DJI’s Drone-To-Phone Broadcast Remote ID [video]

DJI just released a video that explains how their new Drone-to-Phone Broadcast Remote ID solution works. This new solution for remote identification for drones was first introduced by DJI during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s third annual Drone Enable conference in Montreal last year. The app that works on any smartphone will show you in real-time the most important information about any DJI drone, such as the flight path of the drone, the location of the pilot and the ID number of the drone. DJI’s Drone-To-Phone Broadcast Remote ID relies on a WiFi connection between the drone and your smartphone and does not require an internet connection. This feature can be added to DJI drones by a simple firmware update.

Update: many of our readers have responded on social media, email and elsewhere expressing their discontent with the pilot location being made available to the general public in the DJI Phone-to-Drone app. A spokesperson for DJI clarified that this is simply a proof of concept based on the requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The app is not currently available to the public.

“The app and the associated drone firmware updates used for DJI’s demonstration this week are not yet available for public use, pending further direction from aviation regulators and final publication of the ASTM International standard.”

You can read the original news release from DJI about the Drone-to-Phone app here. The purpose of the app was to show how broadcast is “simple and free” and can work as an effective to implement a form of Remote ID for Drones.

If you do not want your location to be made publicly available, be sure to submit your comments to the FAA before March 2nd. You can find help here, here and here.

Update 2: DJI added new text to the description of the video. See in bold below.

DJI’s Drone-To-Phone Broadcast Remote ID

DJI had the following to say about the video:

As drones become commonplace in the skies, people understandably want to know where they are and what they’re doing. That’s why DJI has developed what we call Drone-to-Phone Remote Identification. The app shown in this video is only a demonstration product with no scheduled release date. It is capable of displaying the drone pilot’s location, but the FAA and other global regulators will decide what information must be shared with the public.

Drone-to-Phone Remote ID works like an electronic license plate for drones. It shows a drone’s location, altitude, speed and direction, as well as an identifier like a serial number or registration number and the location of the pilot. DJI’s system uses an ASTM International standard and off-the-shelf technology to send this information directly from a drone to a commonly-available smartphone.

DJI’s Drone-to-Phone implementation of the Remote ID standard has real advantages for drone pilots, authorities and the public at large. We believe drone pilots ought to be able to decide how best to comply with the Remote ID rules that regulators are writing all over the world. Here’s more on DJI’s perspective: We Strongly Support Drone Remote ID. But Not Like This.

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants most drone pilots to use a different kind of Remote ID with higher costs and more burdens. To learn how to comment to the FAA by their March 2 deadline, please visit: Be Heard: DJI’s Tips for Commenting on the FAA’s Proposed Remote ID Rule.

Here’s the video.

What do you think about DJI’s Drone-To-Phone Broadcast Remote ID? Let us know in the comments below.

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