DJI Is Locking Down Its Drones Against a Growing Army of DIY Hackers

[ringolong]

Drone hackers have forced DJI into an arms race.
The tension between drone pilots who want complete control over their aircraft that they bought and DJI, the world's biggest consumer grade drone maker, has come to a head. An arms race between hackers and the company is earnestly underway.


Read more here...
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...-drones-against-a-growing-army-of-diy-hackers

 

[Chuck]

I saw this coming with similar "lockdown" software loaded into Yuneec Typhoon quads. I was considering buying a Typhoon G, until I read reviews detailing purchasers only finding out after they had taken them home, set them up, and were ready to fly. Only to discovery that they lived in or were otherwise located in a "no fly zone", which the software was disabling the quad from starting up. Personally, I wouldn't even consider buying any device where the manufacturer retains absolute control over, after surrendering ownership upon my purchase. And for a US$500.00-plus purchase? Keep it. Let's see them buy groceries with that quad, while I still have my money to spend elsewhere. If they don't trust the customer, then don't sell to the customer.

 

[mozquito1]

They're not do themselves any favours are they, occifer tenpenny.

 

[Chuck]

They're not do themselves any favours are they, occifer tenpenny.

Companies come, and companies go. And you shortchanged me. That'll be ten dollars plus tax, please. And I take all major credit cards except American Express....

 

[ringolong]

Here is the way in

 

[Calsun]

With the current firmware from DJI anyone using their drones will have to login to DJI and do a system check with their server before they can fly higher than 30 meters or further than 50 meters - i.e. limp mode.

"After this update, your flight altitude and distance will be limited to 30 m and 50 m, respectively, if you start flying without first connecting to a DJI-compatible app and logging into your DJI account."

So this means having a fast internet connection with your home computer and a 4G connection for your smartphone whenever and wherever you plan to fly a DJI drone. In many parts of the USA and in other countries this will put the drone effectively out of action.

 

[Rick M]

With the current firmware from DJI anyone using their drones will have to login to DJI and do a system check with their server before they can fly higher than 30 meters or further than 50 meters - i.e. limp mode.

"After this update, your flight altitude and distance will be limited to 30 m and 50 m, respectively, if you start flying without first connecting to a DJI-compatible app and logging into your DJI account."

So this means having a fast internet connection with your home computer and a 4G connection for your smartphone whenever and wherever you plan to fly a DJI drone. In many parts of the USA and in other countries this will put the drone effectively out of action.

No. It means after updating the firmware, you need to log in once. After you have done that, those limits are removed. This has been covered and covered and re-covered in forums, on Facebook, and everywhere else. The sky is not falling. What I find funny is that every alarmist post ultimately ends in the owner either conceding the issue is resolved, or disappearing. And there isn't any glut of used, non-functional Phantoms on the market that I have noticed.

 

[Chuck]

The alternstive being that unless more are willing to build their own, more of the toy-grade quads will be taking to the air, unless those manufacturers jump on the "we retain ultimate control of your quad" bandwagon also. Unless governments pressure them to, I doubt they will, as they can exploit that lack of restrictions imposed by the higher-grade quad manufacturers, for greater profit. Even with more limited performance of their products.