CONFIRMED: WiFi Only iPad Air 2 CAN INDEED Reset Home Point to RC Transmitter Location
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Got a dual gps blutooth addon and works with any gps application on my wifi only ipad 2. Tried it with and without the dual gps on google maps and other applications and works fine. It is one of the few units approved by apple and works great. Have had it running with my Phantom 3 on and works, but as yet have not confirmed if I can reset my ipad homepoint with it as yet.
I can confirm the dual BT add on works with the phantom 3 app. Not only do I see where the phantom 3 is on the map, but also the blue dot location of my tx and ipad and can also reset my home postion. Works great.
http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Electronics-XGPS150A-Universal-Bluetooth/dp/B006M49G80
http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Electronics-XGPS150A-Universal-Bluetooth/dp/B006M49G80
Wow....that's great! So with this add-on......no real reason to have the cell version aside from maps (which you can get when on wifi) and live streaming. Am I correct? Would you be missing out on any other feature?
No with the dual gps you won't be missing out on anything. You have the ability to set a manual home point just like the cellular version. If you got the wifi version only it's cheaper just to get the dual gps addon. In the future you will need gps to allow follow me and maybe dynamic home points when it ends up in the app. The dual gps does everything the cellular one does and it's cheaper to just buy the wifi version plus dual gps
With the dual gps there is not reason to buy the cellular version as long as you chache the map your going to fly in before flight.
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I, too, can now confirm that the Bad Elf Pro and Pro+ also can be used to reset the Home Point to the RC location! I have updated the original post to reflect everyone's confirmation that it does work! Thanks to everyone else who made this determination possible, as I initially couldn't get it to work in my own testing. The P3P must be running with motors at least idling on the ground, if not in flight, for the feature to work. Simply turning on the P3P battery alone will not work. I highly recommend that anyone with a cellular device ALSO use a BT connected GPs device like the Bad Elf Pro and Pro+, as both are far more accurate than any cellular GPS location, and they don't burn up the iPad battery, and they update their location immediately, with no lag, and also tell you the precision in feet of the current reading! They also display elevation. The Pro+ also uses GLONASS like the P3P, and also has a barometer.
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Thanks for proving it does work. Based upon your video, I kept trying, and finally got my Bad Elf Pro and Pro+ to work as well! Wonderful news!
no problem, the GNS 2000 is also a good choice and has glonass
yes motors must be running on idle to set to phantom or rc
cheers....
Garry
yes motors must be running on idle to set to phantom or rc
cheers....
Garry
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Thanks again! I did, however, read reviews of the GNS 2000 on Amazon that would give me pause about using it with the Pilot app to set the RC.
Here was the review that concerned me:
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"I really liked the device. Simple, accurate, worked right out of the box, good connection. Except that in slow speeds it will not update your position unless you move 20-30 meters. Here is a quote from the support "Thank you for your inquiry and information. The GNS 2000 transmits the current positons every second when the minimum speed does not drop below 3.5 km / h. The GNS 2000 holds a calulated position for around 20-30 m when the speed is lower than 3,5 km/h (static navigation)."
This thing will be great in a plane or even a car. In fact I know a guy that loves it for skiing. But if you are walking or trying to get a good location , look elsewhere."
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At walking speeds, if you don't move more than 75-100 feet, it won't update from the last fix. That could be problematic. If you are in an open area, that's better than your original Home Point a mile away, but not if you are in a small, tight clearing and need to have a precise location marked for the RC. Just be aware of that limitation.
Forgive the newbie question. Taking delivery of my P3 today. Been flying a P2V+ a few months.
How exact do you use the BadElf Pro with iPad or iPhone. Just communicates with the device via Bluetooth, while device is direct connected to RC via cable?
Is this in addition to the WiFi from RC to Phantom?
What exactly is the setup and is there any additional things to set for them to work together?
Links for previous discussions or YouTube tutorials fine.
Thx!!
