This weekend I flew the Evo 2 Pro Ent V3 in some stronger winds, with longer arms and larger motors you would hope it would perform better then an Evo 2 Pro V1. It did not, it would slow down and drop altitude and even gave me tilt warnings instead of wind warnings. They have not even programmed the FC good for the wind, this is terrible. They need to do a serious update for the FC. I've flown my Evo 2 Pro V1s in powerful winds that wanna knock you over, nothing can take that thing out of the sky, the winds yesterday were not even close to that strong and the Evo 2 Pro Ent V3 sucked badly. It took them till June 6th 2022 before they had the final FW update that gave us dual stability on the Evo 2 Pro V1 also, thats 2 years after the drone was released. So thats how long we might be waiting before they fix things with this one. I'm starting a drone company and I can't even do serious filming with this drone because the dual stability is what got the Evo 2 Pro V1 real close to the Mavic, as far as smooth flying for filming goes. So at this time if I was doing serious filming, I would still actually be using my Evo 2 Pro V1 drone. Autel is focused on making money pushing the Evo Max 4T now and other products and is taking their time with this drone poeple spent 5K of their hard earned money on. And lastly, can we please stop beating around the bush with these useless accessories and make a drop arm like we know that that's what everyone wants. Can someone who knows electronics please rewire one of those useless accessories they give us and make a drop arm. I would be willing to pay handsomly for one.
nice informative video, who are the other 497 fans, I have two SCs and you have one. Not flown yet as I was waiting for more reviews, I can learn from other peoples mistakes.
Good question. Haven’t gotten the official screen protector URL. The company is sending me a final fitment and then I will provide the URL for everyone looking to protect the screen.
Definitely…. Both respectable and amazing in a way with smart controller knowing there are better antennas that you can mount to them. I’m sure one of those powered antenna companies are going to come out with an antenna booster for it as well.
Terrific video, enjoyed the flight actually both flights. Wonder if the SmartController was on 900GHz band instead of 2.4? SmartController should have exceeded stock controller on range, thanks for sharing!
I don't understand your comment. 900GHz isn't something hobbyists use. 900MHz is, but it would go further than 2.4G. I'm all kinds of lost at this comment.
I'm curious how my V2 Controller will do with Dual Band - Technically it shouldn't be much different, in pure distance measurement, in "auto" transmission mode as it will almost certainly be in 2.4ghz at distance. The standard controller doesn't handle band switching 5.8ghz to 2.4ghz as well as it could, I think there's huge room for improvement. I.E. I got further in 2.8 than "Auto" - I suspect the algorithms they're using measure interference vs. signal strength. I am surprised how far 5.8 stays full strength on standard controller, I just wish it handles witching better. Mostly we need solid video, which you used to determine SC limit in this video. Further distance isn't useful when blind, and SC takes us from 2 displays of info to one, making video essential at range. Thanks for getting this out.
I have always preferred Autel drones because they make the most advanced drones. But Autel has also been putting out incomplete drones, where features are not working as advertised. I have recently bought an Evo 2 Pro Enterprise V3. I have a few hundred flights and understand a little about frequencies and antennas and I will explain here to dissolve any confusion about those things. I have lots of experience with the Evo 2 Pro V1 as I have 2 of them and have done lots of comparing and troubleshooting over the last couple of years with them. The Evo 2 Pro E V3 which should have a 15km transmission I just got barely transmits as good as my Evo 2 Pro V1's, which have a 9km transmission. When you go to the transmission screen on the new Evo 2 Pro E V3, there are no options, the screen is empty, Autel has explained to me this will be done at some update, it has now been 5 months since the drone's been released. The drone is very obviously working on a 2.4Gz signal, that is a short wavelength and should have a 2 inch antenna, just like most all drones up till now. The reason the transmission is barely keeping up with my Evo 2 Pro V1s, is because they put a 4 inch antenna, which is optimal for 900Mhz frequency. 900Mhz Is a longer wave that goes better through walls, when they do the update this will be an amazing drone yes, for now, if you've had an Evo 2 Pro V1 in the past, you will feel quite dissapointed. I do get real flight times of a little over a half an hour compared to 25 minutes which everyone always exagerrates, so Autel did real good there yes. So Autel put out a new drone with supposed frequency switching, but it's not doing any of that yet and the antennas are optimized for 900Mhz, which the drone is not working on, because if it was working 15km with 900Mhz would be amazing in the city yes. Of course at 900Mhz you then get a slower waves, hence slower data transfer, so I'm not even sure if they can transmit data at 1080 at that frequency, I would be fine with 720 resolution at 900Mhz, I still see power lines good on the bright screen, right now it is 720, I can easily tell, they havent updated that either. Respectively, a 4.8Gz transmission or 5.8, would be optimas with about an even shorter antenna probably closer to 1 inch, with makes it easier to fit inside your cellphone as you go up with Ghz :-). This is a very disappointing thing that Autel is doing and I hope they do the update for the transmission soon. I paid 5k for this thing and that was one of the main reasons I bought it for. Autel has also released a new drone with something very important not working as advertised. They kept my drone in repair for weeks so I got my money back from Blue Skies, who I bought it through. I then got the same drone through Amazon and found that the feature is not working on that one as advertised either. I have considered sueing Autel but I have always liked and supported Autel, and would prefer not to do this. If Blue Skies does not end the bank case against me I will tell everyone here what this feature is a lot of people would be upset, and I would hurt Autel, I would prefer not to do this. I hope they do an update to fix this soon.
