which was trackable using the receiver which came with the kit. Can anyone help me with a name, I'd like to buy one for my Mavic Pro. After seeing this thread it's even more important I do something to protect my investment. What a shame nothing can be traced by DJI, it would be a great selling point if any of the quads were traceable. I'm not too worried about having it stolen, but more finding if it's landed after a flyaway. The one I saw was completely stand alone and could be fitted within seconds on whichever quad you wanted to fly. I tried searching for it, but can't seem to find it. Good luck for your friend Boggus. Tell him to drive around the area where it was stolen, Thief's aren't normally known for their intelligence, maybe it was a kid and he's flying it not far from where it went missing. Or the thief may have sold to and the buyer is in the area.

Trackimo

 

[msinger]

Trackimo

It's probably not the Trackimo since that does not come with a receiver to locate the tracker.

 

[offroadpyro]

Trackimo yea lost two of those trackers.Lost where there was no cellphone connection so it needs cell towers.I found the problem is they use a crappie service and it cuts out a lot.So you need to check and see if it has Bluetooth also.I think I saw where they added Bluetooth to the new ones.

 

[RedDog7]

No, the names Trackimo and Marco Polo don't ring a bell, the one I saw didn't need anything to do with with the phone network, and didn't give a display like the Marco Polo. It had a row of LEDs which lit up according to how close you were. From memory it's cost was $100 plus, I'm thinking the Marco Polo has better specs though and may be the better choice. It's been some time ago, but I had plenty of experience tracking very low output "foxes" at numerous Ham Radio field days. Although those units were nowhere near as compact and needed a Ham rig connected to the sniffer.
Thank you for the leads, I'll look into the Marco unit and see if it's available locally. If it is I'd be guessing the price would be around $300 maybe more.

 

[RedDog7]

Bingo, the name Marco Polo led me to the one I saw, the Loc8tor. Roughly half the cost and caters to two quadcopters. Now let's compare the two range wise. Luckily I live in a very flat area of the Aussie Bush so range should be good. I'm thinking of printing a bracket for the hand held device to mount the receiver on another quadcopter and use it's camera to transmit a view of the display via FPV. That way the lost quad could be tracked by air, thus increasing it's range. With two TX modules you could track the first tracker should it also get lost That last bit was a joke.

 

[KiloGolf7]

Wondering if drones are traceable if they are stolen. Assume it was taken in a burgarly of a vehicle and was later sold online (eBay, Facebook, etc). Is there a way to find it - if someone flys it? Would DJI have record of it, etc?

Kinda like find my iPhone, is there a way to locate a drone?

I wonder if notifying the FAA that your drone was stolen would be wise, if you have your registration certificate number on your drone and something stupid happens at least thats what I would be worried about.

 

[captainmilehigh]

Not sure where you are, but Marco Polo is available on Amazon for $219 and free shipping here in the US. Have had my MP on my bird for three years now with no issues. Have limited to no cell service in some areas I fly, so the Trackimo gps unit won’t work for my needs.

It is a bit pricy, but I’d recommend it highly.

I’m sure there are loads of other trackers out there. It just comes down to personal preference I suppose.