A DJI drone is an unmanned vehicle used for tracing. In space, military, and aviation, drones refer to an unpiloted spacecraft or aircraft. Additionally, drones (quads or copters) don’t need rest, and this enables them to fly as long as there is fuel and no mechanical failures.
Today, quads are used in many other fields such as games, business, and others, and brands like DJI Drone provide various versions of drones to meet the demand. However, any drone has its limitations with respect to its range. I wish to know more about DJI drone range, read below to get a comprehensive understanding.
DJI Drone range
Drone technology has grown rapidly in the past few years. Even consumer drones have better ranges than before. However, even this range comes with certain limitations. It is recommended to know the range of quads before you plan to buy one.
Drones like the DJI Mavic and DJI Phantom have ranges of about two to three miles. Such a drone is able to maintain a radio link to the pilot as well as a 720p video link. However, this is not a matter to be worried about privacy issues as drone cameras are just not designed as spy cameras. Although drone cameras are wonderful for capturing things and landscapes from a distant place, they are not that good at imaging close up objects in great detail.
For instance, a drone is capable of taking an excellent overload video or photo of a building. However, if there is someone on a balcony in that particular building, his face would not even be recognizable. In brief, drones can give you an overview of a place in a particular range, but not in a detailed manner.
When you are talking about aerial photography systems, the DJI Phantom and DJI Mavic are the leaders. They come with a wonderful radio technology and superb range that maintains a connection. Another striking feature of these drones is they will fly safely back to you if there is an interruption and/or disconnection to the link of the radio.
The range of racing DJI drones
The range of common racing drones has increased substantially in recent years. The current range of many quads is quite far due to the advancement in the technology. However, it is limited by battery life and the FPV range.
It is possible to maintain a radio link at very large distances. You can enjoy a range of up to 40 kilometers. However, majority of the mini-quad radios operate by default on the range of 2.4 GHz. Here you could expect a radio link up to one kilometer or perhaps a little more, depending on the kind of receiver you have.
Although a DJI drone range varies greatly as mentioned by the maker, it is not advisable to fly your drone to the specified limit. Practically speaking, when flying a racing quad, it is best to fly the drone up to a distance you are willing to go and pick it up in case it crashes. While it is possible to have long-range flights with drones, they are a bit risky. A single wrong move on your part could result in losing your quad-copter.
However, this particular rule is not applicable to military and space drones. These drones are designed with utmost intricacies and include features that help to monitor things from a very large distance. Such drones are built to manage mechanical malfunctioning in most cases. As a result, they are less likely to crash.
What affects the DJI drone range?
Modern DJI drones can let you fly your quad-copter to a large distance. However, this range is affected by two things. Basically, battery life and the FPV range are the parameters that affect the range of any drone. If you pay close attention to these things, you could be able to pick a drone with a better range.
Battery life
Racing mini-quads or quad-copters are small machines and come with tiny batteries. These batteries actually push a lot of power to spin the four propellers very fast. With today’s propellers and motors, the highest flight time that you could get of a mini-quad is three to five minutes.
You cannot go too far in that time and expect to come back. Of course, you can cover a very long distance by pushing the quad at a speed of 100 km/h. However, you need to remember that you have to fly your copter back. Large quad-copters have a longer battery life as they use larger propellers and slow motors. Even these copters could be limited by the FPV range.
FPV range
When flying an FPV (first-person view) system, the DJI drone range becomes unpredictable and dangerous, particularly in areas with too many obstacles. Most of the FPV systems work on the 5.8 GHz spectrum, which has a range less than that of the 2.4 GHz mostly used in radios. With the right transmitter and antennas, you can push the 5.8 GHz video to one mile. However, that is only possible if there is no obstacle between you and your quad-copter.
If you are in an open field and fly your quad straight out or fly high straight out, there is a straight line between you and the copter with no obstacles in between. In such cases, you can cover a large distance. You can also find long range FPV systems that usually work on lower frequencies. They can give a range of 10 to 20 kilometers. However, they are suited to planes than quads since the antennas are quite bigger.
Bottom line
Today, DJI drones are used in many fields such as military, space, games, and others. While these mini-quads present numerous advantages, they can be used up to a particular range. It is best to get familiar with the DJI drone range before buying to avoid any problems later. If you don’t have info in this respect, take a look at the above findings on drone ranges. With the right info, you are sure to pick an ideal copter matching your specifics for your desired purpose.