The Autel of old is not the Autel of late. Randall Warnas warned us. Now they lost Ken Booth. I think the company is being run by daddy’s boy Li Hongjing. I don’t he has the best thought processes as it relates to the customer experience and customer support. They were very ambitious by opening up Autel Robotics to many countries, but when they did - their customer support seemed to tank. They rolled out all these different drones aside from the V1-V3; Nano, Lite and iterations of Enterprise and they did so with incomplete products lacking support. Maybe this has helped them earn a quick buck, but I don’t see this being a long term strategic strategy. Contrast this with DJI. I bought a second hand Mavic 3 Classic that had gimbal issue and transmission issue and I’m pleased in they took care of replacement for free without even verifying confirmation of purchase. They were as accommodating as I’ve ever experienced with them.
Yes I inadvertently when recording the screen got a second audio which helped with my PC editing program to sync the audio so the screen recording and my head mount cameras can be at the same marker. That being said I was thoroughly impressed with the mic in the smart controller. It’s not a Rode, but it’s surprisingly good. Maybe that will be something I include on the next video. Thanks for the idea
I am new to the drone scene. From what I have seen the Evo 2 Pro 6K is right up there with the Mavic 3 as far as video quality. I CAN'T WAIT to see what the new version will do. I hope it CRUSHES others.
Well, I sure like the screen brightness. How is the latency of your inputs and the drone reactions? You know I was really Shocked when Randall Warnas abruptly left Autel! It sounds like the ownership isn’t wanting a CEO to do anything but what they say to do. I was so looking forward to seeing their new little Mini drone. I was thinking how neat it would be to have a new mini drone coupled with the smart controller! I suppose we will see just what they come up with. A lot of people praise DJI, and they are the drone leader, but for some reason, maybe geofencing is part of it, I just didn’t want a DJI drone. I just plan on sitting back and see what comes out over the next few months. Who knows, DJI may come out with their mini 3 and I just have to have one. But I want to see what Autel has up their sleeve first. From everything I have been seeing I don’t think I would want a fimi or a hubsan either. Take care my friend. Tom
Well said friend. I like DJI for fun little stuff, but don’t want them for commercial stuff or anything that matters. Tends to disappoint me too much. I hope this departure doesn’t effect Autel too much and they keep themselves customer centered company. The industry has come so far and it has an exciting future.
@@CaliforniaPhantom , you know, one thing the Autel does with their software, like Parrot does with their anafi, is have waypoints. Where you can set up automatic routes. To my understanding DJI doesn’t have anything like that in their apps! I loved the way the Anafi could go to different points at different altitudes and have it rotate as you want at each waypoint. But the anafi has its transmission problems. Can Autel Explorer set up a waypoint mission like the Anafi can? I don’t know if Autel will have the mini compatible with the smart controller but I think it would be a mistake not to. Talk later. Tom
@@Okie-Tom yes Autel can create waypoint mission flying like Anafi can. Would be awesome if smart controller is compatible with there new Mini, but then again there is a version 1 and version 2. Not sure how they are going to integrate that together to make that all compatible with one another.
You must have fantastic vision to fly that far out and still maintain visual contact with the drone per FAA rules. Not to mention staying below 400 feet. 👍
Nice test. I’m more interested if the signal is stronger in more urban environments like a city with a lot of interference. I’ve come across a V1 SC that I might buy, but I’m leaning more towards the Tripltek 8” If there isn’t a huge difference. Let me know if you found the SC to have a stronger signal where there is more interference.
