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Nano Plus ISSUES - collective thread

It turns out my limited usage and the reason the Autel Nano was not taking off had to do with the firmware update not being done 100%. Once I finally ran the update I had full functionality once again. Just wanted to add the info incase someone else encounters this issue. Thank you to those who responded
That's great that you posted the update on this!
All folks should do that, it makes it very helpful to others!
 
Purpose of this thread: Concentrating all issues at one single place, so Autel may get aware of them without browsing countless different threads and posts.

Please don't erect the stake, please don't tar and feather me. :D
There's flaws which Autel won't correct if nobody speaks up (why should they if there's no complaints?), so I'll name the things I dislike. I'll add more as soon as I get aware of more flaws, remove topics if there's a solution.

Please add your own ideas, please also tell me if I am talking nonsense – I'll update the post accordingly, naming the contributors.



Drone
1. Why does that fan run continuously? It should kick in if temperature rises and stop if temperature returns to normal again. So why waste precious battery power and cause permanent mechanical wear for no reason?
2. Legs are too short. Even on slightly uneven ground, ground features may block the gimbal, scratch the camera lens and cover the fan.


Flight
1. Smooth and Standard modes restrict the motor power to certain values. I understand this is needed for not exceeding the maximum speed of that modes. But if wind comes into play, the drone does not reach that maximum speeds anymore. It's maximum motor power is limited to the value it needs for achieving it's regular speed in windless conditions. In such cases, the motor power needs to be increased beyond the values set for no-wind operation, so the drone doesn't struggle to reach regular speeds. This is quite vital as it may prevent the drone returning to it's home point if you don't switch to Ludicrous mode, Speed priority and deactivate the obstacle avoidance. A software issues which may easily lead to the loss of our drone – e. g. if flying over water.
2. Countless false positives with obstacle detection, occurring if sunlight hits the camera lenses or the drone shaking in windy conditions. Use the main camera for validating the smaller cameras inputs, use GPS and compass data for determining the sun's position relative to the OA cameras lenses to distinguish sunlight from real obstacles.
3. Height over ground shown by obstacle detection often strongly differs from the actual height.


Camera
1. CAMERA PROFILES MISSING! RAW photos show significant vignetting, distortions towards the corners and wrong colors. That's nothing special, but a hell of work correcting those issues manually. So please provide a camera profile allowing automatic correction. You use such a profile for creating the JPGs, so it's already there.
2. Vital settings not possible if you're not airborne. What the heck? We need to do and check settings prior to liftoff to save battery.
3. Log profile is handy, but flying with a running Log profile recording is a horror – the low contrast settings make flying the drone very difficult, you just can't see much. Save videos as Log, but show the regular non-Log video while flying.
4. No manual camera settings if recording Log or HDR videos? That's an absolute NO-GO! We desperately need manual control over exposure and ISO.
5. "50 MP" pictures. It's not 50 MP, it's 12.5 MP JPGs scaled up to 50 MP. Please provide the real sensor output, not just zoomed 12.5 MP pictures.
6. 1920 × 1080 recordings are crops, meaning the resulting picture is just a 1920 × 1080 pixels sized cutout from the center of a 4K picture. This results in a bad resolution and a very narrow field of view. 1920 × 1080 recordings should depict the full frame, downsampled to 1920 × 1080.
7. Permanent "Gimbal is calibrating" message, preventing liftoff. The gimbal does nothing, but still there's that nagging voice telling lies and causing unnecessary waiting. Message gets triggered as soon as the drone doesn't rest perfectly horizontally – thus it's not about gimbal calibration, it's about resting on non-level ground. Please stop that.
8. Auto settings: Exposure adaption is jumpy, you clearly see the change steps. Just smooth this out a bit.

Just a cosmetic thing: That red writing all around the lens looks extremely cheap. Just use small white letters like all serious lens manufacturers do.


