DJI Dock 4

DJI’s first docking station with automatic battery replacement. The drone lands, the battery is replaced in 25 seconds, and it’s ready to take off again. This makes Dock 4 a system capable of true 24/7 operation, both for emergency missions where every minute counts and for routine inspections and surveillance that can run without anyone having to go out on-site.

The station includes the DJI Matrice 5TD, a docking drone equipped with wide-angle, medium-telephoto, and telephoto cameras; a 1280 × 1024-pixel thermal camera; a laser rangefinder; millimeter-wave radar; and a rotating LiDAR for obstacle detection. Everything is controlled and monitored in DJI FlightHub 2.

New features compared to the DJI Dock 3

• Battery replacement in 25 seconds instead of charging between flights. The shortest time from landing to takeoff is under 45 seconds.
• Operates from -40 to 50 °C for both the station and the drone, with self-heating batteries and ice-repellent propellers.
• Up to 59 minutes of flight time with the Matrice 5TD (unloaded, in a lab environment).
• The batteries in the station serve as a backup power source in the event of a power outage, providing approximately 4.5 hours of power per battery.
• Wi-Fi QuickTransfer: photos and videos are transferred to the station at up to 80 MB/s while the battery is being replaced.
• Video link and RTK have been moved to the DJI O4 Ground Station, which can be placed anywhere (1.5 to 80 m cable) where visibility is best.
• It usesthe same mounting pattern as Dock 3 (400 × 400 mm), which simplifies upgrades at existing locations.

Battery Replacement and 24/7 Operation

The station holds up to three batteries in its battery magazine and charges two at a time (15 to 95% in about 27 minutes). When the drone lands with less than 79% battery remaining, the battery is automatically swapped, and data from the previous flight is transferred at the same time. If you have multiple docks in the same project, two drones can also take turns via Task Relay, ensuring that one is always in the air over an incident site.

The station heats the batteries in cold weather and is cooled by a compressor when it’s hot. It is IP56-rated, features surge protection on the power and network ports, and can handle landings in winds up to 12 m/s.

Quickly on the Scene

The drone takes off as soon as the hatch is opened and flies at up to 21 m/s during FlyTo missions (15 m/s in other modes). It often arrives before the first ground unit, and the live feed reaches FlightHub 2 with a delay of approximately 160 ms. This means that incident command sees the same view as the drone, no matter where they are located.

Matrice 5TD: Cameras and Sensors

• Three 50 MP visual cameras: wide-angle (23.5 mm equiv.), medium telephoto (70 mm), and telephoto (252 mm). The telephoto camera can read signs from 400 meters away and detect damage at the bolt and screw level on power lines from 100 meters.
• Thermal camera: 1280 × 1024 (2560 × 2048 in UHR mode) with radiometric measurement from -40 to 550 °C, 32× digital zoom, and a fusion mode that combines thermal and visual images.
• 4Kcolor night vision, as well as NIR illumination for black-and-white images in the dark.
• Laser rangefinder with a range of up to 3 km that displays distance and coordinates (PinPoint) directly on the image.
• Built-in warning light with selectable color and flashing patterns.
• Three accessory mounts (two on the sides and one on top) for up to 450 g of payload, such as speakers, spotlights, and a parachute simultaneously. Requires the Matrice 5TD Accessory Mount.

The Matrice 5TD can also be used for general mapping and orthophotos. DJI specifies 10 cm accuracy for control points at a flight altitude of 120 m, which is sufficient for situational awareness and monitoring but does not replace surveying.

Obstacle avoidance that works in low light and around power lines

The drone combines six fisheye cameras that operate in low light, millimeter-wave radar facing forward, upward, and downward, and a rotating LiDAR. Together, they detect thin obstacles such as power lines, even at night, making it possible to fly inside substations and among intersecting power lines. The LiDAR sensor is used here for navigation and obstacle detection, not for mapping.

In strong winds during the return-to-home flight, the drone automatically descends to a lower altitude where the wind is weaker (High-Wind Descent RTH).