Tripltek is a more versatile platform and can be used across many drones. Smart controller serves a niche specific purpose. If Autel came out and said the smart controller will support more drones there might be more of an argument for it, but at this point in time as long as your not particular about the top heaviness of the Tripltek then absolutely get that. I see myself down the line once I sell Evo 2 pro and smart controller; I see myself moving towards Tripltek for future drones.
@@CaliforniaPhantom that’s what I’ve started to notice. I hate the setup of a tablet with the controller, but it’s not enough to make me spend the extra money for the SC. I’ll have to go Lifthor with the Tripltek I think. Thanks!
I am surprised it did that well flying with all of the wifi interference that had to be coming from those houses. So that really adds to the " how well will it do " factor. Personally, I think I am gonna pass on the smart controller.
Smart controller is really a niche product; an expensive niche product at that. I totally get why you would want to pass. It’s got to fit a number of things to justify such a steep price point. For what I do commercially, I can justify given the issues that I come across to get this controller and not return it. That being said I still hope they add features related to pre-loading maps.
I agree with you. This is a very similar case with Dji smart controller. The stock controller out performs the smart controller by car. Its soo lame imo. I am starting to like Autel didn't know they were such a huge hitter in the drone space. I am very new to all this.
Hi, I'm Francesco from Italy, I also have Autel Evo II Pro 6K and I wanted to ask you this information ... in Italy you travel on the 2.4 GHz CE frequency ： ≤20 dBm while in the U.S.A. in FCC is FCC: ≤26 dBm. Could you tell me how to fly to FCC in Italy ..? I know it can be done but I don't know how to configure the drone at a satellite level in America even if I'm physically in Italy. thank you.👍
Thanks for your vids! I'm definitely considering acquiring the Smart Controller 2 for use with my Evo 2 Pro. I know this controller does not work with the Nano's and Lite's. I thought Autel had discontinued the Evo 2 series last year due to chip unavailability. But at their website it says the Evo 2 Pro will be "available soon". What gives? Are they reintroducing them?
Advexure has some 6K rugged bundles as well as some Enterprise editions and stand alone smart controllers. I’m sure its related to global supply and conflict and inflation 😂 and a whole host of other issues currently effecting supply.
@@CaliforniaPhantom Something else I noticed at the Autel site regarding the Smart Controller v2. It says it has a "Retina display". That would be much higher res than the 1080p I thought it had. Are they upgrading the screen to Retina?
Good catch; I’m going to have to look into that. I thought the main difference was the bands it was operating on. 900mhz and 2.4ghz with the V2 operating in 2.4 and 5.8. I’ll have to dive into that and find out.
Wondering if you could help. I have the EVO Pro II v2 with both controllers. I haven't been able to fly more then 1000m with the stock controller and 1500m with the smart controller. I've tried all variations of transmission settings eg auto/2.4/5.8/smooth/HD. Any of these settings dont really make much difference. Location doesn't seem to help either rural or city... Any suggestions?
@@CaliforniaPhantom You have to go into the Battery section of the main menu to find the percentage that is clearly displayed on the stock controller screen. Dumb! Flight time changes up or down, depending upon how you are flying, and at what altitude. Battery percentage is far more useful!
@@gadgetguy9984 I agree it should be on the main screen when flying; there’s a lot of empty real estate on the bottom of the screen, but to say the flight time is worthless isn’t necessary correct. Never suppose to take it out that long and the flight minutes don’t dip that radically to not be useful. Since all of my flights are VLOS I can safely take it out to about 8minutes remaining before I bring it back in. Again, it’s not perfect but it’s at least something usable. Let’s hope the update will address this and offline maps.
@@CaliforniaPhantom Remaining battery percentage is also missing from the main screen of the Explorer app using any tablet with the original RC, but it is at least displayed on the RC itself. Autel copies DJI, but foolishly doesn't copy ALL the critical DJI telemetry on the main screen. I never said that flight time is worthless, but it can quickly change up or down depending upon elevation and speed and wind, so you thought you had 8 minutes, but suddenly 30 seconds later it is only 6 minutes. Remaining battery percentage never goes up, and declines linearly. Unless you are flying into a headwind on the return, if you turn around at above 50%, you know you'll make it back. 8 minutes is much less meaningful. I returned my SC. Huge disappointment on the advertised 8 mile range! it's no better than the stock controller, which is 1.5 miles at best before the video freezes up and it starts RTH! Alientech Pro antenna mod to the stock controller for the win! 4.3 miles easily!
