Geo Fencing Coming To Autel In Conflict Regions

[MrTurnerPhoto]

I just updated my Max 4T and Now it tells me that I can't take off because I'm in Russa! I'm flying in north Mississippi! This update had Geofencing, NOW I CAN'T FLY!

I took my drone outside to see if it would not fly as the warnings were telling me on the controller and it corrected its location and flew. Go figure?

 

[Eagle928]

I took my drone outside to see if it would not fly as the warnings were telling me on the controller and it corrected its location and flew. Go figure?

It sounds like it just needed to get a GPS lock to correct itself. Is it sloppy programming in the firmware or just the nature of how it works? I sure don't know.

 

[MrTurnerPhoto]

It sounds like it just needed to get a GPS lock to correct itself. Is it sloppy programming in the firmware or just the nature of how it works? I sure don't know.

I agree with you Eagle928. When I updated another battery I got the same thing, then I went outside and flew it and it corrected. I got a GPS lock inside (GNSS) but I didn't get my address location on the map until I went outside. Go figure?

 

[MrTurnerPhoto]

I just updated my Max 4T and Now it tells me that I can't take off because I'm in Russa! I'm flying in north Mississippi! This update had Geofencing, NOW I CAN'T FLY!

I need to post this update: I took my drone outside to see if it would not fly as the warnings were telling me on the controller and it corrected its location and flew. I didn't contact Autel support because I was super busy with a project at work. I did purchase my Max 4T from eBay as an open-box unit. It arrived to me with all the factory seals still attached to the unit as if it were new. I was and still am impressed since I purchased it for about $3000.00 less than retail! I have a love/hate relationship with this craft. On the one hand, it flies fantastically. On the other hand, sloppy updates, and the report of poor customer service leaves me concerned. After all, I purchased this bird for future commercial use. I'm conflicted!

 

[Madhungarian]

Let me guess you bought it used for a great deal on Ebay.

Ukraine acquires 2,000 Autel Evo Max 4T Chinese-made drones | Ukraine - Russia conflict war 2022 | analysis focus army defence military industry army

Ukraine Acquires 2,000 Autel Evo Max 4T China-Made Drones

armyrecognition.com

Called it

 

[MrTurnerPhoto]

Yeah, you did, however the country mix match corrected itself when I took the controller and the aircraft outside to open skies. Now, my question to anyone is do both the controller and the aircraft have GPS?

 

[Madhungarian]

Called it

Yes I would think it does because that is how return to home works with recording your home point. I would imagine regarding the article I posted with my reply, they updated the firmware when they opened the device then they realized the drones were grounded from then on. Can you imagine buying 2000 x 10000 dollar drones to realize they are paper weights. Our tax dollars being well used.

 

[MrTurnerPhoto]

Yeah I agree, but I'm not going to even start about our tax dollars!

 

[Velasaraptor]

A friend just got back from Darwin Australia where he was supposed to Demo the Evo Max N Drone to Group involved with Crocodile management in Northern Australia. He reports the Drone did not even start up, just sat there. He had permission to fly from a local airport he was near the 1st day but he failed to get it airborne. He reported the issue to Autel but burned another 2 days before getting a reply and a fix that did nothing to turn off the Geo-fencing that should not have been secretly installed without his knowledge. My concern is I am planning on taking my Eco II version 3 to Australia this coming November. Autel had advertisements last year when I purchased it that their drones were free of Geo-fencing! If not they should refund my money because that is why I wrote the check. I am reading more and a more from very skilled pilots they cannot work and are loosing time and money attempting to work. Everything from gimbal failures to other items. They seem sturdy enough or are the people writing the software insufficient for the job. Is there a listing by model for what countries outside of the United States other than of course near and airport etc that the drone will actually turn on. Is there a button in the controller to turn off Geo-fencing for Australia?? Why Australia for God sakes! I want the dam thing to fly. If this is like Tiktoc the Chinese should have to sell the company to a US regulated branch where it will be a separate entity if we are so paranoid of nuclear war starting from me flying my recreational Drone. William Lamoreaux is not impressed

 

[Eagle928]

A friend just got back from Darwin Australia where he was supposed to Demo the Evo Max N Drone to Group involved with Crocodile management in Northern Australia. He reports the Drone did not even start up, just sat there. He had permission to fly from a local airport he was near the 1st day but he failed to get it airborne. He reported the issue to Autel but burned another 2 days before getting a reply and a fix that did nothing to turn off the Geo-fencing that should not have been secretly installed without his knowledge. My concern is I am planning on taking my Eco II version 3 to Australia this coming November. Autel had advertisements last year when I purchased it that their drones were free of Geo-fencing! If not they should refund my money because that is why I wrote the check. I am reading more and a more from very skilled pilots they cannot work and are loosing time and money attempting to work. Everything from gimbal failures to other items. They seem sturdy enough or are the people writing the software insufficient for the job. Is there a listing by model for what countries outside of the United States other than of course near and airport etc that the drone will actually turn on. Is there a button in the controller to turn off Geo-fencing for Australia?? Why Australia for God sakes! I want the dam thing to fly. If this is like Tiktoc the Chinese should have to sell the company to a US regulated branch where it will be a separate entity if we are so paranoid of nuclear war starting from me flying my recreational Drone. William Lamoreaux is not impressed

Had the same problem with my Air 2S for the 5th time the other day. Since I didn't set it up at home with my tablet connected to wifi to login, it would not let me fly more than a few feet high and away. I have a love/hate relationship with DJI but Autel isn't perfect either.

