Getting started with Fi is easy and fun! After activating your Fi Collar, follow the below checklist to get the most out of your collar.
For steps on first time activation, see: How Do I Set Up My Fi Collar?
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✅ Setup your Fi Base Properly
After activating your Fi Collar, it is important that your Fi Base is set up in the correct location. The Fi Base is the best connection source for your dog's Fi Collar to maintain a long & healthy battery life.
Your Fi Base needs to be set up indoors, in an area where it can plug into an electrical outlet, connect to your Wi-Fi network, and should be placed in an open area where your dog frequently spends time. Having the base offline or not plugged in, stuffed in a drawer and out of sight, will not allow you to get the most out of your collar.
If you have multiple dogs, you can set up each base in different areas where your dogs like to hang out, to extend coverage.
→ Learn more about Where To Set Up Your Fi Base
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✅ Always Keep the Fi App Open & Running
When your Fi Collar cannot connect to the Fi Base, it's going to look for the next best connection source, the Fi App. If the Fi App is not up and running in the background of your mobile device, the collar will move onto the next connection source.
When the Fi Collar cannot find the best connection source for your dog's current activity, it can lead to quicker battery drain and inaccurate reporting.
You can check what your Fi Collar is connected to within the Fi App: How Can I See What My Dog’s Fi Collar Is Connected To?
→ Learn more about Why it is Important to Keep Your Fi App Running at All Times
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✅ Connect to Wi-Fi
You can add up to 6 different Wi-Fi networks to your dog’s Fi Collar. If your dog's collar is out of distance from the Fi Base and the Fi App (a mobile device), it will try to connect to a Wi-Fi network in range of the Fi Collar. You want your Fi Collar to connect to one of your Wi-Fi networks before GPS/LTE, as GPS/LTE will drain the battery quickly.
→ Learn How Do I Add or Remove Wi-Fi Networks?
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✅ Get the Most Out of Walks & Travel
When you're ready to take your dog out for a walk, car ride, or anywhere away from their Fi Base and Wi-Fi connections, your first step is to ensure your Fi App is still open and running in the background. This will allow your dog's collar to connect to your mobile device and track your dog properly.
For example, if you are on a walk with your Fi App closed, your collar may instead connect to GPS/LTE, causing delays and/or an inaccurate walk card.
⭐️ Example of a walk connecting to the Fi App:
- Your walk card will show a Green Dot 🟢 indicating the beginning of your walk and a red dot 🔴 showing where the walk ended.
❌ Example of a walk connecting to GPS/LTE
- If your walk card shows yellow dots this means your collar was unable to connect to your mobile device and instead connected to GPS/LTE.
- A GPS/LTE walk will drain your collar battery faster.
- A GPS/LTE walk may not show an accurate walk.
→ Learn more about Activity Cards
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✅ Keep Your Fi Collar Charged
It is crucial to keep your Fi Collar fully charged. See: How Do I Charge My Fi Collar?
If you notice your Fi Collar is draining quickly, check its connection source. Maintaining the proper connection will allow your collar to hold its charge longer.
Connecting to GPS/LTE will drain your battery the quickest.
Your dog's Fi Collar only has approximately 2 days of battery life once Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode is turned ON. This is why it's important to connect to the proper source at the correct time to save as much battery as possible when your dog is not lost.
→ Learn more about What Is the Best Connection Source for My Dog’s Fi Collar?
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✅ System Health Checks
Your goal is to have your Fi Collar connect to a Fi Base as frequently as possible to hold a longer battery life. Having your Fi Collar connect to the Fi Base the majority of the time will lead to great system health. To ensure your Fi Base is properly set up, see: Fi Base: How It Works
To help maintain your system health, your Fi Base can move with your dog. See: How Do I Set Up My Dog’s Fi Collar for Travel?
You can easily keep an eye on your Fi Collar's system health directly in the Fi App:
→ Learn how to check in on your Battery Performance & System Health
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✅ Understand Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode
If your dog is ever lost, timing is crucial to find your dog safely. It is highly beneficial to test and understand how Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode works prior to a lost dog situation.
You can test Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode at anytime within your Fi App.
→ Learn how to Test Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode