DJI Mavic Air 2 Urban Range & Interference Test (vs. Mavic 2)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Today we test the range of the DJI Mavic Air 2 in an urban environment.
Previous DJI drone range tests: • DJI Mavic Mini Urban R...
DJI Mavic Air 2: click.dji.com/...
DJI Mavic Air 2 Playlist: • DJI Mavic Air 2
My Gear:
Inspire 2: click.dji.com/...
Mavic 2 Pro: click.dji.com/...
Mavic 2 Pro ND Filters: www.polarprofi...
DJI Mavic Air 2: click.dji.com/...
Sony a7 III: amzn.to/2RwRN8L
Sony GM 16-35 f2.8 lens: amzn.to/2sVmqe1
Variable ND Filter: www.polarprofi...
Camera Mic: amzn.to/2rsfdBN
Studio Mic: amzn.to/36mw5J8
Joby Gorillapod: amzn.to/2XC7fna
Goal Zero Sherpa PD: amzn.to/2rtKCnn
SSD: amzn.to/2YHlvK9
iPad Mini 5: amzn.to/36eJti4
Backpack: amzn.to/35i4tV2
Osmo Action: amzn.to/2qxnxj4
SD Cards: amzn.to/2E2D39O
Micro SD Cards: amzn.to/36jNou2
ALL GEAR:
www.amazon.com/...
Check out my podcast:
billy-kyle.com/...
Study to become a commercially certified drone pilot in the US, with the help of the Drone Pilot Ground School:
learn.uavcoach...
Use code "BILLYKYLE50" for $50 off!
FOLLOW ME:
/ billykyle
/ billykyle
/ billykyle
/ billiamkyle
vm.tiktok.com/x...
/ billykyle
billy-kyle.com
Outro music:
AK - Lovestory
Just got mine today and did a small test flight and I am blown away at the sound level. At full speed in sport mode at about 100' elevation, it makes less noise than the Mini and it's moving twice as fast. It is very stealthy and that is a good thing considering the negativity drone hobbyists usually get. The 4K video is absolutely amazing at this price point. Great video Billy! I can't wait for more videos on this drone from you. I feel like Number 5, "Input, input, need more input!" (Short Circuit movie reference for you youngins)😁
Love the range test! A longer range equates to a much more robust signal in areas where interference can play havoc with lesser technology(as an opinion).
Looking at the antenna / phone holder it looks like the antenna would be straight up and down in it meaning that the signal would have been going up into the sky on whatever angle you are holding your controller in order to see the screen. I see this as a slight issue for longer range trips since the only way to adjust the angle is to turn the controller to be more level the further out you go. Still not a big enough issue to prevent me from ordering mine when I sell my old Mavic air.
From the drawings in the user manual it looks like the signal radiates from the top of the phone holder. So if you always point the two phone holder support rods at the drone you will maximize signal strength to/from the MA2. Doing this may have allowed the MA2 to travel further away.
It was faced directly towards the drone
I’m still impressed with the range on the Mavic Mini
Because of the price
Range on my mini is really shit to be honest...
Marco Cantarini how it has the same range as drones twice it’s cost
@@joblow2449 i can't speak for other drones as this is the only one i've ever tried but i struggle even to go over 300mt with the mavic mini. Even in an open space it won't go more than 500mt without losing signal
@@marcocantarini3031 That's True!! Inside the City, the max distance for me was 300mt, Outskirts was 1200mt
Virtually the same range as mavic2 and 500 dollars less can’t complain about that
Yeah with only 1 IMU✌️ NO THANK YOU
BodiesByOsby That’s what worries me. Not sure why they would downgrade to one IMU when even the original Air 1 had two IMU. Everything else was quality but that’s a huge liability. If you buy the Air 2 you have to be okay with the fact if the IMU fails you’re never seeing it again lol.
@@DPMixing The Mavic Air 1 and Mavic 2 PRO have IMU’s in serial and not parallel, so even if one of them fails it will fly away. Mavic Mini has single IMU as well😎
@@Royalyorkies AIR2's IMU is superior to that of the Air1's, that's why they decided to not use 2.
@@samuelsfilms are you sure bro? Cause i sold my air, wanted to buy this air 2, but this imu thing bothers me. Im not a tech expert, im searching any data but cant find specific one.
Please make a video on the AirSense. There is like no TH-cam videos of it actually in action so I think this could be a high viewing video for you if you make it.
