ipad mini 2 - do I need cellular?

Joao Carlos · Aug 24, 2015

They can do the same thing, but it is much easier with a 4G+GPS. You dont have to go to settings, connect and rely on the hotspot and iphone. Just easier with the 4g, but having both I use a dedicated wifi only as I end up turning on airplane mode before every flight anyway. Hope this helps.

mush · Aug 24, 2015

oh ok. i use my phone as a hotspot when im at work
i think ill save money and go with what i have

Chris Catalano · Aug 24, 2015

Joao Carlos said:
Ask the seller it seems listed as retina, all retina minis are 2 (or 3). I bought mine from this exact listing, different seller.

I googled the model number and sure enough, it does look to be a mini 2. Unfortunately I had already ordered a 16gb model earlier. But that is a fantastic price for a mini 2 with 64gb of storage and cellular.

Joao Carlos · Aug 24, 2015

Chris Catalano said:
I googled the model number and sure enough, it does look to be a mini 2. Unfortunately I had already ordered a 16gb model earlier. But that is a fantastic price for a mini 2 with 64gb of storage and cellular.

To be honest you may regret going with the 16gb. My wifi is 16 and you start with only 11gb available! You will be severely restricted in the number of apps and pictures/video storage. But, again, if you only plan on using for the P3 you should be fine.

Chris Catalano · Aug 24, 2015

Joao Carlos said:
To be honest you may regret going with the 16gb. My wifi is 16 and you start with only 11gb available! You will be severely restricted in the number of apps and pictures/video storage. But, again, if you only plan on using for the P3 you should be fine.

Yes, this is intended strictly for the P3. I may use it for the occasional other task, but nothing really demanding.

nynelyvz · Aug 27, 2015

Joao Carlos said:
They can do the same thing, but it is much easier with a 4G+GPS. You dont have to go to settings, connect and rely on the hotspot and iphone. Just easier with the 4g, but having both I use a dedicated wifi only as I end up turning on airplane mode before every flight anyway. Hope this helps.

Hope this is the right place. If I use a hotspot on my phone to connect to a wifi only tablet how do I connect to the Phantom? I have never used hotspot, but believe I connect to it like I would a wifi network. But when I connect to the Phantoms wifi wouldn;t I lose the hotspot, Suggestions would be appreciated.

Joao Carlos · Aug 27, 2015

nynelyvz said:
Hope this is the right place. If I use a hotspot on my phone to connect to a wifi only tablet how do I connect to the Phantom? I have never used hotspot, but believe I connect to it like I would a wifi network. But when I connect to the Phantoms wifi wouldn;t I lose the hotspot, Suggestions would be appreciated.

I always turn off wifi etc on my phone when flying (airplane mode), I only use it before to update the map and gps position on the ipad. Before engine start, all goes to airplane mode.

Perhaps you are using another Phantom version, but the P3 does not require wifi, it has a cable connection between tablet and the remote.

wincrasher · Aug 27, 2015

The ipad mini is getting the GPS information from the P3, right? I don't see you need the GPS chip in the ipad mini.

atki · Aug 27, 2015

wincrasher said:
The ipad mini is getting the GPS information from the P3, right? I don't see you need the GPS chip in the ipad mini.

You need the GPS chip in the mini (cellular version) if you use or plan to use the p3 in rural or country areas. The wifi version locates itself ok in the city or built up areas but in areas away from wifi routers it will not locate itself properly. If a tablet doesn't know where it is, it effectively doesn't know where you are standing while using the p3 so while the the p3 reports its location on the compass bearing it will be a false reading. Not to mention features like follow me and dynamic home point will not work or be erroneous too.

Joao Carlos · Aug 27, 2015

wincrasher said:
The ipad mini is getting the GPS information from the P3, right? I don't see you need the GPS chip in the ipad mini.

I think the remote does have gps, however in my experience I still need an external gps or Hotspot to set my home point. Not exactly sure and I dont want to provide erroneous info here, but I think you need a gps fix on the ipad to set home point on the app. If Im wrong, I cant really tell as I always connect to a phone first. Have you tested?

wincrasher · Aug 27, 2015

atki said:
You need the GPS chip in the mini (cellular version) if you use or plan to use the p3 in rural or country areas. The wifi version locates itself ok in the city or built up areas but in areas away from wifi routers it will not locate itself properly. If a tablet doesn't know where it is, it effectively doesn't know where you are standing while using the p3 so while the the p3 reports its location on the compass bearing it will be a false reading. Not to mention features like follow me and dynamic home point will not work or be erroneous too.