Of course it does. It’s an arbitrary law imposed by the federal government as a response by said government of not yet fully understanding sUAS, yet wanting to fully regulate it anyways. Admittedly, I follow said laws while in the 🇺🇸 99.9% of the time. This range test is for educational purposes only. It’s always good to know true operational limits to your sUAS. However I do appreciate you finding my range test video only to remind of VLOS. There will be a day my friend where BVLOS will be common place. I suppose Bezos and a Walton has to purchase the right from the government first before us little guys can enjoy said benefit. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving 🦃.
Included rugged bundle case. I have 2 rugged bundles; 1 is a GPC case and the other is off brand and smaller footprint than the GPC case. That one works just as good.
Well at least in my testing; the standard controller had slightly better range than smart controller. That being said there are many variables that could push it in favor of either controller. Plus, the smart controller does have the ability to upgrade its antennas without voiding any type of warranty or heavy modification. The result was certainly surprising given Autel’s claims about the smart controller’s range. I think it’s more the exact same transmission.
@@CaliforniaPhantom The Smart Controller was worse than the stock controller for me, and adding amped external antennas didn't improve it one bit! i am glad I found a reseller who would allow me to return it, at their expense, if it disappointed, which it did, big time!
It’s definitely not for everyone and certainly a niche product. Your not alone in not appreciating it. I on the other hand enjoy it very much and is a welcome improvement over the stock controller.
4:12 for regular (facing down) is ideal. Facing up is ideal for smart controller. Based on shape of smart controller standing at a 45 degree angle 📐 would be ideal based on antenna shape. These are aftermarket antennas, but they clearly work better than the stock antennas. I actually continue to use these antenna over stock antennas today .
Nice to know but you need other people to be a VO. VLOS is the law and you’re going to get popped for this kind of test without help. Just a few friends and a few radios. ….
You still only get the 35 minutes of flight time, you're paying $1,200 for a smart controller but same 35 minutes of flight time😂😂.. if the new controller can fly to the moon you still got 35 minutes to get there 😂😂 the new controller is pointless
It’s not that simple. While more range would be another positive, ultimately for many (myself included) it’s all about image composition. This smart controller allows for greater control over composition with the higher nits and larger screen over traditional cell phones. Now I was using a live deck and high nits field monitor and that can definitely work, but the ease of use and decreased setup time IMO was worth it for me. I can definitely agree that smart controller is a niche product.
@@CaliforniaPhantom Every range test I seen on the new controller they have to be in a damn desert fly 8 mi out.. and die coming back 😂.. image quality an signal quality okay I will give you that ✌🏽.. people just get so hyped up about range, they forget you're using the same damn battery 😂..
True to that. That’s definitely why I like tearing in parks because risk is low, but more realistic than in the middle of nowhere. Not as accurate as it could be. It’s not about BVLOS it’s about how well it does in heavy interference. I will at some point add better antennas on it to see if any signal is gained.
This weekend I flew the Evo 2 Pro Ent V3 in some stronger winds, with longer arms and larger motors you would hope it would perform better then an Evo 2 Pro V1. It did not, it would slow down and drop altitude and even gave me tilt warnings instead of wind warnings. They have not even programmed the FC good for the wind, this is terrible. They need to do a serious update for the FC. I've flown my Evo 2 Pro V1s in powerful winds that wanna knock you over, nothing can take that thing out of the sky, the winds yesterday were not even close to that strong and the Evo 2 Pro Ent V3 sucked badly. It took them till June 6th 2022 before they had the final FW update that gave us dual stability on the Evo 2 Pro V1 also, thats 2 years after the drone was released. So thats how long we might be waiting before they fix things with this one. I'm starting a drone company and I can't even do serious filming with this drone because the dual stability is what got the Evo 2 Pro V1 real close to the Mavic, as far as smooth flying for filming goes. So at this time if I was doing serious filming, I would still actually be using my Evo 2 Pro V1 drone. Autel is focused on making money pushing the Evo Max 4T now and other products and is taking their time with this drone poeple spent 5K of their hard earned money on. And lastly, can we please stop beating around the bush with these useless accessories and make a drop arm like we know that that's what everyone wants. Can someone who knows electronics please rewire one of those useless accessories they give us and make a drop arm. I would be willing to pay handsomly for one.