Parachute, FTS, and Regulations

With the DJI AP1 parachute installed, the Matrice 5TD meets the requirements for Classes C5 and C6, and thus for the standard scenarios STS-01 and STS-02. The parachute has its own power supply, deploys automatically in the event of an abnormal flight condition or if the drone leaves a geofence (Geocaging), and can also be deployed manually via FlightHub 2 or DJI’s Flight Termination System (FTS). Both FTS and Geocaging are supported in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

For most drone installations, however, a specific category with an operating permit and SORA will still be required. In such cases, the parachute, dedicated geofences, an ADS-B receiver, and Remote ID detection are key components for reducing ground and air risks. We’re happy to assist with the setup.

DJI O4 Ground Station and Connectivity

The Dock 4 is always used in conjunction with the DJI O4 Ground Station. It handles the video link, RTK base, and network connection, is powered via PoE through an Ethernet cable from the station, and is IP67-rated. Place it high up and unobstructed so the dock can be positioned where it best suits your operations. Multiple ground stations can be linked together (Multi-Station Roaming) to cover larger areas.

• Network: Ethernet with at least 20 Mbit/s upload and download speeds (preferably 40 Mbit/s) and a maximum latency of 100 ms. 4G via the optional DJI Cellular Dongle 2.
• The drone also has two built-in 4G modules as a backup connection.
• Site surveys prior to installation are conducted using a Matrice 4 series or Matrice 4D.
• IP cameras: The ground station supports up to four external cameras (ONVIF), such as existing area surveillance systems.

DJI FlightHub 2 and AI

All operations take place on the DJI FlightHub 2 cloud platform: remote control via Virtual Cockpit, route planning, scheduled missions, live video feeds from multiple drones, and maintenance of the entire fleet. For those who want full control over their data, FlightHub 2 is also available as an on-premises version and as an all-in-one server, and the system can be integrated with custom platforms via OpenAPI, FlightHub Sync, and the DJI Cloud API.

• Onboard AI: real-time detection of 17 object types in the live feed, heat sources, and support for custom AI models.
• Search using text or images in Virtual Cockpit, where a multimodal language model searches for what you describe and alerts you when a match is found.
• FlightHub 2 Copilot: Describe the mission in plain text, and routes and commands are generated.
• Automated workflows: deploy the drone immediately upon an alert from an external system, or run recurring data collection, modeling, and reporting tasks.
• Change Detection Pro: Compare new aerial images with older ones and highlight changes, such as damage or new structures.

Data is encrypted end-to-end (AES-256 and TLS 1.2+ between the drone and the station, HTTPS/TLS to the cloud), access is logged, and data can be deleted at the account, organization, and device levels. The DJI Enterprise app is used for installation, troubleshooting, and dispatching the drone with a single tap from your phone.

Applications

• Emergency services and police (DFR): The drone is automatically dispatched and provides situational awareness before the first unit arrives.
• Surveillance of industrial sites, ports, and facilities: scheduled patrols, nighttime surveillance, and a loudspeaker to warn unauthorized persons.
• Power grids and infrastructure: recurring inspections of substations, power lines, and roads using thermal imaging cameras and telecommunications.
• Mines, quarries, and construction projects: monitoring changes, volumes, and safety over time.

Service and DJI Care

DJI Care Enterprise Plus is included for the first year for both the Dock 4 and the Matrice 5TD. For the station, replacement parts are covered in the event of repairs. For the drone, the plan includes an unlimited number of repairs within the coverage limit, one battery replacement per year, replacement in the event of a lost drone once per year, and free shipping to and from the service center. The Matrice 5TD also receives a one-year extended warranty. Terms and conditions may vary by country.

We’re here to help you every step of the way

A dock installation is more than just a product. We assist with site selection, regulations and operating permits, training, and commissioning, so that the system is actually flying once it’s in place. Contact us for a quote, a demo, or an initial consultation about your business.