Average Price: $329 – $349
Pros: rechargeable collar with two batteries, boundary challenge alert, larger capacity.
Cons: inconsistent boundaries, signal dropouts, max 2 dogs, slow correction response time.
Best Uses: larger properties with very few walls or other obstacles and no more than two dogs.
Overview
The Perimeter WiFi system was introduced to compete with PetSafe’s Wireless Fence and brought both WiFi technology and some neat features into the game. Unfortunately, the system has been plagued with reliability issues that make it hard to recommend in most situations. The WiFi system has a larger capacity than most wireless dog fences but the 200 ft. radius is really only true when there is a direct line of sight between the transmitter and the boundary. The Perimeter WiFi system has big issues with metal siding and any large obstructions in the field.
Hands-On Review
Average Sized, Waterproof Collar
The collar on the Perimeter WiFi system is on the larger side – advisable for dogs over 20 lbs. Similar in size to the older PetSafe Wireless system. The collar is well made and nicely waterproofed.
Rechargeable Collar Includes Two Batteries
The Perimeter WiFi collar is one of the only dog fence collars to utilize a user-replaceable rechargeable collar battery and there’s not one, but two batteries included in the fence kit. While one battery is in the collar, the other is in the base station charging and also providing backup battery in case of a power failure. We think this dual purpose feature is a great innovation. Not only do you get the backup battery assurance but you always have a spare charged battery if you need to do a quick swap.
Maximum of Two Dogs With Individual Correction
The Perimeter WiFi is only capable of containing two dogs at once. Unlike the PetSafe systems, which can contain any number of dogs simultaneously, the Perimeter WiFi transmitter can only pair with two collars at once. So this system is out if you have more than two dogs. Each dog on the system does get their own customized correction level settings. The Perimeter WiFi offers 8 correction level setting options and they are conveniently set at the transmitter rather than on the collars themselves.
200 ft. Radius (2.5 Acre Capacity)
The Perimeter WiFi boasts a larger capacity than most wireless dog fence systems. The manufacturer claims a 200 ft. radius, which is nearly double that of the other wireless systems. While we like the idea of this larger capacity wireless system, the WiFi Fence falls short in practice. The 200 ft. radius is seriously impacted by walls, metal siding, and pretty much any other obstruction that blocks the line of sight from transmitter to boundary line.
Significant Boundary Variance & Delayed Corrections
The two biggest issues we have with the Perimeter WiFi Fence join forces to make training very difficult with this system. The boundary is very inconsistent, moving up to 20 ft. from one minute to the next. There are also random dead spots where the dog can walk right through without even knowing. In addition the warning and corrections are too delayed. The correction starts and ends too late so by the time the dog hears the warning tone, he is already well into the correction zone. These two problems make training confusing for the dog.
Boundary Challenge Alert & Dog Location
The Perimeter WiFi Fence introduces two-way communication between the receiver collar and transmitter. This allows the transmitter to notify you with an audible alarm when your dog challenges the boundary. This is a great feature especially in the early stages of electric dog fence usage because you can immediately go outside and investigate if your dog challenges the perimeter. The base station also informs you of your dog’s distance from the transmitter (center point of the containment area). While this can be mildly entertaining, it’s of no real value since you don’t know any other specifics like which direction from the base station the dog is.
Value
At $329, the Perimeter WiFi Fence is on the higher end of the wireless fence pricing scale. Given the 2 dog max, inconsistent boundaries, and trouble with obstacles, we don’t feel that this fence provides great value for the money. It does have a few innovative features that we like but they don’t outweigh the functionality issues.
Conclusion
We find this system isn’t quite recommendable yet. It has some really tempting features and can work for some very specific properties but until those reliability bugs are worked out, we’d go with the Stay + Play, or better – an in-ground wired system.