Trouble Flying with Modern Android Phones (OnePlus 5, Google Pixel 2)

[solentlife]

In ships we got Sony 8 which was a derivative of Betamax ..... big cassettes .... right PITA !! It replaced the 16mm projector film system we had. (Walport)
Took the fun out of movie nights on board.

Nigel

 

[frankgf321]

I was using a Samsung Tab S4 and also have an S8. The tablet would suddenly go blank and exit the DJI Go 4 app without warning. The S8 normally worked fine but the screen was smaller than I liked and sometimes it also crashed (or exited the app). One thing I noticed about the tablet was that when ever I was near enough to the house to be connected to Wifi it seemed to work. Since I'm flying the Phantom 4 and the monitor is hard wired to the controller WiFi shouldn't come into it.

Anyway, after reading that fewer problems seem to be encountered with iOS tablets (I've not been a fan of Apple) I ordered the newest iPAD with a 9.7" screen. I've only used it once and it did well with the exception of the video lagging behind when it reached a distance of about a half mile. However, I was near enough to the house WiFi that it may have been helping. The real test will be when I'm far enough away to see if it works. Somewhere on this forum someone pointed out that the two software teams at DJI were not necessarily equal in their abilities with the Android lagging. Also, with the more varied Android devices and releases out there the challenge is a bit greater.

One thing to remember about these monitors is that video, as demanding as it is, is not the only task they perform. They are also simultaneously receiving distance, altitude, speed, the number of satellites received as well as the mode of operation and perhaps a few other things. That's a considerable demand on a processor regardless of the amount of RAM or memory it has.

Sorry to be so lengthy but wanted to pass on everything I've picked up. The people on this forum are really helpful and I spend hours reading what they have to say each week. Good luck to you--hopefully we'll both see an end to our problems soon.

 

[Kelly1946]

When my android updated from 6 to 7, the go app wouldn't connect. did it all, delete, reinstall, etc but it wouldn't connect. had a identical phone that didn't update and I use it all the time. Ditto on an older tablet with 4.something on it and it works great. I'm not updating controller, aircraft nor phone app cause it all works and keeps working.

 

[LarBear360]

When my android updated from 6 to 7, the go app wouldn't connect. did it all, delete, reinstall, etc but it wouldn't connect. had a identical phone that didn't update and I use it all the time. Ditto on an older tablet with 4.something on it and it works great. I'm not updating controller, aircraft nor phone app cause it all works and keeps working.

That's really odd. I'm running 7 on my NVIDIA and no problems. I think every Android device out there is a bit different and as such, problems are going to surface.

Yes, do lock out those automatic updates and stick with what's working.

 

[frankgf321]

Thanks Kelly, and Lar Bear I think you hit the nail on the head. One minute difference in either hardware or software can be the difference between working flawlessly and not working at all. Even though my new iPad seems to work fine I would still like to have my 7" Samsung tablet to be a reliable backup. I think going to that website that has the older releases of the Go app and un-updating might be the answer.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

One thing to remember about these monitors is that video, as demanding as it is, is not the only task they perform. They are also simultaneously receiving distance, altitude, speed, the number of satellites received as well as the mode of operation and perhaps a few other things. That's a considerable demand on a processor regardless of the amount of RAM or memory it has.

That's been my experience with a couple of devices that were underpowered. While my last LG Android phone was a decent performer for the money, it would frequently overheat and crash when running the GO app. I got a good deal on a new Galaxy S5 and upgraded. That was over 6 months ago, and, fortunately, app crashes are a thing of the past.