DroneEngage FAQ

Find answers to common questions about using DroneEngage with Ardupilot. For additional terms, see DroneEngage Glossary. Submit new questions via GitHub Issues.

General Questions

1. I don’t understand many terms used in this wiki.

   • Check the DroneEngage Glossary for definitions of terms like FCB (Flight Control Board), MAVLink, and JSON.

   • For a beginner’s overview, see What is DroneEngage? or Building DroneEngage Code.

2. I can’t find my Access Code.

   • Your Access Code is sent to your registered email after creating an account (see Create your Drone-Engage Account Key).

   • Check your spam or junk folder, as it may be filtered.

   • If still missing, create a new one or contact support via mohammad.hefny@droneengage.com.

3. How many drones and Ground Control Stations (GCS) can connect simultaneously?

   • Theoretically unlimited, but depends on: - Network quality (e.g., WiFi or GSM-Modem stability). - Data type (e.g., telemetry, video streaming). - Hardware performance (e.g., Raspberry Pi model).

   • See Telemetry for optimizing bandwidth with Smart Telemetry.

4. Does DroneEngage support Raspberry Pi 5?

   • Yes, new RPI-Images runs on RPI-5 as well as RPI-4 & RPIZero W2.

   • Follow Building DroneEngage Code for compilation steps.

5. Can I test DroneEngage without a drone?

   • Yes! The RPI image includes a built-in simulator for 2 drones.

   • Use Start Simulator in the DE APP Management App Management screen.

   • Alternatively, use Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) on your computer - see Simulation.

Installation & Updates

6. How do I update to the latest DroneEngage binaries?

   • Recommended: Use the DE APP Management web interface to update modules automatically.

   • Manual: Download from cloud.ardupilot.org/downloads/RPI/Latest/.

   • READY-IMAGES are always the easiest option.

7. I updated a module and now it doesn’t work. What happened?

   • When modules are updated, they come with fresh default configuration files.

   • Your previous settings (account credentials, server URLs) are NOT preserved automatically.

   • Solution: Reconfigure the module via the WebAdmin interface, or restore specific fields from your backup.

   • See DE APP Management for detailed recovery steps.

8. Where are my configuration backups stored?

   • Module backups (automatic before each update): /home/pi/drone_engage_backups/

   • Config file backups (manual via button): /home/pi/drone_engage_config_backups/

   • Always click Backup Configuration Files before major updates.

9. How do I roll back to a previous module version?

   • Navigate to /home/pi/drone_engage_backups/

   • Find the backup file (e.g., de_comm_20251203_172630.tar.gz)

   • Extract it: tar -xzf ~/drone_engage_backups/de_comm_20251203_172630.tar.gz -C /home/pi/drone_engage/

   • Restart DroneEngage services.

WiFi & Network

10. How do I connect my RPI to a WiFi network?

    • Access the WebAdmin at https://192.168.9.1:9090 (when connected to the DE_ADMIN AP).

    • Go to the WiFi Manager and enter your WiFi SSID and password.

    • Click Configure WiFi to connect.

    • See DE WiFi Manager for details.

11. I entered the wrong WiFi password and lost access to my RPI. How do I recover?

    • Remove the SD card from the Raspberry Pi.

    • Insert it into a computer and create a file named activate_ap.txt in the boot folder.

    • Reinsert the SD card and reboot the RPI.

    • The DE_ADMIN Access Point will be enabled automatically.

    • Connect to it and reconfigure WiFi with the correct password.

12. What are the default Access Point credentials?

    • SSID: DE_ADMIN

    • Password: droneengage

    • Access the admin interface at https://192.168.9.1:9090

13. Can I use both WiFi and a 4G modem at the same time?

    • Yes! The system can maintain internet via a GSM/4G modem independently of WiFi settings.

    • The AP mode is for local configuration access only and doesn’t provide internet.

    • If a GSM modem is installed, the unit stays connected regardless of WiFi/AP mode.

Account & Configuration

14. How do I set up my DroneEngage account on the RPI?

    • Access the WebAdmin interface.

    • Go to Account Setup (de-rpi-image-tools-account).

    • Enter your Username and Access Code.

    • Click Update Config to save.