Just flew mine for the first time today, but didn’t attempt a range test. Blown away by the image quality though
As I mention in your Autel 2 video (time 5:17), the tallest bulding on the right at 2:33 is creating a fence for your signal... considering your hieght, you will never get a drone getting more distance without increasing altitude... In your Autel 2 video we saw the drone signal back when it arrive close to this building... I am sure that if you look at all you raw footage of all your previous tests, you get near this building when you regain signal...
Thanks Billy, still not sure if I’ll upgrade from my original Air- I don’t think I would fly more than about half a mile away (supposed to be flying with visual line of sight ?), and except for the cool hyperlapse and slow motion I think 4K 30 is fine for my use.... I am looking at the Skydio 2 with the beacon as my next drone to use to follow me on my cycling adventures.... I can’t see lugging this controller for the air 2 with me on my handlebars .... anyway one thing I’m curious about with the Air 2 is why there is no control over the gimbal as far as slowing the movement down in the app ...I know you were looking for that control yesterday. What are your thoughts on that
Great video 📹 ✈ 👍🏿. Always the best and in detail. And when ever you get a chance do a over the water range test. I know you will ✈ can't wait. Thanks for all your videos and knowledge. 👍🏿✈️
Great video and test as always. Greetings from Thailand
Nice job as always Billy! I'm so impressed by this drone! I've only had the chance to use 2 batteries so far, but unbelievable for the price! Keep em coming sir!
Maybe you should try another range test with the mini and air 1? According to your range test, the air 1 has worse range than spark, but I have seen people get over 5 km with air 1, unmoded, and only have to return because of battery. When you did the test with spark, mini, and air 1, you said that the spark and mini where in 5.8, but the air 1 was stuck in 2.4, which can make a large difference in high interference areas. As far as I know, the transmission system of the mini and air 1 is the same (correct me if I'm wrong), thanks
Mine is coming today, any advice on what to do first out of the box? I terms of firmware first then etc.?
Getting mine next week, any recommendations?
Not bad at all! As you indicated, more than enough range for most people I would think. I'm thrilled that DJI put this amount of range control in their drones to be able to deal with all the congested interference in urban areas.
Was thinking of upgrading my mini to get more range in RF noisy urban areas, your videos have convinced me that the improvement would be marginal at best.
I realize this is a old post. Just some info for you. I agree with the other comments about antenna angle. I’m a HAM radio operator so I understand how the antennas work. The MA2 does have the different antenna system then the older models which where two plastic antennas that radiate the signal out in a 360° radius from the flat sides. Basically they are Omni-directional. The MA2 antenna top needs to be pointed directly at the drone because it’s like a beam antenna where the signal is concentrated much more in a straight direction but still a funnel shaped signal going out towards the drone. Picture a funnel and and you can understand how it sends out the signal compared to a complete 360° circle off the long flat end of a Omni-directional antenna. The MA2 directional beam style is one of the things which makes the signal more powerful along with the Ocusync. Not trying to be rude Billy, just some if you wanted to try again. I really like your channel and it has been helpful so I appreciate your time and efforts. I believe even in the environment you tested this you could get maybe another 2,000 feet or much more.
If you test again I’d suggest once it gets out to about 6,000 feet to rotate the controller up towards the sky and you will see the signal bars go down. Rotate back down towards the drone and you will see them go back up. It’s very noticeable when your not directing towards the drone. It doesn’t need to be pointed exactly at the drone because it does go out in a funnel shape but the more direct it is the stronger signal to drone.
As I said, I’m not trying to be critical but, using Omni-directional and Beam type antennas in my HAM radio use has tough me a lot. I have even built some antennas in the past and tested them years ago. Hope this helps. Thanks again for all you videos and help. Enjoy Sir.
Do a max range test at a place with zero interference / 0 wind and see how that goes. Just like the mavic 2 pro max range test.
Kyle Smith The Mavic 2 Pro didn’t come back though.
What do you mean it didnt come back. Did the drone fly away ?
@@beardedhemi he means the battery died, a true range test is no return home :)
@John Grzeskowiak and yet, ive gotten 7+ miles, i mean i could not do return to home, but still, Airplane mode, turned off video cache to phone, did "Smooth" instead of "HD" and also did not record. heck i get like 2 miles no problem in the middle of a city LOS, so i dont know what you could be doing wrong other than not pointing the antennas the exactlty at the drones height.
Hey Billy, I think you're going in front of a building at about 10,000ft. That's why every drone with more range disconnect suddenly there.
I think in the last Evo take test it was visible after it started RTH.
Thank you Billy. The thing I don’t like about the fly app is it doesn’t have the bar with the return to home point.
Just ordered mine tonight, super excited moving up from the mavic mini... I hope it’s a good upgrade.
Its an incredible upgrade from the Mini! You're going to be very impressed!
