Hello, I’m new to the forum and have a question about controllers. I have both Air 2 and Air 3 drones. I got tired of having to use a cell phone to be my viewer, so I moved to an iPad mini and it was a little dated so that didn’t work well. I investigated and purchased the Smart Controller RM 500 for the Air 2 and I was well impressed and the quality, feel, performance and preloaded apps. I have tried to find a smart controller like the RM 500 to use with my Air 3 and keep getting more and more confused by my answers. QUESTION: Does DJI make a controller like the RM 500 for use with the Air 3?
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The DJI Air 3 is powered by DJI’s O4 (OcuSync 4) video transmission system. Because of this, it is only compatible with specific O4-enabled controllers and cannot be used with older remotes.
Controllers that Work…
DJI RC 2: This is the flagship remote for the drone. It features a bright, built-in 5.5-inch touchscreen so you do not need to connect your phone.
DJI RC-N2: This is the standard remote that uses your smartphone as the screen.
DJI RC Motion 2: This motion-sensing controller allows you to steer the drone with your hand movements. It requires you to also wear compatible DJI Goggles for a first-person view.
Controllers that Do Not Work…
Older O3/O2 Controllers: The Air 3 will not connect to older remotes like the original DJI RC, DJI RC-N1, DJI RC Pro, or the Smart Controller.
Enterprise or FPV Controllers: The DJI RC Plus (used on enterprise drones), the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, and the original RC Motion 1 are incompatible.
The reason these controllers do not work is like trying to tune an old analog radio to a digital HD station. The drone and controller must “speak” the same language (transmission protocol) to communicate. Because the Air 3 uses O4, it cannot understand the signal from older O3 or O2 controllers
Thank you for this info but as I said I ordered my Air 3 with the DJI RC 2 and it’s nice and works well…. But I had an issue with using my Air 2 with an old iPhone (Dedicated for drone use only) because it was such a small screen after all it’s an iPhone. So I bought a DJI Smart Controller RM500 and fell in love with the feel, screen, menu buttons, programable buttons, range… etc: And I’m confused why I can’t find a smart controller for the Air 3 that is just like the RM500. Thank you for your reply and your excellent explanation. Although I thought the RM500 was actually newer than the DJI RC 2. I may have to move up to a different model drone…. Thank you though
The DJI RM500, officially known as the DJI Smart Controller, was released in January 2019.
It was designed with a built-in screen so pilots did not need to plug in a phone. The controller was originally made for the Mavic 2 series drones, but later firmware updates made it compatible with other models like the Mavic Air 2 and DJI Air 2S.
The DJI RM500 has been discontinued and is no longer sold or supported directly by DJI.