Video: DJI Neo Controls including Voice Explained

One of the great – and unique – features of the DJI Neo drone is its voice control.

It took me a little while to get this to work as I was attempting to use a 3^rd party mic with the smartphone, and in the process missed a vital step in the setup process. However, thankfully, and as per usual, the good folk on the DJI support Chat line patiently talked me through the process from start to finish and had me up and running within a few minutes.

The mic in question was a Hollyland Lark C1 wireless system which comes with a either a USB-C or Lightning connection to plug directly into your mobile phone, and a pair of wireless transmitters. The battery life is rated at up to 32 hours, and in perfect conditions, you get around 200 metres range. This range is somewhat tempered though as the way it works with the DJI Fly app throws another step into the mix.

Ordinarily, you’d talk into the lapel mic which transmits to the phone – all well and good there and you’ll get the 200 metres range. BUT the phone then ‘talks’ to the DJI Neo, and uses Bluetooth for this part, with all the inherent distance issues Bluetooth is hampered by.

This still applies if you use the native mic in the smartphone by the way but the advantage of using a separate wireless mic is that you get clear audio if you are also recording a narration in addition to giving commands. This is due to built-in filtering of the noise from the Neo’s propellers.

The voice commands available are loosely grouped into QuickShots Recording actions (more on that in a second), “Following” actions to change height or distance from the pilot such as “Lower” or “Closer” and “Safety” actions to stop or terminate flight like “Land” or “Brake”.

Back to QuickShots; these are commands that tell the Neo to perform a specific flight manoeuvre.

For example, “2 metre circle” will make the Neo fly around the operator in a circle with a radius of 2 metres. Follow, which is the default when you start flying, will have the Neo faithfully follow the operator as they walk around and Dronie causes the Neo fly backward and ascend, with the camera locked on the subject while it records a video.

To capture a subject and the environment, Helix will circle the subject and ascend with a spiralling motion around the subject.

Other QuickShots include Spotlight, Rocket and Close Follow.

Despite the minor distance limitation, Voice Control it is a fun feature to use once all setup and running. But it also has its serious side I reckon, in that for certain professionals in the video world, it could certainly add to their treasure trove of available shots.

For events such as weddings, some of the QuickShots are almost a given such as flying around the bride and groom in a 3 metre arc for example.

TV shows such as Midsomer Murders love their shots of the camera ascending from the forest over the solved crime scene at the conclusion of the episode and the dronie QuickShot is perfect for this. Spotlight, that keeps a subject in the camera view at all times also has potential in many areas.

And all this from a drone costing AUD$299! And all in 4K video too (of course you can also take still shots at will).

Conclusion

All of the voice commands can be obtained directly from the DJI Fly app of course if you wish. But somehow, adding voice adds a little bit of “Star Trek” to the experience.

For the money, the DJI Neo is a remarkable piece of equipment offering something for both the casual drone flyer and professional alike.

If you want to add to the experience, you can also add the separate controller of course, and to get the whole “POV” (point of view) feel, the goggles brings a whole new dimension.

This short video explains the different types of controllers the #DJI #Neo can use, and also demonstrates the use of voice control.