How did you like the Mini? I'm thinking of getting it.
@@myusetoob the Mini is an amazing drone, especially for its size! I love mine 100%. 2 down sides to it are strong wind and no obstacle avoidance. But if you fly smart those things aren't a huge issue.
Mr Synister hey I love my Mini, it is/was my first drone. I didn’t think I would enjoy flying as much as I do. The drone has helped pass the time during this covid19 pandemic and helps you escape it all. I’m only upgrading to the mavic air 2 because I need better camera, range and more features. There is nothing wrong with the mini, now my friends or girlfriend can fly with me!
Fly High Wisconsin thanks, I can’t wait for it to arrive. I’m mostly excited about the increased range, speed and camera... love the mini, but I just need something more... beefy? Lol
How did the drone come back when the connection was lost? My Air 2 recently crashed after falling out of the sky when the connection was lost. It was about 500 feet away and my screen went blank. I heard it crash on someone's roof. I never even had an opportunity to have it return home.
I'm a new mavic air 2 owner, I have lots of questions about the drone and when the signal is lost, you were so calm when it happened 🤣
For me, you cut the RC signal loss section out... I was looking forward to seeing the process you used to reconnect!! Did the drone start the RTH immediately upon signal loss...what happened?? Can you do a video on that process. I lost a drone once when that happened!
It will normally return to home when the signal is lost.
The drone waits 11 seconds where it lost the signal then automatically activates return to home and starts heading back
I was hoping for a little more on that as well. It’s happened three times with my original Mavic Air, and while automatic return to home kicked in each time, I was never able to regain control. In this video, it looks like it eventually reconnected.
SAM - aka Scott Moorman I lost connection from the remote on my MA2 earlier. After a few seconds, rth activated and then a few seconds more I got full control back. So yes, it will auto reconnect when able to.
I still think I would crap my pants when I lost contact with my Drone. Especially a mile and a half away over water........
Nice views of my home town of Philly. Oh, also nice quadcopter :)
Hey T
Pretty new to drones but I’m learning a lot. Kind of stunned that there are so many bvlos videos out there. Does the faa just turn a blind eye for now or is there something else I’m missing?
Very proud owner of a brand new Mavic Air2...one Drone against the World baby!!!
I was flying my Mavic Air II and lost "image transmission" at a distance of 445m (error code 80004). Most definitely must be doing something wrong, any thoughts? It's a new drone, is it worth having DJI look at it or would that be a rabbit hole? Thank you for any feed back. P.S. Billy, love your very informative videos.
Same for me, after 400 meters its lagging
I'm used to this. In a much denser urban environment with much more interference my mavic 2 pro goes from somewhere between 3.3km's to 4.2km's.
The reason being I takeoff from my rooftop which itself is 140 feet from the ground and I fly the drone at 140-200 meters and sometimes even at 300-400 meters altitude. The higher you go more stable the connection. But realasticly if you fly low, expecting any drone to go beyond 2 miles in an urban environment at this point in time is useless. Even the inspire 2 I rent sometimes behaves the same.
It also Depends on day for range sometimes with Mavic Mini (CE) I can get 760m in field near me and other day same place same height can be 1.5km. So could be due radio interference , KP value . Etc
Stumbled upon your channel looking for Air 2 reviews. Superb stuff. Great test flight!
I went 10,833 away and back with my Spark. So, 21,666 was the total distance traveled. I used a range extender reflector on my RC. Thanks for doing these tests.
the best Mavic air 2 video I’ve seen so far and I watched quite a few great info
So.. When you went to retrieve the drone and the signal was lost.. Was the drone stationary where the signal was lost? And did you just get closer to the drone to reconnect the signal?
I’m just going to Ditch my garage parrot for DJI
garage
garage
Yea
Hi DJI employee 🖐️
garage
Wouldn’t facing the direction of the drone give you more distance?
Would the Mavic air 2 be an upgrade over the original Autel Evo?
thanks for posting, i believe they just toned down the power output because u.s. regs, the DJI f.p.v. goggles are my case point. a simple dji script put on a sc card doubled the distance of the goggles
I get about 2400 feet flying in my suburban neighborhood in North GA. Why? I fly at 300 feet. I have two Mavic Air 2's and they get about the same range....I get disconnected error messages far too soon. Great Video! Thumbs up.
Wouldn't you get greater range if you did not have the video engaged and avoided sport mode?
Nice range test ! 🤟🏻👍🏻
Billy, my Air 2 on Start Up is NOT calling for the IMU to be calibrated. Should I calibrate it anyway before 1st flight? I’d appreciate your input. Thank you. 🚁
A great test but ... What happens if you really lose it? Does your RTH operate flawlessly? And technically, this is all in violation of VLOS rules. Which we safely ignore?
