Key Points
- A new DJI update enables everyday operators to fly their drones over and into airports, military bases, sensitive infrastructure, wildfires, and national no-fly zones in the United States.
- Hundreds of sensitive-site operators may be forced to deploy counter-drone solutions. The update comes just days after a DJI drone crashed into a firefighting waterbomber over California.
- DJI promises to place “control back in the hands of the drone operators, in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility” — and tells Hunterbrook that it has given “authorities the tools they need to enforce existing rules.”
- DJI, by one estimate, controls 90% of the global consumer drone market. The company currently faces the risk of a total ban in the U.S.
They are not directly internet connected. Drones are very frequently flown in areas with no data service, because those places are often quite scenic. The drone communicates with the remote and goggles using WiFi bands, but afaik some of the protocols are proprietary. The remote is the only device that connects to the internet, and it uses WiFi.
AFAIK all consumer DJI drones work this way, but I could be wrong. Some high end drones like the Agras farming drones could be directly internet connected.
Reference: https://developer.dji.com/mobile-sdk/documentation/introduction/component-guide-airlink.html