While we hope this never happens, there may be a time when your dog is away from you, and you'll need to rely on the Fi App to locate them.
If your dog is lost, you should activate Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode, which will power on the Fi Collar's GPS & LTE chips. See: How Do I Turn ON/OFF Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode?
GPS & LTE coverage can vary depending on location, and we recommend testing and becoming familiar with coverage in your area before you need to rely on this feature.
For further information regarding the differences between Live Tracking vs. Original Lost Dog Mode, see: What Is the Difference Between Live Tracking and Original Lost Dog Mode?
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There are a few ways to test Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode, and we provide instructions for two ways to set up a test below:
- Testing Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode by Toggle Bluetooth Off (Advanced)
- Testing Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode with a Friend (Simple)
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Steps for Testing Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode by Toggle Bluetooth Off (Advanced):
Time: 30 minutes
Before starting the test:
- This test will require knowledge of how to turn Bluetooth OFF your smart device.
- Notify any other owners or dog walkers on your account that you are running a Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode test. They will receive notifications that the dog is "Lost" during testing, and they should be aware that this is a test.
- The Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode test will mimic what would happen if your dog were actually lost. For this reason, if your dog is a known escape artist who likes to visit a particular area, you'll want to plan your test in this area. If you want to understand coverage near a particular safe zone, you'll want to plan your test around this area.
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Start the test:
- Open the Fi App on your mobile device.
- Tap Live in the lower left hand corner:
- Tap your dog's profile photo on the top left:
-
This will open a map showing your dog's latest known location. Tap LOST:
-
Depending on your Fi Series Collar:
-
Series 3 - Once you click Lost, Live Tracking in Lost Dog mode is activated. Your dog's GPS/LTE location is updated in real time, with live location updates shown in the Fi App.
- Series 2 - Once you click Lost, the original Lost Dog Mode is activated. Your dog's GPS/LTE location attempts increase to once per minute, showing your dog's most recent location in the Fi App.
-
Series 3 - Once you click Lost, Live Tracking in Lost Dog mode is activated. Your dog's GPS/LTE location is updated in real time, with live location updates shown in the Fi App.
-
Depending on your Fi Series Collar:
- Your dog's Fi Collar will begin to flash red to signify Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode is active. Please note, it can take a few minutes for the Fi Light to activate - do not toggle lost dog mode on and off.
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Next, go to your phone's Bluetooth settings and toggle Bluetooth OFF.
- The Fi Collar relies on a Bluetooth connection to "see" your mobile device. Turning Bluetooth off will force the collar to solely rely on GPS, and bypass any connection to your phone’s location. During the test, you will not be able to open the Fi App, which requires Bluetooth to be turned on.
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Take your dog for a 20-30 minute walk outside the safe zone.
- During your walk, you may receive notifications with known GPS location reports:
- After a 20-30 minute walk & once back in your safe zone, turn Bluetooth back ON.
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Open the Fi App and turn off Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode by tapping the X on the top right.
Series 3:
Series 2:
- You'll need to verify your dog is found. Tap "I found (your dog), disable lost dog":
- Tap on the arrow in the lower left hand corner to return to the Live page:
-
On the Live page, you may have a walk card with a general idea of updates and known GPS locations received from the collar:
- If you tap on the walk card, it will open a map view with more details of where your pet was during the walk:
- If you tap on the walk card, it will open a map view with more details of where your pet was during the walk:
-
The test is complete. If your test generates a walk card, you can verify the accuracy of the GPS locations received from the collar in the app. Additionally, you can Contact Fi Customer Success for a more in-depth report.
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Steps for Testing Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode with a Friend (Simple):
To test Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode, the Fi Collar needs to power on the GPS/LTE chips and cannot be in range of the Fi App. To simulate an escape and test, you'll want to arrange for a friend to walk your dog.
Time: 30 minutes
Before starting the test:
- Arrange for a friend/walker to take your dog on a 30 minute walk without you.
- Notify any other owners or dog walkers on your account that you are running a Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode test. They will receive notifications that the dog is "Lost" during your testing, and they should be aware that this is just a test.
- The Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode test will mimic what would happen if your dog were actually lost. For this reason, if your dog is a known escape artist who likes to visit a particular area, you'll want to plan your test in this area. If you want to understand coverage near a particular safe zone, you'll want to plan your test around this area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Start the test:
- Open the Fi App on your mobile device.
- Tap Live in the lower left hand corner:
- Tap your dog's profile photo on the top left:
-
This will open a map showing your dog's latest known location. Tap LOST:
-
Depending on your Fi Series Collar:
-
Series 3 - Once you click Lost, Live Tracking in Lost Dog mode is activated. Your dog's GPS/LTE location is updated in real time, with live location updates shown in the Fi App.
- Series 2 - Once you click Lost, the original Lost Dog Mode is activated. Your dog's GPS/LTE location attempts increase to once per minute, showing your dog's most recent location in the Fi App.
-
Series 3 - Once you click Lost, Live Tracking in Lost Dog mode is activated. Your dog's GPS/LTE location is updated in real time, with live location updates shown in the Fi App.
-
Depending on your Fi Series Collar:
- Your dog's Fi Collar will begin to flash red to signify Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode is active. Please note, it can take a few minutes for the Fi Light to activate - do not toggle lost dog mode on and off.
- Have the person walking the dog begin their 20-30 minute walk outside the safe zone. Ensure the person walking the dog has the Fi App closed (so the collar cannot connect to their mobile device).
-
During their walk, you may receive notifications with known GPS location reports. Keep an eye on these notifications to see if they are accurate to their location during the walk.
- We suggest talking to the person on the phone while they walk your dog, and let them know what location the notification shows, to see if it's accurate.
-
Once they return home from the 20-30 minute walk, turn off Live Tracking/Lost Dog Mode by tapping the X on the top right.
- Series 3:
- Series 2:
- Series 3:
- You'll need to verify your dog is found. Tap "I found (your dog), disable lost dog":
- Tap on the arrow in the lower left hand corner to return to the Live page:
-
On the Live page, you may have a walk card with a general idea of updates and known GPS locations received from the collar:
- If you tap on the walk card, it will open a map view with more details of where your pet was during the walk:
- If you tap on the walk card, it will open a map view with more details of where your pet was during the walk:
- The test is complete. If your test generates a walk card, you can verify the accuracy of the GPS locations received from the collar in the app. Additionally, you can Contact Fi Customer Success for a more in depth report.