I've been thinking about the Fi but don't like that it only comes in 2 colors. TIA!

Okay, I found it but a little more information would have made it easier (like maybe a link)

First let me say that I am horribly disimpressed by their website.  It's pretty but also pretty uninformative.

For me it's a completely non-starter:

• It requires cell capability to AT&T's LTE network and we don't have a cell tower anywhere close.  
  
• There's a subscription required but they, that I saw, never stated whether that's the subscription to the AT&T network or one of their own that interfaces with the AT&T net.
  
• WiFi capability is limited - we have HUSKIES! I'd think that any self respecting Husky would be out of range in a matter of minutes.
  

Chat on the web site requires the selection of a drop down that drops down / flashes / retracts without allowing me to make a selection.  One example of why I dislike their website.  The FAQ's completely skip the "How does it REALLY work?" at least as far as I could see.

As I'm seeing it, the collar connects (how??) to the Fi Base which connects via blue-tooth to their network(??) which connects to the AT&T network (why?)
I may be an old fart but there's too much 'magic' in what I see - explanations would be nice.

I've been looking at these collars for 4-5 years and there are a couple that might be workable but I can't afford $495 per dog .... (Garmin is one, BTW)

I found their FaceBook page and I'm really impressed with a video that's 36 seconds of opening the box to show what's in it - 12 times???

I'm sorry, I can't find anything that *really* makes me want to recommend this...

Garmin's looks huge. What are the others?

Yeah anything needing cell service here like that is useless. They have sat transmitters for cows but they are kinda expensive and have a monthly fee. Most of those things dont work out here its been an ongoing discussion in town

Get a really crappy phone to attach to collar and use a find my phone app

Lostmaniac wrote:

Get a really crappy phone to attach to collar and use a find my phone app

You trying to make me slop my coffee all over???? << laughing >>

glorth2 wrote:

Garmin's looks huge. What are the others?

Take a look at this discussion and

Pawtracker  Requires Cell service and contract.

Findster No cell required (but you get information through your phone??)  No subscription required.  Note to self: Bears looking into

Oh, shoot those two were taken from this review which was done by PawTracker, but to give them credit, the review is good and has been good as they've changed the review over the past three years.
 

---

I managed to get Fi into chat.  The support rep dropped me to a sales rep - after 20 minutes they responded; I asked the question of "How does it really work?" and after 15 more minutes the chat dropped.
FI finally responded to FB chat: copying a page off their web site - one that didn't answer the question - is no help at all. The only thing they did say is that the subscription is to the AT&T LTE network which is used when the dog gets out of range of the WiFi unit. That means that for those of us who don't have cell service are out of luck when our dogs go out of WiFi range ... which would be almost immediately.

I was only half kidding. Thats how my family keeps track of my grandpa

Hi there! Both of our huskies wear Whistle 3 GPS trackers. It works on the ATT network and is perfect because we have great coverage in our area. When the dogs are in our 'home' area (you set your area up in the app), the device is connected to your home wifi....if they leave the home area boundary it automatically switches to the cellular network and notifies you. It is a monthly subscription service. You can also track activity and set activity goals. I originally got the Whistle because I was doing off leash training and wanted a back up in case they took off on me! Their off leash is now bullet proof but they both still wear the trackers 24/7. It is nice to know that I could find them if they ever left or home or were stolen.

Okay, I'm obviously missing the obvious here ... as I've been putting together the WiFi for Dogs comment, it amazes me when a company makes the claim that I can locate my dog anywhere from anywhere.  All I need is TrackMe (not a company) and my cell phone.

Well, as you all know, that isn't going to work for me right there.  I have to drive about 18 miles to even get a cell signal.  (True, there are some very spotty places with coverage that are closer but they lack both signal clarity and persistence.)  

I don't see, from a lot of these adds, how the signal is transferred from the unit on the dog to your phone (well, obviously not *my* phone.)  I have a Garmin GPS unit that I use when someone can't locate their property and do have the GPS coordinates of at least one corner.  Not a problem, I go outside, the unit eventually locks onto a few satellites and we're off.  But here, I'm the immediate recipient of the location information, I look at the unit and viola I know where we are and how to get to the property.

