1. Purpose

As drones became more common, governments around the world have developed rules to encourage safe and productive drone flights while protecting airplanes and helicopters in the air as well as people and property on the ground. Now, a big part of the new era of drone regulation is about to take effect in the United States – Remote Identification.

Remote ID creates a common and consistent way for authorities to monitor airborne drones and identify who is flying them. Similar to a car license plate, this new method of aerial accountability will make the skies safer, improve public acceptance of drones, and open up new possibilities for drone pilots to routinely fly in ways that have until now been restricted for safety and security reasons – like flying at night or directly over people.

The FAA’s first Remote ID compliance deadline, for newly manufactured drones that require registration with the FAA, is September 16, 2022, though the FAA announced an extension to enforce it until December 16, 2022. Customers who already own DJI drones do not need to do anything right away, because existing drones are not required to comply with FAA Remote ID regulations until September 16, 2023. DJI will provide firmware updates before that date to bring most modern DJI drones into compliance. Customers can install those updates at their discretion any time before September 16, 2023. We hope this simple guide to the FAA’s Remote ID rules will help answer any questions you have.

 

2. Frequently Asked Questions

2.1 What is FAA Remote ID?

The FAA Remote ID rule requires most drones operating in US airspace to have Remote ID capability. Think of Remote ID as an electronic license plate system for drones, allowing authorities to identify who is flying them. A physical license plate wouldn’t be much use on a small airborne drone, so Remote ID sends license plate information via radio signals to receivers on the ground. Remote ID will provide information about drones in flight, such as the identity, location, and altitude of the drone and its control station.

 

2.2 Which drone pilots must comply with the rule and when?

The FAA requires that all drones must be registered, except those that weigh 0.55 pounds or less (less than 250 grams) and are flown exclusively under the Exception for Recreational Flyers. Under the Remote ID rule, all drone pilots required to register, including those who fly for fun, for business, or for public safety, must operate their drone in accordance with the final rule on Remote ID beginning September 16, 2023.

 

2.3 Do I have to upgrade to the RID-compliant firmware that has been released that supports FAA Remote ID functionality?

This is not required until September 16, 2023, even though the firmware is currently available. On and after that date, all drone pilots required to register must operate their drone in accordance with the FAA Remote ID rule. This means that you may need to upgrade the RID-compliant firmware unless your drone is not required to be registered per FAA rules.

 

2.4 If I upgrade RID-compliant firmware, can I disable Remote ID or can I downgrade the firmware to one that does not support Remote ID?

No. According to the Remote ID rule, the Remote ID system cannot be disabled by any person, and once the drone is upgraded to RID-compliant firmware, it cannot be downgraded.

 

2.5 What are the ways for drone pilots to comply with the Remote ID rule?

There are three ways drone pilots can meet the identification requirements of the Remote ID rule:

• Operate a Standard Remote ID drone that broadcasts identification and location information of the drone and control station. A standard remote ID drone is one that is produced with built-in Remote ID broadcast capabilities. All new drones produced by DJI now include these capabilities. Some drones made before the Remote ID rule took effect can include these capabilities by upgrading the RID-compliant firmware as well.

• Operate a drone with a Remote ID broadcast module giving the drone's identification, location, and take-off information. A broadcast module is a device that can be attached to a drone, or a feature (such as a software upgrade) integrated with the drone. Persons operating a drone with a Remote ID broadcast module must be able to see their drone at all times during a flight. All DJI drones that were made before the Remote ID rule took effect but without RID-compliant firmware, are capable of operating with Remote ID functionality by means of an add-on Remote ID broadcast module.

 

• Operate (without Remote ID equipment) at FAA-recognized identification areas (FRIAs) sponsored by community-based organizations or schools. FRIAs are the only locations unmanned aircraft (drones and radio-controlled airplanes) may operate without broadcasting Remote ID message elements.

 

2.6 Which DJI drone models support FAA Remote ID?

You can check the list of drone models approved by the FAA by visiting this webpage.

 

2.7 What actions do I need to take if I want to comply with the Remote ID rule by upgrading RID-compliance firmware?

In theory, no action is required until September 16, 2023. If you are already planning to comply with the Remote ID rule, you may need to take the following three actions.

Action 1: Upgrade RID-compliant Firmware

• The RID-compliant firmware released by DJI meets the compliance requirements of Standard Remote ID. To meet the requirements of the FAA Remote ID rule, both the drone firmware and the DJI flight control app need to be upgraded. The following operation must be followed as well:
• If you are a user of a DJI remote controller without an integrated GNSS system, such as DJI RC-N1, you need to connect an external device with an integrated GNSS system such as a cell phone or tablet as a location source to it, and must run the DJI flight control app such as DJI Fly in the foreground and always allow the DJI flight control app to obtain its location information.
• If you are a user of a DJI remote controller without an integrated GNSS system, such as DJI Motion Controller and DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, and wearing a DJI Goggles without an integrated GNSS system, you need to upgrade the firmware of the DJI Goggles, connect the above external device as a location source to the DJI Goggles, run the DJI flight control app such as DJI Fly in the foreground and always allow the DJI flight control app to obtain its location information.
• If you are a user of a DJI remote controller with an integrated GNSS system, such as DJI RC, DJI RC Pro, DJI RC Plus or DJI Smart Controller, you need to upgrade these remote controllers to the latest firmware released in September 2022 or later.

