That's intersting info to know. As I'm with Crystal Sky and DJI stopped updating DJI Go for it I'm not aware of the newest versions of DJI Go 3. They already did locked the DJI FPV drone and goggles by forcing you to update, so I wont be surpraised if they'll do it for some of the oldest drones.
I've accidentally connected the FPV to my phone and that was it, had to update, lost ability to FCC hack and at the end paid 40 Euro to Drone Hacks to downgrade to previous FW. It was a whole day hassle to fix it as their software wasn't working smooth and in the way they were saying, found custom drivers and etc and then was able to run the Drone Haks properly, lol.
It was an interesting discovery. I don't really use my oldest iPad for flying anymore (9.7" Air 1). This is my "never connect it to the Internet for any reason ever" iPad. Which is also my "reset drone location if I have to" iPad.
What I've kind of garnered is that there is a lot of handshaking going on between the drone, the RC and the iPad. Each has a separate duty in the NFZ puzzle. Here's how I think it works (at least for the Inspire 1)...
A few things are needed to ground the drone:
1) Drone location
2) Restriction information (NFZ's)
3) A vehicle for putting all the information together to form a permissions conclusion
The iPad contains the restriction data (where you can and cannot fly). It can only get this data from the Internet. So without connecting to the Go App / Go 4 App to the Internet, the iPad never gets the restriction data. I believe that, as long as no DJI software is actively open on your iPad, you CAN connect it to the Internet. But I don't take any chances.
The RC holds the logic bits (go / no-go). And, unfortunately, this information IS persistent. If I simply restart the drone AND the controller sans iPad, the restriction remains. It is persistent. It has to be retaught - that it's okay to fly.
I've tried to extrapolate which piece of hardware actually prevents the motors from starting. Is it the RC? Or is it drone??? I think it's the RC. Why? Because restarting the drone with the "cleansed" iPad does NOT reset the NFZ. Restarting the controller with the "cleansed" iPad does.
The drone's only function in this puzzle is to tell the components where we are in space. This is why it's advantageous to use an iPad with no GPS chip (no cell phone chip). And, of course, NOT use an iPhone. Without any GPS function in your tablet, the whole mess relies on the drone for GPS location data.
On a jobsite with an erroneous NFZ, using the two iPads, I was able to turn the restriction on and off like a switch. The caveat is that you have to fly sans map (unless you're lucky enough that the map was cached BEFORE the restriction was put in place), as obviously when you download mapping images, you're also downloading NFZ data. The good news is that you can get mapping images via third-party apps without getting the restrictions. The images don't seem to crossover to other apps. Each app seems to have it's own map caching folders....but still unsure on that one.
It's all very convoluted, complex and unintuitive. But with enough experimenting, I believe I have it figured most of it out.
So guys who use a iPhone or an iPad with a GPS chip (Cell phone and GPS seem to be in the same chip) are at an instant disadvantage. But even with no cell SERVICE, the GPS chip still works. Of all my iPads, only one has a GPS chip. And I generally don't use that iPad for my drones. If I do, I disabled the GPS function.
I recently had cause to purchase an Avata 2 (job coming up). But I think that job fell to the wayside, so holding off getting the Avata. But if I do, you can bet that the first thing I'm going to do is figure out a way around their Internet requirement....which seems absolutely ridiculous to me. But that's another conversation for another day...
D
