What happens when Skydio X2 loses signal?

Published: Updated:

  1. Skydio
  2. Skydio X2 Enterprise
  3. Flying Skydio X2E

Establishing return behaviors for your drone is a critical pre-flight safety precaution that ensures a safe return flight and landing. When a return is triggered, either manually or autonomously, Skydio X2 will ascend to the user-specified height before beginning the return flight. You can customize this return height and other return settings to ensure that no obstacles, people, or animals will be in the return pathway of your drone. Obstacle avoidance remains enabled when Skydio X2 loses communication with the controlling device. If you lose signal, Skydio X2 will navigate home by itself.

In-Depth

CS_connection_status_icon.png You can monitor the strength of the signal connection between the controlling device and your Skydio 2/2+. Select the Connection Status icon to display the connected drone status, signal strength, GPS quality, and satellite count. CS_S2PE_connection_status_menu_UI.jpg

Lost Connection return behaviors

If you lose connection, Skydio will default to the Lost Connection settings you have selected prior to your flight:

  • Wait Before Return - the time you want Skydio to wait before it initiates a return flight, allowing time to reconnect.
  • Land Once Returned - when enabled, Skydio will return and hover for a user-specified time and land.
  • Wait Before Land - set the amount of time between 0 to 300 seconds (the default is 240 seconds) that you want Skydio to wait before landing. This setting is only enabled when Land Once Return is toggled on.
Skydio will then follow the Return Behavior settings you have selected. Adjust settings such as the speed, orientation, and height of your drone during the return trip. Skydio will use Standard Obstacle Avoidance while returning.

[info text="If the return type is set to GPS but the Skydio X2 enters a GPS denied situation, your drone will return to the last known GPS point using vision navigation. If a GPS link is not re-established, your drone will return to the launch point using vision navigation."] 

If your signal connection is lost while following a subject:

Skydio X2 uses visual tracking, with GPS and connection to the controlling device, to establish its position and track a subject. Occasionally those signals can be obscured by the environment, especially when a subject is moving quickly.
  • If Home Point is set: Skydio will continue to follow the subject for 20 seconds, or until the drone initiates a return home due to a low battery (whichever occurs first). After tracking has stopped, Skydio X2 will wait the specified Wait Before Return time (minus 20 seconds) before returning to the Home Point.
  • If NO Home Point is set: Skydio X2 will continue to track for 20 seconds. After that time, Skydio will wait the specified Wait Before Return time (minus 20 seconds) before returning to the last location it was actively tracking a subject while connected.

If your signal connection is lost while NOT following a subject:

If Home Point is set: Skydio X2 will return to the Home Point you have set.

If NO Home Point is set: Skydio X2 will go to the last known location of a tracked subject. If no subject was tracked in this flight, Skydio will return to the Launch Point.

Recovering a lost drone

In the event that your Skydio X2 is lost, you may view its last known location by selecting your vehicle within the Info tab (Info > Devices) and selecting “Find <vehicle name>”.

Explore More

Explore related articles for additional information

Access Skydio 2/2+ Enterprise Manuals and Guides

How to set the return behaviors on your Skydio 2/2+ Enterprise

 

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