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Smart Controller from Autelpilot

This thread has morphed into a far more interesting discussion than the original question deserved. However, still I’d like to know, has anyone received a Smart Controller from the store Autelpilot? Also, does anyone know how many of the supposed 500 smart controller v1s produced have shipped in total?
 
Has anyone checked to see if it's just the flight app? What happens when you playback videos with sound or stream something from a website?
 
Has anyone checked to see if it's just the flight app? What happens when you playback videos with sound or stream something from a website?
have not exactly. however, when the flight app is closed and you adjust the sc volume, you get feedback from the different sounds as you adjust their levels and they all sound pretty weak even at the highest levels. overall the sc is not very loud and the flight app (voice) is probably even less loud.
 
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I had to do a screen recording to send to Autel. The audio playback on that video clip was very low to the point pf putting my ear against the S/C to hear it.
 
I had to do a screen recording to send to Autel. The audio playback on that video clip was very low to the point pf putting my ear against the S/C to hear it.
I have also sent an email to Autel about the volume issue. They replayed me explaining to go to settings and adjust the volume ?, so I replayed back saying that I know where the setting is and a lot of guys from the forum are having the same issue. Please, if you’ll write to them said that we’re having the same issue. Thank you !
 

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This thread has morphed into a far more interesting discussion than the original question deserved. However, still I’d like to know, has anyone received a Smart Controller from the store Autelpilot? Also, does anyone know how many of the supposed 500 smart controller v1s produced have shipped in total?
B&H just sent out a notification that the stock status of the Autel SC for those requesting notification when in stock is "Discontinued." Draw your own conclusions. If you preordered an Autel SC expecting improved range over the stock EVO 2 controller, you will be sorely disappointed! It is the same! The 8 miles in heavily urban areas is a mile at best! Using panel antennas with amps in place of the rabbit ear antennas results in no improvement either!
 
B&H just sent out a notification that the stock status of the Autel SC for those requesting notification when in stock is "Discontinued." Draw your own conclusions. If you preordered an Autel SC expecting improved range over the stock EVO 2 controller, you will be sorely disappointed! It is the same! The 8 miles in heavily urban areas is a mile at best! Using panel antennas with amps in place of the rabbit ear antennas results in no improvement either!
It all depends on the operational environment.
there is no consistent improvement of decline of the signal, but from what i have experienced and read from others, generally, there is some improvement over stock controller. Its a shame you are not getting this. Have you tried in a different area?
 
It all depends on the operational environment.
there is no consistent improvement of decline of the signal, but from what i have experienced and read from others, generally, there is some improvement over stock controller. Its a shame you are not getting this. Have you tried in a different area?
Indeed, it does depend upon the environment. However, I am spoiled by DJI's OcuSync. Over the exact same area, from the exact same launch point, my Mavic 2 Pro and Air 2S are solid out to over 5 miles at 50 feet AGL with the same clear LOS on their stock controllers. Autel just can't keep up, even with a $1200 "8 mile" extended range smart controller! Anything beyond 1 mile becomes laggy and pixelated, even at 300 feet AGL, before freezing up completely, and starting RTH, which takes 4 minutes just to restore any signal, once lost, unlike the 10-15 seconds on DJI's OcuSync to restore, when flying too low, or behind an obstruction. I even hooked up two different external amplified panel antennas to the SMS connectors, and set the frequency manually to 2.4Ghz instead of Auto (which also uses 900 Mhz here in the U.S.). Still no joy! Same loss of signal in any direction beyond a mile!

It is a shame! If this thing even delivered 5 of the promised 8 miles, it would have been a keeper for me! When I had the same issue with the original EVO, I sent it in to Autel for warranty service, and they returned it unmodified, stating they couldn't test reception beyond 2500 feet, and it was fine at that distance! Where are they getting 5 miles on the EVO 2 stock controller and 8 miles on the Autel Smart Controller from, if they can't even test anything beyond half a mile? :rolleyes:
 
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My entire fleet is dji with the evo 2 the only autel i have for personal flying. In our CE region, the autel beats occusync, this being the main reason i use it. I get an easy 2.5 mile without boosters or extra antennas which is wayyyy more than i need for standard ops. I havent done full EVLOS or BVLOS yet but plan to in the next few weeks so will be able to test full capability.
Only the cost and lack of support here in australia stop me from transition all of the birds.
I dont have any of your connection issues in a range of environments. I dont know why you are getting such poor performance. If i was in your shoes I certainly wouldnt have invested in the smart controller when you already knew you where getting such poor results. You should prob stick to DJI as it seems your opertaional environment is bester suited.
 
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You ability to get 5miles at 50ft is pretty exceptionally. Id love to see the video of that to show students what is possible.
I was also thinking about you connection taking 4 mins to reconnect to a drone returning to home from less than a mile away. This screams to me as being a big issue. You only have to travel 15mph to travel a mile in 4 minutes.

surely you have some major issue with your drone. A dud? These things happen i guess.
 
B&H just sent out a notification that the stock status of the Autel SC for those requesting notification when in stock is "Discontinued." Draw your own conclusions. If you preordered an Autel SC expecting improved range over the stock EVO 2 controller, you will be sorely disappointed! It is the same! The 8 miles in heavily urban areas is a mile at best! Using panel antennas with amps in place of the rabbit ear antennas results in no improvement either!
In my area i get more range but i was looking for better signal and it has that .
 
