So, you’ve finally got your first and brand new DJI drone. But even though you can’t wait to take it for a flight, there are a few things you have to do before it’s finally ready for flight.
Every DJI drone & battery must go through a simple process called activation before they’re ready to be used.
The DJI activation process can take from a few minutes up to an hour, depending on your drone’s model and internet connection. You’ll require the Fly App and a compatible smartphone.
The process isn’t complicated so I’ll get straight to it, let’s dig in
The activation process is a two-step process. Before activating the drone your DJI battery should be activated first.
To ensure transportation safety, DJI batteries are usually set to Sleep mode before shipping. Simply connect your drone with the battery charger to activate the battery and begin using. After activating the battery, press the power button once and then press and hold to turn on the drone.
And that’s it. A good rule of thumb is to wait for the batteries to be fully charged (they’ll usually be at a 50% charge). That’s because the activation process can take time and they need to be fully charged.
The process is fairly simple. Make sure you’ve activated your drone’s battery and then follow these steps:
And voilà! That’s it really. Once done, make sure you carefully read the drone’s manual if you’re still unfamiliar with drone flying.
I’d also recommend you scan for any firmware updates through your flight app. While that is usually done automatically when you’re connected to the internet, sometimes the automatic scan fails.
Alternatively, for some DJI models you can use the DJI Go App instead to activate it.
You might be wondering if it’s necessary. If you’ve just inboxed the drone, then yes.
Drone activation for new unboxed DJI drones is necessary because it’s crucial for your drone to calibrate its sensors, and for the pilot to choose the flight settings that’ll work best for them.
DJI Care Refresh is a 12-month service plan that provides complete and comprehensive cover should your DJI drone get damaged during normal use. Activating it is simple.
If you purchase a DJI product and select DJI Care Refresh with your order on the DJI Store, DJI Care Refresh will bind to your product automatically. You don’t need to bind the service with the product again.
If however you got DJI Care Refresh separately on the DJI Store, you’ll need to enter the serial number of your drone according to the prompt page when purchasing.
There is a third option. That is, if you get a DJI Care Refresh activation card, you need to enter your activation code and serial number of your drone through the DJI Care Activation page to activate your DJI Care Refresh service.
The process for the DJI mini 2 isn’t different from most DJI drones, and is fairly simple to complete.
Make sure you activate your battery by plugging it to the charger for a couple of minutes first. Connect your remote controller to the DJI app on your smartphone. Once you power on the drone you’ll get an activation prompt on your smartphone, simply follow the steps outlined.
Once done your DJI Mini 2 will be ready for flight. I’d recommend you wait until the battery is fully charged though.
If we’re talking about the DJI Mavic 2 or Mavic 3, both of them have the same activation process.
Make sure the battery of your mavic 2 or 3 is activated by plugging it to the charger for a couple of minutes first. Then connect your remote controller to the DJI app on your smartphone. Once you power on the drone you’ll get an activation prompt on your smartphone, simply follow the steps outlined.
It should take a little more time for advanced drones like the DJI Mavic 2 or 3, but should take more than 15 minutes tops.
Well, the most likely step afterwards is to take it for a flight. And while a small test flight wouldn’t hurt, I’d advise against going with your new drone in public before registering it.
Drone registration is simple and I’ve talked about it in detail in my drone laws article, but I’ll tell you the gist of it.
If your drone weighs more than 250g (and most consumer drones do), then you’ll have to register for an FAA registration number. You can check the registration procedure here from the FAA themselves.
Once done, your registration number allows you to own and fly as many drones as you like for one price (a mere $5), for a period of three years.
You'll just need to place your newly assigned identification number on the exterior of your newly activated drone.
As you can see, the activation process for DJI drones is fairly simple and is actually a done-for-you process once your Fly or Go 4 app is set up with your smartphone.
The process is the same for most if not all DJI drones, making the likelihood of getting lost or confused during the process extremely small as there are many youtube tutorials out there for how to activate some popular DJI drones.
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