Last Updated on November, 2024
Afraid of losing your sly pup? We have all been there, losing peace of mind.
A Good GPS wireless fence dog collar could bring you the peace you want. Here we go with the two best dog collars on the market HALO DOG COLLAR and SPOTON VIRTUAL FENCE.
By far both of these products are excellent, however, each has unique features which could make one the best.
Well, let’s dig deep to discover which is the best one for your pet!
Table of Contents
About Halo Collar
The founders of Halo collar, Ken Ehrman and his brother Micheal, had only one mission: DOG SAFETY.
This collar was designed to track and train pups.
Ehrman and Micheal joined forces with one of the well-known dog behaviorists, Cesar Millan, and developed the product with his training tactics while the device helped in the tracking process.
Halo collar, one of the most exemplary devices in the market, helps dogs live a happy life unleashed and provides complete satisfaction for all pet parents leaving their furry friends off-leash.
About SpotOn Collar
SpotOn GPS fence was the first GPS dog virtual fence in the world.
The SpotOn collar was primarily designed to envision a world where dogs can run free, and owners are confident that their four-legged friend is safe.
SpotOn Collar also has been featured in the Forbes Small Business Standouts section and is a CES Innovation Award Nominee 2020 and an SXSW Innovation Award finalist 2020.
SpotOn virtual fence collar was created to make dog containment more reliable, flexible and convenient for owners and their pets to roam free and let them explore.
Halo vs SpotOn: Technical Specification
Design
- Halo Collar
The halo collar is made up of a highly durable rubber (rugged thermoplastic elastomer), metallic plastic components for flexibility, these materials also make the collar incredibly lightweight.
The collar strap, on the other hand, is of rubberized nylon and TPU-coated.
Halo collar comes in three sizes; SMALL (11’’- 15’’), MEDIUM (15’’ – 20.5’’), and LARGE (20’’ – 30.5’’) and on top of that the collars come in with two different unique colors; GRAPHITE AND WHITE.
With your Halo collar, you will also receive:
The Halo collar provides more freedom and portability, allowing the dog owner to install virtual fences wherever they relocate.
- SpotOn Fence
This SpotOn virtual fence is a dog-friendly design and suits dogs in any size.
The collar is lightweight, which will not be a hindrance to your dog’s neck.
You don’t have to replace the collar with your dog’s growth from time to time since the SpotOn collar is adjustable and will fit your dog as it grows.
A SpotOn collar can accommodate neck sizes between 10″ to 26″ and comes in three sizes SMALL, MEDIUM and LARGE.
Here’s what you get with the SpotOn system:
Durability
- Halo Collar
As mentioned above the Halo collar is made of high grade materials, this makes it extremely durable. And on top of that, it has an IP67 water-resistant rating, which lets the collar to be submerged 3 feet (0.9 meters) deep.
And what I love about this collar is its Pro-case that can endure chewing and tough terrains.
That’s not all, the ultra-strength plastic grip mechanism can withstand any type of environmental conditions.
- SpotOn Virtual Fence
The SpotOn dog collar too uses IP67 waterproof status and is thoroughly tested under all kinds of conditions, be it any temperature, rain, or heat, the collar will work at its max capacity.
Battery Life
- Halo Collar
One of the greatest improvements of the new Halo version is, they’ve maximized the battery stand out time for 21 hours!
With that, It just takes two hours to power up the collar from dead.
You should remove the collar from your dog’s neck and charge it overnight so that you can use the collar the next day with a full charge. And that is what Halo also recommends.
You should know that constant GPS usage and tracking can drain the battery a bit faster.
- SpotOn GPS Fence
This device has a battery that’s largely similar to the Halo.
SpotOn’s battery lasts 14 hours when tracking and 18 hours when in containment, which is pretty good.
However, you’ll need to charge the collar overnight so that you don’t run out during the day.
Charging the device takes considerably less time though, you can fully charge the SpotOn collar in just an hour and a half.
Halo Collar vs SpotOn Collar: Looking Into the Features
GPS Tracking Features
- Halo Collar
The Halo collar offers built-in location tracking, on top of that, it is also able to cover up to 10 square miles which is quite a large scale.
The technology covering the location tracking is GPS/GNSS, WiFi, Bluetooth and LTE.
Halo collar uses multiple satellite constellations, which makes its GPS signal accuracy more reliable.
