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If you’re fortunate enough to own a dog, you may be wishing for tech to make taking care of that dog easier. Good news, the Fi collar can help you be a better dog parent and ease your mind about some of your pet’s problems.
Whether your dog is a couch potato or a roaming wanderer, the Fi collar can give you the information you need to be a better pet parent. I’ve been testing the Fi collar with my dog Bodie since December when I gave it to him as a Christmas present. So far, I’m a big fan of the Fi collar.
About the Fi Collar
The Fi collar is a smart dog collar that connects to the Internet to help you track your dog’s location, activity, and sleep. You can see where your dog is at all times, get alerts, and monitor its activity using the Fi app on your phone. According to Fi, its collars fit dogs who weigh at least 10 lbs.
This short video from Fi shows how the Fi collar works:
The package comes with a Fi collar, including a band (available in four colors and four sizes), a charging base, and a power cord. The band has an aluminum tracker and a loop for attaching dog tags and leashes. According to Fi, the collar is pull-resistant up to 300 lbs.
The collar also has an LED light you can turn on via the app to help increase visibility at night for dog walks or if your dog is lost.
Using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an AT&T network cellular connection, the Fi collar connects to the Internet so you’re always connected to your dog. To extend battery life, the Fi collar will first try to connect to the Internet using either the base unit or your phone via Bluetooth. If Bluetooth isn’t available, the collar will then try to connect using Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi isn’t available, Fi will then try to connect using its cellular service.
A subscription is required to use the AT&T cellular connection with the collar for tracking activity and location when away from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You do not need to have an AT&T account on your phone to use the Fi collar cellular connection.
The Fi collar battery can last up to three months on a charge, depending on which Internet connections it uses. You’ll get a notice via the app when the battery is down to 20% to remind you to charge it on the dock.
If your dog enjoys playing in the water, you don’t have to worry about the Fi collar getting wet. The collar has been tested water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes and is resistant to saltwater in case your pup likes the beach.
Fi App
The Fi app is command central for keeping track of your dog. Using the app, you can track your dog’s location, activity levels, and sleep patterns. When you first use the Fi collar, you must download the app and register your dog. As mentioned above, you can set a circular geofence for your dog around your home.
You must allow location services and notifications in the app to get alerts when your dog has left the geofenced area around your home.
At the bottom of the app is a menu with five icons. Live shows you where your dog is now, as well as a history of where it has been. You can also see how much battery power the collar has.
The Discover section is like a social media account for your pup where you can post photos and see photos of other Fi collar pups.
The Rank section shows you where your dog’s activity level ranks in comparison to all other dogs, as well as dogs of the same breed as your dog and in the same state as your dog.
The Activity section of the app shows you how active your dog has been, and how much your dog has slept, over the past day, weeks, months, and years. You can see graphs and charts to detect patterns and changes over time.
The final section is your dog’s account information. You can add a photo of your pup and connect an Instagram account.
Fi Collar Location Tracking
One of the most helpful features of the Fi collar is location tracking. When you set up the Fi collar, you can designate a geofence circle around your house. If your dog strays outside that circle, you’ll get a notice that your pup has left home.
You can also see on a map where the dog is to help you find him or her. The Fi collar has GPS tracking using a cellular connection so if your dog wanders far from home you can still use location tracking.
According to Fi, the collar uses AT&T’s LTE-M network for better tracking. Fi explains, “LTE-M is a new technology for low power, long distances communications. LTE-M signal reaches about 30% farther than 3G/4G/5G/LTE networks.”
Lost Dog Mode
If you’ve ever experienced the horror of losing your dog, you know you’d do nearly anything to get your dog back home safely. With the Fi collar, your fears of having a lost dog can be put to rest.
This video shows the story of a dog owner whose dog was found using the Fi collar, even though the dog was trapped underground:
If you get a notice that your pup has left home, you can activate Lost Dog mode. With this mode activated, the collar will update its location more frequently. You can also turn on the collar’s LED light if your pup is lost in the dark. According to Fi, the battery can last up to two days in Lost Dog mode.
In the account section of the Fi app, you can set Left Home notifications for a push alert, a text message, or no notification.
Availability
The Fi collar is available at the Fi website in four colors (yellow, pink, blue, or gray) and four sizes for $149. With the collar, you get a one-year warranty and a 30-day free Internet connection. After the 30 days, an Internet subscription is available at:
- $99 for one year
- $186 for two years
- $248 for three years
As of this writing, the Fi collar can only connect to the AT&T network in the U.S. From Fi:
The Fi collar can only connect to the AT&T network in the United States (including Puerto Rico and the USVI), so if your dog lives or travels internationally, it will not function properly. We hope to have Fi available for you and your dog in your country in the future!“
Fi Referral Program
If you’re interested in getting a Fi collar, you should use a Fi referral code from an owner to receive a free band. My referral code is 37MJ9P, which you can click on to get your free band. If you’re a Fi owner already, leave your referral code in a comment below so other Wonder of Tech readers can use it.
If you get one or two referrals, you get a free band for each referral. If you get three referrals, you earn a one-year subscription. For five referrals, you earn a two-year subscription. And if you get 10 people to use your referral code, you get a three-year subscription.
What Else You Need to Know
Fi collars fit dogs 10 lbs. and larger. Cats and smaller dogs need not apply.
You can add people to your dog’s Fi account in the app, both owners and dog walkers. That way, if a registered person other than you you walks the dog you’ll get a notification that the dog has left home with that person. You can also get a second base unit if your dog frequently stays in the home of a dog sitter or another family member.
In my experience, Bodie’s Fi collar reaches 20% battery life between 3-4 weeks. I charge it as soon as I get the 20% charge notification to make sure I don’t forget.
The Fi collar has been helpful in tracking Bodie’s activity, notifying us if he wanders from home, and alerting me when others in my family have walked him. I have become a big fan of the Fi collar in the three months since Bodie has been wearing it.
Your Thoughts
Do you like the idea of being able to see on a map where your dog is at all times? Have you ever lost a dog and worried about finding him or her? Do you like the idea of tracking your dog’s activity?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Yea why not…We get to wear all the cool tech-savvy gadgets, so our pets deserve a right to as well.
Looks interesting and has a ton of features…Thanks for sharing Carolyn.
Hi Praveen, Yes, the Fi collar works both as a fitness tracker and as a locator. I don’t think I would have gotten it just as a fitness tracker for my pup. But as a locator, it really does give me peace of mind. I once lost a dog for several hours and it truly is a horrifying experience. Now I always know where my dog is and that is definitely worth a lot to me.
This Fi Collar seems a cool gadget with so many features. I have ordered it for my dog. After reading this I think that it was worth buying.
Hi Mary, I’m so glad you found this article helpful. Yes, the Fi collar has a lot of impressive features, but for me, the ability to find a lost dog was the most important feature. I hope you and your pup enjoy the Fi collar!
This is a very useful tracker for my dog. Give me two!
And I like the subscription system. My dog’s safety comes first, and we travel a lot and my dog ends up in unfamiliar areas. Although I love my dog very much, I can’t guarantee that he won’t run away or get lost.
Now high technology is available for our pets)
Hi Kathryn, Yes, I really like that the Fi collar has its own cellular connection so that you aren’t dependent on Wi-Fi to locate your pup when he’s lost. I live in an area with minimal cell coverage, but my dog’s Fi collar always knows where he is. I hope you and your pup enjoy the Fi collar!