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Test Lost Dog Mode

  • Updated

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 Lost Dog Mode. Once activated, the collar will attempt to look for either a live signal for Live Tracking or will look for a signal every minute for Original Lost Dog Mode. 

GPS & LTE-M coverage can vary depending on location and we recommend testing to become familiar with coverage in your area before you need to rely on this feature. 

There are two ways to test Lost Dog Mode. Please note that these tests must be done as a walk, not a car ride.

Testing Lost Dog Mode by Toggling Bluetooth Off (Advanced):

Time: 30 minutes

Before starting the test:

  1. This test will require knowledge of how to turn Bluetooth OFF on your smartphone.
  2. Notify any other owners or dog walkers on your account that you are running a Lost Dog Mode test. They will receive notifications that the dog is "Lost" during testing and should be aware that you are testing.
  3. The 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 should plan to test in this area. If you want to understand coverage near a particular Safe Zone, plan to test around the Safe Zone. 

Start the test:

1. Open the Fi App, and tap the Live Tab in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen:

Home Screen With Live Highlight.png

2. Tap the Map Preview: 

LiveCard.png

3. This will open a map showing your dog's latest known location. Tap Track Lost Dog:

TrackLostDog.png

Depending on the series of your Fi Collar:

  • Series 3+ or Series 3 - Once you click Track Lost Dog, Live Tracking in Lost Dog mode is activated. Your dog's GPS & LTE-M location is updated in real-time, with live location updates shown in the Fi App:

IMG_1327-portrait.png   IMG_1337-portrait.png
   

  • Series 2 - Once you click Track Lost Dog, the original Lost Dog Mode is activated. Your dog's GPS & LTE-M location attempts to increase to once per minute, and will show your dog's most recently reported location in the Fi App.

Be aware that the Cancel button does not appear during Live Tracking Activation unless the collar has been in this state for at least 5 minutes.

Also, your dog's collar light will not be activated in Lost Dog Mode.

  • If you need to see your dog's collar, you can switch the light on by tapping the light switch (shown on the live map) to turn it on. 
  •  This will make your dog easier to spot at night or in low visibility conditions. 
  • Please note, it can take a few minutes for the collar light to activate:

LDMLight.png

The LED light will drain your dog's Fi Collar battery faster - so keep an eye on the battery level:

Batterylife.jpeg

4. 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 rely solely on GPS and bypass any connection to your phone’s location.

5. Take your dog for a 20-30 minute walk outside the Safe Zone. 

  • During your walk, you likely won't see notifications because the phone's Bluetooth will be off, but you or another owner may receive notifications with GPS location reports:

Location Update.png

6. After a 20-30 minute walk, and once you're back in your Safe Zone, turn Bluetooth back on. 

7. Open the Fi App and turn off Lost Dog Mode by tapping End Live Tracking

EndLiveTracking copy.png

8. Tap I was just testing:

Screenshot_20240823-173624.png

9. Tap on the arrow in the upper-left corner to return to the Live Tab:

LiveMapBack.png

10. In your Timeline section, you may have a walk card with a general idea of updates and known GPS locations received from the collar:

Walk Card With New Menu.png

If you tap on the Walk Card, it will open a map view with more details of where your pet was during the walk.

 

10. The test is complete. If your test generated a Walk Card, you can verify the accuracy of the GPS locations received from the collar in the app.

Steps for Testing Lost Dog Mode with a Friend (Simple):

To test Lost Dog Mode, the Fi Collar needs to power on the GPS/LTE-M chips and cannot be in the 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:

  1. Arrange for a walker to take your dog on a 30 minute walk without you. 
  2. Notify any other owners or dog walkers on your account that you are running a 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.
  3. The 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 should plan to test in this area. If you want to understand coverage near a particular Safe Zone, plan to test around it.

Start the test:

1. Open the Fi App, and tap Live Tab in the bottom-left corner of your screen:

Home Screen With Live Highlight.png

2. Tap the Map Preview:

LiveCard.png

3. This will open a map showing your dog's latest known location. Tap Track Lost Dog:
TrackLostDog.png

Depending on the series of your Fi Collar:

  • Series 3+ or Series 3 - Once you click Track Lost Dog, Live Tracking in Lost Dog mode is activated. Your dog's GPS & LTE-M location is updated in real-time, with live location updates shown in the Fi App:

IMG_1327-portrait.png   IMG_1337-portrait.png
   

  • Series 2 - Once you click Track Lost Dog, the original Lost Dog Mode is activated. Your dog's GPS & LTE-M location attempts to increase to once per minute, and will show your dog's most recently reported location in the Fi App.

Be aware that the Cancel button does not appear during Live Tracking Activation unless the collar has been in this state for at least 5 minutes.

Also, your dog's collar light will not be activated in Lost Dog Mode.

  • If you need to see your dog's collar, you can switch the light on by tapping the light switch (shown on the live map) to turn it on. 
  •  This will make your dog easier to spot at night or in low visibility conditions. 
  • Please note, it can take a few minutes for the collar light to activate:

LDMLight.png

The LED light will drain your dog's Fi Collar battery faster - so keep an eye on the battery level:

Batterylife.jpeg

4. Have the person walking the dog begin their 30 minute walk outside the Safe Zone:

  • Ensure the person walking the dog does not have the Fi App open and running in the background. It should be closed (so the collar cannot connect to their mobile device).

5. During their walk, you may receive notifications with GPS location reports:

Location Update.png

We suggest talking to the person on the phone while they walk your dog. That way, you can let them know the location the notification is showing to confirm accuracy.

6. Once they return home from the 30 minute walk, turn off Lost Dog Mode by tapping End Live Tracking:

EndLiveTracking copy.png

7. Tap I was testing:

Screenshot_20240823-173624.png



8. Tap on the arrow in the upper-left corner to return to the Live Tab:

LiveMapBack.png

9. In the Timeline section, you may have a walk card with a general idea of updates and known GPS locations received from the collar:

Walk Card With New Menu.png

If you tap on the Walk Card, it will open a map view with more details of where your pet was during the walk.

 

10. The test is complete. If your test generated a Walk Card, you can verify the accuracy of the GPS locations received from the collar in the app.

 

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