You are fast becoming one of my favourite youtubers buddy. You answer all the questions many of us subscribers ask,in a clear and informative way. Keep them coming 👍👍
I was stupid to make a rotate on a boat dock and the drone stops 1 meter from the dock over the water. As trying to catch I dunked my DJI Neo in the lake of Garda. So I had do dive and picked it up from the lake ground. After separating the battery and drying for a week, the Neo works still perfect. All videos are downloadable. No problem with the battery. Good work from DJI
Thats lucky! - it seems in fresh water it’s a lot more likely to survive. Bare in mind though that the battery may have some long term damage so I’d be careful.
Hey, just here to say that this type of content is insanely helpful. I get asked a lot of the questions you make videos about by customers as part of my job, and having these is a godsend. Thank you!
I wish that I had listened to this video more carefully before my Neo went berzerk and flew away over a lake and crashing into the water. Upon reflection, I don't think I took enough time for the Neo to grab enough GPS satellites for proper tracking. Luckily, I bought DJI Care and had no problems getting a replacement....hats off to DJI.
I'm still shopping for drones and learning, and your channel is amazing. It's not only entertaining, but very educational and not sensational and over-laden with BS like most of the other channels on here.
Lost mine over water. Gps dropped to about 10 or 11. It was over water and then drifted and nose dived. I suspected exactly what you've proven. But just an fyi, I have a log. And yeah, the numbers dropped randomly. Some limitations here. DJI replaced my drone with no insurance claim. Said it was a "flight control issue". But the whole thing is exactly what you reproduced here. So good on them.... But I'll be watching sat numbers very carefully now.
@@OnlineLuc from the flight log - what sort of number for sats did you have to start with? Just to gauge how severe the drop was?. Great that dji replaced it though.
@dronewilder5234 I started with 24. It fluctuated throughput the 8 min flight. When I lost control, I had about 17 reported. I'll post another comment with a link to my flight log video. I kept it. In case the comment is blocked. Note that it reported wind at the end. But there was zero wind. It's when it nose dived. It registered that event as high wind.
@@dronewilder5234 I tried various ways to share the link. UA-cam just doesn't allow it. I even tried writing in words a link and it knew. Lol I could upload it to my UA-cam "channel" if you're keen. Let me know if you'd like to have that for research purposes. I presume you could find it there easily.
thx for sharing. i lost my dji neo in the bottom of a lake last week. i was wild camping and wanted to take a cool shot of me standing on a small rock surrounded by water. i got there by kayak. anyway i used the circle preset function and after it flew out 20m, it began descending into the water till i lost it. it was unfortunate. i knew that it was possible to fly a dji neo over water and over estimated the AI capabilities for circle mode. in the presets it relies too much on the other sensors. i thought it'd just know my elevation and fly level relative to it but no. after watching your video i'm willing to try flying over the water again, i just need to do so remotely and not using presets. i also have to check for the satellite connectivity. i didn't look at that at all before.
What a great video, I didnt even realise that icon was satellite connections after a few weeks of fluing 😅 I will be checking out some more of your videos for anything else I've missed!
Nice to see in discussion that I'm not the only one who lost Neo over the water 🙂 Just 2nd day after purchase I have used Neo on paddleboard exactly same as DJI is advertising in autonomous mode to fly circle around. After few seconds landed to the water 🙄
@@droniecze1873 yeah it’s a bit weird that dji show the drone flying AI mode (presumably) over water in advertising and then state it shouldn’t be flown over water.
Oh luckily I found this video from italy! Thanks a lot, pretty clear! I read somewhere that the difference was between using just the drone with his automatic features / linked to smartphone VS the real DJI controller, but as far as I understood from your video this is not the real discriminant… just satellites “quantity” is the real game changer.
@@Emaquarantacinque the problem with the smartphone link is that it’s not possible at the moment to verify how strong the GPS link is. The Neo’s gps module is extremely slow at gaining strong GPS a lot of the time so this can catch people out
@ thanks! So, if I well understood, after locking 20+ satellites it should fly pretty well also with the bottom camera covered, right? (e.g. in the field where you went searching for satellites prior to test it shielded by trees..)
Great video. I do a lot of video on the water and on my boat. I originally got the NEO so I could do some quick shots without using a controller. I got the Goggles N3 and Motion 3 this past week and while doing the tutorial had a fly away. Drone was fine as it crashed into some bushes. I’m definitely going to keep an eye on the number of Satellites and start comparing to my Mini 2 and 3. I would never have thought of waiting up to 4 minutes before takeoff. I’ll definitely be double checking if I’m using in a precarious environment. 👍🏻
Thanks for the explainer - I hadn’t realised the importance of GPS lock prior to sending my first Neo to the depths of a nearby river. Good to know how to protect the next one!
@@dies_el sorry to hear about you loosing a previous one into a river. I’d also add it’s worth keeping some distance from the water surface incase reflections confuse the positioning sensor
@ I was more upset about the rest of the footage getting lost and my realisation that the flyaway insurance isn’t a free replacement, but a subsidised replacement! If I’d sent it to Dave’s Jones locker by bad flight control it’d be easier to take but I was fighting the drift and couldn’t wrestle it back to dry land. Pilot error, not knowing limitations of the drone! Keep up the good work!
@ yes I feel your pain there. No point crashing if you can’t at least get the footage. I just hope the the control bias is towards GPS setpoint rather than visual positioning when there’s an error (or in other words if the visual positioning gets confused, the GPS is prioritised) - at least that was we can control the situation by ensuring good GPS lock in the first place
@dronewilder5234 I used to live in Martin Mill for 3 years and go to the bay swimming or camping .. also loved in Deal as being a Coastguard at Dover for 19 years finally moving on to my boat back in April after retirement.. I fly my NEO off the back of my narrowboat most days as well as the 4 pro ... keep up the good work and I have subscribed .
@Harrison-pk1ih I believe the Neo functions on a manner that if it’s got no visual position lock and also no GPS it will try and Autoland. I noticed this in particular when using AI track functions. Glad it’s still working though!
