Fi Smart Dog Collar Review

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The Fi Smart collar functions both as a GPS pet tracker and an activity monitor, similar to those that humans use. It relies on GPS, WiFi, and cellular technology to constantly and accurately track the location of your dog through the Fi app.

The Fi app will notify you via your phone if your dog has escaped or wandered into unsafe areas. This collar is considered the next generation in not only knowing where your dog is at all times, but also ensuring his health.

About Fi

Fi Smart Dog Collar was started in 2017 by Jonathan Bensamoun and Loren Kirkby and quickly raised 10 million dollars from investors. Their goal was to build the best-looking dog collar capable of accurately tracking your dog for weeks between charges. The company is currently headquartered in Brooklyn.

Co-Owner Jonathan found out that his dog walker was taking shortcuts, so he decided to track his dog Thor’s walks. He also wanted to let his dog run freely and play in the backyard without worrying that he could escape. There was no product that was elegant, worked properly, and did not have to be recharged weekly, so he spent over 18 months on product development, and Fi was born.

Fi created technology to alert owners of escaped dogs and help locate them hours before they are picked up by a shelter, animal control, or even worse. It is the world’s first LTE-M dog collar and can instantly track your dog’s location, no matter where they are in the United States.

The Fi Collar

The Fi dog collar comes in two colors, yellow and gray, with a variety of sizes to fit dogs big and small. It is a clean, durable, design that is advertised as water-proof and dog-proof. The buckle feels like sturdy, solid metal but can be a little hard to snap on completely.

Among other things, this collar functions as a pedometer with the ability to track your dog’s steps via the Fi mobile app, just like the human version, Fitbit. The Fi charging base does need to be plugged in and connected to WiFi at all times, for the collar to work correctly.

The Fi Smart Dog Collar has an LED flashing light function that can be activated through the Fi app. This is great in low light situations or at night when walking your dog. It does feature different LED light modes, like blue for being fully charged, flashing blue for charging, flashing red for lost dog mode and flashing green for firmware updates.

The Fi collar is currently for use on low-power AT&T LTE-M cellular networks in the United States only.

The Fi App

The Fi Tracker app is a user-friendly mobile app available on iOS and Android, allowing users to track their dog’s location and daily steps. It also allows users to create safe zones and receive notifications when their dog leaves them, making travel with their dog easier.

The app also features a “lost” mode, allowing users to track their dog live and alert the company’s 24/7 lost dog helpline.

The app also allows users to set up a profile for their dog, including weight, age, breed, name, and a picture. The “Owners” feature allows users to invite others to use the app, making it suitable for family members or dog walkers.

The app’s “lost” mode shows the dog’s location on the map, which takes about 2-3 minutes to show. The app’s user experience with the app was positive, with the app showing the dog’s location at the end of a block.

The Fi Battery Life

The Fi Smart Dog Collar has a pretty impressive battery life and claims you can use it for up to 3 months without recharging. Depending on your dog’s use and distance, you may need to charge it sooner. The Fi battery communicates with the cellular network every couple minutes and the app will actually tell you how much battery life you have left.

The Fi charging base does need to be plugged in at all times and connected to wi-fi, which reduces strain on the battery.

During the 3 weeks I tested the Fi collar, I did not charge it once and it still showed over 50% battery life left.

The Fi Cost

The Fi Smart Dog Collar costs $149 with a 30-day trial period during which you can return it for a full refund. The collar also comes with a full 1-year warranty and includes: 

• Fi module 
• Fi collar band in gray or yellow
• Fi base 
• USB charging cable 
• Fi USB power adapter 
• App and collar instructions

Once you own a Fi collar, you can choose a subscription plan through their Fi app. The plans you can choose from are:

• 1 year  for $99 
• 2 years for $186 
• 3 years for $248 

Pros:

• Long Battery Life
• Nice, sturdy design
• Easy-to-use app
• Keeps track of steps

Cons:

• App needs mobile data
• Requires monthly service plan
• Location functions can be slow

Final Thoughts

The Fi Smart Dog Collar provides peace of mind for owners by tracking their dog’s location and activity. However, it requires a subscription and uses Airtags to track objects, which lack GPS or LTE functionality. The collar is suitable for low-energy dogs but requires an iPhone for full benefits.