Pet Product Reviews

WiFi Wireless Fence Facts:

Perimeter Technologies introduced WiFi wireless fence in April 2009, a wireless containment system based on the WiFi technology that is used in the wireless internet routers that are in most people's homes. This has two significant advantages, range and the ability for two way communication. It also has one significant disadvantage, power usage.

With the Perimeter Technologies WiFi system, there are two significant advantages over the PetSafe Instant Fence PIF-300. Extended range and the ability for two way communication. The Perimeter WiFi dog fence can create a containment area up to a 200 foot radius from its transmitter, giving it a coverage of approximately 2.5 acres, that's more than 4 times wider coverage than Petsafe's.

The all new Perimeter Technologies Wire-Free WiFi dog fence uses the hottest micro-chip transceiver set, operating on what has now become a very familiar 802.15 wireless communication protocol. Typical of what is being used in all the new electronic products. This new technology makes our lives more convenient, keeps us better connected and now makes owning a dog fence easier and your pet safer than ever before.

Unlike other wireless systems, the Wire-Free radio frequency signal used by the Perimeter WiFi is not affected by your yard's terrain. The Wire-Free Fence's effective range will be reduced over hilly terrain only if the indoor SmartStation base station loses direct line of sight (such as over a steep hill) with the dog's collar.

However, unlike all other wireless systems, the indoor SmartStation will actually benefit from a higher location in the house, such as a second story, to improve its "line of sight" with the pet's fencing collar when dealing with difficult terrain issues.

Also the other nice feature of the Perimeter WiFi dog fence system is that the collar uses a rechargeable 3.6v lithium battery, which should take about 300 recharge cycles. Even with frequent weekly charging, the battery will last years. For optimal battery life, it is recommended to only charge the collar battery when alerted to do so by the indoor SmartStation. This consumer replaceable battery is inexpensive and readily available.


WiFi Wireless Fence Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I determine if the Wire-Free fence is right for my property?

Any area that blocks your dog's view of your house will be a potential problem area for a wireless fence. Very hilly or mountainous terrain, heavily forested areas, out-buildings (particularly metal construction) all will significantly reduce the Wire-Free product's range and performance due to restricting the LINE OF SIGHT. A traditional in-ground wire system should be your first choice. However, unlike all other wireless systems, the indoor SmartStation will actually benefit from a higher location in the house, such as a second story, to improve its LINE OF SIGHT with the pet's fencing collar when attempting to determine if you can work around terrain or other obstructions in your particular installation.

What else could negatively influence the products coverage area or general performance?

As mentioned, any large object or terrain that limits or obstructs the line of sight between the indoor SmartStation and your PetLink collar can reduce the effective range or coverage area of the Wire-Free Fence. Due to the number of variables within your particular house and property, Perimeter can not predict or guarantee coverage area. There are some obstructions you will need to make particular note of when determining if a wireless fence is right for you. No radio signal will pass through or will be reflected by large metal objects which could include cars, metal studs and siding, metal sheds or other metal objects. The closer the metal object, the greater the potential for unwanted interference and will result in the reduction of performance. These obstructions will not create false activations of the PetLink collar, but will sound the LOST SIGNAL alarm on the SmartStation.

Can I expect the Wire-Free Fence to work just like an in-ground wire pet containment system?

In many ways yes and in some important ways no. The Wire-Free Fence does give your dog a safe area to run and play and discourage dangerous wandering by using a training tone and electronic stimulation as a deterrent just like all pet fencing systems. The Wire-Free's coverage area is a circle and cannot be tailored to the exact outline of your property. Unlike an in-ground system, you may notice that the wireless radio signal has a ranging accuracy of one meter or 2.5 feet. This means that the PetLink collar's activation at the boundary you set will vary slightly requiring you to leave a few more feet of room near streets, sidewalks or paths to accommodate for the variation. The Wire-Free fence incorporates two "Correction Zones" before and after the activation point. The Correction Zone after activation is helpful in discouraging your dog from charging and testing the fence and giving you the opportunity to use much lower levels of correction to "herd" your dog back home.

Will my dog continue to get shocked if they escape from the safe area?

No. The PetLink collar will go through three five second stimulation and tone cycles and then will continually beep until the dog returns to the safe area. Unlike traditional fencing systems, your dog will never be punished for coming home.

Does the Wire-Free WiFi Fence require a computer or internet service?

Wire-Free is a self contained fencing system that requires no computer or outside outside internet services. The Wire-Free Fence utilizes WiFi-like radio signal protocol 802.15 and operates completely independent of your computer, WiFi router or other computer devices.

Will the Wire-Free Fence interfere with my home's wireless computer router?

Wireless routers do operate on the same 2.4GHz radio frequency, however they are utilizing a different signal protocol - 802.11. The Wire-Free WiFi Fence utilizes WiFi-like radio signal protocol 802.15 and operates completely independent of computer router or other WiFi devices.


Pros: No wire to install; highly-customizable correction levels; protects up to 2 acres
Advantage:
The Perimeter Wire-Free (WiFi) dog fence is the only wireless fence that uses WiFi technology. According to the manufacturer, that's why this wireless fence provides a much larger signal field (2 acres) than the PetSafe Wireless Instant Fence (1/2 acre). When I heard that this wireless fence product runs on a WiFi signal, my first concern was that it would interfere with the wireless router that manages my home computer network; but, my concern was allayed by the fact that the Perimeter WiFi fence uses an 802.15 signal instead of the 802.11 signal most routers use. So, if you're thinking about buying a wireless fence and you have a very large yard, this may be the product for you.

Cons: Very limited configuration options; limited to two pets
Disadvantage:
The biggest downside to this wireless fence is that you can only use it to contain a maximum of two pets. So, if you have (or plan to get) three or more pets you should consider a PetSafe Wireless Instant Fence, instead, since it allows you to contain an unlimited number of pets with one transmitter. To me, this is a pretty important feature to consider, since (if you're like me) you never know when you might suddenly and unexpectedly add a new dog to the family.


WiFi Wireless Fence Review:

I love this system. Couldn't quite get the range I wanted (200'), but customer service was wonderful and I am happy with a 125' range. Love the feedback aspect, no more wondering if my Poochie has wandered away. Very happy to see a company being green - replaceable rechargeable batteries! Also spares available from several sources on the internet. Since the base unit can charge several, I keep an extra charged and ready to go. Made in USA! Customer service girl spoke with THE designer and got me answers and up an running in a DAY! How often does that happen? I am so glad I called customer service, otherwise I might have returned it - and I just love it.

Finally we've got the dog in the yard free. I probably should have given this 4 stars but gave it 5 because the people at Perimeter were so helpful and nice. I had problems with the 1st system that we got sent but they shipped me another one quickly. After some setup we got it working and my Lab is happily running in the yard now. Thanks, W. Smith

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