Problem with Phantom 4 Pro

Sealdrone56 · Apr 12, 2020

I have a friend who has a Phantom 4 pro and is in a place with limited internet access. He sent me this text message and I was wondering if anyone had some ideas of how to proceed:

"I have an issue right now, hard to sort out with limited internet.
Seems to be no comms between controller / app & camera.
There is no picture, it says there is no SD card even when there is one, there is no battery % and no access to camera settings"

Sealdrone56 · Apr 12, 2020

He also writes:
An extra clue is that it seems the SD card got damaged somehow - after the last uneventful & happy flight it would not come out of the slot. I had to wriggle it out very gently with tweezers. Then could not download any pics or videos from it & it doesn't work in any other device. So tried a new SD card but have had this issue ever since. Presumably, even without an SD card in the drone I should be able to see a picture and access all the functions?

Timinator · Apr 12, 2020

Did he have the card in upside down?
Can he get to the aircraft status page?

Sealdrone56 · Apr 12, 2020

The card had been working fine and I have seen the photos taken from the air so it was working.

I will ask about being able to see the status page

David_Cambridge · Apr 13, 2020

Local Internet is not the issue. At least for theP3 4K the controller establishes its own local internet network which is what the tablet connects to. Without connecting to this network, nothing works. Proper connection can be seen by determining what network the tablet is using. If it isn’t connected to the phantom network, you will need to switch to it, and log the tablet into it.

Capt KO · Apr 13, 2020

David_Cambridge said:
Local Internet is not the issue. At least for theP3 4K the controller establishes its own local internet network which is what the tablet connects to. Without connecting to this network, nothing works. Proper connection can be seen by determining what network the tablet is using. If it isn’t connected to the phantom network, you will need to switch to it, and log the tablet into it.

Not the same with 4Pro. Cable connection to device. Still, only need Internet connection when making changes or updates or load Maps.

Timinator · Apr 13, 2020

David_Cambridge said:
Local Internet is not the issue. At least for theP3 4K the controller establishes its own local internet network which is what the tablet connects to. Without connecting to this network, nothing works. Proper connection can be seen by determining what network the tablet is using. If it isn’t connected to the phantom network, you will need to switch to it, and log the tablet into it.

No, I think the guy couldn't troubleshoot his problem because of a lack of internet in the location where he was flying.

Sealdrone56 · Apr 13, 2020

Timinator said:
No, I think the guy couldn't troubleshoot his problem because of a lack of internet in the location where he was flying.

Yes, that is correct. On the P4 the controller and tablet are hard wired. The reason he contacted me with the text message is lack of internet to troubleshoot and do any firmware updates (which I said don't do, even if there was good internet, as it had been working)

Phantom4proplus · Apr 13, 2020

Sealdrone56 said:
I have a friend who has a Phantom 4 pro and is in a place with limited internet access. He sent me this text message and I was wondering if anyone had some ideas of how to proceed:

"I have an issue right now, hard to sort out with limited internet.
Seems to be no comms between controller / app & camera.
There is no picture, it says there is no SD card even when there is one, there is no battery % and no access to camera settings"

I have a phantom 4 pro plus and, no difference with the P4pro except for the controller that come with a display attached. (no phone need it to fly).
The internet isn't needed to fly and keep and eye in your display. the other guys above my comments are right. you only need the internet to update the firmware if is available a update of the drone software.- If this is the case you can do this in home where you have wifi internet and update it before you go to fly.
the other scenario where you can need internet its when you want to transmit in your social media the feed of the filming. example facebook live or youtube live.- In this circumtances you need to connect the to wifi or carry your own internet provider in your phone to transmit in real time same as you do fb live in your phone. (explanation to do that its other conversation. no in this matter.)
The communication between the controller and the aircraft its via wifi (but no the wifi that you catch in home or other place) This this is provided by the satellites that track your drone and keep the connection with the controller. Beside the wifi its only to keep comunication between the display or controller with the aircraft but depending how far you are flying you can lost the signal or get flicking connection due the distance.--
The recording its storage in the aircraft micro sd card and also in the micro sd card in the controller. the difference its the resolution. drone sd card record in any resolution you set before hand (maybe 4K) but the sdcard in the controller just go untill hd 1080x1920 pixels.
You no need internet wifi in the enviroment to fly your drone and recording or take pictures.
If you damage the bay where the card slide in, its other thing. check with a new card. this is no a usual problem . I hope my words help you.
Try to unistall the DJI apps in your phone and reinstall it again and update the firmware and change micro sd cards for new ones. Sergio.

