GPS and LTE signals are by nature inconsistent. They can be affected by the geography, the topography and all elements in your pup's surrounding. Even a cloudy sky can substantially weaken GPS signal.
In poor signal situations, GPS tracking devices can die very fast, as they will feed more energy to the antenna to "try to get on the network". The key technological advancement of the Fi Collar is that the software running in the collar will detect these situations - and avoid over feeding energy to the battery. This results in longer battery life for your dog to walk to an area with a good signal.
Depending on the state of your pup's Fi collar, you can expect a GPS update every 1, 5 or 15 minutes.
If your dog is lost, we recommend enabling Lost Dog Mode, as this will ensure the Fi Collar is attempting to look for a signal every minute.
If your dog is indoors, the Fi Collar should be connecting to a Fi Base, or Fi App. GPS will always be inaccurate indoors. See:
My phone has perfect LTE, why does my Fi collar not find a signal?
While your cell phone may have a strong LTE signal, it is significantly larger in size (which means there is more room for a larger antenna) than the Fi Collar and typically has to be charged everyday.
At Fi, we're balancing a sleek design your dog can comfortably wear everyday, and a long lasting battery, to ensure we can pick up a signal when it is available. The reality is that if your dog escapes - especially if it is in a rural area or in the woods - he will likely walk through areas with very poor coverage, and areas with perfect coverage.
Testing Fi Collar LTE/GPS Reports In App
The best way to truly understand GPS coverage in your area is to do some testing, and we've built a function just for that! To test GPS:
- Go outside, GPS/LTE will not be accurate indoors.
- Open your Fi App
- Tap Menu, from the home screen (three stacked lines on the top left)
- Ensure your pup's Fi collar is connected to your mobile device. From your pup's pet card you will see:
Blue circle with your initial: your pup is connected to your mobile device - For trouble shooting mobile connectivity see: How to improve Fi App Mobile Connectivity
- Tap "System Diagnostics"
- Choose the collar you want to test, and tap the pet's image to enter "Diagnostic Mode"
- Scroll to the bottom of the Diagnostic Report to find, and tap "Test GPS & LTE"
- Tap "Start Test"
- If your test is successful, you will see a result in "Latest GPS/LTE Report" with the location of your pup's collar during the test. If your pup were lost, this is where we'd report their location.
Repeat this test around your neighborhood, or areas you know your pup escapes to often.