Now with a unit on a dog, the information has to get from the unit on the dog to <something>, that <something> has to transmit the location into a system <cell tower?> somewhere so that it can be transmitted on with their app to a cell phone <somewhere.>

Excuse me if it seems to be a lot of unexplained magic in there.  What happens if the dog has gotten into an area where there is no cell service.  Even those of you who live in the city know there are places, probably in your own apartment complex / neighborhood, where you can't make or receive a call - what happens if your dog finds that same place and decides it's a good place to nap.  (A scared dog hiding behind a metal dumpster is quite probably not going to be "seen.")

Those units which link directly to a home WiFi (as @th19219 mentions) are neat - till your dog leaves the WiFi coverage area (normaly a few hundred feet at most) and they revert to cell coverage.  These units seem to sell for $50.00 to $200.00 (or so) and are relatively affordable - but not for me since I can probably see my dog when they leave the WiFi area.

Those units which rely on GPS solely are nice (but wow expensive - we're talking $500+ per dog?) but again, they depend on the unit on the dog being able to be "seen" by (or is that "to see") the GPS satellites - and normally that's good coverage.  It then probably uses RF (in many cases MURS) to send the information it has on to the unit in your hand.  In a city ... small chance of that happening! In the country, it is going to depends entirely on the 'lay of the land.' Most public radio systems operate in a spectrum that requires 'line of site,'  if the unit in my hand can't 'see' the unit on the dog we have a 'lost dog.'

I'd like to be able to test some of these units but a couple of companies I've spoken with admit that it probably won't work for me.  I'm a half mile from the top of a ridge on one side and if the dog crosses that ridge - dog gone! About that same half mile in the other direction there is a ravine, dog crosses into the ravine - dog gone.

There are innumerable potential problems with either cell oriented systems or the radio systems ... and I'm sorry, I really don't see the benefit.

One thing I don't see on any of these units is a 'correction' feature. It would seem obvious to me that when the dog approaches the 'fence' (most units allow you to designate an electronic fence) a beep or 'correction shock' would be invaluable ... as I said, I'm really missing the obvious here.

Didnt this discussion come up awhile ago. There is a really nice satellite based tracking unit alot of the ranchers are using. The cost is about 1500 per cow and then the monthly fee. Of course most of the features are useless on a dog as it monitors health blood pressure temp calorie intake calories burned and lots of other features that are very useful for cows.

I have great cell service here but if i go 5 miles north or south or west of wolf creek its starts being how many mountains are between you and the tower. Anyway i saw a sat based tracker for dogs. Requires a monthly fee and when i saw the 3800 pricetag i stopped looking

Al. Wired invisible fence. I swear by it. I truly believe the vast majority of dogs, even huskies, properly trained, with a properly fitted collar using "meaningful correction" for the individual dog, will keep the dog contained. Yes, you will probably have to tolerate a screeching yelp or two as they attempt to breech the wire but, to my mind, that is a MUCH more tolerable screech than that from a dog hit by a car. And, I'm sure you remember, my guys have stopped dead at the boundary chasing a deer, going after my neighbors guinea hens, stopping a bear getting into my hives...me walking down the street without them.

I wonder if the those trackers are using GPS that functions even when the cell service doesn't.

I had problems with electric fencing but aside from my sisters beagle ive seen all sorts of breeds be successful with it. Lots of HOAs in the Baltimore area wont allow real fencing. My issue with the electric fence was a grouchy old man that insisted on walking his poodles in my yard. My very screwed up spaniel was perfectly normal until that old man beat my dog with an oak branch. But that has nothing to do with the dogs being contained. Here im afraid of wildlife and loose dogs. I actually like the indoor version of the electric fence and i like the electric fence in conjunction with real fence. Ive also used hotwire.

And how far do they go... when i lived on the prairie squirt and shadow ran loose. Got a ride from a neighbor and he saw shadow and said " i saw that dog yesterday at the gas station near jaroso" that was 12 miles away. Also i got a call about squirt and shadow raiding campground grills and that was about 20 miles away in the national monument. And then o got a 300 ft chain and chained shadow in the middle of the property and squirt wont go anywhere alone.