Fi Smart Dog Collar Review

Your dog is a member of your family, and it’s your job and pleasure to keep him safe. Leashes and fences are often up for this challenge, but not always. For example, if you go camping or hiking, your dog might be allowed to wander in a safe area off-leash. And if you have a dog-walker, your dog might accidentally slip his collar or manage to get away. And even if you have a fenced-in yard, a determined adventurer might dig out from underneath or sail right over it if a bunny happens to catch his eye! The Fi Smart Dog Collar can give you the peace of mind you need while keeping Rover safe and sound even if he gets out of your sight temporarily.

Our Score for the Fi Smart Dog Collar



4.6


Editorial Rating

What we like:
Give your dog the freedom he wants and the safety he needs.

About the Fi Smart Dog Collar

About the Fi Smart Dog Collar

The Fi Smart Dog Collar is the answer dog owners have been looking for when it comes to keeping their dogs safe and well-secured. It is a comfortable collar that fits your dog like any other collar. What it does that is unlike regular collars, however, is track your pup wherever he goes. Whether he’s sleeping on the sofa, roaming in your dog-safe yard, or running unattended after breaking out of your dog-safe yard, you’ll know about it thanks to its LTE-M GPS technology and a fast alert system.

The collar itself is customizable with a wide range of styles available. Choose from cotton, nylon, and a variety of other fabrics. You can get a quick-release buckle, a traditional buckle, or a hard plastic buckle that releases with a squeeze. The company also has martingale collars and slip collars if you prefer no buckle. There’s a ring for your dog’s tags, as well as one for a leash clip. The collars come in a variety of solid colors, prints, and patterns.

Your Fi Smart Dog Collar will be waterproof and also resistant to saltwater spray. It’s also bite-proof, which is a handy feature if you have a dog who tends to chew on the collar. It has a light to help with nighttime walks, and the collar comes with free shipping and a one-year warranty.

While your dog is wearing the collar, it will be busily tracking him with LTE-M cellular service, which has a longer range (by about 30 percent) than 3G, 4G, 5G, and regular LTE service. The app uses an algorithm to detect when your dog is outside of your house or yard and it notifies you quickly, making it more likely that you’ll be able to find your dog before he goes too far. It will also connect to your phone, available WiFi connections, or the collar’s charging base to minimize energy usage and maximize the battery life. Using WiFi only, the battery will last up to three months. Using GPS only (no WiFi), it will last about three weeks. And in Lost Dog mode, when it refreshes every minute to give you constant updates, it will last up to two days.

Fi Smart Dog Collar Review

Important Features

There are some features that make the Fi Smart Dog Collar worth considering if you are looking for a high-quality dog-tracking collar.

  • Available in a range of styles
  • Tracks dogs in and out of the house
  • Frequent notifications
  • Lost Dog mode option
  • Waterproof
  • Has an LED light
  • Great for monitoring walks, steps, and miles
  • Good for camping and vacations
  • One-year warranty
  • Free shipping

What We Liked

Here are some of the features we love about the Fi Smart Dog Collar.

  • Adventure-proof. This collar is not only waterproof but also dirt- and bite-proof. This means that when your dog is out on an adventure, the collar will continue working no matter what the elements.
  • Long-lasting battery. When compared to other dog-tracking collars on the market, the Fi Smart Dog Collar lasts longer, on average.
  • Lots of designs and styles. Whether you prefer flat collars, a slip collar, a martingale collar, a quick-release collar, or something else, there’s bound to be a style that suits you and your pup. You can also choose between a wide range of colors and patterns to fit in with your dog’s unique style.
  • LED light included. If you are in an area of low visibility or walking at night, you can turn on the LED light, which is available in a range of colors. It will also flash red when the collar is in “lost dog” mode.
  • Energy-saving technology. The smart collar will attempt to use Wi-fi and bluetooth services when possible to save energy (and battery life), but it also has the capability to use LTE-M GPS services to track your dog wherever he may roam.
  • Tracks exercise. If you are monitoring how many steps your dog takes or how far he walks each day, this app will keep track of it for you.