I took my neo out to film my kids rowing off the Kent coast at the weekend. When I initially went out, it had a ‘moment’, where it lost stability and started to fall, but recovered…..just. 😅 After that it was solid and I was able to get some great shots manually tracking the boat some distance off the coast. Your video helps explain what was happening - maybe just some limited GPS initially, that strengthens. The huge advantage of course is that if it does take a plunge - it is relatively cheap.😂
Very useful information.Thx. IMO there are two main problems with Neo. (1) Cam quality in non RC mode (nothing we can do about but maybe DJI with firmware update) and (2) screaming noise. I saw a YT video of s.o. installing more powerful motors and other propellers (some Gemfan 51) for better FPV flight and it seemed to work fine. Though I don't care about more power (means even less battery time) I really wonder how 3 / 4 / 5 blade propellers could change noise level, to finally make it quiter
Yes I agree with the camera quality issue in AI modes although it’s fine in low dynamic range lighting - for example tracking in a Forrest during a dull overcast day. Hopefully dji will improve on this. Regarding props - I’ll try and look at this eventually. The noise is a bit much but it’s more the pitch and that’s the nature of small fast rotating props and motors. I do find through that the size, appearance and type of sound makes it quite unintimidating to public which is good
From my testing, it behaves really weird when low near water, it's almost trying to land, but also I remember trying to fly under bridge with RC and there is a weird behaviour in up down motion. Got really useful info here with satellite and avoiding weird hovering.
Good video demystifying the whole "can't fly over water" thing with Neo. I would add, possibly don't get too close to flowing water (such as a rocky stream) as the visual positioning sensors seem to want to follow the water if you inadvertently pause over that. And don't hover too low over water as the VPS can trigger an auto land thinking the surface is closer than it is. I will say neither of those have happened to me, but I have seen a few videos of that behaviour. And also worth noting the VPS ceases to factor in the drone's stability calculation over about 20m, after which it relies solely on GPS. I think if you always make sure you have a good gps lock, and remain physically controlling the aircraft and not letting it do it's own thing while over water, you aren't ever going to have any issues.
I almost feel that flying over water it would be better to have no visual positioning at all. It’s a shame that isn’t an option (other than using tape like I did - which I wouldn’t recommend). Defiantly agree it’s best to not fly close over water especially on sunny glarey days or like you say over rocks where reflections can cause issues)
Have wondered whats going on with the GPS link and how slow it is to get say 24 satellites compared to my mini 3 pro and how it fluctuates. .....Interesting video .
Great video. I am between the Neo and the Mini 4k (keeping cost down) - But my use case is over water since I want to do sailing videos! I love the Neo follow modes but I think I better at least get the 4k!
This is great video. I do a lot of freediving and mostly in the water. When i take a break and chill on the boat i loke to fly the mini but this would've been great to have due to it's size and ease of use if it didn't have that problem you just show in this video. Thank you for this content. Im still considering this but sad to know it's problems over water❤
@@JowaMoto yeah for constant flight over water I still wouldn’t recommend it even with my mentioned precautions - a mini 3 or 4 would probably be a better choice then
Great video ! I was afraid flying neo over water, but you explored the reason and provided clear guidance how to overcome it. But now im afraid of horse ... Thanks for giving me the horse phobia 😂
So, I can use the DJI Neo to fly over water as long as I have enough satellites connected and a controller, correct? I’m planning to start a UA-cam channel and use it for vlogging alongside my Instagram. I’m undecided between the Mini 3 and the DJI Neo combo kit. I kind of like the quick access with the Neo since I can just pull it out.
That is such an interesting video, thank you for the education lesson. Very well put together and makes perfect sense. I know now why it went skittts in our dining room one evening. LOL. Cheers Simon
Kayaker here. Really wanted to get the Hover Air X1 but it's unusable over water, so this is definitely interesting - and just barely cheap enough that I would feel comfortable with the risk. Can it use the predefined modes (follow, etc.) over water with the same degree of (relative!) safety? Can it even recognise half a human sticking out of a kayak as a human and follow it?
I think in terms of tracking ability it should recognise you on a kayak but I would strongly advise against using the AI track or even mobile phone control when on a kayak and you’ll have no way to verify the GPS link. With the RC-N3 controller or RC2 it should be ok but again at low altitude you may have issues with reflections causing issues conflicting with GpS signals. I will reach out to DJI and try and get some info on whether visual sensor setpoints override GPS setpoints in such cases
Great video, you answered my questions about water. My biggest issue is if I fly using my phones WiFi and the virtual controller, it does random things. E.g wouldnt fly forward, only sideways and reverse and then lost connection at about 20ft so I had to walk nearer and re-establish a signal. Definitely wouldn't feel comfortable using my phone over water.
Have you tried the autonomous follow me and Direction track me over water? I'm thinking about kayaking on rivers and canals and setting the height and follow distance to medium. Would the visual tracking at close range compensate for variable gps signal? Not purchased yet as if that isn't safe there's not much point.
@@KayakingTripsAndTips I would recommend against using AI track over water as there’s simply no way for the user to verify whether it’s got any GPS at all. Without GPS you are completely dependent on visual downward sensors which won’t work well on water
@dronewilder5234 would the dji fly app indicate a good or bad gps signal? I always take my phone with me to control my gopros so could use the app. If you initiated follow me or direction track from the app will it still hand launch and land? Can you take over control if the neo goes native and direct it back to land on your hand in some way? Sorry to ask so may questions, hard to know what's possible when you don't have the actual drone etc.
@ I think at the moment it only indicates whether there is GPS lock or not but not the strength. Hopefully dji will improve this: its better than just AI control but still not ideal
Great Neo video my friend👍I fly it over water without problems and changing anything on the drone, just using the RC 2 controller having enough sattelites. This can be seen in my YT video's flying the Neo. Greetings from a new subscriber 🇳🇱
Always check the KP or K index before flying. This is the level of GPS interference in the area. In my country: I can check it on the government flight registration app. If this index is above 5, pack the drone back up and go home.
I am still waiting for my Neo to ship. I live around water and was wondering about flying over it so this video helps a lot! I was thinking about attaching ping pong balls or Styrofoam fishing bobbers to the bottom in case it locked up and decided to land on water or other similar emergency on the water.