Controller
1. Why the heck does that loud, vibrating and disturbing fan run if the controller just does nothing, like resting on my car's seat, not connected to the drone, no data transfer running, just being idle?
2. Battery life is low. One flight session with three batteries, and that's it. One culprit is forced smartphone charging.
3. Senseless forced charging of the smartphone. Permanent charging of the smartphone destroys the smartphone's battery and quickly exhausts the controller's battery. I read this is caused by some senseless Google USB specifications. Isn't there a way around that nuisance? How about offering a special USB cable preventing forced charging? I would happily pay for that.
4. Lacks buttons. I use the Fn button for gimbal up/down 90 ° and switching flight modes. In quite some situations a double-tap on the Fn button gets interpreted as a single press by the drone – now tilting the gimbal instead of changing the flight mode, ruining the recording. I also miss a dedicated button for switching between video and photo modes. Using the display, I need to take one hand off the controller, which is very undesirable, especially regarding the unfavorable weight distribution, making the controller top-heavy. A few more buttons at the bottom side or in thumb's reach would be great.
5. Yes, everybody laments about it: We need space for storing the USB cable and the sticks. Doesn't feel like a big thing, but it indeed is an issue.


Charging hub
1. Horrible thing! Batteries fall out if you don't utmost care as there's just friction holding them. Quite often, one battery pops out if you connect the next. Yes, it's small and flat, in theory saves space. In real life it doesn't because the batteries still need a lot of space. Thus a closed charging hub fully enclosing the batteries would be the better way to go.
2. Why serial charging only? With a powerful power adapter parallel charging would be possible, saving so much time. Just detect the charging current and switch from sequential to parallel charging.


App
1. I don't see any means for setting the "connection lost behavior", e. g. for telling the drone if it should return home, hover or land if signal is lost.
Just imagine flying indoors (or under objects like bridges) with sufficient GPS reception, and the controller running out of power, getting dropped or inadvertently switched off. Drone will try to rise to it's return height and drill a hole through the ceiling.
2. Video transmission quality: The higher the video transmission quality between controller and drone, the higher the power consumption and CPU load, possibly also introducing significant lag. I don't see ANY sense in transmitting a 2.7K video signal for flying the drone if a tiny smartphone is used as a screen. It's just a big waste of battery, CPU power and transmission bandwidth. So please make it selectable – 2.7K for tablet use or other purposes, 1080p and 720p for smartphone use, saving battery, CPU power and bandwidth for a lag-free experience.
3. I. HATE. THAT. NAGGING. GOOGLE. VOICE. telling the same information over and over. PLEASE give us an option for switching off that nuisance! There's plenty of indicators on screen, we really don't need permanently repeated lectures. And we don't need a permanent low-volume warning on screen if we decided to shut up Ms Google's senseless babble.
4. I cannot choose my language. Would be no problem at all because I prefer English over a bad and cheap translation. But there IS a problem! The app is English, so the voice should be English, too. It isn't. I am in Germany – and the app uses the GERMAN Google voice for pronoucing ENGLISH text, pronouncing English as if it was German. Plus, the German Google voice sounds utmost unfriendly and unpleasant. You cannot imagine the drag on my nerves while listening to that horror. Add a language selector for the voice or default the voice to English only. Please.
5. Option for switching off or better: dimming the green battery LEDs of the controller missing. No problem during daytime, but blinding at night. Sure, you can cover the LEDs. But you still wish to know the battery level – and if the problem comes up, you usually don't have any means for covering at hand.
6. Extreme delay between triggering a photo recording and shutter sound. When does the drone take the picture? Immediately after pressing the button or ages later when the shutter sound (I don't want that sound! Immediately triggers bystanders asking "DID YOU JUST PHOTOGRAPH ME?") is heard? If the latter: Why that extreme delay? We wish to capture a specific moment, not something happening in the far future.
7. Pano modes: Option for choosing stitching the pictures immediately or later (after landing) missing. Stitching takes ages, battery doesn't last ages in flight.


