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ARGUS User Manual

DJI troubleshooting

DJI docks talk to ARGUS over MQTTS and the DJI Cloud API. Most DJI-side failures surface as one of a few distinct symptoms — this page maps each symptom to its usual cause.

Dock offline immediately after pairing

You pair a dock, update_topo completes, but the dock flips to offline within seconds.

Check in order:

  1. EMQX hostname resolution. The dock needs DNS for the MQTTS broker. If the dock’s network has a split-horizon DNS or a captive portal, it will resolve to the wrong host. From the dock’s remote controller, verify it can reach the broker FQDN.
  2. Firewall TCP 8883. MQTTS is on 8883; some corporate firewalls only allow 443. Ask IT to allow 8883 outbound from the dock’s site to ARGUS. The dock does not tunnel.
  3. Time skew. TLS fails silently when the dock’s clock is far off real time. Dock must have NTP access.
  4. Re-pair once. If the first pair hit a DNS or firewall issue mid-handshake, the session state on the broker may be stale. Remove the dock and pair again.

The dock’s own LCD usually shows an error code when these fail; note it before re-pairing.

Auto-stream doesn’t start

Auto-stream expects three preconditions. If any is missing, the stream silently stays off:

  1. Dock is online. Status chip green in the dock list.
  2. Aircraft is online. Mounted + powered. Auto-stream will not wake a docked aircraft on its own.
  3. Livestream permission granted. The org must have the DJI Cloud API livestream scope on that dock.

All three surface on the dock’s detail page as tick-boxes. If any is missing, fix that one specifically — adding more preconditions to the list is not the way.

live_start_push NACK codes

When ARGUS asks the dock to start pushing live video the dock may NACK with a code. The most common ones:

  • 513003 — “camera livestream in progress”. Another client (often DJI Pilot 2 on a nearby phone) already has the livestream. Close DJI Pilot on any nearby device and retry.
  • 513006 — “failed, retry”. Transient. The argus-android tablet auto-retries twice. If it still fails, the RC or aircraft is probably out of range or in a lens-switch window.
  • 513012 — “another livestream with lens switch”. Camera is busy changing lenses (wide → zoom → thermal). Wait 2-3 seconds and retry; the auto-stream state machine handles this automatically.

Other NACK codes are covered by the in-app DJI error dictionary (448 codes) — hover the code in the dock event log for the human name.

Flight task stuck in preparing

A flight task that doesn’t advance past preparing almost always has a ground-level cause on the dock:

  • Cover jammed. The dock lid didn’t fully open. On the dock’s LCD you’ll see a hardware warning. Physical inspection required.
  • Low battery. The aircraft battery is below the dock’s takeoff-minimum (typically 30%). Wait for the dock to charge or start a manual charge cycle from the dock detail page.
  • GPS not locked. Fewer than the required satellites visible — common under dense cloud cover or near large metal structures. Wait for a lock; the task will advance when GPS is ready.
  • Wind or rain above threshold. The dock’s weather sensor prevents launch; you’ll see a dock-health event.

HMS storm

A flurry of HMS (Health Management System) alerts — dozens a minute — is almost always environmental rather than a broken drone:

  • Check the aircraft’s env state. Strong wind, low temperature and low GPS can each generate streams of HMS codes at normal cadence. Ground the drone and the storm usually subsides.
  • Silence false positives. The ops HMS panel has a per-code silence control. Silence is logged to the blackbox and expires at the end of the op — it never persists into the next mission.

If the storm continues on a grounded aircraft, capture the HMS log and the aircraft SN and open a support ticket.