Reasons You Need GPS Tracking for Drones
30 Aug 2017
Drone flyaways happen all the time for a wide variety of reasons. They can happen with no warning and at any time when you are using your drone. Drone Enthusiast reported on a poll of 774 owners of DJI Phantoms. Of those, nearly 1/3 reported a drone flyaway incident with 122 users reporting that they were unable to find their drones again. A flyaway incident can happen to any model of drone from any brand, which is why it is so important to consider GPS tracking for your drone.
What Causes a Drone to Fly Away?
A drone flyaway can happen for any number of reasons. Those listed below are among the most common reasons drones fly away:
- Bad GPS Data
- Faulty Upgrades to Firmware
- Fighting the Wind and Other Elements
- Loss of Connection to the Controller
- Drone Flies Beyond Line of Sight
- Pilot or Operator Error
- Radio Interference
- Glitches in the Software
Understanding why drones fly away is only half the battle. The bottom line is that when they do, they can be extremely difficult to recover, especially if they fly beyond your line of sight.
Preventing Drone Flyaways
Prevention is the best cure for most things. It holds true for avoiding drone flyaways and the heartache that could be yours when these things happen. Taking these actions may not prevent all drones from flying away, but it can help you maintain better control of yours.
- Learn your drone before you fly it outdoors. Take the time to read the instructions and practice in an enclosed environment before opening up and experimenting outside where wind and other variables may cause problems.
- Choose your brand and model of drone wisely. Look at the existing data and find drones that have fewer incidents of flyaways (relative to the number of that brand and model sold).
- Pay attention to weather reports. Since weather, wind in particular, is a contributing factor, consider not flying on windy days.
GPS Tracking Benefits for Drones
While the ability to track the location of your drone in the event of a flyaway or crash landing is great, it isn’t the only reason to consider GPS for your drone. GPS can be used to establish GEO fences or perimeters and to notify you, via text alert or email, whenever your drone flies beyond its designated area. You can even track your drone if it has been stolen to aid in the recovery of your drone.
Now, before you’ve lost your investment of time and attention in your drone, is the perfect time to invest in GPS tracking for your drone to aid in recovery if you experience a flyaway.
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