Chasing Dory Underwater Drone Camera, 1080p Full Hd Underwater Photography Rov, Real-time Observation, App and Bluetooth Remote Control, One Click Sharing with Portable Backpack for Diving

Topline: I've had my Dory out three times at Lake Michigan and it's performed wonderfully each time. For anybody interested in an rov but unwilling to spend a huge amount of money, this is a great choice.For those who don't know, the Dory comes with the submarine, a 50 foot tether, a buoy that emits a wifi signal that you will use with a mobile device to control the rov, and a few other odds and ends (e.g. extra o-rings). It's very easy to use - just download the app (available on iOS or android), plug the tether into the buoy and the submarine, sign on to the buoy's wifi with the password that Chasing provides, and your device will automatically connect to the submarine. From there it's go time!In my three dives so far, I've used my Dory from the shoreline on Lake Michigan, from calm waters to moderate chop in a 5 knot northeast wind. It's generally easy to control from my phone, even without the remote you can buy as an add on. The app is simple to use and the controls are very effective. From it you can easily calibrate Dory's internal sensors and even take data on water temperature/depth. Control becomes more difficult as the wave conditions get rougher, but that's to be expected and would be true for any tethered rov (which they all are). The three vertical motors go a long way towards making this little submarine more stable than it otherwise would be. The wifi signal stretches out 50 feet, so along with the tether, you have up to 100 feet of movement in the horizontal plane, and 50 feet of vertical travel. This has been more than enough to see all sort of things from the shore and would be awesome from a boat. That said, 50 feet is the vertical limit, so if you want to go deeper another choice would be best.Three critiques, none of which are dealbreakers in any sense for me: 1) it would be nice if Chasing included some sort of simple safety line to link the buoy to shore (or boat) - you wouldn't want to buoy to accidently float out of wifi range - if that happens you'll be getting wet rescuing your submarine. Alternatively, it would be nice if the buoy had a molded plastic ring or something to connect a line to. This is easy to jury-rig, with a kid's fishing rod or a kite reel and a small float or something, but I'd rather have the engineers figure out something optimal. 2) Similarly, it would be very helpful to have a secondary secure link between the tether and the rov, i.e. a second spot to secure the tether beyond the connection point. I'm leery of lifting the submarine by the tether, but sometimes this becomes necessary when putting it in/taking it out of the water. 3) A tether reel would be really helpful.All in all, I love the Dory, its price point is great for what you get in the world of rovs, and it's perfect for my use case.

After dropping my car keys at the marina, I located the keys using my GoPro camera. BUT I wanted a real-time view to make the recovery. I also have an interest in underwater photography and thought this would be a great excuse to purchase an underwater drone.The GOOD Things:• The video is good for a 1K resolution (focus range is limited).• The 50 ft tether w/buoy meets my needs.• The small size makes for easy transit for most any situation.The BAD things:• This particular Chasing Dory had marginal WiFi connections from the first use in water. The buoy was less than 3 feet from me.• Today, the Dory stopped communicating via WiFi.The WiFi connection is what caused me to decide to return the Dory.DESIGN COMMENTS:• The tethering with a buoy is good for typical consumer uses.• A physical controller would be better than the virtual one used in the Chasing App.• I lost several short recordings when the WiFi disconnected. I was able to recover some, but not most. When WiFi is lost, the recording stops but the app record button appears "active". Having a removable SD Card would be better.• The WiFi password is "12345678" AND there is no way to change it.• The virtual controls are supposed to be programable. There are no instructions how to change other than from "Japanese" to "USA". Strange way to describe it since Chasing is a Chinese company. By trial and error in clear water, I could see which virtual control did what.• The charger power supply cable has no locking ring. Since it is the same type plug as the tether, it should be easy to include one. Without the locking ring, the charger connection to the Dory can easily work free.OPERATIONAL COMMENTS:• In clear water, the propellers cause little disturbance unless the Dory is "on the bottom".• In turbid water the propellers stir up lots of loose sediment.This is not a complaint, rather a situational constraint. I overcame it by attaching an adhesive GoPro base to the top of the Dory. Adapting a 12 ft painters extension pole to the GoPro base, I was able to keep the Dory propellers OFF but record with the camera and light ON.Sadly, this is where the Chasing Dory's WiFi totally stopped. The battery was at 100% this morning. It was used for about 15 minutes this afternoon.I do believe that this particular Dory has some electrical faults and potential sealing issues. Hence, I am returning this Dory. I will be searching for a more robust solution for my underwater photography.

The media could not be loaded. It is quite impressive and require some practices to be pro at it. Even though it has lights and all, do not use it when weather is bad or lots of wave because it will be extremely difficult to control. When water is murky it's best to let it dive all the way down to the bottom but make sure that it's clear of plants otherwise it might get stuck. It's very easy to use and the controls are very effective - just download the app (available on iOS or android), plug the tether into the buoy and the submarine, sign on to the buoy's wifi with the password that Chasing provides, and your device will automatically connect to the submarine. From there it's go time! But wait you will need to calibrate Dory too because the internal sensors vs different water environment. It is not 4k but 1080p and i think that's good enough for this price. I love the fact that it is as small as a palm of my hand which is perfect for fishing or traveling. Highly recommended if you are looking for something small but full features!!!!