old news: Autel Updates the No-Fly Zone Database for the Evo 2 Drone - Pilot InstituteAutel Drone No Fly Zone Unlock
www.autelrobotics.com
Geofencing has arrived
- Thread starter XtraAxis
- Start date
Geofencing / NFZ came to the Auto Evo II Pro with firmware update 2.725. I immediately unplugged my drone when I saw it implementing some NFZ update without my permission and am on the prior firmware.
The above Auto NFZ website is a portal to upload "approval documents" along with your name and cell phone number in order to unlock the ability to fly your drone in certain areas.
Avoiding this kind of garbage is the reason I bought an Autel in the first place. A few questions:
1) Does installing *any* firmware version after 2.725 also force install of this NFZ system? IE Is it only 2.725 specifically that installs this or any version after will also force install?
2) Are there significant updates to the firmware since 2.725 that fix major problems (I am happy with my drone's functionality and rarely use the advanced autopilot modes like auto-orbit, etc. so can easily do without them, but if there are significant upgrades like fixing level horizon, improving Return To Home feature, etc. it may be worth upgrading)
3) How are people who don't want geofencing of any type dealing with this? Just staying on the old firmware? Using current firmware but hope they don't implement NFZs? (The above website surely indicates they are moving towards locking down flight features, which will only be unlocked through the manufacturer. Of course this is a costly service for Autel to provide, so I expect increased costs and/or reduced service / upgrades in the future.
4) Is the 800m altitude limit also a forced thing in version 2.725, or was it already there? I flew my drone above 400 feet once, way out in the country, just to see what it was like. I can't remember how high I went, but what I found was, somewhere above 100 feet, everything looks basically the same, no matter your altitude, so I don't really care about flying above 100 feet, but at the same time I hate being locked down via software.
I think we have all taken our cars above 65 MPH before, just to see what it's like! Does anyone want a car with a 65MPH governor?
I don't want any limits on my drone. I understand there are irresponsible pilots out there, but I wouldn't have paid the premium price for this product if it was going to be sandboxed. It's bad enough that most of the places I want to fly already prohibit drone photography--now this?!?
The above Auto NFZ website is a portal to upload "approval documents" along with your name and cell phone number in order to unlock the ability to fly your drone in certain areas.
Avoiding this kind of garbage is the reason I bought an Autel in the first place. A few questions:
1) Does installing *any* firmware version after 2.725 also force install of this NFZ system? IE Is it only 2.725 specifically that installs this or any version after will also force install?
2) Are there significant updates to the firmware since 2.725 that fix major problems (I am happy with my drone's functionality and rarely use the advanced autopilot modes like auto-orbit, etc. so can easily do without them, but if there are significant upgrades like fixing level horizon, improving Return To Home feature, etc. it may be worth upgrading)
3) How are people who don't want geofencing of any type dealing with this? Just staying on the old firmware? Using current firmware but hope they don't implement NFZs? (The above website surely indicates they are moving towards locking down flight features, which will only be unlocked through the manufacturer. Of course this is a costly service for Autel to provide, so I expect increased costs and/or reduced service / upgrades in the future.
4) Is the 800m altitude limit also a forced thing in version 2.725, or was it already there? I flew my drone above 400 feet once, way out in the country, just to see what it was like. I can't remember how high I went, but what I found was, somewhere above 100 feet, everything looks basically the same, no matter your altitude, so I don't really care about flying above 100 feet, but at the same time I hate being locked down via software.
I think we have all taken our cars above 65 MPH before, just to see what it's like! Does anyone want a car with a 65MPH governor?
I don't want any limits on my drone. I understand there are irresponsible pilots out there, but I wouldn't have paid the premium price for this product if it was going to be sandboxed. It's bad enough that most of the places I want to fly already prohibit drone photography--now this?!?
Dave Pitman
Well-Known Member
There are no NFZ's enforced in the US, or anywhere except China I believe.
Yes. If you operate in China.