Wi-Fi download
1. Same problems as with firmware updates, obviously same reasons.
I managed to download a single JPG file after 10 or 20 tries (no exaggeration), no DNG files, no videos. Transmission always stops after transferring a few kBytes, followed by an error message.
At present, there's no way of transferring larger files via Wi-Fi if you're using a dual-band Wi-Fi network.
2. I did not manage to transfer JPGs taken just before the transfer, only JPGs shot during a previous session. Transfer works after shutting down the drone and restarting it (and after countless retries). Seems like the drone does not allow transferring files just taken in the same "flight session".


Firmware updates
I wasted a full battery for the first update as it took countless tries. Connection repeatedly broke (1 m between controller and drone, router 2 m away), other unspecified errors occurred again and again.
I read that we need to manually switch network transmission bands for making this work. This is something to be done by the software, not by reconfiguring our home network.
Alternative: Provide the firmware files for download and doing updates via SD card.


Manuals
1. The manuals look and feel very cheap.
2. English manuals aren't written by an English native. This is no big deal, but it sheds a "cheap" light on Autel, a partly US-based company.
3. There's information missing in the manuals, there's wrong information in the manuals.
4. I am an approved technical writer, EN > DE translator and advertizing copywriter with perception psychology training, working for the real big ones. Just an unobtrusive hint. :D


Bag
1. The bag coming with the Premium bundle is just too small, lacks space for storing the controller with the sticks mounted, also storing the smartphone is close to impossible if you won't wish to use the back pocket. Side pockets are not suited for delicate smartphones.
2. Material should be weather resistant.



Editing history
2022-04-21: Inserted topic Camera/6.
Point #7: One thing I have noticed is that the Nano+ camera on my own drone is permanently twisted slightly to the left (drone pointing forward away from you). Had a good look underneath the hood and spotted that the signal cable from the camera to the main board seems slightly too long - the way it is installed means that it hoops slightly and pushes the gimbal yaw axis away from ahead dead-centre. I'm wondering if this constant resistance would repeatedly trigger the calibration sub-routine?

Point #5:The 48/50mp claim from both DJI and Autel is bunkum and I think that it is misrepresentation unless they start putting a lower case letter 'i' after the numbers. No matter which way anyone twists it: 50mp interpolation is just blowing up the base 12.5mp resolution and filling in the blanks by algorithm guesswork. Works exactly the same way as the last stage of 'digital zoom'.
 
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Point #5:The 48/50mp claim from both DJI and Autel is bunkum and I think that it is misrepresentation unless they start putting a lower case letter 'i' after the numbers. No matter which way anyone twists it: 50mp interpolation is just blowing up the base 12.5mp resolution and filling in the blanks by algorithm guesswork. Works exactly the same way as the last stage of 'digital zoom'.
Actually is the other way round, each pixel of the RYYB pattern is counted and can be addressed separately, so you get effective "real" 50MP but you will not get as much detail as you'd get by a "real" 50MP sensor. Effectively the 50MP image is downscaled to 12.5 MP to get the final result. But still the 50MP contains more information than the downscaled 12.5 MP - it is just a matter of processing it the right way (which seems to be done not very well and depending on the respective scene as well).
 
I appreciate everyone bitching at each other, talk about wasting peoples time, pointing out one’s post and dragging it into several others is worse than if you didn’t have to comment on someone’s comment. It’s childish.
Anyway.. as far as the battery charger, yeah it sucks but for those of you who have a 3D printer, someone has made a solution for the horrible docking station on thingiverse. Here’s the link.
 
Hello fellow drone pilots,

I just purchased and received my Autel Nano+ drone. I do have some previous hobbyist level drone experience and also have a larger scale DJI Phantom 3 Advanced. It's too large to travel far with and the video quality is not up to current standards, otherwise, it flies great and is flawless operationally. I watched several videos on the Nano+ and realize it has some flaws and bugs to work out but it seemed with each firmware update these were getting addressed. I still expected it to work fairly well out of the box for $1049.00 (bundle package with extra batts, props, bag). I unpacked it, updated the app and firmware to the most current version available on 7/29/22. I even purchased the extra care warranty as I plan to use it to take footage of my boat and it will be near water.

