WARNING about using WiFi channel 13 in the USA.

Matts175 · Jan 26, 2017

So... I was playing around with MagicPower 5.3+ last night and decided that I wanted to try channel 13. I ran the program... success... but guess what? My tablet won't "see" channel 13, so I can't connect DJI Go. Uh ohhh. No problem right? Just go back to stock, right? Start the program up again and now.... my PC won't connect to channel 13 either. No option to change the region code on my cheap WifI Dongle either. (I have the computer hard wired with Cat 6, so I only plug in the WiFi USB dongle into it for stuff like this.) It would show "Phantom_3MATT" for a few seconds, then it would disappear. I was freaking out! How the heck was I going to connect to fix this? After a while, I remembered that I had an old wireless "G" Alfa WiFi adapter in my junk chest. Plugged it in, no channel 13 either. But this older adapter had something that the newer one didn't. I was able to set to the home country. I randomly set it to "Spain" and she connected right up to "Phantom_3MATT". Phew!!!! What a relief. I quickly opened MagicPower 5.3+ and went back to normal, USA settings.

Long story short. Do not attempt to use channel 13 unless your 100% sure that all of your devices can actually use channel 13. I would have been screwed if I wouldn't have had that old WiFi G adapter.

Philltayl · Jan 26, 2017

Maybe you should try to understand what you are doing before you start changing things.....

Kirby Johnson · Jan 26, 2017

Matts, Thanks for letting us know. Could be a nasty surprise if you had not been warned.
Thanks.

Philltayl said:
Maybe you should try to understand what you are doing before you start changing things.....

Pray you never need his help.

Matts175 · Jan 26, 2017

Philltayl said:
Maybe you should try to understand what you are doing before you start changing things.....

I understood what I was doing and what I was changing. My equipment just didn't want to cooperate. I'll ask you next time I try to modify something. Since you've never made a mistake.

kavy · Jan 26, 2017

Matts, what Tablet are you using that would not connect to 13? I am an apple guy and my iPhone, iPad and MacBook all find channel 13 but I do not some legacy devices do not.

Matts175 · Jan 26, 2017

kavy said:
Matts, what Tablet are you using that would not connect to 13? I am an apple guy and my iPhone, iPad and MacBook all find channel 13 but I do not some legacy devices do not.

Samsung 7" Tablet A

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AZ7LQ00/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

kavy · Jan 26, 2017

Matts175 said:
Samsung 7" Tablet A

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AZ7LQ00/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would like to thank you then for this thread as I also have a Tab A and was thinking of downsizing the Air 2 I'm currently using to the Tab A so it would be less weight on the controller. I guess thats not an option on channel 13.

I wonder how much of a difference channel 13 makes anyways, I know most commercial routers and AP's only go to channel 11 so I imagine there would be less interference but does that translate into a better signal....I don't know.

Matts175 · Jan 26, 2017

kavy said:
I would like to thank you then for this thread as I also have a Tab A and was thinking of downsizing the Air 2 I'm currently using to the Tab A so it would be less weight on the controller. I guess thats not an option on channel 13.

I wonder how much of a difference channel 13 makes anyways, I know most commercial routers and AP's only go to channel 11 so I imagine there would be less interference but does that translate into a better signal....I don't know.

I'm not sure either. I just wanted to play to see if I could get even more out of it. I already did the bird side antennas for the 2.4ghz and it's great, but I always love to experiment.

PapaTita · Jan 26, 2017

Matts175 said:
So... I was playing around with MagicPower 5.3+ last night and decided that I wanted to try channel 13. I ran the program... success... but guess what? My tablet won't "see" channel 13, so I can't connect DJI Go. Uh ohhh. No problem right? Just go back to stock, right? Start the program up again and now.... my PC won't connect to channel 13 either. No option to change the region code on my cheap WifI Dongle either. (I have the computer hard wired with Cat 6, so I only plug in the WiFi USB dongle into it for stuff like this.) It would show "Phantom_3MATT" for a few seconds, then it would disappear. I was freaking out! How the heck was I going to connect to fix this? After a while, I remembered that I had an old wireless "G" Alfa WiFi adapter in my junk chest. Plugged it in, no channel 13 either. But this older adapter had something that the newer one didn't. I was able to set to the home country. I randomly set it to "Spain" and she connected right up to "Phantom_3MATT". Phew!!!! What a relief. I quickly opened MagicPower 5.3+ and went back to normal, USA settings.

