Wondering how to fix drones not pairing? Here’s a guide to fixing drone pairing problem. Check it out!
Drones are lovely gadgets that serve a wide variety of purposes and hence have a huge following among different categories of people. If you own a drone, it must be your proud possession, which you must be taking care in the best way possible.
Despite proper handling and good maintenance, drones may suffer some technical glitches like any other technology product.
Failing to connect with the controller is one of the common drone problems you too may confront at times. If you wonder why this happens and how to troubleshoot drone connection issues, you will find the answer in this article in a detailed way.
There can be several reasons for drone not pairing with the controller or smartphone. Some of the possible causes could be a technical glitch in the drone, controller not syncing with the drone, and low batteries.
To solve the connection failure issues, you will have to check each of these three possibilities one by one to discover the solution to the problem.
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How To Fix DJI Drones Not Pairing?
Reasons why your drone is not connecting
Drones are paired either with the controller provided by the manufacturer or a smartphone via a drone controlling app.
Resolving a drone connection issue with the controller or smartphone must begin with identifying the right cause. The most common reasons for drone connectivity issues are discussed below with the possible solutions you can try yourself.
Battery issues
The most prominent cause for drone connectivity issues could be a battery issue like there is no sufficient charge left in the battery.
Therefore, you must first check the batteries of drone as well as the controller to ascertain if they have enough power to establish the connection.
If any of these two batteries do not have enough power, you must charge them using the charger provided by the manufacturer. In most cases of low battery issue, the connectivity problem will get solved automatically once the batteries are fully charged.
If you can’t connect the drone with the controller even after charging the battery, you will have to think laterally to identify other causes.
Sometimes, the batteries might have expired and might need a replacement. If the old batteries do not charge, replace them with new ones and this can solve the drone connectivity issue.
While going for battery replacement, rechargeable batteries are the best option since you will not have to keep investing in new batteries every time.
The flight times of most drones average between 20 and 50 minutes. Therefore, it is wise to have two to three pairs of batteries with full charge. This will give you enough backup to enjoy a few hours of drone flight for any of your intended missions.
There is some important advice on purchasing batteries. Just to save money, never settle with inferior quality batteries. There are several brands available in the market and do some research to find the ones that will last the longest and are durable.
Some cheap options can disappoint you as they can’t fly the drone for more than a few minutes in the air.
If charging your batteries well or replacing them with new ones has solved the drone connectivity issue, you have done the job successfully and ready to fly your drone merrily once again.
Controller not syncing properly
If the controller was syncing with the drone well earlier, but not syncing now, you might be using the wrong procedure to sync the drone and its controller. To resolve this issue, first ensure that both the devices have enough power left in their batteries.
Switch on the drone and the controller. Let them automatically search for each other’s radio signals. Once the connection is established successfully, the drone lights will turn solid.
Once the drone and the connector pair with each other successfully, you may also hear a beep sound in some drone models.
If you have tried this step but could not get a connection, you may move on with the rest of the solutions discussed below.
Technical problems
Since the solutions we have discussed above did not work in the case of your drone, we may presume that the drone is suffering a severe hardware or software issue that will demand professional intervention.
However, you do not have to panic as there are a few more things you can try yourself before taking it to a professional drone service center.
Sometimes, a simple trick like a software update can solve a technical glitch. Often a simple reboot could also be the right solution.
Beyond these two tips, you may have to take the drone to a technician who can guide you with the right advice.
So, if you have moved till this point without a solution, try a simple reboot of your drone. Press and hold the power button which you will find at the back, top or bottom of the gadget for about 3 seconds. This will shut down the drone. Press the button once again to reboot the drone.
If the reboot does not solve the drone connectivity issue, you may attempt a software update. Try this for the drone as well as the controller and try reconnecting the two.
If this step does not solve the pairing issue, download the drone app on your smartphone and try connecting your drone with the phone.
If the connection is not established still with the controller or smartphone, it is time to approach the drone manufacturer for further support. Most drone manufacturers will have some ready solutions for the most common drone problems.
They might guide you with a step-by-step tutorial to solve the connectivity issue and handle the situation yourself.
If there are any hardware issues in the drone, you will have to ship the drone and its controller to the service center. Some drone manufacturers are noted for poor after-sale support.
Therefore, it is wise to pick up your drone from a reputed company that can stand with its customers when it comes to product troubleshooting support.