From my searches on the DJI forum, the app gets it's GPS info from the drone. People are reporting running wifi only tablets with wifi shut off. Also, won't follow me and dynamic home point be getting GPS information from the remote control?

atki · Aug 27, 2015

Joao Carlos said:
I think the remote does have gps, however in my experience I still need an external gps or Hotspot to set my home point. Not exactly sure and I dont want to provide erroneous info here, but I think you need a gps fix on the ipad to set home point on the app. If Im wrong, I cant really tell as I always connect to a phone first. Have you tested?

Only the inspire TX has gps.

atki · Aug 27, 2015

wincrasher said:
From my searches on the DJI forum, the app gets it's GPS info from the drone. People are reporting running wifi only tablets with wifi shut off. Also, won't follow me and dynamic home point be getting GPS information from the remote control?

The app requires GPS from the drone AND from the tablet otherwise it won't know where the drone is in relation to the tablet (where you are standing) so as you can probably appreciate; the system is only getting half of the required information.

The wifi can be shut off before flying but the tablet would have to know its location before that. For instance if you had the device in airplane mode and drove 100kms and then flew from there it would still think it's in the previous location.

Foosy · Aug 27, 2015

While it has been said before, it is worth repeating: iPad mini WiFi does not have a GPS.
That means that even if you use a phone to download maps to the iPad, the iPad will NOT be able to provide location information. It will only provide estimates, and this is not accurate enough for positioning your controller on the map. As a side note- the Phantom will broadcast its position to the app, but the phone only provides a wifi connection.

More on the iPad without GPS can be read here: No GPS in the iPad Mini Wi-Fi: People are right to criticise

Joao Carlos · Aug 27, 2015

As mentioned, I use an external gps (Dual XGPS 150A). It is a nice addition to a wifi only ipad, and I have been using for many years. Continuous use the battery for the gps lasts 7-8hs, if you only turn on for a couple of minutes to get the location probably months.

Although it was mentioned by some people that the hotspot with an iphone will share gps info to the ipad too.

Thanks for the info and clarifications, my P3 is undergoing restoration so I cant test anything.

Foosy · Aug 27, 2015

You can also try the following add-on GPS which connects directly to the lightning port:
Bad Elf GPS with Lightning Connector

atki · Aug 27, 2015

The external gps is an option if you already have the wifi mini. For those looking to buy their mini2+ I always recommend the cellular from the start, just for reliability and integration.

Joao Carlos · Aug 27, 2015

Foosy said:
You can also try the following add-on GPS which connects directly to the lightning port:
Bad Elf GPS with Lightning Connector

How do you use a Bad Elf if you are already using the lightning port? Mine is bluetooth.

Foosy · Aug 27, 2015

Joao Carlos said:
How do you use a Bad Elf if you are already using the lightning port? Mine is bluetooth.

I guess I did not think this through, or at least I didn't test it.
Lightning devices are capable of being daisy chained, but for this to work each device would have an in and and out lightning port.
The ELF GPS does not have a female lightning port, however it does have an additional micro-USB port. It is intended for charging, but may work, if it passes all the signals.
Since I have not tested it, I would have to retract what I said. A Bluetooth solution like you posted will always work. Thanks for pointing this out.

jephoto · Oct 1, 2015

Joao Carlos said:
As mentioned, I use an external gps (Dual XGPS 150A). It is a nice addition to a wifi only ipad, and I have been using for many years. Continuous use the battery for the gps lasts 7-8hs, if you only turn on for a couple of minutes to get the location probably months.

Although it was mentioned by some people that the hotspot with an iphone will share gps info to the ipad too.

Thanks for the info and clarifications, my P3 is undergoing restoration so I cant test anything.

Joao - which iPad do you have & how did you get it to work with the Dual XGPS 150A?
Just got it and my maps don't update - either on DJI Go or Apple Maps.
Also have the Bluetooth Status App and the xgps is working.