In this article, we are going to discuss the new FAA requirement about remote ID and see if the DJI Mavic Mini 2 have remote ID capability.
As commercial drones are becoming popular around the world, they are posing a risk to manned flights as well as people below them. Due to this, governments worldwide are introducing regulations to make the drone hobby safe for everyone.
One of these regulations recently introduced in April 2020 was the remote ID requirement. The remote ID is a digital license plate that associates a flying drone with its registered owner for identification and accountability purposes.
So, does Mavic Mini 2 have a remote ID, and whether it needs one?
Mavic Mini 2 doesn’t have a remote ID. Drones that are produced after September 2022 will come with remote ID capability. But the Mavic Mini 2 is still exempted from this rule because it weighs less than 0.55lb (250g).
Let’s discuss things in more detail and see how your Mavic Mini 2 is affected by the new FAA Remote ID rule.
What is Remote ID?
A remote ID is like a license plate for your drone. Instead of a physical license plate, it’s a digital one that helps the authorities identify the owner of the drone flying in the air if needed.
Technically speaking, a Remote ID is a small radio chip inside your drone that stores and transmits the real-time position, altitude, and FAA registration number of the drone. The transmission can be received via any smartphone in the vicinity of the drone.
FAA started working on implementing a digital remote ID on commercial drones back in 2016 when it was deemed necessary for security by US Intelligence agencies. A number of incidents that happened before pushed for this necessary regulation including an unknown drone crashing into the White House in 2015.
After discussing and deliberating with all stakeholders for the next 3 years, the FAA came up with the first draft of the proposed new regulation in 2019. More than 53,000 comments were collected and the rules were updated and finally released in April 2021.
Does Mavic Mini 2 have Remote ID?
The Mavic Mini 2 was released in November 2020 and at that time, the rules for Remote ID were still under discussion. So, the DJI didn’t put any hardware to enable any remote identification feature. In fact, non of the current DJI drones have Remote ID capabilities.
When the FAA released the new regulations in April 2021, the agency gave drone manufacturers adequate time to make sure their new products are in compliance with the just-released regulations. The timeline is as follows:
- All new drones that will be manufacturered AFTER September 2022 will have remote ID capabilities (hardware + software)
- All the drones will begin transmitting Remote ID AFTER September 2023.
But here is a big caveat for the Mavic Mini 2. Even after the new rules go into effect after September 2023, your Mavic Mini 2 is exempted from the Remote ID requirement because it is less than 0.55lb or 250 grams.
The FAA rule states that the drone remote ID requirement is for those drones only that require registration with the FAA. Only those drones are required registration with the FAA that weighs more than 0.55lb or 250 grams. Mavic Mini 2 is less than 0.55lb, hence no FAA registration and no Remote ID requirement.
DJI anticipated Products in 2022: DJI Pocket 3
The only time your Mavic Mini 2 might need a Remote ID is if you use it in any professional category. But that will be unlikely as the Mini 2 is a beginner drone with very limited capabilities to be used as a professional drone.
Will DJI come up with Remote ID in Mini 2?
Although the FAA does not mandate the Mavic Mini 2 users to have remote ID in the US, other countries might come up with slightly different regulations.
The EU is famous for more stringent regulations when it comes to safety and they are currently in the process of updating their commercial drone rules.
In such a scenario, if any specific major country mandated the DJI to put remote ID hardware in all their drones, the Mavic Mini 2 will also have to be updated. This can be done in two ways:
- DJI can release a new version of Mini 2 with remote ID ( or in the rumored Mavic Mini 3)
- DJI can release a small separate remote ID module that you can attach to your existing drone.
In either case, we have at least a year or so to be worried about remote ID on our Mavic Mini 2. I will keep this article updated to reflect the latest rules.
Mavic Mini 2 Remote ID – Summary
To summarise the discussion, here are the main points.
- DJI Mavic Mini 2 does not have Remote ID capabilities.
- The remote ID requirement was introduced in April 2021 and will go into final effect in September 2023.
- Since the Mavic Mini 2 is less than 0.55lb, it does not require mendatory remote ID in the USA.
- However, it might need a remote ID in other countries and DJI will come up with a suitable solution if any such regulation happens.
- You can also use a remote ID module to enable remote ID capability.
OK, here we go. One: Most of the DJI drone line up have RID. Two: I have flown and owned the Mavic , Mavic Air, Spark and the Mini 2. Of those three the Mini 2 is the most capable. Beginner? As a former RC Heli pilot, I have to say a beginner drone has to have at least front collision avoidance on it, such as the spark, Air and the full Mavic line. As the Mini 2 does not, can we consider it a beginner drone? Cost is one thing that could put it in the beginner drone category. But, it is a capable drone with 4K video, great stability, even in 25 mile an hour winds. It can go in where it’s bigger brothers dare not. So calling it limited is YOUR opinion.
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When we say “remote ID,” we mean the kind that complies with the latest FAA rules. None of the drones you mentioned (Mavic, Air, Spark & Mini 2) has RID that comply with the FAA rules that are going into effect in September 2023.