@@Tarzan0123 tbh suddenly landing attempt should be unlikely (not saying they are impossible) but fly aways and uncontrollable behaviour due to GPS loss can be heavily avoided this way 🙂
com estes flutuadores nao perdi o meu ...soltei do caiaque ele ficou louco subiu muito até acabar a bateria e pousou na agua a sorte foi os flutuadores...mas eles atrapalha o desempenho do drone...deveria vir com flutuadores de fabrica 🤣🤣😁😁✌✌...tenho um video em meu Canal ! falo da Brasil
I am now coming on 58 years old..I had a few cheap drones decade past with no cameras. Couldn't manage them and kept buying another to see if I could manage that one etc. I see so many people saying the DJI series are easy to operate. DJ audits mentioned it a thousand times when people asked him. How many different controllers are there etc and I thought they needed GPS before flying etc.
I have also seen drones evolve over the years - built my first drone in 2007 and I can safely say drones have advanced a lot in that time especially in terms of their user friendliness. So yes, dji drones are extremely easy and intuitive to fly. Controller don’t need GPS for you to fly and in the case of the Dji Neo even the drone doesn’t need a controller link at all to fly basic selfie maneuvers. Most drones also have the ability to use vision positioning to fly stable and hold position close to the ground when there is no GPS signal
I actually lost my DJI Neo because of GPS issues and flying over water. I think my Neo had a faulty GPS antenna because it gets 1 or no GPS at a wide open space. I had some weird accidents with my Neo before as when I crash, but it didn't fall down, it will just fly away uncontrollably on its own, luckily I was able to retrieve it when that happened before, but when it decided to randomly loose GPS over water, it just went berserk and flew away into the sea
im wondering about low light flying indoors outdoors , i was thinking putting reflective tape or paint around the bottom sensor to capture absorbed light , or light weight headlights. what can you come up with.
@@killiansred40 not sure that would work- the bottom sensors are basically just cameras which look at the ground and lock onto pixels/features - just like a human eye would in order to orientate yourself. Hopefully DJI will implement a more effective GPS sensor on the next iterations of this drone though!
Upon getting a Air 2 in... 2020, I think.. I saw fog on the water. Ran home for the Air 2, and flew, maybe a foot over the surface for an hour or more. Only later did I realize how risky that was! I wonder if Air 3S Flipped on Lidar when the Downward sensors were inhibited.
Nice video, good infos too! Btw, got a question, need a drone capable of follow me on the water during some jet surf session (a motorized surfboard). Already had a try with my potensic atom but he lost me as I leaved from the shore. Cosidering that I usually do this in the early morning (and the reflex of sun on the water is strong) but also that I really got not one recording me because of the early hour, do you think the dji neo could do for me? My speed is not that much, 30-35 kmh at most. Thank you so much if you can give me some advice
@@vincenzoemanuele5478 I would recommend waiting a couple of weeks as there is a rumoured new drone coming which I feel will suit those needs very well if I’m correct
I have a Neo and when filming indoors over people, it wants to follow the people as they move around. So I put BluTak over the underneath cameras. I flew indoors expecting to have zero ability to maintain position. I was wrong. It held position for at least a couple of minutes before it switched to Attitude mode. In Attitude mode it drifted according to the movement of the air. I don’t know how to explain the Neo maintaining position indoors with the two cameras covered. Something to test?
Please can you address the issue of the palm landing facility and how that unique Neo ability might affect flying over water when the downwards sensors might get confused and cause the drops to occur. This would be distinct from addressing the GPS issues.
The thing with the palm take off (presume you mean AI track features) is that it gives no indication of GPS link and also will take off regardless even if there is no GPS, just using visual sensors. This is fine over textured environments but if flying at night or over water, I would strongly recommend using a smartphone connection and ensuring you have GPS lock first. This may take a few minutes as shown in my video but can avoid a fly away or the drone going out of control
@dronewilder5234 I was trying to explore whether the unique propensity for palm landing might cause the Neo to land inappropriately over featureless but reflective surfaces like water. Can you address that aspect please?
Stumbled on your video this morning and was very interesting and informative for a drone newbie like me. Great presentational style and earned a new subscriber thanks. Been looking at drones off and on for a few years but always something else to spend my money on. But with the low price of the Neo now have a combo waiting for unboxing on Christmas Day! One question I have is on max altitude of 2000m, is that an absolute limit geo fenced by DJI? Will be skiing in Jan above 2000m and want to know if I can fly there? Many thanks 👏
@@andycorry1450 thanks for the sub! I’m not sure if the 2000m max altitude is geofenced- my more likely guess would be that it’s more of an operational guideline due to air pressure (a bit like the guidelines in temperature for operation). Perhaps someone else on the channel can confirm having flown above 2000m?
@ hey thanks for the quick reply, much appreciated. Just watched your 100m drop test and stalled power loop 😅 and your fpv crash under the groyne into the sea 😳 if you do all that for your subscribers we owe a little something back to you. If no one beats me to it will let you know in Jan! Found the ND filter review interesting too, thanks 👍👍👍
@ thanks for the massive support, lots more whacky things planned for the next few months. As long as people enjoy tuning in, there’s nothing else I can ask for.
Totally new to all this and have neo on order but I’m sure Dji marketing video for neo on their website has a guy on paddle board launching and landing on his hand while on water. Had hope to use it while on water in inflatable kayak. Seems confusing that Dji say not to but market the opposite
@@pauljervis yes that bit of marketing is quite misleading - I’d strongly recommend being cautious flying over water and ideally at least use the RC2 or RC-N3 controller to check you have gps lock
@ very anoying but actually bought a 4K as was a great price and for me had the 4K but at price point to learn and not stress too much about cost if mess up. Still to start combinations of time and storms. But when watching 4K videos saw some of neo comparison realised would have use for both. So at least have a controller to use if needed.,shame liked idea of using it from kayak
Sports mode is ok but you need to ensure you have a good solid GPS link first and I’d also avoid flying too low over the water. I will be posting another video flying the Neo over water in the dark shortly including flying in normal/sport modes. Manual mode gives you the safest option but with the risk of the drone snapping out of manoeuvres unexpectedly when pushed hard.
@@Helloworldwrjfjrjrj maybe the new upcoming Dji flip will go towards offering some of the Neo features along with a camera that’s closer to the mini4 🤞.
