Why do people update firmware?

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I just wondering why do people update their firmware when their drone is flying perfect. It's not going to do anything that is not doing now if anything it will do less and it you risk bricking it. I'm 1.7.9 and get 1200m on phantom 3 standard no way am I going to update it till I have to
 
I just wondering why do people update their firmware when their drone is flying perfect. It's not going to do anything that is not doing now if anything it will do less and it you risk bricking it. I'm 1.7.9 and get 1200m on phantom 3 standard no way am I going to update it till I have to

To fix errors on previous versions, updated controls and features. But good for you if you're happy where you are.
 
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Yeah well it's not making errors so why fix what's not broken


That's a good question. I always update the firmware because I ....

Meta or Big Al or Mr Singer gave a good reason way back but I've forgotten what it was now so I am beginning to wonder why I do update. No doubt one of em will be along to remind me of the reason why it is advisable to update. :confused:
 
Yeh im still waiting to do firmware,tells me every flight,do the occational update depending what it says but very cautious now,the trouble with not doing is we miss out on some new features,me birds fly well,mayby when firmwares good and not being worried about uploading (like it should be) i might change my mind,mean time happy flyer
 
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I just wondering why do people update their firmware when their drone is flying perfect.
I always update the firmware to ensure I'm able to take advantage of the latest new features, fixes, and undocumented fixes. It's not uncommon for DJI to fix major (and minor) bugs with no mention of them in the release notes. For example, they just released new Spark firmware that fixes an issue where the Spark sometimes shuts off mid-flight -- and the firmware release notes only mention "Optimized battery management to improve stability".

you risk bricking it
Very few people actually brick their drones by updating the firmware. It's possible, but it's not common. It's more common to see people run into fixable issues when not updating the firmware properly.
 
................... trouble with not doing is we miss out on some new features ................

H'mm.

New features such as ?

To be honest, in general , the 'new features' are nothing but bothersome issues IMO. So, okay, the no fly zones might have been updated, but we have common sense by knowing where we should and should not fly anyway.

On updating firmware my first few flights are cautious ones to discover if the a/c parameters have altered at all. So far they haven't drastically but come the day ................

Since there has not yet been a reply from the chief advisors as to why we should update firmware then I feel I will join the ranks of the WAIIIW (Why alter it if it works?) for the P3's anyway.

The above relates to a/c. My wife's' firmware updates, however, are a different matter. I do have extreme trouble on a daily basis with them which even the combined brains of Big Al - Dirkclod - Meta - Mr. Singer and Ian zone couldn't hope to to patch. If only there was an effective remote control. :)

There is nothing like a good flight - the a/c does as I tell it.

Sorry - I digress :rolleyes:

Its my age .....................

The P3's should have had all the bugs ironed out by now, so it will be highly unlikely I will update from now on.
 
If and when you do update, being careful to do everthing correctly you should be ok...cross your fingers if that helps!
 
Up until this year, I always updated a few days after the release after having studied the posts on here to see if there were any issues. I have never had any issues. Haven't been out flying much over the past year, but recently I started getting FPV lag so I decided up update to eliminate that element from my investigations.

I have to say though, that I find it amusing when there is so much scaremongering over firmware updates. Yes there were issues with the introduction of the NFZs and I suppose if I lived in London or in Washington DC I might have been annoyed by the restrictions. But I don't so I'm not.

So for me the issues are; don't update as it's fine the way it is, or; update as the people who make these things know how they work and we should trust them. Two separate camps both with a definite point of view. Is the glass half full or half empty? Well, as we accountants would say, the glass is twice the size that it needs to be...
 
I have a P-4 & P-3std. I have been reading negative remarks ever time I open phantom pilots. I have always updated all and everything they suggest. I have yet had any problems that wasn't my fault. As soon as I do an upgrade I try it out before doing any serious flying. I quite reading all firmware post.
 
I just wondering why do people update their firmware when their drone is flying perfect. It's not going to do anything that is not doing now if anything it will do less and it you risk bricking it. I'm 1.7.9 and get 1200m on phantom 3 standard no way am I going to update it till I have to
1.3.20 here and no desire to update. 2 miles out and still had good video and controller connection. P3 Pro. This thing is and always has been rock solid.
 
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I always update the firmware to ensure I'm able to take advantage of the latest new features, fixes, and undocumented fixes. It's not uncommon for DJI to fix major (and minor) bugs with no mention of them in the release notes. For example, they just released new Spark firmware that fixes an issue where the Spark sometimes shuts off mid-flight -- and the firmware release notes only mention "Optimized battery management to improve stability".


