Everything you need to know about Tello Drone

This article explains questions the Tello drone pilots may have or will encounter. No matter you are a Tello user or you plan to buy one, you can definitely find something valuable here.

How long do Tello Motors last?

DJI Ryze Tello uses brushed motors, when they get old, the motors will lose thrust. The average lifespan is about 40 hours, but it really depends on how you use your Tello. There is no obvious indicator telling you that the motors need to be replaced. They may just stop working, or won’t feel smooth when you spin them by hand, or they look and sound fine but movements are slightly erratic when flying.

If your Tello motors have reached their lifespan, you will need to change them. Check the following question for a detailed guide.

How do you change a Tello drone motor?

If your Tello motors are damaged or simply lost thrust, you will need to change them. It’s recommended to contact customer support. Changing the Tello motor is a complex task and requires some engineering background because you may accidentally break other parts during the replacement. If you believe you can do it, the first thing you need to do is to prepare the following things:

• Replacement motors

• Screwdriver
• Soldering iron

Then follow the video guide below, the whole process may take 15 minutes or longer.

Is the Tello drone worth it?

It really depends on what you would do with this drone. If you want to buy a small register-free, safe, reliable, and fun drone for a kid or teenager, the answer is YES. If you expect high-quality aerial photos and videos, fast speed, and long battery life, then the answer is NO. The Ryze Tello uses DJI’s flight tech which ensures stable flights, it’s also programmable that students can control the drone using Scratch coding. Tello has two versions:

The standard Tello,

and the Tello EDU

How high can a Tello drone fly?

The max height for the Tello drone is 10 meters.

How do I make my Tello fly higher?

As mentioned earlier, the manufacturer has set the Max altitude to 10 m. Currently, there is no way you can bypass the limit. Tello has no GPS and connects via WiFi, it’s not safe to fly too high and far away.

What happens if Tello goes out of range?

If your Tello drone goes out of range, it may drop from the sky, crash into something, be blown away by the wind, or just stay where it is. It really depends on the environment, battery, and weather.

Does the Tello drone have GPS?

No. the Tello drone has no built-in GPS.

Can Tello fly at night?

Yes. But you will need to make sure to fly it in a well-lit environment.

How fast can the DJI Tello go?

The max speed of the DJI Tello drone is 17.8 mph (28.8 kph)

Can I make my Tello drone faster?

No. the Tello drone has no sport mode and you can’t change its speed.

Can you fly Tello without a phone?

Yes. the Tello drone can be controlled by Bluetooth controllers.

Is Tello made by DJI?

No. Tello is made by a company called Ryzerobotics, which was invested by DJI. The Tello drone uses DJI’s flight tech and is sold via DJI’s online store and offline channels.

Is DJI Tello waterproof?

No. the Tello drone is not waterproof and water-resistant, make sure you don’t fly on rainy days and keep it away from water.

Can you fly a Tello drone without WiFi?

Yes. You don’t need to fly your Tello drone in a WiFi environment. If you control your Tello with a customized controller, Bluetooth is what it will use.

How do you flip a Tello drone?

Tello drone supports flipping in 8 directions (8D Flips). After you connect the Tello with your mobile device, tap on the drone icon (the second one on the upper-left corner), then choose Flip mode, there will be a square area on your mobile device, slide your finger in that area, then the Tello will perform stunts.

How do I control my DJI Tello?

There are 2 ways you can control your DJI Tello. The first one is using your mobile device, you will need to download Tello or Tello EDU App first. You can also control your Tello via compatible controllers GameSir T1d Controller or Gamevice Controller.

What phones work with Tello drone?

Most of the phones are compatible with Tello, please check below the detailed system requirements.

Note:

• The list is not up-to-date as the manufacturer doesn’t update it regularly, so it doesn’t include every compatible mobile device, if your phone is not on the list, just make sure it meets the system requirements, then it’s no problem.
• You can simply download the App to see if it can be installed on your mobile device.

Here are the Tello App system requirements:

iOS

• Requires iOS 9.0 or later.
• Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPad mini 4 and iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular.

Android

• Android version 4.4.0 or later.
• Compatible with Samsung S7，Samsung S6 edge，Samsung S5，Samsung Galaxy note 4，Samsung Galaxy note 3，Huawei Honor 8，Huawei Honor 9，Huawei P8 Max，Huawei P10，Huawei Honor V8，Huawei P9，Huawei nova2，Xiaomi 6，Xiaomi Note3，Redmi 4A，OnePlus5，vivoX6，Google Pixel1 XL，Google Pixel2.

Here are the Tello EDU App system requirements:

iOS

• Requires iOS 10 or later.
• Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPad mini 4 and iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular.