All extremely valid points. I wish I knew more about their corporate structure to gain some insight on their strategy for changing things up so much.
nice informative video, who are the other 497 fans, I have two SCs and you have one. Not flown yet as I was waiting for more reviews, I can learn from other peoples mistakes.
Good question. Haven’t gotten the official screen protector URL. The company is sending me a final fitment and then I will provide the URL for everyone looking to protect the screen.
The range on both controllers is awesome, not that I'll ever need to fly that far.
Definitely…. Both respectable and amazing in a way with smart controller knowing there are better antennas that you can mount to them. I’m sure one of those powered antenna companies are going to come out with an antenna booster for it as well.
@@CaliforniaPhantom I have been told by a fellow Smart controller owner that the current Alientech Pro can be fitted to it
That is a massive temptation just to see truly how much further smart controller could go…
Terrific video, enjoyed the flight actually both flights. Wonder if the SmartController was on 900GHz band instead of 2.4? SmartController should have exceeded stock controller on range, thanks for sharing!
I don't understand your comment. 900GHz isn't something hobbyists use. 900MHz is, but it would go further than 2.4G. I'm all kinds of lost at this comment.
I'm curious how my V2 Controller will do with Dual Band - Technically it shouldn't be much different, in pure distance measurement, in "auto" transmission mode as it will almost certainly be in 2.4ghz at distance. The standard controller doesn't handle band switching 5.8ghz to 2.4ghz as well as it could, I think there's huge room for improvement. I.E. I got further in 2.8 than "Auto" - I suspect the algorithms they're using measure interference vs. signal strength. I am surprised how far 5.8 stays full strength on standard controller, I just wish it handles witching better. Mostly we need solid video, which you used to determine SC limit in this video. Further distance isn't useful when blind, and SC takes us from 2 displays of info to one, making video essential at range. Thanks for getting this out.
My pleasure. Thank you for your contribution.
I have always preferred Autel drones because they make the most advanced drones. But Autel has also been putting out incomplete drones, where features are not working as advertised. I have recently bought an Evo 2 Pro Enterprise V3. I have a few hundred flights and understand a little about frequencies and antennas and I will explain here to dissolve any confusion about those things. I have lots of experience with the Evo 2 Pro V1 as I have 2 of them and have done lots of comparing and troubleshooting over the last couple of years with them. The Evo 2 Pro E V3 which should have a 15km transmission I just got barely transmits as good as my Evo 2 Pro V1's, which have a 9km transmission. When you go to the transmission screen on the new Evo 2 Pro E V3, there are no options, the screen is empty, Autel has explained to me this will be done at some update, it has now been 5 months since the drone's been released. The drone is very obviously working on a 2.4Gz signal, that is a short wavelength and should have a 2 inch antenna, just like most all drones up till now. The reason the transmission is barely keeping up with my Evo 2 Pro V1s, is because they put a 4 inch antenna, which is optimal for 900Mhz frequency. 900Mhz Is a longer wave that goes better through walls, when they do the update this will be an amazing drone yes, for now, if you've had an Evo 2 Pro V1 in the past, you will feel quite dissapointed. I do get real flight times of a little over a half an hour compared to 25 minutes which everyone always exagerrates, so Autel did real good there yes. So Autel put out a new drone with supposed frequency switching, but it's not doing any of that yet and the antennas are optimized for 900Mhz, which the drone is not working on, because if it was working 15km with 900Mhz would be amazing in the city yes. Of course at 900Mhz you then get a slower waves, hence slower data transfer, so I'm not even sure if they can transmit data at 1080 at that frequency, I would be fine with 720 resolution at 900Mhz, I still see power lines good on the bright screen, right now it is 720, I can easily tell, they havent updated that either. Respectively, a 4.8Gz transmission or 5.8, would be optimas with about an even shorter antenna probably closer to 1 inch, with makes it easier to fit inside your cellphone as you go up with Ghz :-). This is a very disappointing thing that Autel is doing and I hope they do the update for the transmission soon. I paid 5k for this thing and that was one of the main reasons I bought it for. Autel has also released a new drone with something very important not working as advertised. They kept my drone in repair for weeks so I got my money back from Blue Skies, who I bought it through. I then got the same drone through Amazon and found that the feature is not working on that one as advertised either. I have considered sueing Autel but I have always liked and supported Autel, and would prefer not to do this. If Blue Skies does not end the bank case against me I will tell everyone here what this feature is a lot of people would be upset, and I would hurt Autel, I would prefer not to do this. I hope they do an update to fix this soon.
