GoKawiilFi Ultra is the first Starlink-enabled pet tracker you can buy. It expands on GPS and LTE trackers, adding automatic failover to T-Mobile’s T-Satellite-branded direct-to-cell service when venturing into cellular dead zones. That lets owners tap into SpaceX’s constellation of low Earth orbit Starlink satellites to track their pets anywhere in the US. But it comes with a few tradeoffs based on our early testing, including relatively poor battery life for a pet tracker.
Built to fit “adventure dogs of any size,” according to the company, the Fi Ultra is designed to be compatible with the dog collar or harness you already use. It costs $199 for the device (plus a $20 activation fee) and requires an $189 annual subscription. Along with LTE cellular connectivity, it features always-on, dual-band GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi for added precision.
Fi Ultra Dog Tracker $ 199 $ 199 The Fi Ultra is the first dog tracker to combine T-Satellite with Starlink, GPS, and LTE connectivity to help you find your lost dog anywhere. There’s a $189 annual fee, and it only lasts two days on a single charge, but if you go on wild adventures with your pup, it might be worth it. Read More $199 at Fi
There’s a 513 mAh battery slated to last two days in this wide 75mm × 40mm × 25mm tracker, which weighs 68g. Its IP68 and IP66K ratings protect against dust and water ingress, including saltwater. It also packs in a small vibration motor and speaker in support of Fi’s new shock-free Callback training system.
To test the Fi Ultra, I drove about an hour away to near the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina, where the LTE drops off, and the alligators climb out of the rivers. It was easy to attach the tracker to my dog Gus’ collar, thanks to a spring-mounted clasp. But “dogs of any size” feels like a stretch. It looked big on Gus, an 80-pound wirehaired pointing griffon, and it’s easily wider than a Chihuahua’s neck, although toy breeds aren’t known for adventurous hikes.
The Fi Ultra is slim and lightweight, but much wider than any other tracker I’ve tested.
The Fi Ultra connects to the Fi app, which shows a live view of Gus’ location. I simulated a lost-dog emergency by hitting Lost Mode, which ramps up all the radios to attempt to track him in real time (instead of checking in periodically).
Outside of regular LTE, the tracker quickly connected to the Starlink-based T-Satellite network (indicated by a satellite icon in the app), and the map updated about every 2 to 3 minutes, showing where he was relative to me. While slow if you’re frantically searching for a lost pup, this is about the same update interval as when I tested it on 1 bar of LTE in my neighborhood.
Three minutes is a long time, and by the next update, Gus could be anywhere (if he’d actually been on the lamb). But it’s better than nothing, which is the alternative in LTE-dead zones.
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