@@Kr0ninz im not sure as I don’t get sent free stuff and owning a pair of Goggles3, I can’t see the goggles n3 providing me any advantage. However I will be looking to create more FPV specific content which will be relevant to new Goggles N3 users
@@EXA054 sorry no the taping off sensors was only for the purpose of showing the effect of poor gps signal with no bottom sensors able to add input. For flying over water I would just endure you have a good strong GPS link. I’d also avoid flying too low over the surface
Did you notice it drifting if you _stopped_ (i.e, hovered) above water? In other words, even when it has plenty of satellites, does it try to use the bottom cameras to track the ground (and become confused by the moving water)? And what happens if it doesn't have many satellites and you don't cover the bottom sensors (in other words, it can still see something), but that something is moving (ex., water, or a conveyor belt)? Does it drift in a "predictable" way (trying to track the pattern of whatever is underneath it) or does it just go nuts?
It drifted a little bit when stopped but not excessively - I wasn’t extremely close to the water though. If it doesn’t have many satellites and you don’t cover the bottom sensors it really depends on the texture. In poor lighting for example the drone will just auto land. I suspect this can also happen over water as people have reported their drones just landing into the ocean. As shown in my woodland experiment, with decent GPS link it will not autoland when the sensors are covered. That being said I’d have to test whether a poor/confusing ground texture is actually worse than no texture at all!!
@@dronewilder5234 - "In poor lighting for example the drone will just auto land. I suspect this can also happen over water" - Ah, I can see a bit of a problem with that behaviour. 🙈
Yes additionally it’s also worth making sure you’re not too close to the water surface- especially if you have sunny glary conditions- just incase this upsets the visual positioning - hopefully a strong GPS signal will prioritise positioning though
also disabiling the sensors vs. taping will not create that drunken bee dance. as it will quit redundancy checks for position accxuracy against satellite drops (it averages this messsure to adjust the pid controller.)
Creative idea and great video, thank you! Neo GPS is worse than DJI Spark I think… maybe I should test it 😅 Please also keep on creating Avata 2 videos!!
@@dronewilder5234 that would be awesome, avata 2 is not dead (even by DJI) - will receive a "power loop" function with next update soon! Looking forward to even more creative content!
all drones with gps on mild cloudy days, flying either fast over semi rough water, closer, or slower and at higher away with glass like water, are both no go with gps... and certainly do no rely on home position ever. another big no no is calibrating on a beach or a cliff hang before attempting over water flights. also flight path or autonomous modes.. i would suggest staying away from aswell.
You are fast becoming one of my favourite youtubers buddy. You answer all the questions many of us subscribers ask,in a clear and informative way. Keep them coming 👍👍
@@grossi46 thanks for such amazing support!
I was stupid to make a rotate on a boat dock and the drone stops 1 meter from the dock over the water. As trying to catch I dunked my DJI Neo in the lake of Garda. So I had do dive and picked it up from the lake ground. After separating the battery and drying for a week, the Neo works still perfect. All videos are downloadable. No problem with the battery. Good work from DJI
Thats lucky! - it seems in fresh water it’s a lot more likely to survive. Bare in mind though that the battery may have some long term damage so I’d be careful.
Hey, just here to say that this type of content is insanely helpful. I get asked a lot of the questions you make videos about by customers as part of my job, and having these is a godsend. Thank you!
I too was afraid of trying it over water. Invaluable. Thank you.
Yeah better safe than sorry 😅😂
I wish that I had listened to this video more carefully before my Neo went berzerk and flew away over a lake and crashing into the water. Upon reflection, I don't think I took enough time for the Neo to grab enough GPS satellites for proper tracking. Luckily, I bought DJI Care and had no problems getting a replacement....hats off to DJI.
…as a subscriber…I always appreciate the extra mile you go to present an excellent explanation of the DJI products…your video’s are top notch…
I really appreciate that! Thanks
I'm still shopping for drones and learning, and your channel is amazing. It's not only entertaining, but very educational and not sensational and over-laden with BS like most of the other channels on here.
@@NebulaLuna thanks I appreciate that!
Lost mine over water. Gps dropped to about 10 or 11. It was over water and then drifted and nose dived. I suspected exactly what you've proven. But just an fyi, I have a log. And yeah, the numbers dropped randomly. Some limitations here. DJI replaced my drone with no insurance claim. Said it was a "flight control issue". But the whole thing is exactly what you reproduced here. So good on them.... But I'll be watching sat numbers very carefully now.
And yes, rc-n3 the whole time. Zero obstacles. I was above 50m in altitude.
@@OnlineLuc from the flight log - what sort of number for sats did you have to start with? Just to gauge how severe the drop was?. Great that dji replaced it though.
@dronewilder5234 I started with 24. It fluctuated throughput the 8 min flight. When I lost control, I had about 17 reported. I'll post another comment with a link to my flight log video. I kept it. In case the comment is blocked. Note that it reported wind at the end. But there was zero wind. It's when it nose dived. It registered that event as high wind.
@@dronewilder5234 I tried various ways to share the link. UA-cam just doesn't allow it. I even tried writing in words a link and it knew. Lol I could upload it to my UA-cam "channel" if you're keen. Let me know if you'd like to have that for research purposes. I presume you could find it there easily.
@ sounds good - I’ll check it out
Great Video, this drone is so fun to use. I was using it around water without knowing anything about satellites, now I know. Thank you.
@@tommasomauriello7921 glad to hear you found it useful- hopefully will prevent you from having any nasty surprises!
Me too bro, 😮😮😮
Once again drone wilder provides the content everyone wants 🤘
@@shaunjones95 glad you’re enjoying it!
thx for sharing. i lost my dji neo in the bottom of a lake last week. i was wild camping and wanted to take a cool shot of me standing on a small rock surrounded by water. i got there by kayak. anyway i used the circle preset function and after it flew out 20m, it began descending into the water till i lost it. it was unfortunate. i knew that it was possible to fly a dji neo over water and over estimated the AI capabilities for circle mode. in the presets it relies too much on the other sensors. i thought it'd just know my elevation and fly level relative to it but no. after watching your video i'm willing to try flying over the water again, i just need to do so remotely and not using presets. i also have to check for the satellite connectivity. i didn't look at that at all before.
