Hi,
I just bought an Air 2S and now realise it is not compatible with DroneDeploy. Does anyone know if the Air 2S will be supported?
Have I just made an expensive mistake?
Is there any work around?
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Most likely it will be the same as this thread but a few months later in development.
So do you think I will be able to use the Air 2S with DroneDeploy at some stage?
I really have no idea, but I’m betting not. DJI has to move first and from what I see in their lineup they have no reason to make the Air series a mapping platform. This is really the only reason you need an intense amount of waypoints and the large areas we cover beg them to be stored on internal memory. If you’re just doing a cool video path for 10 minutes then I don’t see why virtual sticks wouldn’t be just fine. Like I have advised others, stay in line of sight and don’t push the specs and you’ll probably be fine with something like Maven, Redwaypoint or Dronelink.
@cwillk return your drone and buy the M2P. It will be a year or so for DJI to allow third parties to have the SDK. Then a couple of more months for DD to test etc etc.
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Skydio 2 if you can find one. The base kit is $999 but they are on reserve now. Of course the P4PV2 and Skydio have DroneDeploy support but the Evo has a good flight app as well.
I’m in same boat… Air 2S fully loaded with all accessories, 6 batteries, extra cards, etc… now feeling quite stunned and demoralized after racing to complete Drone Deploy fundamentals certification. I was absolutely excited to get rolling immediately with DD platform – THANK GOODNESS we didn’t prepay for a years worth of service. wow.
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Unfortunately DJI has informed us they have no plans for the Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S to support the waypoint missions required for DroneDeploy to fly the drone in our autonomous missions.
You can fly manually, but I wouldn’t recommend that for reliable mapping/ modelling.
We’d love to support these popular drones, but it’s out of our hands. I recommend taking it back and swapping for a Mavic 2 Pro, or Phantom 4 Pro V2.
James
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This is really sad for me to already bought it and waiting for it to support in the near future.
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Fwiw I emailed DJI Dev support today asking if mapping support would be available and received this positive sounding reply:
We’re glad you’re interested in using our SDK to develop for it. We are sorry to keep you waiting, we plan to support Air 2S in MSDK 5.0, and we understand your feelings, the release is also what we are looking forward to, please wait for our good news. We will do our best to accomplish this. We greatly appreciate your patience.
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That’s awesome. Thanks for sharing! I would love to have an inexpensive little inspection drone.
This is the latest from DJI…
Air 2S, Mini 2, Mini SE, SDK release, Version
We’re glad you’re interested in using our SDK to develop for it.
Sorry to keep you waiting, we plan to support Air 2S, Mini SE and Mini 2 in MSDK 4.16, and we understand your feelings, but we don’t have a specific release date yet. Release is also what we are looking forward to, please wait for our good news.
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Not looking good. We have to remember that even if they do release the functionality that it will take DroneDeploy some time to get the bugs out. That is even if it will play nice with the system. Maybe it’s a scenario where you buy the drone and let it sit in a closet for a year to let firmware catch up…
Keep in mind, when they say that they are going to support these drones, they probably just mean general SDK support for virtual stick and selected mission types, not for waypoint missions. So you probably won’t be able to use them with Dronedeploy or other waypoint apps either way.
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When who says they will support? All of their drones come out of the factory with stick support which is how we are able to fly manually in the first place. All the software does is create a set of commands beforehand that the device can feed the RC. If you sign up for the DJI dev channel and you see a note come out that says waypoints then it is what we need to have happen before DroneDeploy or the likes will even look at it.
I just don’t understand the need to support a device that obviously wasn’t built for the task and isn’t supported for the task either. I understand it’s less expensive but is that really a good business decision? Honestly people are just cheap and this is something the drone users as a community need to put a stop to. We provide professional services and there is a cost to doing business. There is plenty of work out there so why is there a need to quote projects at basically $30/hr? Are you trying to turn around your ROI in one project or what? I know allot of people don’t think this way and that is fine but the bottom line is be proud of what you do and value your own time above all else and quit being afraid of an investment. If you’re doing Dronebase type work and perpetuate the cheap that’s on you. Get some stick time, a license and some survey and construction experience and make it real.
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Thanks for being hard headed about this Michael.
If you’re truly trying to get your feet into running a business, stop selling yourself short. Get the right equipment for what you need to do, which might mean spending some money on a suitable app and/or data processor. Of course, it depends on your business model. Be wary of Dronebase, Droners.io, and others who offer a pittance on the dollar for your time. Most of the time I look at their requests and laugh. Even so, I’ve had good experiences with them, but in the end it depends how much you intend to sacrifice for your time and/or for business reasons.
So read up. Figure out what your intentions are. And don’t expect that just any drone, or any app, is going to work perfectly for whatever your intentions are. Adapt. There are options. More so if you are willing to spend. Otherwise, try not to complain.
PS. I did lose a drone over a year ago, which I so desperately wanted to blame on the app manufacturer, and still do to some extent. But I got over it. Nothing is perfect. Expect it.
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Well said! I learned a little trick with Dronebase that if a plan comes through for an offensive amount just decline it and it will probably come back for more as their deadline approaches. Of course if this is going to be part of your salary then you may not have that option but for me it’s mad money so it has to make sense. Their payouts also get better if you get the construction “certification”. We were seeing residential inspection around $70-100 but the construction sites have been $150-250. I have one coming up that is $320 but it’s an hour drive so…
Yep. That’s about the same here with DB. I had a job request come through today from droners, basically in my backyard, for $100 budget (retail property). Problem is it’s within restricted airspace (0’ LAANC), basically at the end of a runway, and they wanted it shot within the next couple days. Lol. And there were two bids already. So how do you bid on something with that budget, in waiverland? Lol.
Dude, Dronebase has done that to me twice. It’s like they don’t even try to coordinate sometimes. It took them 3 days of whatever they do to figure out what I was talking about so I filed for the waiver and got it before them. How could you not think this would be a problem? And they want a 300ft ortho.
My issue now is that it is the better paying job that is an hour away and I now have no idea if I will be able to get through all the unlocks and actual fly. 
At least they let me remain the pilot.
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Suport DJI:
When the MSDK for Mini 2, Mini SE and Air 2S will be released?
sean.zhou Tuesday at 12:57
Air 2S, Mini 2, Mini SE, SDK release, Version
We’re glad you’re interested in using our SDK to develop for it.
The release date has been announced, we plan to release the Android version of MSDK 4.16 at the end of December, in which we will support Mini2, Air 2S and Mini SE. We believe this time will come soon
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