I proceeded to calibrate the gimball, compass, and imu. After a couple tries, everything seemed to calibrate fine. I noticed the camera gimball faces down though. The gimball seems to work overall but it always faces down. The only time is faces forward is when it calibrates. Also, the gimbal control on the controller does nothing after multiple attempts.

I performed a test flight and it took off fine, however it only moved forwards and backwards, up and down. It will not go left or right, nor rotate at all. I am on Mode 2 for stick mode. I kept it around 10-12 feet to avoid a runaway since I could only go forwards and backwards. The GPS locked and I had the "safe" green flight indicator. I took a short video clip of the ascent and descent and the video looks great, although my phone did not record any audio even though I have the setting selected to do so. Also, the HDR setting would not stay highlighted after being selected multiple times. No PRO mode appears on the video/camera choices either. Maybe that has been deleted from the current firmware version (not sure).

I safely landed and performed another imu and compass calibration but that did not change anything regarding the directional issues I mentioned previously. The camera just will not face forward either.

For $1049.00 I am very disappointed (not just slightly, lol). I appreciate the lack of no-fly zones from Autel and the overall video imagery is great (from only a downwards angle). I want to like the drone, features, and app but unless I am missing something (some settings perhaps) I think I have a defective model.

Any advice is welcome. I have reviewed this forum and see some owners have had the same issues. I find Youtube is a great resource too on Nano+ reviews and advice. I have a small Youtube channel with less than a 1,000 subscribers at this point but wanted to use the drone to add aerial footage to my content. I also have a vacation planned for St. Thomas VI in the winter and really wanted to bring this 249gram mini drone with me, however I cannot recommend this model or Autel unless things improve.

Thanks,
T

P.S. I use a Android Note 10+ with the controller. It is a 64bit and seems to work fine with the controller and app software, so besides it not recording any audio, it does not seem to be the stem of these issues.
 
Hi,
Experienced some strong winds in a recent flight, although nothing to take away the nano (standard and ludicruous mode, at 10 mt and 50mt height) , gimbal seemed to get stuck and shaky in an strange angle, which ruined footage and got to land and restart the drone few times to get it back to normal.
Is this a common issue? maybe a quick fix ?
thanks
 
Hi,
Experienced some strong winds in a recent flight, although nothing to take away the nano (standard and ludicruous mode, at 10 mt and 50mt height) , gimbal seemed to get stuck and shaky in an strange angle, which ruined footage and got to land and restart the drone few times to get it back to normal.
Is this a common issue? maybe a quick fix ?
thanks
prob not but the old nano would have been stalled and likely lost under "strong" winds....so it's a win.
 
I do not have a video but I can generate one if it would help. I have done a IMU calibration. The drone shows everything to start off as normal with the same generic messages appearing. No sd card found. Gimbal is checking. Wait to take off. Once I clear those I initiate take off mode and nothing happenes. I haveant crashed the drone. Nothing had been any different from my previous flights. I flew casually and was still getting used to it. I had not flown to see what the drone was capable as of yet. So are you recommending I contact Autel? Was hoping someone had encountered the same issue and could suggest a quick fix. Thank you for replying. Appreciate your help.
It's not a user error. The app says "Ready to fly". Rotors spin up. But it refuses to take off. I spent an afternoon trying 100 times, and it took off once. No indication of error or reason for refusing to respond to user controls.
I'd like to fly a thing with some gyro and gps stabilization, but none of this paternalistic "you cant do that".
[EDIT] Firmware update from SD card fixed the issue! I can take off in a bathtub now.
 
Last edited:
Guys, I've just expierenced the problem with my nano +.
The original video files are shorter than video files in cash. And the ones in cash we filmed actually, so basically I've just come home to download the footage and found out that the original videos lack 4-5 seconds..