Thank you for this. I was so afraid to fly over water
Excellent video. Brought mine yesterday and was considering practice flights around the ghost town that is the port area of my city.
try it now :D
One more awesome video from you :-) ... you do these videos so perfectly ... Just the right amount of science, experience, bravery ... and fun :-)
@@djmrky75 thanks - it’s just me doing something I enjoy in a manner I enjoy - awesome that people enjoy joining me along the way with it!
What a great video, I didnt even realise that icon was satellite connections after a few weeks of fluing 😅 I will be checking out some more of your videos for anything else I've missed!
Truly useful video! Answered questions that no other vid did!
Your my one of my favourite drone blogger shout out here in southampton☺️
@@gieronuguid229 thanks so much for your support!
Nice to see in discussion that I'm not the only one who lost Neo over the water 🙂 Just 2nd day after purchase I have used Neo on paddleboard exactly same as DJI is advertising in autonomous mode to fly circle around. After few seconds landed to the water 🙄
@@droniecze1873 yeah it’s a bit weird that dji show the drone flying AI mode (presumably) over water in advertising and then state it shouldn’t be flown over water.
Oh luckily I found this video from italy! Thanks a lot, pretty clear! I read somewhere that the difference was between using just the drone with his automatic features / linked to smartphone VS the real DJI controller, but as far as I understood from your video this is not the real discriminant… just satellites “quantity” is the real game changer.
@@Emaquarantacinque the problem with the smartphone link is that it’s not possible at the moment to verify how strong the GPS link is. The Neo’s gps module is extremely slow at gaining strong GPS a lot of the time so this can catch people out
@ thanks! So, if I well understood, after locking 20+ satellites it should fly pretty well also with the bottom camera covered, right? (e.g. in the field where you went searching for satellites prior to test it shielded by trees..)
Great video. I do a lot of video on the water and on my boat. I originally got the NEO so I could do some quick shots without using a controller. I got the Goggles N3 and Motion 3 this past week and while doing the tutorial had a fly away. Drone was fine as it crashed into some bushes. I’m definitely going to keep an eye on the number of Satellites and start comparing to my Mini 2 and 3. I would never have thought of waiting up to 4 minutes before takeoff. I’ll definitely be double checking if I’m using in a precarious environment. 👍🏻
Thanks man for making this kind of video. 👍👍👍
I've got confidence to buy neo combo after watching your crash test video 😁👍
@@ZenthAScar that’s great to hear - have fun with it!
Thanks for this video, very helpful. Just bought my Neo few days back and going to use it a lot in coming days 🙂
I love that you kiss the controller good luck 🍀 as you manually start the props. I’m sure DJI appreciates such care and love
@@Ligh7Bulb lol im very affectionate to my drones … well most of the time anyway 😎
Thanks for the explainer - I hadn’t realised the importance of GPS lock prior to sending my first Neo to the depths of a nearby river. Good to know how to protect the next one!
@@dies_el sorry to hear about you loosing a previous one into a river. I’d also add it’s worth keeping some distance from the water surface incase reflections confuse the positioning sensor
@ I was more upset about the rest of the footage getting lost and my realisation that the flyaway insurance isn’t a free replacement, but a subsidised replacement!
If I’d sent it to Dave’s Jones locker by bad flight control it’d be easier to take but I was fighting the drift and couldn’t wrestle it back to dry land. Pilot error, not knowing limitations of the drone!
Keep up the good work!
@ yes I feel your pain there. No point crashing if you can’t at least get the footage. I just hope the the control bias is towards GPS setpoint rather than visual positioning when there’s an error (or in other words if the visual positioning gets confused, the GPS is prioritised) - at least that was we can control the situation by ensuring good GPS lock in the first place
I'm from Brazil and loved your video. You made a real and scary (over the water) test 😅
Glad you liked it!
I do love flying and exploring St Margaret's Bay ... and the woods around Martin Mill .. all from my teens where I lived .. Thank you for the vlog .
Yeah it’s a nice area round there - well spotted!
@dronewilder5234 I used to live in Martin Mill for 3 years and go to the bay swimming or camping .. also loved in Deal as being a Coastguard at Dover for 19 years finally moving on to my boat back in April after retirement.. I fly my NEO off the back of my narrowboat most days as well as the 4 pro ... keep up the good work and I have subscribed .
Top! You are my best DJI Neo tester ahahahahah.
Very accurate. Awesome ever.
Greatings from Italy!
@@obiettiva-mente thank you
I flew my Neo over water and it started going down... I couldn't save it, but some how it still works after some drying. Love the vid btw 😁
@Harrison-pk1ih I believe the Neo functions on a manner that if it’s got no visual position lock and also no GPS it will try and Autoland. I noticed this in particular when using AI track functions. Glad it’s still working though!
Brilliant one of the best drone reviewers on the channel.
Thanks! I’ve got the best subscribers 🙂
I took my neo out to film my kids rowing off the Kent coast at the weekend. When I initially went out, it had a ‘moment’, where it lost stability and started to fall, but recovered…..just. 😅 After that it was solid and I was able to get some great shots manually tracking the boat some distance off the coast. Your video helps explain what was happening - maybe just some limited GPS initially, that strengthens. The huge advantage of course is that if it does take a plunge - it is relatively cheap.😂
Thanks for this. Mine was freaking out over water. Now I know why
Feliratkoztam, üdvözlet Magyarországról 🎉
Very useful information.Thx.
IMO there are two main problems with Neo. (1) Cam quality in non RC mode (nothing we can do about but maybe DJI with firmware update) and (2) screaming noise.
I saw a YT video of s.o. installing more powerful motors and other propellers (some Gemfan 51) for better FPV flight and it seemed to work fine. Though I don't care about more power (means even less battery time) I really wonder how 3 / 4 / 5 blade propellers could change noise level, to finally make it quiter
Yes I agree with the camera quality issue in AI modes although it’s fine in low dynamic range lighting - for example tracking in a Forrest during a dull overcast day. Hopefully dji will improve on this. Regarding props - I’ll try and look at this eventually. The noise is a bit much but it’s more the pitch and that’s the nature of small fast rotating props and motors. I do find through that the size, appearance and type of sound makes it quite unintimidating to public which is good
Great video, as ever good technical advice and footage.
From my testing, it behaves really weird when low near water, it's almost trying to land, but also I remember trying to fly under bridge with RC and there is a weird behaviour in up down motion.
