Should I get an iPad Mini 2 WiFi dedicated for Solo Flight?

[Adam Eisen]

I'm debating on purchasing an iPad Mini 2 WiFi for flying with my Solo. I've been hearing mixed things about needing the Cellular capabilities for all the functions Solo has. Could anyone weigh in on whether or not they have used the iPad mini 2 Wifi for flight? I'm using my iPhone 6s right now, I just feel like something bigger would make flight a lot easier.

The other Idea I had was to use the money for the iPad on a small on-camera monitor and a tripod and have the miniHDMI feed to the monitor for a bigger picture. Does anyone has any experience using monitors for their live video streaming?

Thank you in advance for all the advice!

 

[Nisouck]

That's true: you don't have a internal GPS with the iPad Mini 2 WiFi even Apple seller tells you the contrary!!!!
By the way: Ipad Mini 2 is great ....... but!

 

[SARDG]

I don't know a thing about anything Apple anymore and haven't used Apple since my Apple IIe, BUT...

...I do know that you do not need normal cellular service for your Solo. The only pressing thing you may need over a data network (cellular or Wi-Fi) would be mapping, and there are two options to cache your maps before you fly a mission - Google Maps, and Mapbox.

Now, IF you find yourself in a remote location away from Wi-Fi and have not previously cached the maps you'll need for your current flight area, cell service could come in handy. If that happens, and you have your cell phone with you, you could use your cell phone as an Access Point and connect to mapping through it, to your W-Fi-only device.

If you're organized, and use a pre-mission checklist that begins at home, you will have downloaded and cached the maps you'll need for the flight area. IF your flight/mission area will be beyond what is cachable, you will have to connect to a data source to cache the new area - however, the amount of mapping that you can cache is fairly large.

 

[Nisouck]

Ok, not too bad but try to make a follow me with a Ipad mini 3 WiFi ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ipad mini 3 WiFi ONLY has NOT a internal GPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SARDG]

I will add that on Android devices, location services is allegedly more accurate when using cell and internal GPS data combined, though newer Androids use GPS and Wi-Fi combined for location.

 

[Nisouck]

So, I suppose that will be clear for all of us:

Does iPad mini Wifi come with GPS | Official Apple Support Communities

 

[Adam Eisen]

Thanks guys for all the advice. I didn't think about using my phone as a wireless access point for the iPad if my maps aren't cached before flight.

 

[SARDG]

Ok, not too bad but try to make a follow me with a Ipad mini 3 WiFi ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ipad mini 3 WiFi ONLY has NOT a internal GPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If that's addressed to me, well.. could be. As my disclaimer says, I know nothing about Apple stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy a real device - an Android.

...or buy an external GPS for the Apple device. I know they are made because boaters with those crippled Apples have added them to enable use of a chartplotter App.

 

[DJ Wes]

I love using my iPad Mini 2. BUT, it doesn't have a barometer so 'Leash Mode' won't work. Solo will not change altitude while following you.

 

[SARDG]

Isn't the Mini 2 old technology anyway?

 

[mudman]

Isn't the Mini 2 old technology anyway?

I'm using a iPad mini 2, works as good or better than my Nvidia shield. Only problem is no gps so no follow me or return to me...I just use my phone if i want to use one of those shots.

 

[PdxSteve]

The mini2 is the lowest in the mini series that will get the new ios update in the fall. All others have been obsoleted by Apple and no further updates. So you may want to keep that in mind regarding how long your device will be supported. When the next mini is released in a year from now, the mini2 may go, if keeping to the last several years trend. It will still work with older ios versions of course, but as apps get updated they may drop support for older devices as well, including the solos min ios requirement.

 

[Jubalr]

I don't know a thing about anything Apple anymore and haven't used Apple since my Apple IIe.

Damn girl, now you're dating yourself, like me. My last Apple product was the original Apple ][ with a whopping 16k in the fall of 77'. I immediately added 8k for a total of 24k and people laughed wondering what I was doing with ALL THAT MEMORY. If I remember it was around $1600 for the 16k version. That's around $6500 in today's value. No hard dosk or floppies back then..Just a cassette player.

My Apologies @Adam Eisen for the slight detour..

 

[Vegasrobbi]

Damn girl, now you're dating yourself, like me. My last Apple product was the original Apple ][ with a whopping 16k in the fall of 77'. I immediately added 8k for a total of 24k and people laughed wondering what I was doing with ALL THAT MEMORY. If I remember it was around $1600 for the 16k version. That's around $6500 in today's value. No hard dosk or floppies back then..Just a cassette player.

My Apologies @Adam Eisen for the slight detour..

I have the mini 4 celluar with GPS and baro. I'm very happy with it, right size and bright screen. Dynamic altitude works great on trails.

 

[SteveReno]

Ipad with WiFi + Cellular works for me.
All features "2.4" All working = good deal.
tested: fence for all my weak spots, No more RTH..... about a 2500 Ft radius

 

[SARDG]

Damn girl, now you're dating yourself, like me. My last Apple product was...
My Apologies @Adam Eisen for the slight detour..

Slacker! Z-80 CP/M card, Floppy, Corvus 10 Mb hard drive, X-10 Card for home automation, 128 kb of RAM. That HD alone originally >$5,000 then; about 6 mos. salary.
...and my apologies - All Jubair's fault!

At times I struggle with acronyms and abbreviations on this forum; let's see you kids here figure out some of my rambling above and wrap your head around that technology.

 

[SARDG]

I have the mini 4 celluar with GPS and baro. I'm very happy with it...

Ya' see? If I was an Apple girl, that's were I'd be! Always shooting myself in the foot with bleeding edge hardware, beta SW & FW - and I insist on fixing things that ain't broke!

 

[Maddog]

I had a Commodore 64 and an Atari 128 once. Wish I still had them.

 

[SteveReno]

Slacker! Z-80 CP/M card, Floppy, Corvus 10 Mb hard drive, X-10 Card for home automation, 128 kb of RAM. That HD alone originally >$5,000 then; about 6 mos. salary.
...and my apologies - All Jubair's fault!

At times I struggle with acronyms and abbreviations on this forum; let's see you kids here figure out some of my rambling above and wrap your head around that technology.

Can't help to wonder if true, that Bill Gates cheated the owner of CP/M & started MSDOS> think so...

 

[SARDG]

I t

Can't help to wonder if true, that Bill Gates cheated the owner of CP/M & started MSDOS> think so...

I think so. Was a battle for awhile. Now, MS-DOS is a dinosaur, and Gates..... $$$

But just by virtue of you knowing what CP/M is, makes you an old(er) fart... Didn'the you mention sysop the other day?