Very few people actually brick their drones by updating the firmware. It's possible, but it's not common. It's more common to see people run into fixable issues when not updating the firmware properly.
Msinger, I have had my P3 Pro since May of 2015 and have been following this forum ever since. I respect you and realize you have helped many on this forum but I think most, if not all, issues that the P3 has had were introduced by DJI via firmware updates. Case in point, the notorious battery issue introduced with, I believe, the 1.5 upgrade. Nobody, that I recall, ever had there bird fall out of the sky due to battery issues prior to that firmware. I live in Montana and have flown many times in zero or colder temps and never had any of my batteries ever act strange. I don't need or want any of the, so called, new features so I am inclined to not gamble my $1300.00 on DJI knowing what is best for me and my P3 Pro. I have many, many hours on my bird with 1.3.20 and absolutely no issues, so far.
 
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Case in point, the notorious battery issue introduced with, I believe, the 1.5 upgrade. Nobody, that I recall, ever had there bird fall out of the sky due to battery issues prior to that firmware.
This is a great example of why I always recommend people upgrade their firmware after it's known to be stable. There are always going to be plenty of early adopters who will install the firmware as soon as it has been released. If that's not your thing, then let them test out the waters for you.
 
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OK so I have a p3p and have the latest firmware at 1.9.2. I can roll back to 1.8 and 1.6 and 1.5.8 I know dji has been messing with range and whatnot so can anyone recommend which one is better or should I just stay ware I'm at .
 
OK so I have a p3p and have the latest firmware at 1.9.2. I can roll back to 1.8 and 1.6 and 1.5.8 I know dji has been messing with range and whatnot so can anyone recommend which one is better or should I just stay ware I'm at .
Unfortunately, Jaybiz, short of having a degree in computer science, DJI has set it up to be very difficult, if not impossible, to roll firmware back. Another reason on my list of why I will never upgrade. I am not in any way slamming DJI or recommending that anyone not upgrade their firmware, I am just answering the OP's question and giving my experience with not upgrading. I love my P3 Pro the way it is and do not want to gamble losing it to some gremlin in a firmware upgrade. Two years three months without any issues, coincidence? Maybe, may be not. I am going to roll with my odds not DJI's.
 
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Well I'm not really experiencing any issues that I think are firmware related because I can come up with a different reason why somthing might have happened in the past month I have had this with 20 flights under my belt. I get one thing to work as it should if not better and a small issue comes up with somthing els. I havnt ever had a situation ware I crashed (still havnt crashed once yet) knock on wood or lost control. But today all was good till I got about 20 away and behind a tree a thin tree and lost video signal only and it said that too and that I should return to home and it asked yes or no. I did and it worked perfectly. Then I get in the air again no issue with that again but 5 mins into the flight I get a warning that my compassion may be stuck. But then still flew fine. Map looked good but I noticed that it flew in a streight line but the drone itself was flying crooked perfectly level but as if I'm using the left stick to rotate but yet still fly with the right stick perfectly top center and no hand on the left. You couldn't tell in the video because the gimbal compensated for it. I diddnt see it till up close. I never landed I flew away from me on the path slow and watched it and yup crooked by like 12 degrees. Mind you this whole time I have a bystander pestering me asking 100 questions and he's one of thoes touchy people that was pushing on the camera when I landed and wanted to pick it up. I just degaussed the compassion and charging my Batts and gone recalibrate everything and see what I got. I modd everything I touch. It's terrible. I'm trying not to with this but it's too late already. I let my family down. I promised them I wouldn't do that with this. My last project landed 10 miles from the take off point with me attached with no cell with me because of how sensitive a peice of my equipment was and it would throw everything off but it diddnt end well. "end of rant"
 
Without iterating over the many features, bug fixes, and safety enhancements that gained with updates; and also acknowledging the added flight restrictions that many of you dislike; I have to ask: why do you care?

This is a tired subject, destined to be played out nearly every other week. Maybe you've only seen a few such threads in the 5 months you've been here, but surely by now you know that this is not a new or unique subject of discussion.

If this is indeed a new topic to you, I say that there have been good reasons, though those reasons are diminishing with time. But then, the frequency of updates have dropped rapidly, so this is a non-issue.

If you are already aware of how often this subject is tread upon, I have to ask: what is your real purpose in bringing it up again, creating a brand new thread to discuss it all over again? Are you expecting new, different answers?
 
It seems like new firmware is as likely to introduce an issue as resolve one. The physical characteristics of the drone don't change, so once the ACs computer "knows" how to fly itself, it should be able to do so indefinitely. The main reason to change the firmware, is to keep the drone compatible with the updates happening in programs the drone must interact with. Since it's a machine, not a personal computer, it doesn't really need to interact with outside programs. It's almost completely a closed system. Common sense indicates that if the software in a closed system is acceptable, it does not need updates, though cosmetic updates could still be implemented if desired. I think (speculation) that DJI calls them upgrades to imply that your drone is getting better and better after each. Don't be a fool! You can't teach an old dog new tricks. If your drone can function as specified, no "upgrade" is going to beat that.
 
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