How did you get the drone back?
Anything special since it lost it's signal or did you simply push the Return To Home button?
I’m not sure if I’m misunderstanding the on screen icons, but it appears when you first took off the drone icon was facing straight away (upwards) and the numbers were climbing pretty quickly, by the end of the test the drone had actually turned almost 90 degrees because the icon was facing to the right and the numbers were climbing a lot more slowly. I know it’s because of the river but I’m curious if the results would have been different had you kept it facing the same direction the whole time. Good video either way!!
How did you get 9500’ out of the mavic mini? I’ve flown in many different circumstances, mostly over water ( ocean ) at varying altitudes. At 3000’ the RC loses signal the the mini returns home. Are there settings in the dji fly app that make longer distance flights possible? I appreciate your comments. Thxs.
It seems there are no settings for gimbal and movement sensitivity control. Even mini has them.
Those settings aren't already baked into the fly app,not sure why the are hidden(you can access them by opening the fly app and not connected to the drone).But that's encouraging in terms of those features becoming available in a future firmware update.
Awesome Work 👍
New pilot here.
Is "line of sight" an umbrella term when referring to how far away you can fly your drone? It seems like people fly their drones beyond line of sight most of the time like in this video
You’re following a river, so it’s not 9900ft as the crow flies. Once you turn that bend etc it’s going to be less than that. If all the drones seem to max out around the same point, is it not possible there’s some kind of interference at that location, causing a similar result with them all 🤷♂️ Just a thought
Great test, Billy
Hi I just bought the mavic air 2 I'm a bit worried don't know if there could be something wrong with it any idea? Immediately get interference. Seems my mavic mini went further. Sometimes.
I will lose video immediately but the drones continues to fly forward without video but can see the drone flying on the gps map. Any help would be great.
I'm sure there is a lot of wifi in my area but as soon as I launch I start getting some coppy video.
So i was wondering whats up with mine? I purchased one of these drones and took it over to my dads house to fly it. He lives in a normal neighborhood with power lines and more and more homes around him. I've watched videos like these where guys can fly over 25k ft away before losing signal. I was only getting 4k at my dads house. Is there something i am doing wrong or is it just interference?
Farther: use when referring to actual distances between objects
Further: Use when referring to figurative distances or something that is additional or more.
The 2 pro with occucink 2 only got 300 ft more than the mini with WiFi. How can that be
I got 15k feet in long Island Nassau county. We are jam packed on the island with crazy trees! And wifi all over. If u know how to angle ur controller u can get pretty far in urban or anywhere
Once your signal is lost, what do you do to get it home?
What happens when the controller loses that signal? does the drone RTH?
Yes it returns home.
Awesome test and footage
It seems to have very good urban range. Thanks for another great range test.
It's really good content. I have a question. When the Mavic Air 2 loses the signal, does it automatically return to the starting point?
On any dji drone if you loose signal between you and the drone the aircraft will return to the homepoint with gps
I made it about 15,900 feet with my air 2 before I had to turn back because of battery life. Still had pretty good signal
Anyone else have a small red warning message on the bottom center on the fly app saying something about GPS when flying. Compass is good, fly's fine and have 18 satellites but it stays on when flying?
hello I would like to buy the new air 2, I am Italian but I often go to the United States. obviously I want to fly it both in Italy and in the United States, so is there an FCC version of the drone and another CE? or does it switch based on location? I am undecided to buy it in the Italian store for this reason
I wonder did it cut out because u started moving the antenna position?
Either antenna position or LOS issue.
Hey bro are you using a apple phone? Idk why I only get about 1500 -2000 ft in urban area with my air 2. I am using a Samsung phone and fly 150-200 ft up. Do you have any tips
That is awesome, my mavic air would cut out under 2000 ft away in my neighborhood. I'm excited for my MA2 to show up
I like the mavic air but transmission it's horrible in city that's why I order the MA2
Not sure why they ever put a WIFI system in drones these days, I understand it's cheaper but it can really ruin the person's experience.
Jordan Abendroth , when did you order yours?
@@smooth_ops2942 You are correct. I have the Air 1. Stopped flying because the of the constant dropped signal. Great drone tech wise but the wifi was horrible.
