Troubleshooting Skydio Dock and Remote Ops

Published: Updated:

  1. Skydio
  2. Skydio Remote Operations
  3. Dock & Remote Ops Maintenance

General Issues

 

[accordion heading="Error Message"]

Occasionally you may run into errors during remote operations. If this happens, follow the guidance provided in the on-screen message to resolve.

If the error message does not provide guidance on how to resolve it:

  • Wait 10 seconds or so and then reboot the drone (remotely from Skydio Cloud)
  • If that doesn't work, then reboot the dock (remotely from Skydio Cloud)
  • If that doesn't work, take note of error code and contact Skydio Support

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Media SD full / Logging SD full / Log Card Missing"]

“Media SD full”

  1. Allow media to be uploaded and then delete by toggling ON “Delete files from the vehicle's SD card after upload” in Media Upload settings.
    [note] This may take time depending on the amount of data and network connection speeds.[/note]
  2. Replace or format the media SD card. Note that formatting the SD card will delete all data from the card.

"Logging SD full”

  1. Reboot drone remotely from Skydio Cloud
  2. If rebooting the drone does not resolve the issue, replace or format the Log SD card. Note that formatting the SD card will delete all data from the card (including flight logs).

    CS_Dock_troubleshooting_format_Cards_crpd.png

“Log Card Missing”

The log card is missing or not formatted correctly.

CS_Dock_troubleshooting_log_card_missing.png

  1. Confirm that the supported SD card is inserted in the drone’s log card slot.
  2. Replace or format the log SD card. Note that formatting the SD card will delete all data from the card.CS_Dock_troubleshooting_format_Cards_crpd.png

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="A scheduled mission fails to launch"]

  1. Ensure that the vehicle and dock are online on Skydio Cloud.
  2. Ensure that there are no obstacles nearby the dock that may be obstructing the launch safety clearance.
  3. There may be a fault (e.g. Media SD full) on the vehicle that is blocking launch. Take note of any blocking error messages in Remote Flight Deck.

[note] Missions outdoors must always have an active pilot. [/note]

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Drone is not landing in the dock"]

When executing a dock landing, the drone must visually recognize the items listed below to land successfully. If the drone does not recognize the necessary items, it will conduct a safe landing near the dock.

Skydio logo on top of Dock

Ensure that the logo is visible and not covered by objects, shadows, or light reflection.

Dock ID number

  • Ensure that the ID is visible and not covered by objects, shadows, or light reflection.
  • Confirm that the correct ID number is set in the dock settings.
    CS_Dock_troubleshooting_dock_settings.png

AprilTag on arm

  • Make sure that the ID is visible and not covered by objects, shadows, or light reflection.
  • Confirm that the correct type of AprilTag is selected in the dock settings.
    CS_Dock_troubleshooting_april_tags.png

If all of the above are satisfied but the issue persists, contact customer support.

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Permissions Error"]

To fly via Remote Flight Deck in Skydio Cloud you must be logged in as either an “Admin” or “Remote Pilot” role.

If the Fly Now button is grayed out and shows a permission error (see below) contact your Skydio Cloud Admin to update your role.

CS_Dock_troubleshooting_permissions.png

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Drone video stream and/or response to control inputs are choppy and unstable"]

Network connection speeds may be insufficient.

  1. Perform a network speed test on the drone and dock from the Skydio Cloud fleet page.
    CS_Dock_troubleshooting_network_speed_drone_1.pngCS_Dock_troubleshooting_network_speed_drone_2.png
  2. Measured speed should consistently be greater than 10 Mbps at minimum for satisfactory flight experience.

 

[/accordion]

 

Device Went Offline

 

[accordion heading="Drone went offline in flight"]

If only the drone is offline

Dock will show as “Offline” on main fleet page. However, if you mouse over the “Offline” status you will see the dock is online but the Drone is not.
CS_Dock_troubleshooting_dock_online_drone_offline.png

The drone may be outside the range of the infrastructure Wi-Fi signal (Vehicle connection using wifi mode) or SkydioLink connection to the dock (Vehicle connection using SkydioLink mode).

The drone will follow Lost Connection settings and return to dock. Connection should recover once the drone is in range of the Wi-Fi signal or SkydioLink connection.