The Autel of old is not the Autel of late. Randall Warnas warned us. Now they lost Ken Booth. I think the company is being run by daddy’s boy Li Hongjing. I don’t he has the best thought processes as it relates to the customer experience and customer support. They were very ambitious by opening up Autel Robotics to many countries, but when they did - their customer support seemed to tank. They rolled out all these different drones aside from the V1-V3; Nano, Lite and iterations of Enterprise and they did so with incomplete products lacking support. Maybe this has helped them earn a quick buck, but I don’t see this being a long term strategic strategy. Contrast this with DJI. I bought a second hand Mavic 3 Classic that had gimbal issue and transmission issue and I’m pleased in they took care of replacement for free without even verifying confirmation of purchase. They were as accommodating as I’ve ever experienced with them.
Hi, congratulations, I'm preparing a similar test using DJI Smart Controler and the Mavic Air 2 stock RC. Greetings from Brazil!
Got it! Love it!
Do you know anything about the voice over function?
Thanks for Sharing!
Yes I inadvertently when recording the screen got a second audio which helped with my PC editing program to sync the audio so the screen recording and my head mount cameras can be at the same marker. That being said I was thoroughly impressed with the mic in the smart controller. It’s not a Rode, but it’s surprisingly good. Maybe that will be something I include on the next video. Thanks for the idea
Thank you for the video ! 👍 it was impressive! Let me ask you something, how you fit the SC in the case with the holder bar attached?
Cut out a notch of foam on the bottom and a small notch on the top piece of foam and it sits pretty flush. Just can’t forget to take the sticks off.
@@CaliforniaPhantom thank you 😊
Great video! Think I'll stay with the stock controller. Anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Version 2 autel Evo 2 Pro
I really appreciate it. You gotta come back and tell me about your V2 experiences once you get yours.
Will do CP !!! Thanks for replying back and the quick response!!
I am new to the drone scene. From what I have seen the Evo 2 Pro 6K is right up there with the Mavic 3 as far as video quality. I CAN'T WAIT to see what the new version will do. I hope it CRUSHES others.
Well, I sure like the screen brightness. How is the latency of your inputs and the drone reactions?
You know I was really Shocked when Randall Warnas abruptly left Autel! It sounds like the ownership isn’t wanting a CEO to do anything but what they say to do. I was so looking forward to seeing their new little Mini drone. I was thinking how neat it would be to have a new mini drone coupled with the smart controller! I suppose we will see just what they come up with. A lot of people praise DJI, and they are the drone leader, but for some reason, maybe geofencing is part of it, I just didn’t want a DJI drone. I just plan on sitting back and see what comes out over the next few months. Who knows, DJI may come out with their mini 3 and I just have to have one. But I want to see what Autel has up their sleeve first. From everything I have been seeing I don’t think I would want a fimi or a hubsan either. Take care my friend. Tom
Well said friend. I like DJI for fun little stuff, but don’t want them for commercial stuff or anything that matters. Tends to disappoint me too much. I hope this departure doesn’t effect Autel too much and they keep themselves customer centered company. The industry has come so far and it has an exciting future.
@@CaliforniaPhantom , you know, one thing the Autel does with their software, like Parrot does with their anafi, is have waypoints. Where you can set up automatic routes. To my understanding DJI doesn’t have anything like that in their apps! I loved the way the Anafi could go to different points at different altitudes and have it rotate as you want at each waypoint. But the anafi has its transmission problems. Can Autel Explorer set up a waypoint mission like the Anafi can? I don’t know if Autel will have the mini compatible with the smart controller but I think it would be a mistake not to. Talk later. Tom
@@Okie-Tom yes Autel can create waypoint mission flying like Anafi can. Would be awesome if smart controller is compatible with there new Mini, but then again there is a version 1 and version 2. Not sure how they are going to integrate that together to make that all compatible with one another.
Awesome great video
Thank you 🙏
You must have fantastic vision to fly that far out and still maintain visual contact with the drone per FAA rules. Not to mention staying below 400 feet. 👍
Blah blah blah Poindexter
@@TheUpwardbound1 It was a joke, Tyrone.
