OTG has transformed my Spark Experience....

[Paul60]

Also, the tactile nature of the controller can not be beat, your little stick on do-dad joysticks not withstanding.

I just found a mounting bracket on eBay for $20 bucks that takes tablets up to 12". Now I can use my iPad Mini 4 and still keep it safe in its Otterbox.

 

[Tilak]

I think it has a lot to do with the type of Android device you are using, devices with "stock" Android seem to have much less lag than Android devices with bloat ware such as touch wiz on Samsung devices, I can use my Google Pixel phone connected with Wifi to my RC with no problem at all....

Having done quite a bit of testing (various Android phones) I agree wholeheartedly that in terms of "is OTG worth it" depends very much on the actual Android and the bloatware and apps running. Samsung was terrible in my case.

BUT I also found that selecting the correct WiFi frequency and particularly the channel is CRITICAL - just getting that correct that took my 10sec+ lag to what seems like zero.

In the end I found that WiFi was actually better than OTG once the correct WiFi channel had been selected (and that depends on what's around you). Can't understand why that would be but it was for me.

 

[Zoran]

Absolutely...the less interference on the channel your using for your spark comms to your RC the better...means the signal coming back to your phone/ tablet is clearer and lag free... I also use my old Nexus 7 2013 tablet to fly my spark, and it's not laggy at all...once again older Android but totally stock, I've uninstalled everything that's not needed to fly the sparks and disabled all non critical apps, it works great.

 

[peejay]

I know it's not officially supported (...)

about a month ago, during the opening of DJI's authorised dealer & service in my city, I was talking with one of the staff, and asked few things about the OTG cable - the internet screams "it's not supported" and "guarantee is not valid when using OTG" etc. so I was just curious if it's true, because I use OTG with my Drony Spark on a daily basis. of course it is not a sctrict "DJI official comment", but still - guys from the service point told me that they didn't hear a thing about DJI rejecting service claims because of Spark's OTG useage, and also - they think that it would have no sense, because it is not the intereference with hardware, not the invasive hardware hack, or any kind of rooting/flashing custom firmware etc. OTG just uses some options that are built into the drone. yet they couldn't answer me why - in that case - there is no mention about OTG in the documentation.

so, even if it is not the "oficial statement", I feel a little bit more comfortable with OTG, without a fear that I am left for my own [and of course hoping, that I won't need to check the service support/rejection too fast ]

 

[sfessen]

I think it has a lot to do with the type of Android device you are using, devices with "stock" Android seem to have much less lag than Android devices with bloat ware such as touch wiz on Samsung devices, I can use my Google Pixel phone connected with Wifi to my RC with no problem at all....

I use a Google pixel phone and have great results. I lost connection once or twice but got it back immediately.... Some video lag but very very minor. Going to try the otg cable just to see if there are any improvements.

 

[wricks]

Using the OTG cable with my iPad Mini 4 didn't make any discernable difference except for the option of 5.8 ghz. That said, with my Note 5 it was a necessity. Before I had terrible lag and disconnects, after it was a completely different, and much better, experience. Haven't had a chance to try with my Note 8.

 

[Spark 317]

From what I've read on this forum is that it's a licence issue with Apple is why it's not officially supported.

Apparently the cable works on both platforms with mixed results and options.

And rumors of DJI disabling the use of it would be devastating to the company because so my current and future pilots find comfort in using it.

After all, they have the goggles to sell too.

 

[Texas Gonzo]

Fyi, regarding the OTG cables, i bought a 5 pack of OTG adaptors off Amazon for less than 5 bucks that fit *inside* the male end of a normal, usb cable (the big end). Now i have plenty of double-ended, micro-usb (OTG) cables, cheaper, and better than the type which fits over the big usb end. These work great, especially once you crimp the male usb down a bit to secure the adaptor. No issues with disconnection at all once I started using OTG with my spark. Too bad my P3S doesn't support it (yep, I've tried).

Now that i have these adaptors, i use them with all kinds of peripherals, including keyboards and mice... but mostly for plugging usb thumb drives directly into my phones for file transfers. Handy handy.

For those still in the dark on OTG, its nothing more than a cable with micro usb at both ends. Great for connecting 1 phone to another as well. You must enable usb debugging for them to work however, which involves enabling developer options first (go to settings > about > kernel version and tap it rapidly like 8 or 10 times for that).

Happy flying all, don't forget to get insured! Its far too cheap to pass up the coverage they provide!

 

[Roy Talangbayan]

Pardon my ignorance, but wtf is a OTG cable ? I've been using computers since my trusty C64 back in 1986 but I have no idea what an OTG cable is. Never heard of it.

Do you mean a USB cable ? Do I need one with the Spark and my iPhone 6s ?

I might have to summon the energy to look it up.

OTG is On-The-Go cable, to connect your RC to the phone/tablet.

