Maybe it's just me, but I have had my spark since 2018 and I am really fed up with delays in every time I want to use it. I am currently at the beach where we come often and instead of firing this thing up and flying for some photos, it's always some update, battery draining issue. I dont fly every day, but this is extremely annoying when all I want to do is get pictures of wife and I sitting on the beach. Maybe fly a little around, but constant disconnects, put of range issue, and I am only within 200 feet of me and not even 50 feet high. 4 batteries and case and all this invested and just not getting my monies worth when the few times I really want it, I have to wait or not able to fly but for couple of minutes because batteries dont even hold charge for several weeks. These need to be lithium or some major improvements. I have not even had a chance to explore further with hand commands. But what I want it for is not even working for simple things. Probably going to sell this and venture another route or hobby. Hobbies should not be consumed with update and geofence delays and out of range delays in wide open areas. Incredible...
Getting fed up with spark and DJI updates
- Thread starter Trey
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nilanjan118
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I understand your frustration but it is something you can easily avoid. All you need is a little bit of preparation. It barely takes 10 mins to hook everything up, connect to home WiFi and get the updates done before heading anywhere. The precise flysafe database that DJI rolls out quite frequently are for everyone's safety and as a responsible drone pilot we should all respect that and stay updated. Regarding the battery discharge you are talking about, it is nothing but an intelligent feature of the Spark battery which is meant to prolong the life of the battery. In case you are not aware, the Spark battery discharges to storage battery level (~60%) after 10 days of inactivity. So if you haven't flown for more than 10 days, you are supposed to charge the batteries once. Owning a drone is not a same hobby as fishing. There is a lot of risk involved and with the increasing number of drone users, things are only going to get stricter and may be more frustrating.
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Well said nilanjan118
The previous person explained the battery discharge thing but I’ll go into more detail. The Spark’s batteries are Lithium Polymer. LiPo batteries are high performance but relatively fragile compared to other types of batteries. Leaving them at 100% charge or discharged shorten their lives and may even make them unstable. Storing them at 50%-ish charge extends battery life and keeps them in good health. That’s why DJI makes them self discharge to 50%-ish charge after 10 days.
Regarding limited range, it sounds like you’re using a phone as a remote control. You can’t expect much range when using a phone. It uses the phone’s WiFi for connection. Think of how quickly you lose connection with your home’s WiFi router when you leave your house, only it’s worse for various reasons (mainly the Spark doesn’t have a 120v outlet for power so the signal isn’t as strong as a router). You’ll either have to live with very limited range or spend the extra money on the remote.
If you do have a remote control, the best is to use an OTG cord and use your phone in airplane mode. That should be able to get you enough range to get you in trouble with the range. If you’re not in the US, switching to FCC mode will likely also help.
The summary are drones aren’t simple toys. They can easily cause injury or death and/or cause a lot of money in property damage. You may roll your eyes at the term of pre-flight procedures, but you’re asking for troubles if you don’t. Proper pre-flight includes charging up batteries and checking for software updates before you go flying. Perhaps having a drone isn’t for you if you don’t care to take such simple steps before leaving your house.
Regarding limited range, it sounds like you’re using a phone as a remote control. You can’t expect much range when using a phone. It uses the phone’s WiFi for connection. Think of how quickly you lose connection with your home’s WiFi router when you leave your house, only it’s worse for various reasons (mainly the Spark doesn’t have a 120v outlet for power so the signal isn’t as strong as a router). You’ll either have to live with very limited range or spend the extra money on the remote.
If you do have a remote control, the best is to use an OTG cord and use your phone in airplane mode. That should be able to get you enough range to get you in trouble with the range. If you’re not in the US, switching to FCC mode will likely also help.
The summary are drones aren’t simple toys. They can easily cause injury or death and/or cause a lot of money in property damage. You may roll your eyes at the term of pre-flight procedures, but you’re asking for troubles if you don’t. Proper pre-flight includes charging up batteries and checking for software updates before you go flying. Perhaps having a drone isn’t for you if you don’t care to take such simple steps before leaving your house.
That was extremely helpful! Thank you for taking the time to outline all of that.
We all have to learn but a little common sense here dude. It cost at least 500$
It is not a toy or you would have paid $29.9 for it. Every machine you own should have a pre-trip done first of all. Fourth post made the most sense.
"Perhaps having a drone isn’t for you if you don’t care to take such simple steps before leaving your house."
Simple ten minute inspection before you leave the house could avoid all this agravation you have. Only blame yourself. Not DJI or the aircraft. I learned how to fly mine via youtube and step by step. I live in rural zone so yes I use my wi-fi signal at home to set up equipment. Gripe to yourself. Its not a toy, pre-trip takes some of the danger out of it. If not as stated you can cause serious damage to a person or a car or a house. You drive your vehicle with care do the same with your drone.
Hello from the Hoosier Heartland david61.
Thanks for the reminder.
I'm getting ready to head out the door for some flying in a new spot and your post reminded me to cache the map of the area on my WiFi only mini4.
Welcome to the Forum.
Locutus40
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first updates there hasnt been an update in a while now i mean like 3 or more months so i dont know why your comlaining about that... dont turn on wifi on your phone and you wont have to update.. and batteries they last about 12 min.. and over time they get used and dont hold much charge so after 100 charges you lost 20% of your storage the drone is just a toy really treat it as such.. and the disconnecting ive told countless people on here no one seems to agree with me but the spark is junk in a way it does not use freqencie hopping like futaba or any other system they just lock on to any old 2.4 signal and use that now if it hopped around all all those chanels wed be fine but to get that feature you have to buy the newest drone the mavic it has this built in... shame really they gave us thins to stop us from whineing about 1500 dollar drones and btw their drones are far over priced i can build a far better one that goes 10 miles for 1000 bucks and operated on 400 mhz and the camera transmitts just as far... bebop wing has a dongle that uses cellular it has unlimited video range and flies for 5 hours so i really dont get these companies that make these drones and dont include a bare min of features
I apologize if I sounded overly harsh in the last paragraph.