Nice test. I’m more interested if the signal is stronger in more urban environments like a city with a lot of interference. I’ve come across a V1 SC that I might buy, but I’m leaning more towards the Tripltek 8” If there isn’t a huge difference. Let me know if you found the SC to have a stronger signal where there is more interference.
Tripltek is a more versatile platform and can be used across many drones. Smart controller serves a niche specific purpose. If Autel came out and said the smart controller will support more drones there might be more of an argument for it, but at this point in time as long as your not particular about the top heaviness of the Tripltek then absolutely get that. I see myself down the line once I sell Evo 2 pro and smart controller; I see myself moving towards Tripltek for future drones.
@@CaliforniaPhantom that’s what I’ve started to notice. I hate the setup of a tablet with the controller, but it’s not enough to make me spend the extra money for the SC. I’ll have to go Lifthor with the Tripltek I think. Thanks!
@@CaliforniaPhantom nice 2 know lol
Awesome test...well done. Sure can't justify the price of the smart controller based on this test.
It’s definitely a niche product; I totally get it. Really helped my productivity and I get why it’s not for everyone
I am surprised it did that well flying with all of the wifi interference that had to be coming from those houses. So that really adds to the " how well will it do " factor. Personally, I think I am gonna pass on the smart controller.
Smart controller is really a niche product; an expensive niche product at that. I totally get why you would want to pass. It’s got to fit a number of things to justify such a steep price point. For what I do commercially, I can justify given the issues that I come across to get this controller and not return it. That being said I still hope they add features related to pre-loading maps.
I agree with you. This is a very similar case with Dji smart controller. The stock controller out performs the smart controller by car. Its soo lame imo. I am starting to like Autel didn't know they were such a huge hitter in the drone space. I am very new to all this.
Hi, I'm Francesco from Italy, I also have Autel Evo II Pro 6K and I wanted to ask you this information ... in Italy you travel on the 2.4 GHz CE frequency ： ≤20 dBm while in the U.S.A. in FCC is FCC: ≤26 dBm. Could you tell me how to fly to FCC in Italy ..? I know it can be done but I don't know how to configure the drone at a satellite level in America even if I'm physically in Italy. thank you.👍
Thanks for your vids! I'm definitely considering acquiring the Smart Controller 2 for use with my Evo 2 Pro. I know this controller does not work with the Nano's and Lite's. I thought Autel had discontinued the Evo 2 series last year due to chip unavailability. But at their website it says the Evo 2 Pro will be "available soon". What gives? Are they reintroducing them?
Advexure has some 6K rugged bundles as well as some Enterprise editions and stand alone smart controllers. I’m sure its related to global supply and conflict and inflation 😂 and a whole host of other issues currently effecting supply.
@@CaliforniaPhantom Something else I noticed at the Autel site regarding the Smart Controller v2. It says it has a "Retina display". That would be much higher res than the 1080p I thought it had. Are they upgrading the screen to Retina?
Good catch; I’m going to have to look into that. I thought the main difference was the bands it was operating on. 900mhz and 2.4ghz with the V2 operating in 2.4 and 5.8. I’ll have to dive into that and find out.
Wondering if you could help. I have the EVO Pro II v2 with both controllers. I haven't been able to fly more then 1000m with the stock controller and 1500m with the smart controller. I've tried all variations of transmission settings eg auto/2.4/5.8/smooth/HD. Any of these settings dont really make much difference. Location doesn't seem to help either rural or city... Any suggestions?
Latest firmware? Clear open field? I’d try and re-bind it to controller to see if that helps. Sounds particularly odd. What country you flying?
How do you know what the battery percentage on the aircraft is with the smart controller?
It says the remaining flight time in minutes on the display.
@@CaliforniaPhantom You have to go into the Battery section of the main menu to find the percentage that is clearly displayed on the stock controller screen. Dumb! Flight time changes up or down, depending upon how you are flying, and at what altitude. Battery percentage is far more useful!
@@gadgetguy9984 I agree it should be on the main screen when flying; there’s a lot of empty real estate on the bottom of the screen, but to say the flight time is worthless isn’t necessary correct. Never suppose to take it out that long and the flight minutes don’t dip that radically to not be useful. Since all of my flights are VLOS I can safely take it out to about 8minutes remaining before I bring it back in. Again, it’s not perfect but it’s at least something usable. Let’s hope the update will address this and offline maps.