Long story short. Do not attempt to use channel 13 unless your 100% sure that all of your devices can actually use channel 13. I would have been screwed if I wouldn't have had that old WiFi G adapter.

No need to "freaking out!", I have described in the tutorial on youtube for connection issues (t=5m41s):

Or If no computer around you (with keep turning off the AC), You can use phone to do telnet and give a command:
watchlog.sh -reset

microlinux · Jan 26, 2017

Philltayl said:
Maybe you should try to understand what you are doing before you start changing things.....

Great progress often comes with great risk.

Philltayl · Jan 27, 2017

I have made mistakes , lots of them , but I try to learn by them. Ch 13 is not a generally used ch on most domestic products (hence your devices not connecting) and is illegal in a few countries. In the US it is sort of legal but it is limited to 'low power' devices . If you are going for -26db or -27db you are now outside the 'low power' range.

Matts175 · Jan 27, 2017

PapaTita said:
No need to "freaking out!", I have described in the tutorial on youtube for connection issues (t=5m41s):

Or If no computer around you (with keep turning off the AC), You can use phone to do telnet and give a command:
watchlog.sh -reset

Great!! Thank you!!!

kavy · Jan 27, 2017

Matt I wanted to update you, I just tried connecting a Samsung Tab A 7" (T-280) and it connected to channel 13 with no issues. I am wondering what issues you ran into that caused it to not connect.

Matts175 · Jan 27, 2017

kavy said:
Matt I wanted to update you, I just tried connecting a Samsung Tab A 7" (T-280) and it connected to channel 13 with no issues. I am wondering what issues you ran into that caused it to not connect.

That's odd. I tried a few times. It saw every other network, except for my Phantom. You bought it from a US Seller?

kavy · Jan 27, 2017

Canadian seller but same difference, I picked it up from Best Buy and figures I would try it. Channel 13 set on the Drone and it connects that way with no issues.

Matts175 · Jan 27, 2017

Well dang. I wonder what I did wrong?

Matts175 · Jan 31, 2017

UPDATE:

I'm grounded today because it's very cold and snowing out, so I decided to mess around with this again.. For some reason, channel 13 is working for me now. I confirmed it was on channel 13 by running a wifi analyzer app on my computer. Tablet is now connecting just fine. I rooted the tablet a few days ago. I wonder if that had anything to do with it?

kavy · Jan 31, 2017

Mine connected before it was rooted so that should not be the issue. On a side note i changed my setting to USA 27dbm as I noticed I had less lag with that setting versus the Channel 13 bo or whatever it was. Might have just been bad luck on my few tests flights but I felt it was better with the USA channel setting.

Matts175 · Feb 1, 2017

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: (LOL)

Ughhhhh. My tablet is stupid or something. It stopped recognizing channel 13 again. I started and restarted and it just wouldn't pick it up. Simultaneously, I was running a WiFi sniffer app on my PC and it saw it, no problem. I gave up and went back to "US" and "Auto".

FlyingCorkers · Feb 1, 2017

Philltayl said:
Maybe you should try to understand what you are doing before you start changing things.....

Sometimes you have to fiddle with things. Its part of the hobby and the best way to learn is by f**ing up. Last night i was flashing the firmware on my racing drone, lost connextion with my transmitter and spent an hour figuring out what to do. Now i know the cleanflight software so much better than i had before. Just saying

Sent from my SM-G935F using PhantomPilots mobile app