Action 2: Add drone Remote ID information on the FAA Drone Registration System
Under the Remote ID rule, the Certificate of Aircraft Registration of the drone used in the operation must include the Remote ID serial number of the drone. Each applicant for a Certificate of Aircraft Registration must submit the following required information to the Registry:

• Drone manufacturer and model name
• Remote ID serial number

There are two ways to register a drone in the United States:

• Register a drone online at FAA DroneZone (drone must weigh less than 55 pounds)
• Register a drone by mail

The following guide takes the online registration of drones at FAA DroneZone as an example. The registration of DJI agricultural drones may require the operator to register by mail. For detailed requirements, please visit the FAA website.

Note: You may not be able to update the information of an already registered drone at the registry, such as adding the Remote ID serial number, and you may have to add a new device registration and then delete the old one after completing the new registration.

 

When you choose "ADD DEVICE" in "Inventory" on the FAA DroneZone webpage, the following window will pop up, asking you to enter the Remote ID related information.

 

 

Below we guide you on how to fill in the required information.
DOES YOUR DRONE BROADCAST FAA REMOTE ID INFORMATION?
If you have completed the above Action 1 and confirmed that the Remote ID functionality is working properly Note [1], you can select "YES"
DEVICE TYPE
Select “Standard Remote ID”
UAS MANUFACTURER
Enter “DJI”
UAS MODEL
Particular “MODEL” can be found on the approved DOC published by the FAA, as shown “DJI Air 2S” below:

 

 

REMOTE ID SERIAL NUMBER
If the drone has a 20-digit alphanumeric serial number (always prefixed with 1581F)
In this case, the Remote ID serial number is the same as the aircraft serial number, and generally the same as the flight controller serial number, for example: Mavic 3 series, Mini 3 series, Avata, Matrice 30 series, Mavic 3 Enterprise series, etc. You can check the serial number of the drone in various ways:

• Serial number on the box sticker Note [2]
• Serial number inside battery compartment or elsewhere on the fuselage of the drone Note [2]
• Serial number inside the DJI flight control app
• Serial number inside “Available networks” of the WLAN Note [3]

Note [1] See 2.8 below - "How to check if the Remote ID functionality is working properly?"
Note [2] Visit DJI service webpage for more information:
Note [3] See Way 3 in 2.8 below - "How to check if the Remote ID functionality is working properly?"

If the drone has a 14-digit alphanumeric serial number
In this case, the Remote ID serial number is not the same as the aircraft serial number (or flight controller serial number), for example: DJI Air 2S, Matrice 300 RTK, Agras T30, etc. You can get the Remote ID serial number of these drone in the following 2 ways:

• Remote ID Serial number inside the DJI flight control app

      The following picture shows the Remote ID serial number on DJI Fly and DJI Agras app using DJI Air 2S and DJI Agras T30 as examples respectively.

 

• Remote ID Serial number inside “Available networks” of the WLAN Note [3]

Note [3] See Way 3 in 2.8 below - "How to check if the Remote ID functionality is working properly?"

After filling in the required information, as shown in the figure below (take Air 2S as an example), click "ADD DEVICE".

Action 3: Affix a RID compliance label to your drone
Under the FAA Remote ID rule, drones with Standard Remote ID capabilities are required to have a RID compliance label affixed to indicate that the drone complies with the Remote ID rule. Newly produced drone will be affixed with RID compliance label before leaving the factory. For drone have been upgraded with RID-compliant firmware but do not have a RID compliance label affixed, contact DJI Support for how to label your drone.

 

2.8 How to check if the Remote ID functionality is working properly?

There are several ways to check if Remote ID is working properly.
Way 1: Remote ID status display on the DJI flight control app
Way 2: Remote ID status display on the DJI Goggles
Way 3: Remote ID serial number displayed in “Available networks” of the WLAN

Way 1: Remote ID status display on the DJI flight control app
The drone automatically initiates a pre-flight self-test (PFST) of the Remote ID system before takeoff, and cannot take off if it does not pass the PFST. The results of the PFST of the Remote ID system, i.e. the working status, can be viewed in the DJI flight control apps below.
DJI Fly
If the Remote ID is working properly, DJI Fly will display "Takeoff permitted". After clicking "Takeoff permitted", you can see “Remote ID functionality normal”, as shown in the following Figure.

If the Remote ID is working abnormally, DJI Fly will display "Remote ID error", as shown in the following Figure.

 

DJI Pilot 2
If the Remote ID is working properly, the RID icon in the upper left corner of the DJI Pilot 2 homepage will be displayed in BLACK, and DJI Pilot 2 will display “Normal” on the Camera View, as shown in the Figure below.
DJI Pilot 2 homepage

Camera View

 

 

2.9 I bought a new drone, how to check whether the drone has built-in compliant Remote ID functionality?

2.10  I bought a drone with built-in RID compliance functionality, what actions do I need to take?

2.11 My drone cannot comply with the Remote ID rule by upgrading firmware, what should I do?

2.12 I decided to comply with rule by adding a Remote ID module to the drone, what should I be aware of?

2.13  What are the conditions for a drone to start broadcasting Remote ID signals?