If the drone and dock are both offline

CS_Dock_troubleshooting_devices_offline.png

  • Network connection may be unavailable. Confirm that the network is active and has connection to the internet meeting the network requirements using the Skydio network test.
  • The dock will open and prepare for drone landing after 1 minute of disconnection. The drone will follow Lost Connection to return and land in Dock.
    • If dock and drone connection recovers within 5 minutes of landing, the dock will complete its regular closing sequence (retract arm and close door).
    • If connection is not recovered within 5 minutes, the dock will be stuck with its arm extended even after the drone lands. In this case, reboot the dock via Skydio Cloud to recover to the closed-door state.

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Drone went offline while at rest"]

There are several potential reasons that a drone may be offline from Skydio Cloud. First, locate the drone.

Drone is on the ground outside the dock

Manually place the drone back into the dock.

  • If the drone has landed on the ground, the drone will stay on and online for 5 minutes if left untouched.
  • If the drone is online, it can be flown again via Skydio Cloud to be landed in the dock.

Drone is inside the dock but has powered OFF

You will not be able to see the drone lights. The drone may have turned OFF inside the dock if it was not properly seated in the pedestal and thus is not getting charge/power from the dock.

Remote
Reboot the dock via Skydio Cloud. The dock re-homes its arm during boot, which can shake the drone to be seated in the pedestal. Try rebooting the dock twice, each time waiting 2 min for the dock to reconnect to the charging pins and come online in the cloud, and checking the dock camera feed to see indication of the drone LED lights and any other abnormalities.

 

On-site

  • Reboot the dock. Using the buttons on the back access panel, extend and retract the arm a few times.
  • If this does not resolve the issue, remove the drone, reboot the drone, place the drone back on the pedestal, and retract the arm. Observe that the drone battery LED lights up when the arm is fully retracted into the dock, showing that it made a good connection to the chagrin pins.
  • If the issue continues to persist, the dock charger pins may not be aligning with the drone battery. Compress/depress the charger connection point inside the dock. This should level the connection point for proper connection with the drone battery.

Drone is on the pedestal, but the dock arm is stuck extended

Remote

Reboot the dock via Skydio Cloud. You may need to reboot multiple times (up to 3 times).

On-site

If the situation is not resolved with remote dock reboots, on-site action will be needed. Physically pull out and/or push in the dock arm manually before rebooting the dock.

Drone is inside the dock and has power

You can usually see the drone LED color and state from the dock camera feed. (You will need to look carefully for the light from the drone LED reflecting off of the dock door or insides).

Follow the steps below according to the LED lights on the drone.

Infrastructure Wi-Fi Connectivity

Blue

If the drone LED is blue and not turning green inside the dock, this indicates that the drone battery is not getting power/charge from the dock.

Refer to section above, Drone is inside the dock but has powered OFF.

Breathing Green

 

Confirm that the intended Wi-Fi network is active. (Check if another device can detect and connect to the Wi-Fi network.) Network should have connection to the internet and meet the network requirements.

On-site

Wi-Fi network information may be incorrectly synced to the drone.

  • Re-enter the SSID and PW of the Wi-Fi network in Skydio Cloud.
  • Re-sync the cloud configurations to the drone.
    • Option 1 (ethernet adapter): Connect your drone to the Internet using a USB-C ethernet adapter. You will see the drone come online.
    • Option 2 (Skydio Enterprise App): See steps here.
    • Confirm that the “Configuration Created” time is updated

CS_Dock_troubleshooting_config_created.png

Breathing Yellow

Drone in Infrastructure Wi-Fi Mode is not detecting or able to connect to any synced wifi signal.

Confirm that the intended Wi-Fi network is active. (Check if another device can detect and connect to the Wi-Fi network.)

On-site

Wifi network information may be incorrectly synced to the drone.

  • Re-enter the SSID and PW of the wifi network in Skydio Cloud.
  • Re-sync the cloud configurations to the drone.
  • Confirm that the “Configuration Created” time is updated.

CS_Dock_troubleshooting_config_created.png

Red

Drone is in an abnormal state. The drone software should run auto-recovery. Wait for 10 minutes to note any changes in the LED behavior.

On-site

If no change is observed, manually reboot the drone. Wait for 10 minutes to note any changes in the LED behavior.

SkydioLink Connectivity

The drone LED lights are always blue when using SkydioLink connectivity.

