Maps - without internet connection?

[RickB]

Hello, new member with a PV2+ coming today.

I have read and watched videos for the past week trying to learn all that I can but haven't found and answer to this yet.

Reading the FAQ on DJI PV2+ page and it says:
"Maps will be downloaded automatically through Google Maps when you view the waypoints page, as long as you have an internet connection."

I will be using a Nexus 7 tablet and will only have connection to the internet when I am home and near the computer.

If I'm away from home how will I get the map for the area I want to fly?

Can I set this up at home before I leave?

And if I happen to see a place along the way and want to fly I won't have maps. Can a large area be downloaded ahead of time?

Thank you, I'm new and sure these are simple questions for those that have done this. Not new to RC but new to this type of flying and have much more to learn.

 

[tcope]

Load the app when you have a connection at home, tap the map to make it the primary display. You can punch to zoom in and out. Scroll to the area that you are going to fly in and zoom in somewhat. Scroll around the area to load it into the phones cache. This should last a few days. Now when you go to the area the cached maps will display.

Google will also allow you to load maps off line. These can be huge areas. However, these maps have very little detail. No where near the same detail level as cached maps.

 

[Mark The Droner]

Yes.

Yes.

Yes, but it will by blurry.

Bring up the Phantom app with your phantom off. It'll try to connect to your phantom. Let it try. Make sure your device is connected to your router's wifi. If it isn't, back out of the app (I like to use the little square at the bottom), go to Settings/wifi and force your device to connect to your router's wifi. Now go back to your app. You should see the map on your app. If not, it probably doesn't know where you're located. You could walk outside to get a GPS fix or you could just zoom into your location.

Now go to wherever you know you want to fly and zip around with the maps. Give it a second for each movement to give it time to make the cache file. Zoom in and out too. Now you have maps for where you know you will fly.

Next, go to where you think you might stop and expand out so you have a large map of that entire region.

All these maps should save to your device's cache area.

Later when you go to fly, they should be available to you on your app, even without the internet.

 

[RickB]

Thank you both.

I'm sure that will be easier to understand when I have it in my hands.

Right now I'm stressing out because UPS tracking doesn't show my PV2+ as being out for delivery, only says it's scheduled for this afternoon. Couldn't sleep last night, I feel like a kid at Christmas. I have wanted one of these for a long time.

The last time a flew RC I crashed a $3000 Helicopter due to a faulty receiver battery. That was 25 years ago and $3000 was a lot more money then.

Thanks again!

Going back to stand in window looking a brown truck.

 

[4wd]

I've found the maps cache a bit hit ad miss, if you view the area on wifi just before, and leave the tablet on standby rather than off it will definitely work.
Google maps will download and store an area for offline use - just say "OK Maps" to see the option.
You don't want to be viewing too large an areas though as it doesn't save full resolution of half a county.
However even after doing this I think it's safest to use standby option on the day.

 

[MapMaker53]

I've lost my map cache after turning off my tablet, so I now load the maps into cache before heading out and leave the tablet on standby. (I don't have cell service.) The tablet battery drains extremely slowly in that state. One time I forgot to cache before leaving for my assignment, so I stopped at a McDonalds along the way that provided free wifi and loaded the map.

 

[RickB]

To update;

The DJI Vision App will not work with my 2012 Nexus 7 tablet so I'm using Litchi for Phantom 2+ (and it's free for the Phantom2).

Now the solution is easy for me.

Litchi Mission Hub, where I can make up the missions at home on my computer save to Litchi's website and download them to my tablet before I go out to run them.

Check it out here if you use Litchi;
Mission Hub - Litchi