Got really useful info here with satellite and avoiding weird hovering.
Watched a few of your videos now - all very valuable, especially this one. Sub awarded ❤
@@Tony-ow3if thanks - welcome to the channel!
Good video demystifying the whole "can't fly over water" thing with Neo. I would add, possibly don't get too close to flowing water (such as a rocky stream) as the visual positioning sensors seem to want to follow the water if you inadvertently pause over that. And don't hover too low over water as the VPS can trigger an auto land thinking the surface is closer than it is. I will say neither of those have happened to me, but I have seen a few videos of that behaviour. And also worth noting the VPS ceases to factor in the drone's stability calculation over about 20m, after which it relies solely on GPS.
I think if you always make sure you have a good gps lock, and remain physically controlling the aircraft and not letting it do it's own thing while over water, you aren't ever going to have any issues.
I almost feel that flying over water it would be better to have no visual positioning at all. It’s a shame that isn’t an option (other than using tape like I did - which I wouldn’t recommend). Defiantly agree it’s best to not fly close over water especially on sunny glarey days or like you say over rocks where reflections can cause issues)
As always, an excellent video!
Thanks!
Again another informative and interesting video on this amazing little drone 😊
Thing for info sir ...DJI neo my dream drone FMC
Always watching from Philippines 😊
Have wondered whats going on with the GPS link and how slow it is to get say 24 satellites compared to my mini 3 pro and how it fluctuates. .....Interesting video .
Great video. I am between the Neo and the Mini 4k (keeping cost down) - But my use case is over water since I want to do sailing videos! I love the Neo follow modes but I think I better at least get the 4k!
Awesome tests and info!
This is great video. I do a lot of freediving and mostly in the water. When i take a break and chill on the boat i loke to fly the mini but this would've been great to have due to it's size and ease of use if it didn't have that problem you just show in this video. Thank you for this content. Im still considering this but sad to know it's problems over water❤
@@JowaMoto yeah for constant flight over water I still wouldn’t recommend it even with my mentioned precautions - a mini 3 or 4 would probably be a better choice then
Wow it can fly over water too, Stay amazing your doing amazing as a UA-camr!
It’s can but it’s a bit more risky than other drones so you need to be careful 🙂
great and really helpful video thanks alot from 🇵🇭
@@gethynlloydrivera3387 glad to be of help!
thanks about explanation about DJI Neo how to flay safe is very usefull
Great video !
I was afraid flying neo over water, but you explored the reason and provided clear guidance how to overcome it.
But now im afraid of horse ...
Thanks for giving me the horse phobia 😂
Really interesting video, just bought the Neo although haven't flown it yet.
Tell us more about using the DJI FPV Remote Controller 3 and Neo over water. That seems to be a winning combination, yes?
@@timrock01 definitely - especially in manual mode where there is no risk of the drone behaving strangely over water.
Great & Interesting Video ..Thanks
So, I can use the DJI Neo to fly over water as long as I have enough satellites connected and a controller, correct? I’m planning to start a UA-cam channel and use it for vlogging alongside my Instagram. I’m undecided between the Mini 3 and the DJI Neo combo kit. I kind of like the quick access with the Neo since I can just pull it out.
very thorough, thanks!
I second that, I enjoy your video, always interesting, and you got balls with some of the stuff you try, keep it up
@@andrehome2493 thanks - more ballsy stuff to come 😂
That is such an interesting video, thank you for the education lesson. Very well put together and makes perfect sense. I know now why it went skittts in our dining room one evening. LOL. Cheers Simon
Glad it was helpful!
Kayaker here. Really wanted to get the Hover Air X1 but it's unusable over water, so this is definitely interesting - and just barely cheap enough that I would feel comfortable with the risk. Can it use the predefined modes (follow, etc.) over water with the same degree of (relative!) safety? Can it even recognise half a human sticking out of a kayak as a human and follow it?
I think in terms of tracking ability it should recognise you on a kayak but I would strongly advise against using the AI track or even mobile phone control when on a kayak and you’ll have no way to verify the GPS link. With the RC-N3 controller or RC2 it should be ok but again at low altitude you may have issues with reflections causing issues conflicting with GpS signals. I will reach out to DJI and try and get some info on whether visual sensor setpoints override GPS setpoints in such cases
Great video, you answered my questions about water. My biggest issue is if I fly using my phones WiFi and the virtual controller, it does random things. E.g wouldnt fly forward, only sideways and reverse and then lost connection at about 20ft so I had to walk nearer and re-establish a signal. Definitely wouldn't feel comfortable using my phone over water.
I agree - the mobile phone connection is quite limited in use really - it does have its time and place though.
Another awesome video 🎉
The risk taker! and I'm loving your vids!👌👊
@@paullawrence8572 thanks! More risky stuff to come soon
Have you tried the autonomous follow me and Direction track me over water?
I'm thinking about kayaking on rivers and canals and setting the height and follow distance to medium.
Would the visual tracking at close range compensate for variable gps signal?
Not purchased yet as if that isn't safe there's not much point.
@@KayakingTripsAndTips I would recommend against using AI track over water as there’s simply no way for the user to verify whether it’s got any GPS at all. Without GPS you are completely dependent on visual downward sensors which won’t work well on water
@dronewilder5234 would the dji fly app indicate a good or bad gps signal?
I always take my phone with me to control my gopros so could use the app.
If you initiated follow me or direction track from the app will it still hand launch and land? Can you take over control if the neo goes native and direct it back to land on your hand in some way?
Sorry to ask so may questions, hard to know what's possible when you don't have the actual drone etc.
@ I think at the moment it only indicates whether there is GPS lock or not but not the strength. Hopefully dji will improve this: its better than just AI control but still not ideal
Great Neo video my friend👍I fly it over water without problems and changing anything on the drone, just using the RC 2 controller having enough sattelites. This can be seen in my YT video's flying the Neo. Greetings from a new subscriber 🇳🇱
Thanks for the sub and great to hear you are having good experiences flying over water!
Great video once again!!
Always check the KP or K index before flying. This is the level of GPS interference in the area. In my country: I can check it on the government flight registration app. If this index is above 5, pack the drone back up and go home.