 

[Born In The Bronx]

Pardon my ignorance, but wtf is a OTG cable ? I've been using computers since my trusty C64 back in 1986 but I have no idea what an OTG cable is. Never heard of it.

Do you mean a USB cable ? Do I need one with the Spark and my iPhone 6s ?

I might have to summon the energy to look it up.

OGT stands for On The Go. It’s very common among Samsung and Andriod users. You don’t need one necessarily for your iPhone 6S but I found that with my iPhone7 Plus I get a much more solid connection with no risk of losing my WiFi Connection. Be aware not all OTG cables are the same, some don’t work. Also I found as others have that you need to follow certain sequence in order for it to work. Here is the post I did back in august

I just tried using an OTG cable on my iPhone 7 Plus. The sequence in which you do it seems to be important. This is what works every time for me.
First I turned off wifi on my phone and entered Airplane Mode

OGT Cable Set up on Spark Remote

1) switch on remote (nothing plugged in)

2) switch on spark

3) Wait for green light on controller

4) switch on ipad/iphone

5)open up DJI Go4 App you will see a grey screen.

6) plug in lightning cable to ipad/iphone

7) plug in usb end of lightning into the otg cable

8) plug otg cable into remote

9) pad/controller will make a sound to make connection

10) On your iphone you'll get the "This accessory may not be etc, etc" HIT dismiss to ignore message

11) Camera view pops up.


The one that seems to work for everyone is by Ugreen on Amazon sold in a 2 pack
Look for my OTG Cable post on this forum from a few months ago.

 

[magomi79]

Hello friends, greetings from Colombia. I want to tell you that my experience with the OTG cable was great because the cell phone I used did not have enough memory resources to run the application. after many days of flights with many problems ahun using the OTG I decided to change my cell phone (HUAWEY P7) for a new device with more ram memory. so I decided on a XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 4 .. 4GB RAM .. 64GB ROM ... what happiness it gave me when from the first flight I did not need more of the OTG cable and everything flowed like a charm. the use of the OTG is good but in the long term it seems to me that it can damage the connection terminal in the control and that would be catastrophic. in summary now I am completely happy to fly with my DJI Spark without delays

 

[Texas Gonzo]

If i may ask, how much did that Note 4 run you, and where did you get it? Im still looking for a tablet that will support GO/GO4. Thanks!

 

[sdharris]

Interestingly I was in Spain last week (I reside in the UK) and left the OTG cable in the car on one occasion. I connected to the RC via Wifi and DJI GO warned me that it was making changes to the Wifi configuration due to local regulations and to restart. When I restarted the Wifi connection was superb, no lag, no breakup of signal.

The Wifi connection performance to the RC might be dependent on country.

 

[Martin]

I know it's not officially supported but OTG connection has transformed my Spark experience. Got the Fly More Combo, and my first couple of flights were a complete mess with horrendous video lag and frequent disconnects (I use a Sony Xperia Z for it but was same with my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge). Tried the OTG solution and it has been night and day for me. Burned through 2 Batteries and recharged and did the same and NOT A SINGLE DISCONNECT AND ZERO VIDEO LAG. Seems to me DJI should support this as it solved the only issue for me.....

View attachment 1766

You only connect the cable and the Spark works well?.
There are some tips to do it well?
Regards!

 

[Deleted member 3754]

If you fly with other Spark quads all using otg, would there be interference issues? Is there a way to change the wifi channels or something something that? It's not changeable from channel 13. Would like to try other channels as well.

 

[hendywidodo]

In using OTG cable, do we have to modify "usb debugging"? Which ones? Mtp connection?

 

[Harlequin66]

DJI do an "officlal" OTG lead to go with the Goggles and I bought one in readiness for maybe getting the Goggles at a later date but I have been using it on my Spark and Note 8 and it works very well.
I did have a OTG lead already but the USB micro connector was very slack in the controller and I had to keep pushing it back in to get it connect even though it hadn't fallen out,it was just loose enough to keep loosing connection.

I have a Note 4 and it is a bit of a pain trying to fit it in the holder on the remote, how do you fit the Note 8 in it?

 

[smallman28]

I have a Note 4 and it is a bit of a pain trying to fit it in the holder on the remote, how do you fit the Note 8 in it?

Badly,even without the case on the phone is very tall to fit in between the arms of the controller and would literally just about fit.
For one reason and another (not just the Spark) I now have a Iphone 6 which fits just fine however the "problem" I have now is that the one arm of the controller covers over the home button.
The only way to fix this is to not push the controller all the way into the controller,I have to leave it only half way into the arms so the home button is still accessible.

 

[freedomsoftware]

Anyone have a recommendation for a USB c cable that will work with a Nexus 5x? Also does using a cable connection work on go 4?

 

[Red Rider]

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