This is a long overdue update on the state of UAV Toolbox for the H480 / HPlus and H520... (and H3..)
As some of you may be aware, UAV Toolbox has been having problems on some controllers recently. The short explanation is that the recent changes in security across the web has meant that older Android devices cannot always connect to online services. (I'll add a more detailed explanation later on). This means that mapping, log tools like weather reports and address lookup, equipment tracking and media sharing online are not working for many of you.
I am currently updating the network layer for the App, though it's not an easy task. I hope to have it complete in the next week or so, and will provide a new download on the website when it is ready.
However:
This last couple of years have seen some big changes, and big challenges across the drone community and for me personally. Without the positive engagement of Yuneec, and access to exciting new products, it has become increasingly difficult to justify the efforts involved in supporting their drones. I'm still enthusiastic about flying, about developing tools and services for drones and exploring innovative uses for piloted and autonomous craft. Unfortunately the opportunities appear to lie elsewhere and I must be pragmatic about how I spend my time.
With this in mind, the upcoming release for UAV Toolbox is likely to be the last significant update, and early in 2023 I will stop accepting new registrations for the software. The online services are planned to remain available until at least 2024 for existing users.
UAV Toolbox has been available over six years and four generations of drones. Hopefully it has been useful for some of you, and has enhanced your flying and ownership experience. Through Yuneec and the app, I've met and worked with some excellent people worldwide and thank you all for your support. I hope we can cross paths again, and look forward to continued evolution of drone technology and the community around it.
(Now for the boring technical stuff).
The original H480 came with an ST16 controller that ran Android 4.4 (for complicated licensing reasons) that was already quite outdated. Very shortly, that version of Android will be ten years old. Apps running on Android rely on two systems to communicate securely with online services. The first is a set of protocols that allow Apps to negotiate a private link with a server. The second is a library of certificates that are used to check the identity of services. Since Android 4.4, and particularly in the last couple of years, there have been significant updates in online security. You may have noticed that web browsers now refuse to connect to insecure websites, and all websites now have secure identities that can be checked. With these changes, some online services no longer work with machines that don't support modern protocols (TLS1.2+) and recent certificate chains. More recent versions of Android (and therefore more recent flight controllers) have better support and can in some cases be updated online. However, these too may reach a point where they cannot connect to some services.
For Apps to continue to work, it is sometimes possible to include network libraries designed to provide newer protocols and certificates on older devices. Unfortunately the complications of cryptography mean that these libraries often must be compiled for the specific processor in the device that runs the app. The ST-16 introduces further complications here as it is a rare example of an Android device using an Intel processor rather than the usual ARM chips. Without significant development work, native Intel cryptography libraries are not readily available.
Updating UAV Toolbox involves replacing the existing network layer in the app with a library that must be compatible both with the older version of Android *and* the newer security protocols. For the mapping screens, it is necessary to override the default map loader with a custom loader capable of using the new network utilities. This is the process I'm currently undertaking and should ensure the app continues to function for at least the next eighteen months.
As some of you may be aware, UAV Toolbox has been having problems on some controllers recently. The short explanation is that the recent changes in security across the web has meant that older Android devices cannot always connect to online services. (I'll add a more detailed explanation later on). This means that mapping, log tools like weather reports and address lookup, equipment tracking and media sharing online are not working for many of you.
I am currently updating the network layer for the App, though it's not an easy task. I hope to have it complete in the next week or so, and will provide a new download on the website when it is ready.
However:
This last couple of years have seen some big changes, and big challenges across the drone community and for me personally. Without the positive engagement of Yuneec, and access to exciting new products, it has become increasingly difficult to justify the efforts involved in supporting their drones. I'm still enthusiastic about flying, about developing tools and services for drones and exploring innovative uses for piloted and autonomous craft. Unfortunately the opportunities appear to lie elsewhere and I must be pragmatic about how I spend my time.
With this in mind, the upcoming release for UAV Toolbox is likely to be the last significant update, and early in 2023 I will stop accepting new registrations for the software. The online services are planned to remain available until at least 2024 for existing users.
UAV Toolbox has been available over six years and four generations of drones. Hopefully it has been useful for some of you, and has enhanced your flying and ownership experience. Through Yuneec and the app, I've met and worked with some excellent people worldwide and thank you all for your support. I hope we can cross paths again, and look forward to continued evolution of drone technology and the community around it.
(Now for the boring technical stuff).
The original H480 came with an ST16 controller that ran Android 4.4 (for complicated licensing reasons) that was already quite outdated. Very shortly, that version of Android will be ten years old. Apps running on Android rely on two systems to communicate securely with online services. The first is a set of protocols that allow Apps to negotiate a private link with a server. The second is a library of certificates that are used to check the identity of services. Since Android 4.4, and particularly in the last couple of years, there have been significant updates in online security. You may have noticed that web browsers now refuse to connect to insecure websites, and all websites now have secure identities that can be checked. With these changes, some online services no longer work with machines that don't support modern protocols (TLS1.2+) and recent certificate chains. More recent versions of Android (and therefore more recent flight controllers) have better support and can in some cases be updated online. However, these too may reach a point where they cannot connect to some services.
For Apps to continue to work, it is sometimes possible to include network libraries designed to provide newer protocols and certificates on older devices. Unfortunately the complications of cryptography mean that these libraries often must be compiled for the specific processor in the device that runs the app. The ST-16 introduces further complications here as it is a rare example of an Android device using an Intel processor rather than the usual ARM chips. Without significant development work, native Intel cryptography libraries are not readily available.
Updating UAV Toolbox involves replacing the existing network layer in the app with a library that must be compatible both with the older version of Android *and* the newer security protocols. For the mapping screens, it is necessary to override the default map loader with a custom loader capable of using the new network utilities. This is the process I'm currently undertaking and should ensure the app continues to function for at least the next eighteen months.
