Fi Smart Dog Collar Series 2 Review: The Girls Are Home

MSRP: $149

A couple of years ago, Lida and I came across a story about two police dogs in need of a home after the Chief of the station wanted to sell them to the meat market to butcher. After settling into our new house and neighborhood, we were finally in a position to responsibly open our home to a pet. While we initially were only slated to adopt one dog from the rescue in Korea, after learning how emotionally bonded the two dogs were, there was no way we could leave the other one behind and separate them. That’s the story behind how Serena and Simone joined our family.

Seeing as many of the dogs being rescued for adoption have (for lack of better wording) trauma due to their unfortunate situations that often put them on the brink of death, the rescue organizations are very meticulous with the candidates they release the dogs to for adoption. The organization we worked with required all adopters to use a smart dog collar from a company called Fi. Lida and I have both raised dogs all our lives, but this was the first time we’ve heard about smart dog collars. After a year with Fi collars on our girls, we upgraded Serena’s to the Series 2 refresh model. Why do dogs need smart collars and what does the $149 Series 2 do better? I have a lot to discuss!

Serena (left) with the Series 2, Simone (right) with the Series 1

How does it work?

To start off this review, I should clarify that technically when I talk about the Fi collar, the actual product we’re talking about isn’t really the collar at all. All of the smarts that run the operation are located on a rectangular tracking device that attaches to special collars. Fi uses a proprietary mounting mechanism that requires dog parents to also purchase collars that use that mechanism. Think Apple Watch bands and the special clasp they use. It’s the same type of situation. You do get one basic color for a collar that is included with the purchase of the Fi. The company partners with independent business owners who sell uniquely designed collars that are Fi compatible for those owners who appreciate fashion on their pups. Buyers also have to make the right decision about sizes as the Fi comes in 4 measurement variants. It’s important to properly measure your dog’s collar length before purchasing. I also would recommend waiting until your puppy is about fully grown so you don’t need to change collar sizes. The positive trait about this collar changing mechanism is that if for some reason your dog did outgrow the collar, you could also go a size up or down without needing to purchase the main component (as you already have it).

Main Function

I know she’s safe when I’m not going to be home for a few days

There are no gaps in tracking. There’s no on or off button. The tracker tracks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Fi collar’s main function is to track our dog’s location through GPS. This is a big issue for flight risk pets who have yet to assimilate into their neighborhoods. In our case, Simone is a huge scaredy cat who is reactive to just about anything that moves. We’ve worked tirelessly on our communication with her through positive reinforcement training, and while she’s shown tremendous success in responding to us when she’s afraid that I’m extremely proud of, we aren’t anywhere near proofing all of the situations that arise in a busy neighborhood. Having an unlimited GPS tracker on her that is connected through LTE in case there is an unforeseen situation that we haven’t proofed for does settle my nerves. Through the Fi phone app that connects with the collar, I can see where my dogs are whenever and wherever. There are no gaps in tracking. There’s no on or off button. The tracker tracks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That is, if you kept the device charged. This second iteration of the Fi collar is advertised to last about 3 months off of one charge. That’s one of the improvements over the first generation Fi collar. That one survives about over a month off of the charging cradle. While I found Fi’s 3 month estimate to be rather generous in its estimation, Serena’s Series 2 model does have a slightly noticeable longevity over Simone’s Series 1 collar. Regardless, we charge both of them at the same time anyway, especially if we’re prepping to be out of town.

The battery life duration will also depend on additional factors for functionality. The Fi collar has a small vertical LED strip of light that can be turned on through the app. There’s a couple of colors the owner can cycle through for their dog. This LED accent isn’t necessarily an illumination to help pave a walkway in the dark more than it is a fashion statement. That being said, if your dog is lost at a park or in the woods at night (for those of you in the Midwest), any source of light in pitch darkness will shine brightly to stick out. I do find it to be a worthy added function to have for emergencies.

Does it need a subscription?

Going back to the GPS tracking function, the Fi collar technically works without a subscription. With the Series 2 improvements, owners can purchase the product and strictly have it tether through Wi-Fi connection to track the dog. If the dog leaves the range of the Wi-Fi signal, then the app will no longer be able to locate the animal. This is why the GPS/Subscription service is highly recommended by both Fi and users like me. We currently pay for two active subscriptions as each collar has their own AT&T LTE line linked to it. The plan is somewhat pricey as it costs $99 per line. What you get is a log of your pet’s walking activity in a clean and precise mapping of the route. The plan also allows Lost Dog Mode to activate which, if triggered, will intensify the location tracking to once per minute on LTE while flashing a red color on the LED of the collar. The app will then push directions from your location to where the tracker is currently located on the map. This is also helpful in combination with Safe Zones. Fi allows you to pinpoint areas you may designate as safe for the dog to be when you are not around. Some dog parents let their dogs off leash (which I don’t recommend) to roam before they return home by themselves. Setting that location up as Safe Zones will keep the Fi collar from designating the dog as a runaway. All of these safety features are well incorporated into the app and I’ve been quite impressed with how it performs. The Fi app and responsiveness to the device has been terrific during my 2+ years using their products.

Fitness Tracking

Other things to know about the Fi collar include the IP68 certification which makes the technology waterproof. Remember, we’re dealing with animals here who definitely aren’t as big on cleanliness as we humans are. I’ve found the module to be reliably sturdy with its mix of brushed metal and plastic casing. The battery does make the module a little bit heavier than normal collars, but it shouldn’t bog down your dog. I was initially concerned that the battery would heat up during use and potentially burn my dog’s neck. While the back of the module does warm up a tad, I haven’t felt it get to an uncomfortable level.

The Fi collar’s secondary main function is to act as a doggie Fitbit. Since this does have GPS when in use with the subscription plan, the module will track the amount of steps your dog takes throughout the day, just as our human devices do for us. It’s not super reliable as I’ve found dramatic discrepancies between my two dogs and their daily routes. Some days, we’d hit 10k steps, while other days we’re only at 7k on the same exact route. I understand that the same route doesn’t mean the same amount of steps, but a 3k difference is more than the margin of error. It’s a fun little feature to have to see how active my dog is, but I wouldn’t take it too seriously. It is, however, a motivating tool for owners to get off the couch and take their dogs for a walk when you constantly see the notifications pop up on the app. Fi has followed in the footsteps (pun intended) of human fitness tracking apps and added a social media aspect to step counting. There’s a community ranking system based on the breed of your dog. Once again, while these are fun little things to enjoy with your pet, it’s really not a game changing function to take too seriously as a competition.

The Girls Are Home

While I can’t speak for my girls on whether they like the Fi collar or not, I can say that they at least tolerate it. Serena and Simone don’t shy away from the collar when we put it on them in the morning (we take it off during bed time). Simone has had her Series 1 collar for 2+ years now, while Serena has had her upgraded Series 2 model for about half a year. It’s a part of who they are now. As dog parents, I do love having the ability to see that my dog is in the vicinity of where they should be when I am away from them. Lida and I have begun traveling for work and weddings again recently, and while it’s been probably tougher on us being away from the girls than the other way around, the Fi collar lets us be at ease knowing when they leave our home with the dog walker and when they return. Nowadays, it’s pretty common for Lida to tell me “The girls are home” as if we have a teenager with a car. This is definitely not a product for everyone as the monetary implications do rack up over time. However, if you are a dog owner who is financially capable of supporting your dog in this manner, I do find that Fi is a quality product that does a terrific job at what it was designed to do.

Featured

Alex

Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!