Fi Smart Dog Collar Review

What We Didn’t Like

Like all products, there are a few things that aren’t perfect about the Fi Smart Dog Collar. Here are some of them:

  • Can be pricey. The initial price can be higher than comparable collars, however, the monthly subscription fee can be a bit lower, so it might even out.
  • Only works with the collar you order. This isn’t a device that can be taken off of one collar and put on another one later; if you want to change colors or if the collar is damaged, you’ll need to either order a new device or order new nylon webbing from the company.
  • Pedometer feature lacks science. The collar sets the dog’s goal for the day at 10,000 steps, but this is not anything scientific. It’s best to talk to your veterinarian to see what a reasonable step goal would be for your dog. You also have the option not to use this feature if you don’t like it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Fi Smart Dog Collar have a monthly fee?

Yes, you need to subscribe to the service in order for the LTE-M to work outside of where you have your Wi-Fi. At the time of this writing, the fee is $99 for one year. It is a better value to order the service for more time, however, as you can get three years of service for $248.

How does the Fi Smart Dog Collar work?

The collar works by updating your dog’s location every two to five minutes (or every minute in “lost dog” mode) to alert you to where he is at any given time. It will also notify you if your dog leaves the safe area that you’ve designated (generally your house and yard). The device will use Wi-fi, bluetooth, and, if those are not available, LTE-M cellular service.

Is the Fi Smart Dog Collar waterproof?

Yes, the collar is waterproof for up to 30 minutes of immersion in water up to 4.5 feet deep.

Can I leave my dog’s collar on all the time?

You can leave your dog’s collar on all the time as long as there are no tags that can get caught on branches and other objects that could cause strangulation. It is usually recommended not to leave a collar on a dog who is in a crate because it could get stuck on the wires. The Fi Smart Dog Collar comes with a quick-release buckle option; this will cause the collar to open so your dog can escape if he were to get stuck on something.

Fi Smart Dog Collar Review

Customer Reviews

It’s a good idea to look at a wide range of customer reviews when you consider making any type of purchase. Here are both positive and negative reviews for the Fi Smart Dog Collar.

Positive Reviews

Positive reviews focused on the peace of mind that the collar brings owners. Other benefits mentioned include the long battery life and the quick alerts.

I have 2 Fi Series 2 collars for my two labs and I absolutely love them! Battery life is amazing and it’s such a huge peace of mind that if they ever go missing I can pull them up right in my app and locate them. The collars are waterproof (my dogs are competitive dock divers and they compete in them and play in the ocean). We never go anywhere without our Fi collars! highly recommend. -kmc2016, 11/19/20, Chewy.com


We live in a small community with no fences, and decided to get a fi as our beloved fur baby has recently started exploring our neighbor’s property and tracking her down has caused us a lot of stress. Got a chance to test this out yesterday, and within minutes fi pointed us a few houses down where a squirrel had gotten her attention and she was mesmerized. Typically we would spend half an hour walking around the property, calling to her not knowing where to even begin- knowing where to look is worth all the money in the world! -happydogdad, 11/12/20, Chewy.com

Negative Reviews

The negative reviews we found mentioned too many unnecessary features and a lag time between the dog leaving home and the notification being sent.

I just got the series 1 a few weeks before this came out. The communication of series 1 is spotty at best. I live in a fairly populated area and it would pick up my dog’s walks about every 5-10 minutes so when I look to see where my kids walked the dog it would zig-zag through housing developments instead of on the streets which he was actually walked. Additionally, it doesn’t notify me when he leaves the base area for a solid 5 minutes after which defeats the purpose. Just yesterday I was at a soccer field 15 minutes away and my wife left the house to join me with the dog. It wasn’t until after they go to the field that I got a notice saying the dog left the house. -dogowner123, 11/9/20, Chewy.com


I use this to check on my dog when I am away. All I care about is the GPS tracking, please stop telling me about my dog’s steps or activity. I don’t care about that, just give me a map. -Cesar R., 9/07, Tryfi.com

Final Verdict

Overall, we highly recommend the Fi Smart Dog Collar. It is easy to use and invaluable in tracking dogs who might wander away from home. It’s also a great option if you have a dog-walker and want to see where they go or if you are going to be away from home with your dog and want to be sure that they don’t get lost. It might be a bit more expensive than some other trackers, but it also has a longer battery life and the LTE-M cellular system that will keep your dog tracked even in less populated or busy areas, so that might make it worth it. There are features that not all dog owners are interested in and it seems easy enough to simply not use those features. All in all, we think it’s a great product for dog owners who want to take that extra step to ensure their furry BFF’s safety!

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