So you have a set of Tello drones to use in your classroom, and you have charged up the batteries and turned them on for your lesson. Connection issues are happening, drones aren’t following code, there is lag, or your drones are drifting uncontrollably across the room. The lesson is a no go and you and your students are feeling frustrated.
Don’t worry, She Maps is here to help you fix some of the most frustrating issues with your Tello drones. We’ve done the hard work, so you don’t have to worry about it.
The Tello is not connecting
First up, you’ve turned on the drone, and the wifi just won’t connect. Here’s some things to check:
Turn on airplane mode
Why do you need to turn on flight mode? This stops the device from searching for wifi that has internet. A drone does not have internet, and when it connects, it will tell you that there is no internet connection. This is ok, we are not using a drone to surf the internet.
- Go to your tablet’s settings and turn on airplane mode
- Go to settings and manually turn Wi-Fi on
- Insert the battery into the drone and ensure it is securely connected
- Press the drone’s power button to turn it on
- Allow a few seconds for the drone to establish its Wi-Fi signal
- On your tablet, go to the Wi-Fi settings
- Look for the drone’s Wi-Fi network in the list and select it to connect
Is the drone camera on?
When a drone has its camera on, it uses more bandwidth, causing more interference between drones and devices. When you have multiple microdrones with their cameras on, it causes more interference. Check the apps you are using; if they are First Person View (FPV), there are going to be connection issues; drones will take longer to react to controller instructions, i.e., lag. Use manual flight apps and coding apps that can turn off FPV.
Connecting to the app
Applications have certain rules when it comes to wifi connection. If the drone is connected to the device, that does not necessarily mean that the app is connected to the drone. It is a 2 step process.
Follow these steps when connecting
- Insert the battery into the drone and ensure it is securely connected
- Turn on the drone – this is the No.1 reason why a drone won’t connect.
- Check settings to ensure WI-FI connection is established
- Open the app you’re using to fly
- Be patient – it can take a minute for the app to show that it’s connected to the drone
If the drone is taking longer than expected to connect, here are some of the reasons:
- More than one app may be trying to connect to the drone. Solution: Make sure only the drone app is open – this may mean force quitting all other apps
- Jumping in and out of the app to check that the drone is connected in settings. It can break the connection process and start it all over again
Turn everything off and back on again
- Take the battery out of the drone, close all open apps on your tablet, and start the setup process again. This simple reset resolves about 90% of connection problems.
- If your drone feels hot, give it some time to cool off. Overheating can cause connectivity problems or even lead to the drone shutting down unexpectedly. A short break can help it function properly again.
As a last resort you can:
- Restart the tablet – this stops all running processes and gives the drone a chance to rest if it’s been used for an extended period.
- Master reset drone – Hold down the power button and wait until the LED lights turn off.
The drone is drifting
Drifting is when the drone takes off and reaches its set altitude, then starts moving on its own. Despite any attempts to control it, the drone continues to move until you either land it manually or it collides with an object.
Here are some things you can do:
Assess the amount of light
Underneath your drone, there will be stabilisation sensors. In order for them to operate correctly, they need enough light to “see” the ground they are flying over. Many apps will warn you if there is limited light and advise you to fly with caution. The easiest way to solve this issue is to make more light. When flying indoors, make sure all the room lights are turned on and that they are at their brightest. Open the curtains and blinds to let as much natural light in as possible.
Ground texture
Now that you have enough light, make sure that the ground the drone is flying over has differentiation in it. A plain, dark, light, or monotone floor makes it difficult for the drone sensors to ‘read’, which can lead to unwanted drifting. Shiny floors can also cause issues. Microdrones do not have Global Positioning Systems (GPS), therefore, they work on the premise that the ground will change as they fly over it. If there is no change in the floor, then the stabilisation system thinks something is wrong, and it begins to drift. There are many different ways you can create patterns on your floors. Here are a few suggestions:
- Placing objects on the floor. This could be sports cones, pieces of paper, mouse pads, or any assortment of items. Just as long as it breaks up that dull floor and gives the drone’s system something to look at.
- Bed sheets – go down to your local op shop and find a large bed sheet with a pattern on it. Stick it to your floor to provide an interesting flying area.
- Change rooms; sometimes you just have to bend to the whim of the technology. Test out a few floors to find the right one for your drones.

The drone flips on takeoff
It can be quite unsettling when this happens. You press the takeoff button, the drone’s propellers start spinning, but instead of lifting off smoothly, it tips onto its side—or worse, flips completely upside down!
Check the propellers
Microdrones are quadcopters and have 4 propellers. To takeoff, the blades rotate inwards towards the body of the drone and are angled in a certain way so that when they spin, they create lift.
Make sure that your blades are in the correct spot. The following diagram shows you what it looks like on a Tello drone.

Drone turns off without warning
Check the temperature
When a Tello is turned on it will start to warm up. If it sits there waiting to synch for more than a couple of minutes, it has a system that will shut it down to prevent it the engine and the battery from overheating.
If you are using the drone for extended periods of time in warmer conditions, this may also cause the drone to turn off.
It’s all part of its safety mechanisms. So, make sure you are ready to fly when you turn the drone on. If the drone is flying it will help to cool the machine down as it has air flow moving through it as it flies.
Got more Tello questions?
Technical support, classroom management and curriculum mapped teaching resources
Here are some of the other questions we have answers to:
Does a teacher need a remote pilot licence to fly a drone at school?
Transform Your STEM Classroom with Drones: Tips for Teachers