DJI Mavic 2 Pro Remote ID Compliance

    Remote ID is a feature which allows an sUAS to be identified via a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi frequency and will be a requirement for all part 107 pilots starting on March 16, 2024. In order to be compliant with part 89, remote ID must be able to transmit and receive identification and location information of the sUAS, which can be seen in the figures 1 and 2 below. Methods for compliance include standard remote ID which is an internal system within the drone or the use of a broadcast module which can be externally attached to a drone to transmit remote ID data (figure 3). Another form of compliance would be flying within a FAA recognized identification area (FRIA), which can be applied for through the FAA's "dronezone" website. Purdue UAS successfully applied for and were granted a FRIA at the William H. Daniel Turfgrass Research and Diagnostic Center. In this lab we are testing whether the DJI Mavic 2 Pros at Purdue's UAS dispatch are remote ID compliant, in particular DJI Mavic 2 Pro "AK".

                                                                            fig.1

                                                                            fig. 2

fig. 3

   According to the FAA declaration of compliance website the DJI Mavic 2 Pro (M2P) is compliant with remote ID. The DJI M2P complies with standard remote ID (figure 4).

fig. 4

    All firmware systems on the DJI Mavic 2 Pro were up to date (figure 5)

fig. 5

    After verifying the firmware was up to date, we installed the drone scanner app on an iPhone. This allows the user to see all nearby drones transmitting remote ID. We then moved outside to test whether M2P AK would appear on the drone scanner app. Once outside, the drone was power cycled and the motors were started without propellors. The drone did not appear on the app on our first attempt, so we checked the help section of the app, on which the following message appeared (figure 6).

(fig. 6)

    IOS can only detect remote ID via Bluetooth. To combat this issue, we moved back inside and powered on an android tablet which had this app installed. Once we got this tablet up and running, we moved back outside and powered on the M2P. For an unknown reason it took a couple of power cycles for the sUAS to appear on the app, but we were successfully able to locate M2P AK on the map. The information provided by remote ID displayed in the app is shown in figures 7 and 8 below. 

(fig. 7)

(fig. 8)

      Following this test, it is clear that the DJI Mavic 2 Pro AK is compliant with the new remote ID regulations. The main trouble encountered was with the remote ID reading app, not so much with the drone itself.