15. What is an AirGap server and do I need one?

    • An AirGap server is a private DroneEngage server for isolated networks.

    • Most users should leave the server as default (cloud.ardupilot.org).

    • Only change if you’re running a private server installation.

16. Which configuration files store my account credentials?

    • /home/pi/drone_engage/de_comm/de_comm.config.module.json - Main module

    • /home/pi/simulator/sim_de_mavlink_instances/de_comm.1.config.module.json - Simulator 1

    • /home/pi/simulator/sim_de_mavlink_instances/de_comm.2.config.module.json - Simulator 2

Service Management

17. How do I start/stop DroneEngage services?

    • Via WebAdmin: Use the App Management screen (DE APP Management).

    • Via Terminal:

      sudo systemctl start de_comm    # Start
      sudo systemctl stop de_comm     # Stop
      sudo systemctl restart de_comm  # Restart
      

18. How do I enable DroneEngage to start automatically on boot?

    • Via WebAdmin: Click Enable AutoStart DE in App Management.

    • Via Terminal: sudo systemctl enable de_comm de_mavlink de_camera

19. What’s the difference between “Stop DE” and “Disable AutoStart DE”?

    • Stop DE - Temporarily stops services; they restart on next reboot.

    • Disable AutoStart DE - Permanently prevents services from starting until re-enabled.

20. How do I apply configuration changes?

    • Click Clear DE Caches to remove cached configurations.

    • Click Restart DE to restart services with new settings.

    • Or simply reboot the RPI.

Troubleshooting

21. Why is my MAVLink connection failing?

    • Ensure correct fcb_connection_uri in de_mavlink Configuration File (UDP or serial port).

    • Check TX/RX pins are correctly connected between RPI and FCB.

    • Verify the baudrate matches your Flight Control Board settings.

    • If using dynamic port detection, ensure dynamic: true is set.

22. How do I view service logs for debugging?

    • Via Terminal:

      sudo journalctl -u de_comm -n 50      # Last 50 lines
      sudo journalctl -u de_comm -f         # Follow live
      sudo journalctl -u de_mavlink -b      # Since last boot
      

    • Replace de_comm with de_mavlink or de_camera as needed.

23. How do I check if DroneEngage services are running?

    • Via Terminal: sudo systemctl status de_comm

    • Look for active (running) in green.

    • Press q to exit the status view.

24. My RPI is running slow. How do I check system resources?

    • Disk space: df -h

    • Memory: free -h

    • CPU temperature: vcgencmd measure_temp

    • Running processes: htop (press q to exit)

25. How do I clear logs to free up disk space?

    • Use Clear Logs in the App Management screen.

    • Or via terminal: sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=1d

Telemetry & Video

26. What is Smart Telemetry, and how do I adjust it?

    • Smart Telemetry reduces bandwidth by filtering non-critical data, ideal for slower networks.

    • Adjust levels (0–3) in de_mavlink.config.module.json (see de_mavlink Configuration File). - Level 0: No optimization (full data). - Level 3: Maximum optimization (minimal data, slower GCS updates).

27. How do I enable/disable the camera?

    • Via WebAdmin: Use Enable RPI-CAM / Disable RPI-CAM in App Management.

    • Via Terminal: sudo systemctl start de_camera or sudo systemctl stop de_camera

File Management

28. Where are DroneEngage modules installed?

    • All modules are in /home/pi/drone_engage/

    • List them with: ls ~/drone_engage

29. How do I access configuration files?

    • Use the Navigator in WebAdmin (Drone Engage RPI Image Tools - Navigator) for easy file browsing.

    • Or use the Terminal (Drone Engage RPI Image Tools - Terminal) for direct access.

    • Config files are in each module folder (e.g., ~/drone_engage/de_comm/de_comm.config.module.json).

30. How do I manually run a module for debugging?

    • First stop the service: sudo systemctl stop de_comm

    • Then run manually:

      cd ~/drone_engage/de_comm
      sudo ./de_comm.so
      

Contributing

31. How do I contribute to the wiki or report issues?

    • Edit content by submitting pull requests to github.com/DroneEngage/droneengage_ap_wiki (see Contributing to the DroneEngage Wiki).

    • Report issues or suggest FAQs via GitHub Issues.