@@Wujek_Dobra_Rada good point
So the lower the values are the better to fly the drone??? I'm right??? Thanks
@@gusravecca5751 low KP values are better yes
@@dronewilder5234 OK, so basically if the numbers of satellites dropped you need to manually bring the Neo back ASAP????
@ that would be my advice. The Neo isn’t perfect for flying over water but if you must then that would be the way to do it in my view.
I am still waiting for my Neo to ship. I live around water and was wondering about flying over it so this video helps a lot! I was thinking about attaching ping pong balls or Styrofoam fishing bobbers to the bottom in case it locked up and decided to land on water or other similar emergency on the water.
@@Tarzan0123 tbh suddenly landing attempt should be unlikely (not saying they are impossible) but fly aways and uncontrollable behaviour due to GPS loss can be heavily avoided this way 🙂
com estes flutuadores nao perdi o meu ...soltei do caiaque ele ficou louco subiu muito até acabar a bateria e pousou na agua a sorte foi os flutuadores...mas eles atrapalha o desempenho do drone...deveria vir com flutuadores de fabrica 🤣🤣😁😁✌✌...tenho um video em meu Canal ! falo da Brasil
I was wondering if this drone will fly blind folded and fly gps only and now there you have it. Thanks for sharing
I am now coming on 58 years old..I had a few cheap drones decade past with no cameras. Couldn't manage them and kept buying another to see if I could manage that one etc. I see so many people saying the DJI series are easy to operate. DJ audits mentioned it a thousand times when people asked him.
How many different controllers are there etc and I thought they needed GPS before flying etc.
I have also seen drones evolve over the years - built my first drone in 2007 and I can safely say drones have advanced a lot in that time especially in terms of their user friendliness. So yes, dji drones are extremely easy and intuitive to fly. Controller don’t need GPS for you to fly and in the case of the Dji Neo even the drone doesn’t need a controller link at all to fly basic selfie maneuvers. Most drones also have the ability to use vision positioning to fly stable and hold position close to the ground when there is no GPS signal
@@dronewilder5234 thanks
I actually lost my DJI Neo because of GPS issues and flying over water. I think my Neo had a faulty GPS antenna because it gets 1 or no GPS at a wide open space. I had some weird accidents with my Neo before as when I crash, but it didn't fall down, it will just fly away uncontrollably on its own, luckily I was able to retrieve it when that happened before, but when it decided to randomly loose GPS over water, it just went berserk and flew away into the sea
im wondering about low light flying indoors outdoors , i was thinking putting reflective tape or paint around the bottom sensor to capture absorbed light , or light weight headlights. what can you come up with.
@@killiansred40 not sure that would work- the bottom sensors are basically just cameras which look at the ground and lock onto pixels/features - just like a human eye would in order to orientate yourself. Hopefully DJI will implement a more effective GPS sensor on the next iterations of this drone though!
I got anxious when i first tested it over water😂. Got some decent shots using preset and manual mode, over water shots are great though.😅
Upon getting a Air 2 in... 2020, I think.. I saw fog on the water. Ran home for the Air 2, and flew, maybe a foot over the surface for an hour or more. Only later did I realize how risky that was! I wonder if Air 3S Flipped on Lidar when the Downward sensors were inhibited.
@@BlairAir bet it created some stunning footage though 👍
@@dronewilder5234Indeed - I was quite proud of it. Simultaneously proud, and feeling foolish! You of all people can relate! 😂
@ 😂
Nice video, good infos too! Btw, got a question, need a drone capable of follow me on the water during some jet surf session (a motorized surfboard).
Already had a try with my potensic atom but he lost me as I leaved from the shore. Cosidering that I usually do this in the early morning (and the reflex of sun on the water is strong) but also that I really got not one recording me because of the early hour, do you think the dji neo could do for me? My speed is not that much, 30-35 kmh at most.
Thank you so much if you can give me some advice
@@vincenzoemanuele5478 I would recommend waiting a couple of weeks as there is a rumoured new drone coming which I feel will suit those needs very well if I’m correct
I have a Neo and when filming indoors over people, it wants to follow the people as they move around. So I put BluTak over the underneath cameras. I flew indoors expecting to have zero ability to maintain position. I was wrong. It held position for at least a couple of minutes before it switched to Attitude mode. In Attitude mode it drifted according to the movement of the air. I don’t know how to explain the Neo maintaining position indoors with the two cameras covered. Something to test?
@@NZVideoGuy thats very surprising- is it not possible you had some GPS link indoors perhaps?
"Drone Wilder"? Is that a reference to Romancing the Stone?
Lol no it’s a pun using my surname - Wilder
Please can you address the issue of the palm landing facility and how that unique Neo ability might affect flying over water when the downwards sensors might get confused and cause the drops to occur. This would be distinct from addressing the GPS issues.
The thing with the palm take off (presume you mean AI track features) is that it gives no indication of GPS link and also will take off regardless even if there is no GPS, just using visual sensors. This is fine over textured environments but if flying at night or over water, I would strongly recommend using a smartphone connection and ensuring you have GPS lock first. This may take a few minutes as shown in my video but can avoid a fly away or the drone going out of control
What I meant was whether the propensity for palm landing could cause it to land over a reflective surface like water. @dronewilder5234
@dronewilder5234 I was trying to explore whether the unique propensity for palm landing might cause the Neo to land inappropriately over featureless but reflective surfaces like water. Can you address that aspect please?
@ I’ll have a look at how things look with the new firmware from yesterday
I wonder if the sun reflecting on water might be perceived as a palm?
Stumbled on your video this morning and was very interesting and informative for a drone newbie like me. Great presentational style and earned a new subscriber thanks. Been looking at drones off and on for a few years but always something else to spend my money on. But with the low price of the Neo now have a combo waiting for unboxing on Christmas Day! One question I have is on max altitude of 2000m, is that an absolute limit geo fenced by DJI? Will be skiing in Jan above 2000m and want to know if I can fly there? Many thanks 👏
@@andycorry1450 thanks for the sub! I’m not sure if the 2000m max altitude is geofenced- my more likely guess would be that it’s more of an operational guideline due to air pressure (a bit like the guidelines in temperature for operation). Perhaps someone else on the channel can confirm having flown above 2000m?