@@CaliforniaPhantom Remaining battery percentage is also missing from the main screen of the Explorer app using any tablet with the original RC, but it is at least displayed on the RC itself. Autel copies DJI, but foolishly doesn't copy ALL the critical DJI telemetry on the main screen. I never said that flight time is worthless, but it can quickly change up or down depending upon elevation and speed and wind, so you thought you had 8 minutes, but suddenly 30 seconds later it is only 6 minutes. Remaining battery percentage never goes up, and declines linearly. Unless you are flying into a headwind on the return, if you turn around at above 50%, you know you'll make it back. 8 minutes is much less meaningful. I returned my SC. Huge disappointment on the advertised 8 mile range! it's no better than the stock controller, which is 1.5 miles at best before the video freezes up and it starts RTH! Alientech Pro antenna mod to the stock controller for the win! 4.3 miles easily!
So the SC has the GPS option on it or no?
VLOS mean anything??
Of course it does. It’s an arbitrary law imposed by the federal government as a response by said government of not yet fully understanding sUAS, yet wanting to fully regulate it anyways. Admittedly, I follow said laws while in the 🇺🇸 99.9% of the time. This range test is for educational purposes only. It’s always good to know true operational limits to your sUAS. However I do appreciate you finding my range test video only to remind of VLOS. There will be a day my friend where BVLOS will be common place. I suppose Bezos and a Walton has to purchase the right from the government first before us little guys can enjoy said benefit. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving 🦃.
Hey what case do you use for your drone?
Included rugged bundle case. I have 2 rugged bundles; 1 is a GPC case and the other is off brand and smaller footprint than the GPC case. That one works just as good.
I usually can get 5 miles out of my stock controller .....usually...
5 miles is amazing; you must inadvertently have some excellent conditions for it to function like that.
Key I'd to go up very very slowly to 400 feet ...very..slowly
So , the standard controller has a better range than the Smart controller!
Well at least in my testing; the standard controller had slightly better range than smart controller. That being said there are many variables that could push it in favor of either controller. Plus, the smart controller does have the ability to upgrade its antennas without voiding any type of warranty or heavy modification. The result was certainly surprising given Autel’s claims about the smart controller’s range. I think it’s more the exact same transmission.
@@CaliforniaPhantom The Smart Controller was worse than the stock controller for me, and adding amped external antennas didn't improve it one bit! i am glad I found a reseller who would allow me to return it, at their expense, if it disappointed, which it did, big time!
It’s definitely not for everyone and certainly a niche product. Your not alone in not appreciating it. I on the other hand enjoy it very much and is a welcome improvement over the stock controller.
Did you have visual spotters to keep track of the drone beyond visual line of sight?
The Smart Controller antennas did not appear to be in the best position.
4:12 for regular (facing down) is ideal. Facing up is ideal for smart controller. Based on shape of smart controller standing at a 45 degree angle 📐 would be ideal based on antenna shape. These are aftermarket antennas, but they clearly work better than the stock antennas. I actually continue to use these antenna over stock antennas today .
It seemed that the SC was tilted down and the antennas tilted back quite a bit.
That is, the antennas should point up to the zenith when the drone is far away.
Nice to know but you need other people to be a VO. VLOS is the law and you’re going to get popped for this kind of test without help. Just a few friends and a few radios. ….
Dji makes everything look like junk ..but autel make dji look like a Honda……LoL
You still only get the 35 minutes of flight time, you're paying $1,200 for a smart controller but same 35 minutes of flight time😂😂.. if the new controller can fly to the moon you still got 35 minutes to get there 😂😂 the new controller is pointless
It’s not that simple. While more range would be another positive, ultimately for many (myself included) it’s all about image composition. This smart controller allows for greater control over composition with the higher nits and larger screen over traditional cell phones. Now I was using a live deck and high nits field monitor and that can definitely work, but the ease of use and decreased setup time IMO was worth it for me. I can definitely agree that smart controller is a niche product.
@@CaliforniaPhantom
Every range test I seen on the new controller they have to be in a damn desert fly 8 mi out.. and die coming back 😂.. image quality an signal quality okay I will give you that ✌🏽.. people just get so hyped up about range, they forget you're using the same damn battery 😂..
True to that. That’s definitely why I like tearing in parks because risk is low, but more realistic than in the middle of nowhere. Not as accurate as it could be. It’s not about BVLOS it’s about how well it does in heavy interference. I will at some point add better antennas on it to see if any signal is gained.