Fi trackers

[MP_the4pack]

Does anyone have the Fi tracker? How do you like it?  What does membership get you? And if you end membership what happens? Does it no longer work? 

 

[macoduck]

I ditched my Fi2. There are even more complaints on the Fi3. Customer service practically nil. But surprisingly when I emailed to cancel I was surprised that they pro-rated a refund for the remaining months of my contract. There's plenty of hate for it on the Fi Collar Owners FB page. If your membership expires, the device won't work. It comes with its own charging base. You also get a collar with it the is notorious for breaking and losing the gps device. Many users buy Etsy-made collars or pouches for them.

Both Trackr (no e) and Whistle are good. I have Whistle on 3 of my hounds. Customer service is responsive and helpful. Whistle doesn't have a charging base. It comes with a cord but can be charged with an android type cord.  Each of these devices will cease to work at expiration. I pay $99 per dog yearly. The Whistle collar comes with 2 attachments. I use the one that clips on around a collar. The second has a velco wrap for larger collars.

Don't even consider the AirTags or the like unless you are in the city. They are useless in the countryside.

[Time4ANap]

25 minutes ago, macoduck said:

Don't even consider the AirTags or the like unless you are in the city. They are useless in the countryside.

Even Apple states in all of their literature not to use an Air Tag for pet tracking. They know the limitations of doing so. 

We used whaterver the first 2 generations of Whistle were (before they were called Whistle.) They worked well until they didn't. At that time the company was bought out and the change over to Whistle was not handled well. The old trackers pretty much stopped working and weren't reliable, and most of us who used those first two generations walked away. I'm glad to hear that things have turned around and that you are getting reliable service from them again. 

Our current hounds don't get far enough away from a food bowl or dog bed to need tracking. 

[MP_the4pack]

Many thanks! 

I want something for my girls when I go away. My new sitter watches them in her home instead of mine.  And my upcoming trips are all on the other side of the world. 

[JenniferS]

I have heard good things about Tractive, Whistle & Fi. I use a lesser known brand called Link. I have been very happy with them. My only complaint is the device needs to be charged often. https://www.linkmypet.com/

Do not use an AirTag, although better than nothing, it is not an actual GPS tracker. 

[macoduck]

13 hours ago, MP_the4pack said:

Many thanks! 

I want something for my girls when I go away. My new sitter watches them in her home instead of mine.  And my upcoming trips are all on the other side of the world. 

With the Fi you would need to have the base device at the sitter's house and set a new zone. No base needed with Whistle or Trackr. Your sitter would need to have the Whistle app on her phone where she can easily check what % of charge is left. I charge mine once a week, which by then might be down to 80%. I don't like it lower than that because if I have to activate the search mode during an escape, with each of these systems the battery would drain faster. I do wish these systems could be monitored on a computer though.

[gracegirl]

We have been really happy with the Fi. We don’t need the base to be at someone else’s house. We watch our friend’s dog who has a Fi all the time and she has us set up as a sitter so there’s a perimeter around our house. We have the 3 series and have no complaints. It’s battery lasts forever.