My entire fleet is dji with the evo 2 the only autel i have for personal flying. In our CE region, the autel beats occusync, this being the main reason i use it. I get an easy 2.5 mile without boosters or extra antennas which is wayyyy more than i need for standard ops. I havent done full EVLOS or BVLOS yet but plan to in the next few weeks so will be able to test full capability.
Only the cost and lack of support here in australia stop me from transition all of the birds.
I dont have any of your connection issues in a range of environments. I dont know why you are getting such poor performance. If i was in your shoes I certainly wouldnt have invested in the smart controller when you already knew you where getting such poor results. You should prob stick to DJI as it seems your opertaional environment is bester suited.
There are significant differences between CE and FCC with Autel. The Smart Controller is using 900Mhz in the US and 5.8Ghz internationally for the secondary band. DJI has been using 5.8Ghz since the P4P for the success of OcuSync in the U.S... The Autel Smart Controller was specifically advertised by Autel to overcome the lousy urban range of the EVO and EVO 2, by adding a secondary band, extending the range to 8 miles! Unfortunately, the advertised 5.8Ghz band, which works well here with OcuSync, is not available to be used in the U.S. on the SC. Only the 900Mhz band is available here to supplement the lousy 2.4Ghz range. Autel originally advertised the 900 Mhz band was included on the original EVO, but then either removed or disabled it. They have a habit of advertising one thing and delivering another, like the advertised 40 minute EVO 2 flight time that starts out at 34 minutes in the app, and spherical panos that take over 4 minutes to shoot, but cannot be stitched because that would take another 4 minutes! DJI shoots and stitches their 360° panos in under 1 minute, and never loses FPV during any pano stitching!

Definitely sticking with DJI!
 
You ability to get 5miles at 50ft is pretty exceptionally. Id love to see the video of that to show students what is possible.
I was also thinking about you connection taking 4 mins to reconnect to a drone returning to home from less than a mile away. This screams to me as being a big issue. You only have to travel 15mph to travel a mile in 4 minutes.

surely you have some major issue with your drone. A dud? These things happen i guess.
I second that request. I think the poster has mentioned it several times. with a dji drone he gets 5 miles at 50ft agl with stock controller no video breakup. we all really want to see that video so we can put this in perspective please.
 
You ability to get 5miles at 50ft is pretty exceptionally. Id love to see the video of that to show students what is possible.
I was also thinking about you connection taking 4 mins to reconnect to a drone returning to home from less than a mile away. This screams to me as being a big issue. You only have to travel 15mph to travel a mile in 4 minutes.

surely you have some major issue with your drone. A dud? These things happen i guess.
I agree that these are big issues, but they are identical to the issues I had with the original EVO, and Autel had me send it in to them, and they concluded that it was operating as designed, despite losing connection at beyond a mile, but said they had no ability to test connectivity beyond 2,500 feet. Supposedly the EVO 2 has improved range and signal stability, yet it uses the same controller and is no better. Hence the SC purchase that was supposed to fix all that! The SC does nothing to improve the range or signal stability over the stock EVO 2 controller, even with amped panel antennas attached, instead of the rabbit ears!

5 miles at 50 feet on DJI is from an elevated launch point at 250 feet ASL flying out over sea level with clear LOS as far as the eye can see. This is also where all testing on the EVO and EVO 2 and Autel SC has been performed, so an ideal environment. Night and day difference between them!

EVO and EVO 2 both take 2-4 minutes to reconnect whenever signal is lost, and mere elevation does not restore the signal, unlike DJI, that is never more than 30 seconds. RTH is set to 200-300 feet to improve signal if signal is lost due to ground interference.
 
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Only turned around because of the battery. I was shooting 360° panos almost 5 miles away on a completely stock DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Rock solid signal and video at 10 feet above my launch location and 50 feet AGL!
"5 miles at 50 feet on DJI is from an elevated launch point at 250 feet ASL flying out over sea level with clear LOS as far as the eye can see."

got it. we understand now. ?
 
I’ve been reading through you previous posts. You have been whining and bleating about how bad Autel is and how fantastic DJI is for the better part of 2 years now. And you still spend significant money on the smart controller….
More fool you I think. I would have thought that by now you would have learned about advertised performance vs real performance is never spot on.
I really don’t understand your bad performance over the water from elevated platform. It doesn’t match the performance I get, or anyone else I read about. But if this is what I was getting, I could never justify spending more money on the product.
You best option would be to leave Autel, try and recoup some money from the smart controller while it’s still worth good money and stop wasting your time on a platform you can’t use
 
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"5 miles at 50 feet on DJI is from an elevated launch point at 250 feet ASL flying out over sea level with clear LOS as far as the eye can see."

got it. we understand now. ?
EVO and EVO 2, even with the "wonderful" Smart Controller, which boasts boosting the stock EVO 2 range of "5 miles" to an “8 mile range in heavily congested urban settings," from the same location, all lose both video and control signal at 1-2 miles, and RTH for 2-4 minutes . No hyperbole or exaggeration by me . Real world objective comparisons.
 

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