FAQs

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

FIRST RULE OF THUMB: 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.

As with any wireless product there are some environments where this product will not function. To avoid frustration for consumers and guaranteed returns for Perimeter Technologies we would like to describe these environmental conditions as best we can.

If you have any of the following situations a wireless dog fence product will not work for you:

• Dense trees
• Metal siding on your home
• Metal roofing materials on your home
• Metal structures on your property within the area you wish to contain the dog
• Log cabins - The system will not function in a log home since it is comparable to dense trees

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 affected 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 in 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 internet services. The Wire-Free WiFi Fence utilizes WiFi-like radio signal protocol 802.15 and operates completely independent of your computer, WiFi router or other computer devises.

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 devises.

Is Wire-Free easy to setup and install?

Wire-Free is a snap to setup. Plug the indoor SmartStation into any household 110v outlet, pop the rechargeable battery into the Pet Link collar and you’re ready to set your pet’s boundary. Be certain to charge the PetLink collar batteries in the SmartStation before first use. To set the fence boundary, simply push the program button on the SmartStation, walk the Pet Link collar out to the nearest desired fence boundary, return to the indoor SmartStation and push the program button to save your settings. It’s as easy as that! You’re ready for training your pet to their new fencing system. Several attempts at setting the boundary might be required to ensure that the desired boundary is achieved.

How many pets can be contained with the Wire-Free system?

Wire-Free is unique in that the indoor SmartStation and your pet’s PetLink collar are highly integrated transceivers that continually monitors the movement of your pet within the boundary area, this unique link limits the Wire-Free system to a maximum of two pets. One dog systems are currently available, with two-dog capable systems available in July.

What is the maximum fence range or coverage area?

Given optimal circumstances, the Wire-Free system can achieve a radius up to 200 ft. or a total area of 2.5 acres with an unobstructed direct line of sight between the dog and the indoor SmartStation. With most installations, you can expect the best product performance between 25 – 150 ft. As with all wireless devises, distance is a factor in a product’s performance. The closer the PetLink collar and indoor SmartStation are, the more consistent the fence’s performance will be.

What kind of batteries does the collar take?

The Wire-Free Pet Link collar transceiver uses a replaceable, rechargeable lithium ion battery. The lithium ion battery is charged in the system SmartStation. A full charge takes only 4 to 6 hours.

How long does the battery last and is it expensive to replace?

The rechargeable 3.6v lithium ion battery should take 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 readily available and cost approximately $12.99 each.

How does the rechargeable battery backup work?

The indoor SmartStation has two recharging ports in the back of the case. The left port will charge the PetLink collar battery and will also power the system for up to eight hours in the even of power loss or if you care to run the system on the rechargeable battery for any reason. It is a good idea to have one battery in the PetLink collar and another battery in the battery backup port for your dog’s safety.

What size of dog is the system recommended for?

Due to the power requirements and specialized electronics, the size of the Wire-Free Pet Link collar transceiver is slightly larger than traditional in-ground wire systems and comparable to competitive wireless systems. The weight is only 2.3 oz. with the battery installed and its outer dimensions are 1.5”W x 2.5”L x 1.25”D. To determine if this is acceptable for your use, simply use a ruler to approximate these measurements for a collar receiver next to your dog.

Can you use two indoor SmartStations to increase the coverage area or add additional pet to the Wire-Free System?

Due to the unique relationship between the SmartStation and Pet Link collars during the initial set up, the answer is a theoretical, yes. However, potential interference issues exist where the two SmartStation signals intersect and requires further field testing for Perimeter to recommend using multiple systems in the same household.

What is the system warranty?

The Wire-Free comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Any defects in material and workmanship will be covered by Perimeter for one full year at no cost to the owner. After one year, a labor charge will be assessed depending on the damaged component. Shipping fees may apply.