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I have to share something about DJI. Few months ago my brand-new DJI FPS drone was stolen from my room, together with an iPad, a wallet, a few important docume
by simonebrunozzi 5y ago
I have to share something about DJI.
Few months ago my brand-new DJI FPS drone was stolen from my room, together with an iPad, a wallet, a few important documents.
As you might know, all drones heavier than 250g have a transponder. DJI could have helped me find where the drone was, and more importantly, where the other stuff was.
I reported the theft to the local police, then reached out to DJI multiple times, using multiple channels. You can guess where the story goes: NOTHING from them.
Some thieves are walking freely because these a*holes don't want to help me recover my drone.
I feel powerless: the law should force them to collaborate with the police in matters like these, but it only (maybe) happens for very violent crimes.
If anyone from DJI is reading this: your company sucks.
- ricardobeat 5y agoWhat about Find My on the iPad? That’s something you have access to yourself
- simonebrunozzi 5y agoYep. The stolen iPad (and iWatch) ended up in Tunisia (the theft happened in Italy). Not worth the effort.
- Raed667 5y agoThis problem is so severe, that Tunisia recently required all "imported" phones to be registered [0] with the state within 3 months or they can't use the phone network. I guess that moved the incentives towards iWatches and iPads and such. If the drone ended up in Tunisia as well, there is a very good chance that it was confiscated by the police, since drone usage is very restricted all over the country. [0] https://www.sajalni.tn https://www.sajalni.tn
- ricardobeat 5y agoWould the cost of the drone be enough to get you to travel to Tunisia? I don't see the desired outcome here.
- nobrains 5y agoHow can DJI really know that the drone was stolen and you (or a malicious actor) did not sell it eventually to track it?
- MagnumOpus 5y agoPolice crime report number. Same as when you report stolen goods to anyone else.
- jstanley 5y agoI know nothing about DJI beyond what's in your comment, but the fact that there is a transponder on the drone doesn't imply that DJI knows where it is.
- novok 5y agoTo use DJI drones you have to internet activate them AFAIK. If we are going to have restrictive apple-style activation locks for hardware, at least give us the fucking anti-theft benefits of it too.
- simonebrunozzi 5y agoYou are wrong. DJI has the ability to read transponder data whenever they want. It's actually built this way to allow law enforcement to get access to drone info and location if needed.
- jstanley 5y agoHow does that work then? The transponder is transmitting at such high power that DJI can read it from anywhere on the planet? Or is there something else other than the transponder?
- simonebrunozzi 5y agoPSRs identify the transponder when the drone flies close enough to them. DJI should implement a black list of transponder IDs so that owners of stolen drones could easily identify the latest flying location. But DJI doesn't, because it doesn't care.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- nickphx 5y agoYou do realize the drone needs to be powered on and 'armed'/flying while tethered to their software that's running on an internet connected device for any location data to be available? I wouldn't expect DJI to provide any kind of sensitive information about a drone's location to me simply because I sent a request through customer service.. If anything you would need a court order to compel any kind of information.
- gaoryrt 5y agoJust because a drone has a tracker does not mean that the company is obligated to give the location to the owner. You did not purchase this service. Besides, giving you the drone's location indirectly means that their company is collecting drone information in real time, which is not permitted.
- callmemclovin 5y agoSorry, but I think you got this wrong, there's (currently) no transponder on DJI drones that enables remote tracking for them. In the future (2023?), FAA Remote ID will be mandatory, but even then, this is only a short range tracking system (like license plates on cars). If you think otherwise, please provide a source that there is a trackable transponder on current DJI drones.
- cromwellian 5y agoDJI Drones after January 1, 2020 have ADS-B In (they can receive transponder signals). They do not broadcast location. Therefore, they can read transponder signals from nearby aircraft for collision avoidance, but they do not transmit.