Evening everyone
I would like to know if anyone has used Dronelink?
It looks quite good although a tad confusing…
First I’ve heard of it.
I’ve read the description and still not sure what it’s all about and confusing they refer to it as a flight controller.
“Dronelink works on the web, iOS, Android, and DJI monitors including the Smart Controller, CrystalSky, and P4P+. We designed a custom flight controller from the ground up in order to provide the best possible experience across all platforms. Not only does this avoid the limitations of using DJI’s onboard flight controller, but it also ensures identical results on all devices.”
Its $100 per year to use.
I just cant imagine it will be as refined as litchi for much cheaper.
There is an announcement, trial period offer, trial period end, and pricing discussion at:
I tried it, and its most obvious comparator is Litchi. However, it has several significant differences:
- has a built-in flight preview - you don’t have to go the Google Earth
- takes a modular approach to programming the flight - you can programme your flight in re-usable subroutines, and can ‘paste’ routines from other users
- the given routines include some very fancy stuff like vertical spirals
- it can control and change (in flight) aspects of drone management that Litchi cannot (camera settings mainly)
- it will not (yet) complete a mission on loss of connection - it will just RTH
- it is under active development (unlike the apparently stagnant Litchi)
It worked well for me, but I am not going to pay $100/year for any software. You can try its on-line programming module for free, and there is (effectively) a one-month risk-free trial for the app.
The CEO of the company developing Dronelink is a regular contributor to the thread, and says he is looking for a way to garner the amateur/enthusiast market, and will consider pricing in the future.
It’s a long thread (6 big pages), but it also gave me some insight into the world of software development and marketing.
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Dronelink is being built by the same guy that built Hangar / AutoPilot.
Interesting… 
I am finding the softwares quite interesting. A tad confusing to begin with but quite accessible when you start experimenting with it. What I don’t get is the pricing. I am an amateur flyer, do I have to pay $100 Toby able to actually fly the drone?
It looks like its free to plan, but costs to fly.
Yes and the way it visualises the flight is quite impressive
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6 updates this year, very active social media groups, what more would you like from the software?
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None of the updates have introduced significant new features or improved user interface.
What would I like? Okay:
- replace numbered points of interest with named ones - since there is no sequence or value to these numbers (“3” neither means third nor the value at a point), this should be a very simple change
- we have to rely on work from our amateur colleagues to get any kind of flight preview (and many thanks to both of them for doing it)
- clearer user interface on gimbal and “focus” control - it is very difficult to predict what will happen as the drone moves from one place to another whilst the point of interest is also changing. (“Focus” is a strange word to use in software used by photographers when it does not mean “maximise visual definition” but rather “pay attention to”)
- relating “heading” and Point of Interest - it makes no sense for them to be independent
- export the mission (within Mission Hub) for others to see without exporting the movie
- error checking on mission launch. In this newsgroup we’ve had someone describe accidentally placing a waypoint miles away from the start point, and Litchi just commands the drone to go to a place it cannot ever reach. This is a basic safety feature.
- use of Google 3D mapping
- actions within curved turns
- Settings to include “above ground level” as a default option for all new waypoints
- updated user guide, focussing on how users can improve the quality of what they do, rather than just get the basics right. The Litchi developers really could learn a little from Dronelink - from the beginning the CEO published video “how to” guides. The absence of such support within the user guide is quite damning
With regard to “6 updates this year” - four of these are basically bug fixes and equipment support, and just one new feature (the rather doubtful “add a POI while a mission is in progress”). Yep, that’s stagnant.
I love Litchi, do not regret my purchase, and have recommended it to my flying colleagues. But, having owned it for six months only, I do not see the enthusiasm for development.
Have you emailed the developers or partaken in any of the support groups?
I have seen enthusiasm, and addressable criticisms, from users. What I have not seen is any response from the developers.
Have you seen any developments that I haven’t?
As I said,
“I love Litchi, do not regret my purchase, and have recommended it to my flying colleagues.” I showed my liking for it in the only drone film I have published (youtube.com/watch?v=DXAHTNJ9704)
I was reacting to the excellent question, “what more would you like from the software?”, and give a reasoned answer. The implication that it is thriving cannot be right; it is “stagnant”, but perhaps it is not abandoned yet…
I’ve seen it develop over the years into the only really usable alternative to GO4.
My concerns with Dronelink lie purely with the developer’s previous strategies.
I loved Hangar and was a massive advocate of it (a search in here will show you that, I was even on the beta test programme), but and it’s 2 big buts, the dodgy giving up rights to your pictures sticks in the throat, and more importantly how he ditched Hangar with no notification, does not reply to support or general emails (or his social media feeds).
So that reason I won’t be giving him my money and I’m out.
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Sounds to me Chris as if he/they are another Company who get a product to the market, take the punters money, then leaves it on the shelf with no improvements.
I ditto your comment !.
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As is also clear from my original post, I too will not be subscribing to Dronelink.
Just had an email, now free for non commercial users. Not read it properly I’m mobile 
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On second thoughts…
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