How to Resolve a Drone Remote Controller Error Message (Solved)

A remote controller error is one of the major causes of drone crashes. You get this error prompt when your drone is having issues connecting or retaining connection with your drone. In this article, we’ll be talking all about your drone’s remote controller error message, the causes, and how to solve this error. 

The most common solutions to a drone remote controller error message include charging low batteries, replacing damaged cables, repairing damaged ports, and updating the firmware. The correct solution for your situation will depend on the cause of the error message.

You can get a remote controller error message at any time. Usually, the cause of the error message isn’t serious and can be easily resolved. It’s more problematic when the remote controller error occurs when your drone is in the air, as there is the risk of your drone crashing or falling. However, the return-to-home function of most drones will kick in and your drone will return to the starting point. 

Below, I’ll discuss the various **causes and solutions to the drone controller error message. **

Make sure you are connecting the drone to the controller properly #

Connecting your drone to the remote controller sounds like it should be basic stuff. But you’ll be surprised by the number of people, especially new drone users, that don’t know how to properly connect their drones to the remote controller. 

Below are simple steps on how to connect a drone to a remote controller. 

1. Turn on your drone and the remote controller. 
2. The status LED on your remote controller will light up with a red color indicating that the controller isn’t connected to your drone yet. 
3. Hold the power button down for 3 seconds and release the button when you see the LED light blinking (the color should still be red).
4. On your controller, hold down the flight button, function button, pause button, as well as customize button simultaneously. 
5. If the process is successful, the status LED on your remote controller will now be green.

Check the battery level and charge if low #

The first thing that should come to your mind when you get the remote controller error is to check the battery power of both your controller and drone. If the battery on either your controller or drone is low, then there will be a problem establishing a connection between your drone and the controller. 

You already know the solution to the low battery power of your drone or controller – charge your drone and replace the controller’s batteries. Even if your controller is brand new, there’s a possibility that the included batteries may have lost their charge. 

If doing this solves your problem, good. If not, move on to the next steps. 

Make sure you’re staying in range of the controller #

If you are flying too far away from the controller, the signal will get weaker and the controller may disconnect from the drone altogether. So always make sure you don’t fly too far away from your controller. 

Sometimes, you may find the signal weakening even when you are within range of your controller. This may be due to obstacles like trees, buildings, or electromagnetic radiation (power lines, cellphone transmitters, etc).

Try resetting your drone controller #

The remote controller error message may be caused by a problem with your controller’s software. Resetting your drone controller will help fix the software problem if it is the cause of your remote controller error message. 

We’ve discussed how to reset a drone remote controller in one of our earlier posts about ways to factory reset a drone. We’ll outline the steps here again for your convenience. 

Step 1: Hold down the power button on the drone for 9 seconds (for DJI drones) until you hear three beeps. Then do the same on the controller.

Step 2: The next thing is to power off both the controller and the drone.

Step 3: Power on your controller, then press and hold down the pause, Fn, as well as the bottom right shoulder which you should be able to find underneath the DJI camera button. Hold them down until you hear continuous beeping.

Step 4: Power on the drone again and then press and hold down the power button until you hear one beep. Then wait for the controller to connect to the drone and see the lights turn green. 

Note: For some drone models like Parrot, resetting the drone also means resetting the controller. So if you’re already reset your Parrot drone using the method we discussed under the resetting drone subheading, then you can be sure that your controller has also been reset.

Check cables and ports #

There’s a micro USB cable that connects your phone or tablet to your remote controller. Any problem with this cable may disrupt the connection between your remote controller and drone. Inspect this cable to check if it’s intact and not loose at either end. If you find out the USB cable is damaged, replace it with another compatible cable. 

The USB cable we mentioned above goes into ports on both your remote controller and smartphone. If any of these ports are damaged, there will also be an error when your remote controller is trying to establish or maintain a connection with your drone. Chances that these ports are faulty are generally low if you insert and remove the cables properly but you should still inspect them to rule them out or establish them as the cause of the problem. 

Reinstall or update the application #

Many drone manufacturers have software that helps you fly your drone and control the camera to get stunning images and videos. For DJI, it is the Go App. 

Any problem with the software you use to fly your drone can affect the connection between your drone and remote controller. Check if there’s an update to the software and install any updates. You can also try to reinstall the application and check if your remote controller is working properly again. 

Faulty SD card in the drone #

If the micro SD card in your drone is faulty or corrupted, then it could be the reason why you are getting the remote controller error. Remove your SD card and connect it to a computer or laptop to scan the card for any malware.