Did you even read the comments before yours? It's all been said before. If the US gov't passes some rule requiring geo-fencing, then yes, Autel will implement them. Otherwise, it is not in their best interest. They don't really care about your (or my) interests.
Last edited:
We all understand Autel has not *forced* drones to avoid NFZs. However, it's a bit premature or naive to say the only way Autel will implement geofencing is if they are forced to. DJI implemented their geofencing the exact same way Autel is doing so now, and they were under no "force". No one knows if Autel will keep the flights fully open, or begin to lock them down as DJI did. Hence why one may want to avoid pre-loading the firmware which opens the door to them doing so.
None of us, probably not even Autel employees, know what Autel is going to do in the future with regard to locking down their drones vis a vis NFZs. The Auto NFZ website posted above is in English, not Chinese. I'm not even sure it is actively being used yet; the issue is the *future risk* of being unable to fly our drones in NFZ designated spaces.
Since we cannot control if and when NFZs are activated, what about the risks of installing firmware? If one installs a post 2.725 firmware (such as the current 2.735), is it also going to update this NFZ database? What are the risks in doing so?
***UPDATE: I believe I've found a workaround. I had installed (older version of) the app manually on an Android phone. Uninstalled App. Installed new version from the Google Play store. Did *NOT* give permission to read my location (or make phone calls). Did give permission to access my photos. App recognized my controller and drone, notified me that V2.735 was available for upgrade, I upgraded normally.
I did NOT see the NFZ update banner that I had seen before the last time I attempted to upgrade. It seems I was able to bypass it with the above method. Now I'm on latest firmware and it seems no NFZ update
. Life is good!
None of us, probably not even Autel employees, know what Autel is going to do in the future with regard to locking down their drones vis a vis NFZs. The Auto NFZ website posted above is in English, not Chinese. I'm not even sure it is actively being used yet; the issue is the *future risk* of being unable to fly our drones in NFZ designated spaces.
Since we cannot control if and when NFZs are activated, what about the risks of installing firmware? If one installs a post 2.725 firmware (such as the current 2.735), is it also going to update this NFZ database? What are the risks in doing so?
***UPDATE: I believe I've found a workaround. I had installed (older version of) the app manually on an Android phone. Uninstalled App. Installed new version from the Google Play store. Did *NOT* give permission to read my location (or make phone calls). Did give permission to access my photos. App recognized my controller and drone, notified me that V2.735 was available for upgrade, I upgraded normally.
I did NOT see the NFZ update banner that I had seen before the last time I attempted to upgrade. It seems I was able to bypass it with the above method. Now I'm on latest firmware and it seems no NFZ update
. Life is good!
Last edited:
What is not clear from that site is for what country/region are they enabling it for?Autel Drone No Fly Zone Unlock
Otoh, its great to see that Autel has put up a site for handling unlocks should they become needed.
Hopefully should Autel force implementation into other regions such as US, that they also make the unlock website more robust including:
1. Support multiple aircraft SNs with same unlock code
2. Have custom unlock codes that are longer duration
3. Update app to handle unlock codes (e.g. which code to use, unless all codes always active)
4. Reduce processing time from 24 hours to under an hour
Yesterday I was flying over my friends house and he lives nowhere near any airport and had no issues flying freely all around but today when I was there the warnings came in fast and slowed me down until i changed course and eventually when rth it grounded me completely. The main reason I choose autel over dji was not to have to worry about the geo fencing, I'm really bummed out about this now.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2022
- Messages
- 415
- Reaction score
- 252
- Age
- 67
It’s a bug. Contact support with location information and they should be able to get engineering to remove it. Once again this type of stuff should only be informational in the US.
Can you confirm that the Intelligent Flight Modes are intentionally disabled in all NFZ's In the U.S.?
Latest threads
-
-
-
-
-
Are Autel EVO II Pro Enterprise V2 and V3 rear Arms/Motors Compatible?
- Started by mapman97
- Replies: 3