@@tiredoldman5329 You can fix your problem with a directional antenna like a patch... helical or a yagi which all have a higher DBI which means a smaller beam width but more focused power for sending the signal out as well as receiving the signal in. An example of this would be like if you stood in a field and someone else was 400ft away and they are trying to tell you something but you can't make out what they are saying because are ears would represent a Omni directional antenna so it's great for things closer in range. But if you funnel your ear with your hands it makes it alot easier to understand what is being said at greater distances because we used are hands to create a directional anntena 👍🏻
Billy, considering Occsync is part of P4PRO.V2, have you tested its range like you have all the Mavics. I be curious to its distance in the same environment.
Thanks for the test! Did you have to drive closer to the drone to get signal back? And was it still flying at the same height and position?
Just for comparison... I have a mavic mini and live out in the country where there are not too many wifi signals around to help with max distance. I'm kinda out in the woods. From right outside my house, my mavic mini will fly around 1000ft, then i get complete signal loss.
Maybe MA2's occusync 2 is exactly the same version that's in the MP2 but DJI Marketing Dept decided they need to boost the distance spec to compete with/out do EVO II's distance...i.e., purely a paper bump?...I'm jussayin....Even so having occusync 2.0 is impressive feature on MA2 @ $799.
Wow the mini is a very impressive lil drone
Does the phone make a difference
Would range change with lower res to controller? I mean choosing 720 transmission instead of 1080?
Billie, do you think that the power lines had caused interference with your drone?
Do a range test away from power lines and see if you get a better range.
what should I buy Mavic Air 2 Skydio Autel Evo II
Great video as always man! I actually linked to one of your videos in my Mavic Mini 6-month review because you are so clear and concise. Keep up the good work!
Also, quite surprised the Mavic Air 2 didn’t destroy the Mavic 2 Pro in this test 🤔
Take Chinese specifications with big grain of salt. Probably was set based on autel’s specs or who knows what. In most range tests it doesn’t go as far as M2P.
Having trouble. What does it mean by connected, no internet?
I absolutely love this drone. But in all honesty I live in the country of North Carolina. I'm surrounded by trees that are probably about 40 feet high. There's miles of trees and then miles of open Farmland. But after I get to about three to four thousand feet away which is way less than a mile. I get weak signal loss and it will actually drop!!! Sending the drone back!
isn't it dangerous when you loose your connection in sports mode then your drone sensors are off on the way back.
Which one would you pick for work Mavic air 2 or Autel a Evo 2 Pro?
Love the content. I won’t be getting the mav air 2 because I’m set with what I need in the platinum and the mavic 2 pro. But I do love watching this content. Thanks for sharing billy
Off topic but I think you or someone else could answer for me.
I have the Phantom 4 pro v2 but photos are awful only 39k thumbnail size. I've loaded in lightroom or photoshop the same.
What the heck is wrong???
Can you land it around 2km away and put it back up?
I want to deliver keys from work, to storage!!
Hahaha yes you could!
and thanks William Kyle! good video
I have a Mavic mini and fly at about 150/200ft am I better going higher to get a better longer distance?
yes
Can the smart controller be used with it?
EXCELLENT TO THE POINT RANGE TEST!!
BUT...
It all depends where you are because you keep talking about the mavic mini..
And I've seen tons of range tests where the MAVIC MINI FELL APART where ocusync did not.
I guess you could say in your environment where you do the test. Maybe when you get to that particular point where you are all the time there's something seriously interfering.. if you go to another place it may be completely different.
If you did it in a different environment all of those ranges could be completely different.
;)
?How did you get the drone back?
Dude, you got alot of mentions on Dobo's live feed tonight. ALOT! Was pretty cool.
I haven't been able to get more than 2,000 distance I don't get it..
How returned it back when connections with RC was lost
Great video!
Billy, could you tell me if Waypoints are in the App? If so can you pre program them without connecting to the bird? I also have spoke to the litchi folks and are waiting for the sdk to be released... Thx
I think it's only for the 8k HL
Biiiiiilllllly. My dude. Killin it. Also I don’t know if it applies in PA but the whole point of view rule totally goes out the window. I’m not judging and don’t care even remotely though since I do the same always 😂😂
I made it to the 1 mile mark on my Air 2 from my living room 🤪 in an urban area. Made it to Dunkin Donuts and got scared and turned around lol I can’t wait to take it out into open land and go further.
Wow that's crazy!
What seperates this drone from the Mavic 2 pro? Same range, same camera at 4k 60, is the sensor on the mavic 2 better? Im confused because this one is literally almost have the price of the mavic 2
More obsticale Sensors / I think better camera sensor / zoom
I bet that if you set the controller in the optimal position + face the drone while your are piloting it = you get much more distance in your test.
My thoughts are DJI are just being more optimistic with its range given the spec war with its competitors. Others have pushed mavic 2 10+ km without issue. Chances are its just using the same system.