How exact do you use the BadElf Pro with iPad or iPhone. Just communicates with the device via Bluetooth, while device is direct connected to RC via cable?
Is this in addition to the WiFi from RC to Phantom?
What exactly is the setup and is there any additional things to set for them to work together?
Links for previous discussions or YouTube tutorials fine.
Thx!!
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Happy to share the setup. The BadElf Pro connects wirelessly with the iPad or iPhone as a Bluetooth connected device, passing its GPS location data over to iOS 8.4 and the Pilot app (won't work with iOS 8.3 unless you buy the Bad Elf Pro+). Keep the Bad Elf Pro in your pocket or on a lanyard around your neck. Everything else stays the same. Your Wifi only iPad or cellular iPad or iPhone will now use the more accurate Bad Elf Pro for all GPS location purposes, including resetting the Home Point to the RC transmitter in your hands. Note: the P3P must be on, and idling on the ground, or in flight, to be able to reset the Home Point to the RC location. Won't work otherwise. That's what threw me off on all my initial testing! Simply turning on the P3P battery isn't enough. You have to have the props spinning, too!
at the price of these external gps's even if they're slightly more accurate than the internal gps - not sure if its worth it. I mean, ipad2 + cellular isnt much more than wifi only...
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Depends upon how accurate you want the reset of the Home Point to the RC location to be. I already independently own the Bad Elf Pro and Bad Elf Pro+, because I use them for a golf club tracking app (GolfLogix) which tracks my clubs used and club distances around the course. Before I had an iPhone 6+, I used WiFi only iPads for this purpose with the Bad Elf unit. It is what Bad Elf was designed for, used by private pilots with WiFi only iPad avionic apps. The iPhone 6+ cellular assisted GPS just isn't accurate enough for me with the GolfLogix app, so I still BT pair it with the Bad Elf at the golf course.
Cellular iPad GPS accuracy is 5-15 meters. Bad Elf Pro+ is 1 meter accuracy, with the Bad Elf Pro very close to that. It's your choice.
Lastly, if you don't pay for a data plan for the cellular iPad Air 2, the internal GPS chip will not be as accurate as with cellular service. Apple calls it "location assisted GPS." It uses the cell service location to enhance the speed and accuracy of the internal GPS chip, which does not have GLONASS. It is like setting your takeoff homepoint with the minimum number of satellites rather than as many as possible. More is better. The Bad Elf can even tell you it's current accuracy in feet at all times, before using its data with the Pilot app. Private pilots rely on Bad Elf units rather than cellular GPS for their iPad avionics. That's good enough for me!
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Great review and thanks for all the info. I just ordered the bad elf from Amazon.
Curious if you tested out tethering the iPad to the iPhone and if that gained any results, or would that only be needed to load maps to the iPad.
In looking forward to an app coming out that has "follow me" I guess if all else failed I could just use my iPhone instead of the iPad if I needed wifi and cell service.
Curious if you tested out tethering the iPad to the iPhone and if that gained any results, or would that only be needed to load maps to the iPad.
In looking forward to an app coming out that has "follow me" I guess if all else failed I could just use my iPhone instead of the iPad if I needed wifi and cell service.
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Happy to help! Hotspotting the iPhone to the "WiFi only" iPad Air works perfectly for map downloads on the fly in the field, and would work even for a cellular iPad Air2 without a contract (could also pop the SIM card out of the phone and just put it into the cellular Air 2). However, Pilot app won't allow using the cellular GPS on the "WiFi only" Air 2 through the iPhone hotspot, as best I can determine, so that's where the Bad Elf comes in, and the Bad Elf far more reliable and much more accurate.
Excellent info. Much apprcieated. Just picked up my iPad Mini WiFi last night.
Looking forward to first flight on new P3 later today in Detroit.
Ran an IMU calibration last night and all looks good....
Probably will order a Bad Elf once I have my backpack...
Looking forward to first flight on new P3 later today in Detroit.
Ran an IMU calibration last night and all looks good....
Probably will order a Bad Elf once I have my backpack...
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