I will say, when my DJI drones work, they work pretty good but one never knows when they will work. I like the cameras on the Nano+ and E2P I have better than the Air 2s. I'd like to see a 1" sensor using the RYYB tech with a optical zoom on a quieter mid-sized platform that has better agility than the Lite.

My Autel drones ALWAYS work though. There's no geo-fencing. No logging in to make it fly. They just work.

 

[G_G]

My Autel drones ALWAYS work though. There's no geo-fencing. No logging in to make it fly. They just work.

It is quite apparent that geo-fencing is already in all current Autel Robotics drones that are fully updated. Whether it is merely advisory, or becomes compulsory, or is already compulsory is entirely up to Autel Robotics, based upon location. The necessary worldwide geo-fencing maps have already been already installed. So, no matter what Autel Robotics claims, geo-fencing is already installed. They just have to flip a switch to make it compulsory, just like DJI did with their GEO, when they removed the toggle from the app to turn off GEO, making it compulsory whether you wanted it or not.

 

[Eagle928]

It is quite apparent that geo-fencing is already in all current Autel Robotics drones that are fully updated. Whether it is merely advisory, or becomes compulsory, or is already compulsory is entirely up to Autel Robotics, based upon location. The necessary worldwide geo-fencing maps have already been already installed. So, no matter what Autel Robotics claims, geo-fencing is already installed. They just have to flip a switch to make it compulsory, just like DJI did with their GEO, when they removed the toggle from the app to turn off GEO, making it compulsory whether you wanted it or not.

So don't update your Autel drones. Problem solved.

 

[pedals2paddles]

So don't update your Autel drones. Problem solved.

Um, no. Telling a user not to update their firmware after they've already updated it is not solving any problem. That is literally THE problem. Nobody knows what FW version Autel may or may not have started adding geofencing, what it may or may not do, and what may or may not trigger it to implement. For all you know, it's been there since product launch 4 years ago and no update is needed at all.

 

[Eagle928]

Um, no. Telling a user not to update their firmware after they've already updated it is not solving any problem. That is literally THE problem. Nobody knows what FW version Autel may or may not have started adding geofencing, what it may or may not do, and what may or may not trigger it to implement. For all you know, it's been there since product launch 4 years ago and no update is needed at all.

So tell me how Autel or anyone else can 'trigger' this geofencing when there's no connection to the Internet.
Are you saying they send it via GPS signal.
I think you're making a mountain out of a tiny molehill.

 

[pedals2paddles]

Because the tablet running the app does have an internet connection unless you have permanently air gapped the device, which again is not how most users work.

 

[Eagle928]

Because the tablet running the app does have an internet connection unless you have permanently air gapped the device, which again is not how most users work.

Did you just claim you know how most people work with their drones? Weren't you the same person who claimed this before and was just as wrong then as you are now? Wow. Just wow.

Obviously you can't back up your claims so nothing you say can be believed. Ever.

 

[G_G]

So don't update your Autel drones. Problem solved.

While I agree with your premise, anyone who is receiving any airspace warnings already has installed GEO maps. Very old Autel drones without any airspace warnings during flight are still safe, as long as they are properly sandboxed.

However, as others have pointed out, you must also have a dedicated sandboxed tablet for your drone, on which neither the OS nor the flying app can be updated. Updating either the tablet OS or the Autel flying app can create a FW incompatibility with the drone that will force updating the drone FW to be able to continue to fly with that tablet.

Lots of gotcha's along the way!

 

[pedals2paddles]

Did you just claim you know how most people work with their drones? Weren't you the same person who claimed this before and was just as wrong then as you are now? Wow. Just wow.

Obviously you can't back up your claims so nothing you say can be believed. Ever.

Yes and my response is the same as it was when you made your ridiculous and unhelpful comments earlier in this thread. I do not need to "back up my claim" that most users have phones or tablets with an internet connection any more than I need to backup my claim that the sky is blue.

 

[Eagle928]

Yes and my response is the same as it was when you made your ridiculous and unhelpful comments earlier in this thread. I do not need to "back up my claim" that most users have phones or tablets with an internet connection any more than I need to backup my claim that the sky is blue.

Once again proving your opinion is worth exactly what I paid for it.

 

[G_G]

Because the tablet running the app does have an internet connection unless you have permanently air gapped the device, which again is not how most users work.

Your point is well taken. Lots of users are also not dedicating a tablet to their drone, so sharing the tablet for any other use creates the potential for them to inadvertently or deliberately update the operating system or the flying app itself, leading to the drone FW now being incompatible with the flying app. They can also be forced into updating the flying app if they update the tablet operating system to a version incompatible with their older flying app. Lots of ways for Autel to impose mandatory GEO, once the GEO maps are already installed with mere advisory notifications, which was already done some 3+ years ago when I was actively using an EVO drone.