Drone connectivity using SkydioLink is dependent on drone-to-dock connection and dock-to-Skydio Cloud (via WAN) connection. Check Dock LEDs for network troubleshooting

Dock LEDs are red, Drone not online

Drone is not paired with Dock in cloud settings

Link Drone to Dock in Dock Device Settings. Visit Getting Started with Skydio Remote Ops for more information about linking devices.

  • Reboot Dock
  • Sync cloud settings to Drone:
  • Option 1 (ethernet adapter): Connect your drone to the Internet using a USB-C ethernet adapter. You will see the drone come online.
  • Option 2 (Skydio Enterprise App): See steps here.

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Dock went offline"]

There are several potential reasons that a dock may be offline from Skydio Cloud. Check the dock state by looking at the LED lights at the front, then follow the steps below according to the state.

Breathing Green: No network connectivity

Dock connection using Wi-Fi

  • Follow the same troubleshooting steps above when the vehicle lights are breathing green.
  • To sync updated cloud configurations (wifi SSID and password) to the dock, the dock needs to be connected via ethernet cable.

Dock connection using Ethernet cable

  • Ensure the ethernet cable is plugged into Ethernet Port 1 (left port) in the dock control panel.
  • Check ethernet cable for damage at both ends of the connector and the length of the cable run with an ethernet cable tester. Or verify connection with a different ethernet cable.
  • Conduct a network speed test to confirm that the network device is active and has connection to the internet meeting the network requirements.

Solid Red: Mechanical Malfunction

 See steps below under "Dock door or arm stalls, LED lights are solid red."

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Dock or drone went offline during software update"]

During an update, a reboot is required. The dock and drone will reboot itself during the update process, but may occasionally need to be rebooted manually.

  • If you find a dock or drone offline during the update process, wait 10-15 min before further action
  • If the dock or drone does not come back online, reboot the dock/drone manually.
  • Verify the software version of drone to see if it has updated
  • If the software version is latest, then the update has completed successfully
  • If the software version is old, try updating again. If the update continues to be unsuccessful, contact Skydio Support.

[/accordion]

 

Mechanical Issues

 

[accordion heading="Dock overheating"]

Dock overheating can be a sign that the filter needs to be cleaned or replaced. Visit How to maintain your Skydio Dock for instructions on how to remove, inspect, and replace your filter.

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Dock door or arm stalls, LED lights are solid red"]

Reboot Dock via Skydio Cloud or with the reboot button or power switch on the dock. Rebooting the dock a few times can often clear the issue.

On-site

If the issue can not be resolved by remotely rebooting the dock, on-site action is needed. Take care during this process to not pinch your fingers in any moving parts.

  1. Visually inspect dock to see if the error is readily apparent from props caught in the door, door linkages missing or loose, a hung pedestal arm, or other obvious mechanical issues
  2. Verify the drone and props are not caught in the door
    • The automated prop folding sequence only runs after flight. If you manually place the drone in the pedestal and retract the arm without aligning the props correctly, this may cause a prop catch inadvertently.
  3. Arm faulting:
    1. If the door is open fully proceed to the next step, if not then:
      • Cycle the power switch to reboot the dock, then turn power switch off when the door is fully open
    2. With the dock powered off, gently grasp the pedestal and pull the arm to its full extension and then push it back into the dock, seating it against the power module.
    3. Fully extend the arm again and ensure that the two floor plates on either side of the arm are flush with the frame and that the pedestal does not catch on any surface.
    4. Move the arm in and out manually to verify the blockage is no longer interfering
    5. Power the dock back on and run the arm extension cycle in and out 2-3 times with the arm button on the back of the Skydio Dock to verify functionality.

If the issue continues to persist, the dock may need maintenance action. See maintenance guide: How to maintain your Skydio Dock.

[/accordion]

[accordion heading="Other mechanical issues"]

See maintenance guide: How to maintain your Skydio Dock.

Door actuators make a squeaking/screeching noise when in motion

Apply Lubriplate Aero Lithium Grease to the door actuator screws and cycle the door to spread the grease, repeat as needed until the squeaking stops.

Refer to the Dock Maintenance guide.

Rear access panel lock seized

Aerosol lubricant (WD-40) can be sprayed directly into the lock assembly to attempt to free the corroded parts.

If lubricant fails to resolve the issue, contact Skydio Support.

Dock door not completing boot seating

Occurs when the door is attempting to seat against the lower pressure switches but cannot due to deformation of the pressure pads.

Contact Skydio Support.

[/accordion]

 

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