Having a remote control is THAT important for happy Spark ownership. The Spark is a very useable real drone when used properly and with the right equipment. DJI choosing not to include a remote with the basic Spark is just a method to get the MSRP as low as possible and in hopes of making extra profits when the buyer buys a remote at a later time. The remote should’ve been standard equipment. However, DJI isn’t the only company that does this. Even the new $1,000 Skydio doesn’t come with a remote.
My somewhat harsh comment is the result of too many novice drone owners thinking they’re just an unregulated harmless toy and treating it as such. In the bigger picture, drones are still very new to most people and many people dislike them for privacy fears. It does a lot of damage if people’s first in-person impression is seeing a reckless drone pilot, seeing a drone lose control (or even crash), or even seeing a drone owner struggling to get a drone airborne or land again. To add to it, many novice drone owners will get frustrated when things don’t work right and will forever have a bad opinion about them.
Reality is that modern drones are incredibly feature-rich, high performance, and have the potential to be dangerous. That even goes for the “entry level” Spark. They aren’t just toys like Walmart grade RC cars with basic NiCad batteries. The features and performance items of drones requires the user to have some level of knowledge and experience. The simple example being you learning that DJI batteries self discharge and the reasons why (you likely don’t like going to bed for the night completely starving for food or completely stuffed with food after a feast, and neither does a LiPo battery).
My biggest suggestions for you are to get a remote (assuming you don’t already have one), get more batteries, fly until you get bored of flying, and then fly some more. You’ll learn what works and doesn’t work, get better at photography, you’ll be able to tell when something isn’t right, be able to quickly fix what isn’t right, and be happier overall. More importantly, you’ll become a better pilot and give a better impression of the hobby while doing it safer.
A little secret: Almost all DJI owners roll their eyes when there is yet another airspace update. You can ignore it for awhile but it’ll eventually force you to download it if enough time has elapsed since the last update.
Well I can understand safety involved, but at the ocean I never fly over about 50 feet high, because of commercial advertising plans that come by, plus I am not into the high flights. And besides my spark is losing signal way, way too much when I am not even 300 feet from me. I don't get it. The furthest away from me I have had it is 5076 feet and max height 266ft. Call me boring, but I have concerns of safety as well as loosing it. However that distance was from the roof if 4 story parking deck. I just dont get the disconnect issues I have in other areas. My screen goes black and white on my phone Note 8, and I get choppy signals.
My phone or tablet, Samsung note 8, tab s2 are used for monitor but its via the dji remote, fly more combo is what I bought.
Well just so you know, I have never flown over 260feet because I am over cautious. So I am sure to someone like you that is boring. I have made one single distance of 5600 feet from a top floor of a parking deck, just to see how it would be for me being at a higher altitude for no disconnect issues and that helped, but I dont li e on a parking deck. I am very well aware of difference in a toy and a hobby. And of course maybe you are right, maybe this drone is not for me when I cant even go through those steps and not loose signa. Especially when I cant even fly at my low expectations and not at some other risky flights.
Well when I say updates, unless i fly within 2-3 days of each other I constantly get some update. I think its mapping, but any update is what i was referring to. As for actual dji software update, i am not sure. Anyway I am not an everyday flyer. I work too much. But it's nice to have photos when we go places especially the beach areas. South Florida. Thanks for the response.
I do have the remote. I bought the fly more bundle. It even gave a gift card for $50 so since, I bought 2 more batteries giving me 4 in total. I would have thought that at the beach there would not be too any issues, this thing flies great in wind, and I can launch and land in my hand preventing any sand contact. I have never even flown from phone controls. I did much research before buying this. Its compact and would be a lot better if disconnect issues would not be so often, constant. I get better results from the top of a parking deck in a city, and I dont get it. I have even tried the antenna adapter device from Amazon. It might get me an extra distant but not enough to brag about. But when I have many issues within 150 -250 feet of me, that doesnt work for what I would like or expect.
I B Spectre
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Trey, I don't recall if you said you've tried an OTG cable between your phone/tablet and the RC. Most pilots find it really helps with stable communication. Ensuring your device is in Airplane mode and Bluetooth off prevents signal interruptions. The 2.4GHz band will give somewhat greater range, but is subject to more interference, particularly in urban areas. 5.8GHz has a bit less range, but is less subject to interference. Here's a link to a discussion on signal issues:
WiFi signal strength
As to the updates, some people post they get update notifications on a regular basis. I checked mine yesterday and had only one Precision Flight update to download, all others were up to date. This was the first one I've had to do in over a month. I could have flown without it, but I like to stay on top of it. Spark firmware hasn't been updated by DJI in a long time.
WiFi signal strength
As to the updates, some people post they get update notifications on a regular basis. I checked mine yesterday and had only one Precision Flight update to download, all others were up to date. This was the first one I've had to do in over a month. I could have flown without it, but I like to stay on top of it. Spark firmware hasn't been updated by DJI in a long time.
skyfly
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Wow, sounds to me you need to charge and update the night before your trip like the rest of us. I also do my preflight the night before. Have fun I do.
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