Android

• Android 4.4 version or later.
• Compatible with Samsung S9 Plus, Samsung S9, Samsung S8 Plus, Samsung S8, Samsung S7 edge, Samsung S7, Samsung S6 edge, Samsung S6, Samsung Galaxy note 8, Samsung Galaxy note 5, Samsung Galaxy note 4, Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus(2018), Samsung Galaxy A8(2018), Samsung Galaxy A7, Huawei Honor 10, Huawei Honor 9, Huawei Honor 8, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Huawei Mate 10, Huawei Mate 9 Pro, Huawei Mate 9, Huawei Mate 8, Huawei Honor V9, Huawei Honor V8, Huawei P20 Pro, Huawei P20, Huawei P10 Plus, Huawei P10, Huawei P9 Plus, Huawei P9, Huawei nova2, Xiaomi 8, Xiaomi 8 SE, Xiaomi MIX 2, Xiaomi MIX 2S, Xiaomi 6, Redmi 4A, OnePlus5, vivo V7 Plus, vivo X7 Plus, vivo X6 Plus, vivo X6, Google Pixel1 XL, Google Pixel2, Asus Zenfone 5, Asus Zenfone 5Q, Asus Zenfone 4 Pro, Asus Zenfone 4, Sony Xperia XZ2, Sony Xperia XZ1, Sony Xperia XZ Premium.

How much weight can a Tello drone carry?

The Tello drone is not used to carry weight. It can only carry around 40g according to users’ feedback.

What is the difference between Tello and Tello Edu?

Tello and Tello EDU differ in appearance and features. Tello and Tello EDU are actually the same when it comes to hardware, the only difference is that Tello is white and Tello EDU is black.

Also, Tello EDU has everything Tello has, and also include an upgraded SDK 2.0, Mission Pads, and swarm flying.

Tello EDU has a dedicated App Tello EDU.

How do you reset a DJI Tello?

If you forget your WiFi password or have a problem connecting your drone, you may need to reset your Tello. Here is a quick guide to hard reset:

Step 1 Power on your Tello drone and wait until it flashes blue.

Step 2 Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds until the light turns off.

The light will then flash yellow and the WiFi SSID and password will be reset. There is no password by default after you reset the drone.

You may also need to do the following things to reconnect your drone to your mobile device:

• Step 1 Delete Tello or Tello EDU App, download and reinstall it.
• Step 2 Go to your mobile device’s wifi settings, choose Forgot Tello’s wifi

How do you know when the Tello drone is fully charged?

The Tello drone is fully charged when the indicator light in the front turns solid blue. The light flashes blue when the drone is in charge.

How do I connect my Tello drone to WiFi?

Step 1 Go to your mobile device’s WiFi settings

Step 2 Find the ‘TELLO-XXXXXX’ network and tap on it.

When the live camera view is shown on your device, the Tello drone is successfully connected.

Does Tello drone record sound?

No.

Do I need to register my Tello drone?

No. Tello is a registration-free drone because it weighs under 55 pounds.

Does the Tello drone come with a controller?

No. The Tello drone doesn’t include a controller in the package. You can buy a customized controller on DJI Store. Here is a detailed guide of everything you need to know about the Tello drone controllers.

Does DJI Tello have Return to Home feature?

No. the Tello drone has no built-in GPS so it doesn’t come with Return to Home feature.

How do I update firmware on Tello?

The firmware update takes 5 easy steps, just follow the instruction below:

• Step 1 Connect your drone to your mobile device
• Step 2 You will be notified if there is a new firmware update available.
• Step 3 Choose Start to download the firmware.
• Step 4 Once it’s successfully downloaded, connect your mobile device to your drone
• Step 5 Click Update to proceed.

How do I activate Tello?

The first time you use your Tello, there will be a prompt telling you that you need to activate it to authorize your drone. Just follow the instructions to finish the activation process.

What app do you use for DJI Tello?

The standard Tello us Tello App, the EDU version uses Tello EDU App, and the Tello Iron Man edition uses Tello Hero App. Learn more >>

How do I download pictures from my Tello drone?

When you use the Tello drone to take pictures and videos, all the files are stored in your mobile device’s internal storage. So you just need to find them on your mobile phone.

Is Tello programmable?

Yes. You can use Scratch to give commands to your drone.

What is Tello SDK?

Tello SDK allows you to control your drone with text commands. You will need to download and install Python on your computer.

Does Tello drone work with iPad?

Yes. Tello App is compatible with iOS devices that run iOS 9.0 or later. Make sure your iPad meets the system requirements.

Does Tello have headless mode?

No. the Tello drone doesn’t have the headless mode.

How long does the Tello battery last?

The max flight time that Tello drone is 13 minutes, but in real situations, the battery won’t last that long. Normally you only get around 8 minutes‘ flight time.

 

We will update this article regularly to make sure it’s an all-inclusive guide for Tello users. Hope this post will answer all your questions about the Tello drone, if you have any other questions, please leave a comment to let us know.