Sealdrone56 · Apr 14, 2020

I got this update on the status of the P4:

Overall status says abnormal but when accessed just says recommend calibration of vision sensors - it always says this!
Flight mode = N/A

Compass, imu & vision sensors = all normal

Aircraft battery, temp, gumball status & sd card all say N/A.

No picture on tablet.

No gimbal control.

No way to change camera settings - iso, shutter etc.

Have control of rotors - all fire up normally & I reckon it would fly.

My impression is that it is related to the camera, with lack of battery status thrown in for good measure. The tiny green "link" light near the SD card slot does not light.

I tried doing controller linking and nothing happens - maybe not pushing in far enough but don't want to damage something sticking a paperclip or something in.

The last point he makes about the controller linking: I think it must be linked fine if the motors start up right so that can't be the issue. Is there a way to reset the camera? Seems to be related to the SD card somehow.

Timinator · Apr 14, 2020

Controller is linked to the aircraft but it sounds like his tablet is not properly connected. Yes, the aircraft will fly without the tablet.
Have him try to reinstall the app on his tablet.

Sealdrone56 · Apr 14, 2020

Timinator said:
Controller is linked to the aircraft but it sounds like his tablet is not properly connected. Yes, the aircraft will fly without the tablet.
Have him try to reinstall the app on his tablet.

OK I will suggest that to him, thnks

dkeberhardt · Apr 18, 2020

I always thoroughly preflight all systems the night before I'm going to fly. The other thing is maybe he could hook up his P4P to DJI Assistant directly to the computer and refresh or reinstall the firmware.

Sealdrone56 · Apr 18, 2020

dkeberhardt said:
I always thoroughly preflight all systems the night before I'm going to fly. The other thing is maybe he could hook up his P4P to DJI Assistant directly to the computer and refresh or reinstall the firmware.

The first line of this thread read:

I have a friend who has a Phantom 4 pro and is in a place with limited internet access

That is the crux of the problem. He has limited internet so hooking up to DJI assistant wont work, but I was hoping for some ideas to troubleshoot it for him

Stefyyyyy · Apr 18, 2020

I had this same issue with my old p3p about no image transmition or status
I formatted the as car and re synced the controller and drone and it seemed to all work again.

Capt KO · Apr 18, 2020

I know you have already tried several different remedies, but if possible try another device but at least a new cable from the remote to your device. You are already linked but receiving no screen data.
Does the new SD card stay in place and come out normally? If you have to get to the SD slot, you can access it through the bottom shell. Good luck

Pursuer · Apr 20, 2020

Sealdrone56 said:
I have a friend who has a Phantom 4 pro and is in a place with limited internet access. He sent me this text message and I was wondering if anyone had some ideas of how to proceed:

"I have an issue right now, hard to sort out with limited internet.
Seems to be no comms between controller / app & camera.
There is no picture, it says there is no SD card even when there is one, there is no battery % and no access to camera settings"

Make sure you are using the correct usb cable for the connection between the Controller and Tablet. Need an OTG cable.

Sealdrone56 · Apr 20, 2020

Capt KO said:
I know you have already tried several different remedies, but if possible try another device but at least a new cable from the remote to your device. You are already linked but receiving no screen data.
Does the new SD card stay in place and come out normally? If you have to get to the SD slot, you can access it through the bottom shell. Good luck

Thanks. I will ask him to check