How long does my dog's Fi collar battery last?
Your dog's Fi collar has 3 operating modes. How long your dog's Fi collar battery lasts depends on which operating mode is most active:
- At Home And/Or With an Owner
- Active When: Your dog is within range of the Fi base OR an Owner's smartphone (+ Fi app installed and running in background)
- Energy Consumption: Minimal
- Battery Life: Up to 3 months
- Location Updates: Every minute
- GPS / LTE-M Network Connection
- Active When: Your dog is outside, away from range of the Fi base and away from an Owner who has the Fi app installed on their smartphone
- Energy Consumption: Moderate
- Battery Life: Approximately 1-3 weeks
- Location Updates: Every 5 minutes
- Lost Dog Mode
- Active When: You tap the red "Lost" button in the Fi app
- Energy Consumption: High
- Battery Life: Up to 2 days
- Location Updates: Every minute
How can I preserve battery life?
Preserving battery life when you’re with your pup or at home is really important in ensuring your dog’s Fi collar has as much battery as possible when you’re out and about. The best ways to do this include:
- Wi-Fi Connection and Fi Base Location
- Make sure that the Fi base is properly connected to your wi-fi network and placed near the area where your dog spends the most time.
- Smartphone + Fi App Proximity
- Make sure you and anyone walking or traveling with your dog has the Fi app installed on their smartphone and are logged in.
- Appropriate Use of 'Lost Dog' Mode
- Only use this mode when your dog is lost and you need to track them down quickly.
- Add Additional Fi Bases for Larger or Complex Properties
- Each base provides 150 foot radius of coverage in clear air. If you have a large home, multiple floors or special materials (pre-war buildings, metal roofs, etc) used in your building, you may need to add a second Fi base to help cover the areas where your dog spends the most time. Remember - every time the Fi collar is connected to a Fi base, battery is saved. You can use as many Fi bases as needed.
- Note: All Fi bases must have wifi access. If your wifi signal does not extend to your backyard, for example, a Fi base will not be able to cover that area.
- Each base provides 150 foot radius of coverage in clear air. If you have a large home, multiple floors or special materials (pre-war buildings, metal roofs, etc) used in your building, you may need to add a second Fi base to help cover the areas where your dog spends the most time. Remember - every time the Fi collar is connected to a Fi base, battery is saved. You can use as many Fi bases as needed.
What conditions drain battery?
- Lack of Connectivity to Fi App And/Or Fi Base
- If your dog is away from the Fi base and without a human who has the Fi app installed on their smartphone, the LTE connection will be used to connect to your dog’s collar - which requires greater battery usage.
- For maximum battery life, the Fi app must be installed on your smartphone and logged in to your account.
- The Fi app must be open - the app must stay open in the background as you use other apps, as well.
- When your pup is not with you, but with a friend, caretaker, or family member, they should also have the Fi app installed and open.
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If your dog will be without you for a significant amount of time, we highly suggest you add your pup's sitter as an Owner within your Fi account (Steps here: Multiple Owners) and relocate the charging base to the place your dog will be while you're away.
- Note: To relocate your Fi base, your dog's sitter will need to reconfigure the base to connect to their wifi network within the Fi app. For instructions on how to do this, see Fi Base Wifi Connectivity.
- Note: To relocate your Fi base, your dog's sitter will need to reconfigure the base to connect to their wifi network within the Fi app. For instructions on how to do this, see Fi Base Wifi Connectivity.
- If your dog is away from the Fi base and without a human who has the Fi app installed on their smartphone, the LTE connection will be used to connect to your dog’s collar - which requires greater battery usage.
- Lack of Fi Base Wifi Connectivity
- Note: The Fi mobile app will alert you if your Fi base goes offline. For help reconnecting your Fi base to wifi, see Fi Base Troubleshooting
- Lack of LTE Signal
- This may happen if your dog is indoors, between tall buildings, or in a remote location outside of AT&T LTE-M network coverage.
- Note: You can check the coverage in your area by visiting AT&T's Wireless Coverage Map. Disclaimer: AT&T's map is only meant to show general coverage in your area. There is no notion of signal strength, so depending on your surrounding environment - there may still be some issues with communicating with the network.
- This may happen if your dog is indoors, between tall buildings, or in a remote location outside of AT&T LTE-M network coverage.
- Extreme Temperatures
- Using 'Lost Dog' Mode
- Enabling the LED on your dog's Fi collar also adversely affects battery life of your dog's Fi collar.
How do I know current battery life of my dog's Fi collar?:
- Open the Fi app
- Tap the 'Menu' icon
- Underneath your dog's name, you will see a battery icon noting the percentage of battery life remaining