Syncing the drone with its controller
In different drone models, the process of syncing the drone and its controller can differ. Most drones we find in the market come with unique controllers that are used to control the drone’s flight, hovering around, filming or photo shooting.
Drone controllers transfer the radio signal to the drone and provide instructions on what the pilot expects the drone to do. When you try to connect a drone with its controller, no WiFi network is required.
If the pairing issue is due to the drone not syncing with the controller, you can try the following steps to successfully sync both devices.
Switch on your drone
Press the drone’s power button for a few seconds to power on the drone. In most drone models, the flashlights will be on accompanied by a beep sound indicating that the drone is powered on.
After switching on the drone, look for a beep sound or green signal from the drone which will indicate that the drone is booted up and is ready for pairing with the controller.
Switch on the controller
Press the controller’s power button to switch it on to prepare it for pairing.
In most drone models, you will hear a beep sound. If you do not hear a beep sound, look for flashing LEDs to check if the controller is powered on.
Download the drone app
In some drone models, you will have to set up the drone and its controller via a mobile application. In some other models, you may have to connect the drone and the controller via USB cable.
Whichever may be the case with your drone, this step can successfully sync the drone and the controller.
Ensure to read through the user manual provided by the drone manufacturer to understand which of the syncing methods is relevant to your drone model. For some drone models, you have to download the drone app from Google Play or App Store.
Drone models like the DJI Phantom 4 for instance can pair with the controller via the DJI Go 4 app. Since you can control the drone only with the app exclusively provided by the manufacturer, you must approach this step with due care.
After downloading the app, you can launch the app and do the settings like video output, and mode of flight. You will also be asked to input whether you are a beginner, intermediate or expert level user.
Launch the drone app
After downloading and launching the app. You need to configure it. In some controllers like the ones accompanying DJI drone models, the controller must be first connected to the smartphone. To start connecting the controller with the device, enter the settings with regard to flight interface.
Go to settings and tap on remote controller settings. Click on the tab, ‘Link a controller’.
You will find the link button at the bottom, or tail end or on top of the drone. Tap on this button. If you are not sure about the link button, consult the user manual to find it out depending on your drone model.
An onscreen prompt will confirm that the controller has got successfully linked with the drone. Once you tap on ‘O|K’, the drone is now ready to fly.
What could have gone wrong if the above solutions do not work
Even if the controller has synced with the drone, sometimes you might come across issues like the drone getting disconnected often, not taking off or the blades not spinning. Let us discuss the possible remedies to these problems one by one.
Blades that are not spinning
The most common cause for blades not spinning is due to a hair wrapped around the propeller or stuck in the motor, which prevents it from rotating. This can happen if you are living with pets.
To solve this issue, you need to take off the blades by unscrewing them. Clear the hair particles or dirt found around the motor. This is a very common problem in drones and the solution is a very simple one.
Take off issues with the drone
Once you fix the blades once again with the drone, sometimes, the drone might not take off despite the blades rotating. If this happens, the reason could be that the blades are not in their correct positions.
Check with the manual provided to ensure that the blades are reattached properly. If there is a mistake in this, reassign the blades to their right positions.
Controller gets disconnected
Even after the drone connects with its controller, sometimes, the connection can keep failing while the drone takes off or while it is in mid-air. This can even lead to a crash the drone being lost.
Reasons for controller disconnecting
Some of the reasons why the drone disconnects with the controller are interferences or too many connections nearby, unstable software updates, low battery, unfavorable climate for radio signal transmission, and drone drifting off far away from the controller.
To be able to solve the drone pairing issue, you must first ascertain the right case for this. When you narrow down the problem, you will be in a better position to try the right solution that can remedy the drone connectivity issue quickly and see your drone flying merrily once again.
Jon is a passionate photographer and videographer who has been flying DJI drones for over 5 years. He loves the freedom and creativity that comes with capturing aerial footage and the unique perspective it provides. Jon is always on the lookout for new locations to explore and capture with his DJI drones. His favorite DJI drone is the Mavic 2 Pro, which he uses to capture stunning 4K footage with its Hasselblad camera. Jon is always eager to share his knowledge and experience with other drone enthusiasts and is a member of several online drone communities. When he’s not flying his DJI drone, Jon enjoys hiking, camping, and spending time with his family.