@ hey thanks for the quick reply, much appreciated. Just watched your 100m drop test and stalled power loop 😅 and your fpv crash under the groyne into the sea 😳 if you do all that for your subscribers we owe a little something back to you. If no one beats me to it will let you know in Jan! Found the ND filter review interesting too, thanks 👍👍👍
@ thanks for the massive support, lots more whacky things planned for the next few months. As long as people enjoy tuning in, there’s nothing else I can ask for.
really helpful video thank you
Totally new to all this and have neo on order but I’m sure Dji marketing video for neo on their website has a guy on paddle board launching and landing on his hand while on water. Had hope to use it while on water in inflatable kayak. Seems confusing that Dji say not to but market the opposite
@@pauljervis yes that bit of marketing is quite misleading - I’d strongly recommend being cautious flying over water and ideally at least use the RC2 or RC-N3 controller to check you have gps lock
@ very anoying but actually bought a 4K as was a great price and for me had the 4K but at price point to learn and not stress too much about cost if mess up. Still to start combinations of time and storms. But when watching 4K videos saw some of neo comparison realised would have use for both. So at least have a controller to use if needed.,shame liked idea of using it from kayak
Can you explain more on how to fly over water with fpv remote controller 3. Wil sport mode work? Or only manual mode
Sports mode is ok but you need to ensure you have a good solid GPS link first and I’d also avoid flying too low over the water. I will be posting another video flying the Neo over water in the dark shortly including flying in normal/sport modes. Manual mode gives you the safest option but with the risk of the drone snapping out of manoeuvres unexpectedly when pushed hard.
did you cover the downward sensor when you flew on the water?
@@kimaban1660 no they where uncovered for that part of the test
Thank you , this really help me to understand the neo
Great video, thank you!
Great tests that you are showing here. Did you also test the tracking (not follow) capabilities of the neo after the FW update?
I did another video yesterday looking at active track with the new firmware compared to old using two drones at once… and three 😜
Hi whats the music at 8:50. Thank you and great video
@@pipleo6313 it’s called Kepler‘s Hope. Can be found on epidemic sounds
Is there going to be a neo style with features of mini 4 pro etc
@@Helloworldwrjfjrjrj maybe the new upcoming Dji flip will go towards offering some of the Neo features along with a camera that’s closer to the mini4 🤞.
You are the man!!!
That was not a horse. It was a man with two coconut shells.
@@DonJoyce lol love the Monty python reference! 😂
LOL! 🤣 🥥
Interesting video. Well presented. big like and sub from Bangkok. 💗👍
@@FlywithOdin thanks for the sub and welcome to the channel!
Will you review the new goggles n3? Hope you will compare it with goggles 3. Pros and cons.
@@Kr0ninz im not sure as I don’t get sent free stuff and owning a pair of Goggles3, I can’t see the goggles n3 providing me any advantage. However I will be looking to create more FPV specific content which will be relevant to new Goggles N3 users
Awesome video 👊😎 new subscriber😊 thanks for sharing 😊🙏
Thanks for the sub - welcome to the channel!
Hi, interesting, I just got one... so? you recommend tapping down the sensors below the drone? adquire 20+ Sats? and that´s it for flying over water?
@@EXA054 sorry no the taping off sensors was only for the purpose of showing the effect of poor gps signal with no bottom sensors able to add input. For flying over water I would just endure you have a good strong GPS link. I’d also avoid flying too low over the surface
@@dronewilder5234 ok thanks mate, got it! Bests from Argentine ;)
Amazing thank you 🙏
Did you notice it drifting if you _stopped_ (i.e, hovered) above water? In other words, even when it has plenty of satellites, does it try to use the bottom cameras to track the ground (and become confused by the moving water)?
And what happens if it doesn't have many satellites and you don't cover the bottom sensors (in other words, it can still see something), but that something is moving (ex., water, or a conveyor belt)? Does it drift in a "predictable" way (trying to track the pattern of whatever is underneath it) or does it just go nuts?
It drifted a little bit when stopped but not excessively - I wasn’t extremely close to the water though. If it doesn’t have many satellites and you don’t cover the bottom sensors it really depends on the texture. In poor lighting for example the drone will just auto land. I suspect this can also happen over water as people have reported their drones just landing into the ocean. As shown in my woodland experiment, with decent GPS link it will not autoland when the sensors are covered. That being said I’d have to test whether a poor/confusing ground texture is actually worse than no texture at all!!
@@dronewilder5234 - "In poor lighting for example the drone will just auto land. I suspect this can also happen over water" - Ah, I can see a bit of a problem with that behaviour. 🙈
Thanks so for sharing.
NICE, so if u are flying at water u need fill gps above 20 and sure stables. check it😊 thanks for sharing this 🙏
Yes additionally it’s also worth making sure you’re not too close to the water surface- especially if you have sunny glary conditions- just incase this upsets the visual positioning - hopefully a strong GPS signal will prioritise positioning though
@@dronewilder5234 it is recomended in night fly👍
also disabiling the sensors vs. taping will not create that drunken bee dance. as it will quit redundancy checks for position accxuracy against satellite drops (it averages this messsure to adjust the pid controller.)
@@Y0n3z as far as I can tell it’s not possible to disable the sensors though - not with the Neo at least
Creative idea and great video, thank you! Neo GPS is worse than DJI Spark I think… maybe I should test it 😅
Please also keep on creating Avata 2 videos!!
@@tomseen5740 thanks yes I’ll be looking to make some avata 2 content too
@@dronewilder5234 that would be awesome, avata 2 is not dead (even by DJI) - will receive a "power loop" function with next update soon! Looking forward to even more creative content!
is there a limited max range of the neo when bought brand new with the controller in the UK ????
@@spookysandwich1355 no, as long as you use the controller range is not limited by the drone
@@dronewilder5234 ahhh thanks good sir
Thank you, excellent video 👍
got my sub , thanks for doing videos like this
Thanks for the sub and welcome to the channel!
all drones with gps on mild cloudy days, flying either fast over semi rough water, closer, or slower and at higher away with glass like water, are both no go with gps... and certainly do no rely on home position ever. another big no no is calibrating on a beach or a cliff hang before attempting over water flights. also flight path or autonomous modes.. i would suggest staying away from aswell.