A dog tracker doesn’t do much good once it loses signal. That’s a problem for anyone whose dog spends time outside reliable cell coverage. Rural dog owners, hikers, hunters, ranch families, and people with dogs that find weak spots in fences all know the issue. GPS tracking sounds great until the dog gets out and the map stops updating.
Fi is trying to solve that with the Fi Ultra ($199), a dog tracker powered by T-Satellite with Starlink, LTE, and always-on GPS. The company says it’s the first consumer wearable powered by T-Satellite with Starlink, using satellite connectivity to keep dogs trackable in places where traditional cellular coverage drops out.
I have one in hand and have been running it on my pup, Charlie. This isn’t a full review yet, though. I haven’t had enough time with it in enough conditions to make that call. But so far, I’ve been impressed with the battery life, the speed of tracking, and, to my own surprise, the clip attachment I was certain wouldn’t hold.
Spoiler alert: It has.
What Is the Fi Ultra?
The Ultra is Fi’s newest dog tracker, and it’s a significant jump from the brand’s Series 3+ and Mini devices. The big change is satellite connectivity. The Ultra uses LTE when that’s available, and then automatically switches to T-Satellite with Starlink when cellular coverage is out of reach. No manual switching is required.
It also uses dual-band L1/L5 GPS and keeps GPS always on. Faster, more consistent location updates are the whole point here. For a tracker to be useful, it needs to update before a loose dog has covered serious ground.
The tracker mounts with a universal integrated clip, so it can attach to a standard dog collar or harness. Dogs already wearing a Fi Series 3 or Series 3+ collar can snap the Ultra onto their existing collar setup.
Key Features
The obvious notable feature is satellite tracking. Fi says the Ultra can track a dog nearly anywhere in the United States (no word on availability in other countries), including areas without cellular coverage, using T-Satellite with Starlink. It also runs LTE, Bluetooth 5.4, and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi for local connectivity.
If you’re a hiker planning to track your dog in the wilderness, keep in mind that the app requires cell service or Wi-Fi to work on your phone. So there are potential limitations. The tracker will continue to send out data via satellite, but you may not be able to retrieve it without service on your own phone.
The Ultra also includes Safe Zone alerts, walk tracking, Lost Mode, Search Party alerts through nearby Fi users, and bundle support so it can work alongside an existing Fi tracker on the same dog.
Then there’s Fi Callback, which is Fi’s sound-and-vibration recall feature. The device has a piezoelectric speaker and vibration motor with adjustable intensity and duration settings. Fi is clear that this is not a static electric shock system. It uses sound and vibration only.
One feature won’t be live at launch. Fi lists Safe Zone boundary sound and vibration triggers as coming after launch, which I’m certainly looking forward to. Manual callback is for the birds.
Early Testing With Charlie
Charlie’s been my test dog so far, and the Ultra has already answered a few of my early questions.
Realtime Tracking
The first thing on my list was tracking speed. So far, location updates have come through quickly, and the app hasn’t left me waiting around while the dog’s location stopped updating. That’s a big part of whether a tracker feels useful in real life.
A dog doesn’t need much of a head start before “pretty close” becomes “not helpful enough.” With Charlie, or when she’s not being the best good girl, Chuck, a few seconds mean the difference between still here and WAY over there.
Battery Life
The second was battery life. Fi claims a 2-day battery life for the Ultra, which is a major step down from the months-long battery claims on the Series 3+ and Mini. That tradeoff makes sense with always-on GPS and satellite-capable connectivity, but it’s still something users will have to think about.
Early on, I’ve been impressed with how it’s holding up, especially given what the device is doing in the background. If you’re used to running a collar like the Halo, this runs in the same ballpark for battery life. Just plug it in when you go to bed and pop it back on the collar in the morning.
The Attachment Point
Which brings us to the clip. I’ll be honest: I did not trust it. I looked at the attachment and figured Charlie would knock it loose on her first bird run. So far, she hasn’t. It’s stayed put through normal chaos, yard time, and daily use. I’m not ready to say it’s bombproof yet, but it’s already better than I expected.
What I Like So Far
The Ultra feels like Fi built this tracker for dog owners who don’t live entirely inside a coverage map. The satellite connectivity is the obvious draw, but the always-on GPS may be just as important in daily use. Fast location data is what makes a tracker feel trustworthy.
I also like that Fi didn’t try to turn this into a correction collar. The Callback feature gives owners sound and vibration tools, but it doesn’t step into e-collar territory. That keeps the Ultra focused on tracking, safety, and recall support instead of training enforcement.
And yes, I’m still surprisingly pleased with the clip. I expected it to be the weak point, and I love it when a product proves my notions wrong.
Possible Drawbacks
The biggest downfall is cost. The Ultra is not a one-and-done purchase. For new users, the hardware is $199 plus a $20 activation fee, and the membership runs $189 per year, per dog. Existing Fi members can add the Ultra for a $299 flat fee, but anyone starting fresh should pay close attention to the subscription cost before buying.
The other limitation is the phone connectivity issue. Yes, the Ultra can keep sending location data when the tracker leaves cellular coverage by switching from LTE to T-Satellite with Starlink. But the owner still needs a data connection on their phone to view updates in the Fi app.
For users depending on real-time tracking in remote places, that’s a meaningful caveat. The dog may still be trackable, but you may not be able to see those updates until your phone has service.
Final First Impressions
For dog owners who spend time outside reliable cell service, the Fi Ultra is one of the more interesting trackers to land in a while. It goes after the biggest weakness in this category: connectivity.
So far, the Ultra has been fast, the battery life has been better than I expected, and the clip attachment has stayed super secure. That’s a good start.
I’m looking forward to seeing how it actually performs when both my dog and my phone wander off the map. I’ll update y’all when I give it a good go.
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