WTF, Litchi ???

[Dobmatt]

My aerial photography business is specializing in high resolution panoramic imagery. Mainly for this reason I purchased Inspire 2 with X5S camera, a set of sufficient lenses and CrystalSky monitor. After intensive research I purchased venerable Litchi app, which works flawlessly shooting panoramic sequences … Recently been hired to create virtual panoramic tour above a resort in remote area of Canadian Rockies. After 1000 km trip to nearest town and another 75 km of bumpy ride in 4x4 driven by resort owner I finally arrived in beautiful valley with log cabins at the shore of blue lake … With perfectly cooperating weather I’ve set my equipment like many times before just to receive these messages on CrystalSky screen:





Say what???!!! Are you kidding me, Litchi??? Nearest McDonald restaurant with WiFi is 75 km away!!! WTF???

Needless to say, client’s laugh was rather short and sour … I love you, Litchi, but you owe me big time. 2500 CDN, to be exact. And pretty good explanation of this absurd ...

 

[The Editor]

My aerial photography business is specializing in high resolution panoramic imagery. Mainly for this reason I purchased Inspire 2 with X5S camera, a set of sufficient lenses and CrystalSky monitor. After intensive research I purchased venerable Litchi app, which works flawlessly shooting panoramic sequences … Recently been hired to create virtual panoramic tour above a resort in remote area of Canadian Rockies. After 1000 km trip to nearest town and another 75 km of bumpy ride in 4x4 driven by resort owner I finally arrived in beautiful valley with log cabins at the shore of blue lake … With perfectly cooperating weather I’ve set my equipment like many times before just to receive these messages on CrystalSky screen:

View attachment 26387

View attachment 26388

Say what???!!! Are you kidding me, Litchi??? Nearest McDonald restaurant with WiFi is 75 km away!!! WTF???

Needless to say, client’s laugh was rather short and sour … I love you, Litchi, but you owe me big time. 2500 CDN, to be exact. And pretty good explanation of this absurd ...

When was the last time you used the app with internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular)?
A lot of software periodically 'checks into home' (the vendors servers) to authenticate the license.
Usually (but not always) most software will allow a 'grace period' of maybe 14 or 28 days of non connection before it needs to connect again and check the validity of the licence.
If you are travelling to a remote location it is always a good idea the day before to fire up the apps you will be using on site with a good internet connection and allow them to connect.
This should ensure you are trouble free when you get to your location the next day.

 

[Dobmatt]

When was the last time you used the app with internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular)?
A lot of software periodically 'checks into home' (the vendors servers) to authenticate the license.
Usually (but not always) most software will allow a 'grace period' of maybe 14 or 28 days of non connection before it needs to connect again and check the validity of the licence.
If you are travelling to a remote location it is always a good idea the day before to fire up the apps you will be using on site with a good internet connection and allow them to connect.
This should ensure you are trouble free when you get to your location the next day.

If I only knew that ... What I don't understand is the purpose of this validation. Once I leave the proximity of my home WiFi I have no internet connection whatsoever ... None. Therefore my device - CrystalSky in this case - is totally blind and deaf. Why do we need to validate the right to use the application we purchased and paid for? Can you imagine the absurdity of validation process? I'll need to drive to nearest accessible WiFi spot known to me (busy McDonald restaurant in Revelstoke BC), order a burger, set my Inspire 2 and RC with CrystalSky monitor on a table, launch the app and follow the licence validation instructions ... It's plain stupid ... Grrrrr ... But thanks for advice ...

 

[The Editor]

If I only knew that ... What I don't understand is the purpose of this validation. Once I leave the proximity of my home WiFi I have no internet connection whatsoever ... None. Therefore my device - CrystalSky in this case - is totally blind and deaf. Why do we need to validate the right to use the application we purchased and paid for? Can you imagine the absurdity of validation process? I'll need to drive to nearest accessible WiFi spot known to me (busy McDonald restaurant in Revelstoke BC), order a burger, set my Inspire 2 and RC with CrystalSky monitor on a table, launch the app and follow the licence validation instructions ... It's plain stupid ... Grrrrr ... But thanks for advice ...

Don’t forget - you never, ever purchase software. You only ever purchase a license to use the software - you never own it.
You can thank Mr Gates all those years ago for that one.

You shouldn’t need to actually connect your aircraft, just firing up the app on your device (with internet connection) should be sufficient.

 

[SanCap]

Are you doing a more sophisticated pano that can not be flown manually?

 

[Dobmatt]

Are you doing a more sophisticated pano that can not be flown manually?

Exactly. My panos are of gigapixel sizes, stitched with up to and over 100 separate photos. Sometimes I need to split the shooting for 2 battery sets in order to get super resolution, if required. At least one of my work was printed 16 meters wide with 72 dots per square inch resolution. No way to do such job manually. But that's not the point ...

 

[GFields]

When I'm in the field, I always have the hotspot active on my iPhone, everything automatically connects.

 

[Dobmatt]

When I'm in the field, I always have the hotspot active on my iPhone, everything automatically connects.

Thank you for advice, but ... How do you understand the description of "remote location"? Believe or not, there are some places on this planet still not covered by cellular network ...

 

[GFields]

Thank you for advice, but ... How do you understand the description of "remote location"? Believe or not, there are some places on this planet still not covered by cellular network ...