The same happened to my colleague with another Autel Nano+.

Does anyone now what is this?
It has destroyed two projects I had
 
Guys, I've just expierenced the problem with my nano +.
The original video files are shorter than video files in cash. And the ones in cash we filmed actually, so basically I've just come home to download the footage and found out that the original videos lack 4-5 seconds..

The same happened to my colleague with another Autel Nano+.

Does anyone now what is this?
It has destroyed two projects I had
I'm afraid I can't understand what you mean.
Everything I film is on the micro-SD card in the nano.
Where is cash and can I have some?
 
Y
I'm afraid I can't understand what you mean.
Everything I film is on the micro-SD card in the nano.
Where is cash and can I have some?
You have original files on the sd card and cash on autel sky in the app.
And it found out that the original files had less length than the "cash" files on the app
 
Ah. You mean the files under "Library" on the Sky App. Those are recorded during total flight time, not only when you've used the Start/Stop recording buttons, so they are inevitably longer. Mine are continuous across all Recording intervals on any flight. That also appears to be the only place that the sound is recorded.

Oh, and it's "cache", not "cash". Pronounced the same though.
 
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We desperately need some sort of control for contrast, sharpness and saturation. These are VERY basic controls and are totally absent. The sharpening combined with the terrible aliasing makes everything appear to be pixels buzzing around. Not sure how else to explain it. I keep reading that the image from the nano+ is amazing... so crisp and colorful. Most of these folks have no clue how bad that statement actually is. The sharpness wrecks an otherwise decent image.
 
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We desperately need some sort of control for contrast, sharpness and saturation. These are VERY basic controls and are totally absent. The sharpening combined with the terrible aliasing makes everything appear to be pixels buzzing around. Not sure how else to explain it. I keep reading that the image from the nano+ is amazing... so crisp and colorful. Most of these folks have no clue how bad that statement actually is. The sharpness wrecks an otherwise decent image.
I haven't seen evidence of a sharpening filter being applied, (ringing) but I will look for it.
And if your aim is 'pro'-duction, we expect to do tweaking in post.
 
I have one tiny addition but it could be just me (I'd say landing category). I have a small landing pad and if I'm not super careful to place it perfectly flat the drone slides off slowly once landed (feet and pad both slippery). When this happens the drone never turns off the propellers even though it is already landed so if I'm not careful it ends up cutting the grass while falling off the pad. I'm not sure if the drone detects the sliding as "not yet landed" but would be nice if the propellers are off when it does that. Then again I'm a beginner so maybe is just me.
same here.......landing pad must be level or drone freaks out. motors keep running, and it has even flipped. As long as landing pad is level seems to be no problem.
 
The nano i recieved workedgreat out of the box and then... The dreaded last update, now lots of sketchy issues. One issue after the last update i havent seen mentioned is that it takes a really long time for the drone to realize ive plugged the charging cable into it and to start charging. I agree with buddys complaints though and some of them should just be obvious like accessing vital settings after takeoff. Like who was the numpty at the company that thought that was a good idea? Like how hard are they running there employees to cuase them to make those kinds of decisions? For god sakes autel let your employees get some rest!.…..…or off the drugs!
 
maybe it will be fine if they add panorama mode, but without in camera stitching, only auto take pictures for later postprocess..
 
Yesterday my nano commited some kind of suicide. I was filming my kids walking in a nice scenery when all of a sudden the drone stopped reacting and went full-force in backwards flight. Never seen it fly so fast. It came to a stop by hitting a tree and dropping in water. I managed to get it out and dry it up. It still boots and beeps but I can’t connect to it anymore. The yellow light flashes.
Was this the initial cause? No idea.
I was recording so the footage should be on the sd-card. Unfortunately, the file is corrupt so my phone can’t read it.
So day 2 of my holiday trip and I’m already without drone.

Any ideas on how to fix this?
 

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