Although your comment soaks with sarcasm, I was simply stating what I do. I've never been out of cellular range. So, IF that's your case and you don't check everything the night before or before heading out good luck.

 

[Dobmatt]

Although your comment soaks with sarcasm, I was simply stating what I do. I've never been out of cellular range. So, IF that's your case and you don't check everything the night before or before heading out good luck.

My apologies for traces of sarcasm in my replies, but I'm a bit touchy recently ... I think I know where the problem is and why nobody else experienced such situation... It's me, I'm the problem. I'm the last alive dinosaur, one and only drone pilot on this planet who's occasionally entering the forbidden zones with no cellular coverage, no Internet. Scary, horrifying places ... Oops, sarcasm again ...

 

[MBrewington]

My apologies for traces of sarcasm in my replies, but I'm a bit touchy recently ... I think I know where the problem is and why nobody else experienced such situation... It's me, I'm the problem. I'm the last alive dinosaur, one and only drone pilot on this planet who's occasionally entering the forbidden zones with no cellular coverage, no Internet. Scary, horrifying places ... Oops, sarcasm again ...

But you are not alone. There are more of us dinosaurs out there. I was up on Mt St Helens when I attempted to fire up the Osmo. Same story, no wifi no go. The GO and GO4 apps stutter too and need to call home occasionally too. I feel your pain.

 

[BirdUp]

I feel your pain Dobmatt. I had the same thing happen to me with Litchi in front of the client no less. Fortunately, I was able to make my iPhone a hotspot and re-authenticate the lic and was able to carry on. You're absolutely right though, about Litchi's re-auth method, it is STUPID. Plus, I found Litchi is not always reliable when running the same mission for cross-fading videos into a seamless one.

 

[IronSky1]

That is why I have a Parrot Anafi as a backup with my Inspire in case something goes wrong the built pano works well and no need to connect not a X5S

 

[Donnie Frank]

My aerial photography business is specializing in high resolution panoramic imagery. Mainly for this reason I purchased Inspire 2 with X5S camera, a set of sufficient lenses and CrystalSky monitor. After intensive research I purchased venerable Litchi app, which works flawlessly shooting panoramic sequences … Recently been hired to create virtual panoramic tour above a resort in remote area of Canadian Rockies. After 1000 km trip to nearest town and another 75 km of bumpy ride in 4x4 driven by resort owner I finally arrived in beautiful valley with log cabins at the shore of blue lake … With perfectly cooperating weather I’ve set my equipment like many times before just to receive these messages on CrystalSky screen:

View attachment 26387

View attachment 26388

Say what???!!! Are you kidding me, Litchi??? Nearest McDonald restaurant with WiFi is 75 km away!!! WTF???

Needless to say, client’s laugh was rather short and sour … I love you, Litchi, but you owe me big time. 2500 CDN, to be exact. And pretty good explanation of this absurd ...

This kind of behavior is inexcusable, and why I use legacy apps and legacy firmware. I got caught out on a job ONCE with a BS window from DJI that essentially disabled the app (and the drone) until I found an Internet connection, logged in, and took some GD test...this a mere 12 hours after I had fully fired up the bird in my living room the night before. Fortunately, I was able to fly the bird using other software. But I vowed this would never happen again. I rolled back the software and vowed to never allow it to update EVER. So far, I couldn't be happier with that decision.

I find it ironic that equipment used in the most remote parts of the world arguably more than any other equipment in the world relies the most on f***ing infrastructure. Maddening. Literally, 90% of my work is done away from Internet. And f*** anyone who tells me I have to have a f***ing cell phone tether to fly my **** drone. Especially when 10% of my work is outside of cell phone range!! Argh!

D

 

[Dobmatt]

This kind of behavior is inexcusable, and why I use legacy apps and legacy firmware. I got caught out on a job ONCE with a BS window from DJI that essentially disabled the app (and the drone) until I found an Internet connection, logged in, and took some GD test...this a mere 12 hours after I had fully fired up the bird in my living room the night before. Fortunately, I was able to fly the bird using other software. But I vowed this would never happen again. I rolled back the software and vowed to never allow it to update EVER. So far, I couldn't be happier with that decision.

I find it ironic that equipment used in the most remote parts of the world arguably more than any other equipment in the world relies the most on f***ing infrastructure. Maddening. Literally, 90% of my work is done away from Internet. And f*** anyone who tells me I have to have a f***ing cell phone tether to fly my **** drone. Especially when 10% of my work is outside of cell phone range!! Argh!

D

Sadly only few of us really recognizes the issue. The majority of humankind will never enter the forbidden zone of no cellular coverage, they don't even know how much ... oh, whatever ...

 

[snowghost]

Up in the mountains of Payson, AZ. No cell service. My CrystalSky was not connected to WiFi for a couple days before flying. No issues with Go App. I plan to get Litchi and don't want to have it crap out at the wrong time.

 

[Dobmatt]

Up in the mountains of Payson, AZ. No cell service. My CrystalSky was not connected to WiFi for a couple days before flying. No issues with Go App. I plan to get Litchi and don't want to have it crap out at the wrong time.

You'll probably not be in trouble if Litchi is "in touch" with Amazon Store several days before planned trip into scary no-cell zone ...