You will receive location updates every 1 to 15 seconds based on the connection your collar is connected.
Make sure you’re in an area with AT&T’s cellular coverage for the cellular mode to work, Halo does not support any other network.
GPS location tracking on the Halo collar is much more reliable than most other similar collars.
- SpotOn Virtual Fence Collar
The SpotOn virtual fence uses advanced technology that makes the collar’s location accuracy much more precise. The three-point satellite navigation system (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) helps to accurately pinpoint your dog’s location.
Bluetooth tracking is not available in SpotOn, so as WiFi, you’re just allowed to use cellular for tracking. And location updates can take around 6 seconds when in cellular which is excellent.
Even though handed with a few options, SpotOn’s GPS location services are almost as good as the Halo’s, it’s reliable and quick.
App
- Halo Collar
You can stay in the loop about your dog’s safety just by pulling down the notification panel with the help of the app.
It takes a few seconds for you to go through the map in the Halo App and find the actual
location of your dog with the help of your smartphone or mobile service.
Without the App, the collar is nothing. From setting up the fence to controlling the collar everything is done through the App.
- SpotOn Fence
The SpotOn App works along with the collar, notifying you if your dog tries to escape the defined boundary.
The app allows custom communication to the collar to monitor the limited boundary. SpotOn updates you with your pet’s location every six seconds.
Halo Collar
- Smart Fences
You are able to set up twenty virtual fencing areas; this option helps ensure that you have and can provide the safest place for your pup to play around.
Halo provides you a wide range to set up the perimeters of the fences, allowing your pup to stay within the boundary, which in itself is excellent.
Fences can be created by walking with the collar and saving the GPS coordinates; otherwise, you could make them through the app.
Ensure the distance between two fence posts is about 6.2 miles, not exceeding the maximum value.
- Limitless Location
A regular fence is only limited to a particular area whereas the Halo fence uses GNSS and GPS features to create this super cool Limitless Location feature.
The interesting part of this feature is that it gives you freedom to use the fence anywhere you want. The system does not need any installation like a traditional fence.
- Activity Monitoring
This powerful feature enables you to gain accurate information about your dog’s activity as long as the collar is on.
Just like Fitbit devices, the collar will keep count of every movement your pup makes.
The App’s dashboard will track your dog’s activity.
In addition, the pet activity tracking feature allows you to track your pet’s activity on time.
This is a great tool to look after your dog’s health, how many steps he has walked, the resting time, whether he has enough exercise or is keeping up his activity levels.
- Natural Guidance
The customizable, prevention feedback and encouragement feedback, helps your dog to make his way home from the places where he is not supposed to go.
The encouragement feedback consists of, Good dog, whistle and heading home.
They also have included the famous ‘’TSCH’’ command of Cesar Millan and this is a great move and I was so excited to try it out and it worked well!!
The natural guidance in the form of shock, vibration and sound help your dog better the fence and get back to safety.
- All-Terrain Types
I know there might be a big question running through your mind.
Your dog’s adventures may not only be on flat grounds but sometimes in hills, grass, dirt, concrete, water and more.
What can I do when the terrain varies? Guys! Stop worrying, this Halo dog collar is all in, being able to adapt to where you are, and it tends to work well in all the different types of terrains.
Halo collar also allows you to track your pets during diving and is an excellent choice for swimming dogs.
- Easy to Install
You don’t have to worry about digging your yard and burying wires to get the full impact of the virtual fence. All you have to do is, set up the virtual fence on your app and let your dog run and play around.
This is easy for pet parents who do not want to dig their yards to install regular fences. The user-friendly manual has step-by-step instructions guiding you through the installation process.
The tech support team of Halo will hold up whenever necessary.
- The Built-in Training From Cesar Millan and 21 Day Halo Program
The right way to use the collar is to know and implement the strategies correctly. For that, focusing on the training materials with Cesar Millan is crucial.
This program is going to teach you mostly what you should avoid doing. Cesar is going to help you bring out the best of your dog along the way.
The 21-day halo training program is going to be super valuable for you and as well as your dog. During the training, your dog will be taught six types of feedback; out of them, three are customizable; sound, vibration and static. Choose what works for your dog.
- Prevention Tracking
When your dog seems to cross the set boundary lines, it will receive warning feedback abruptly in the form of vibration, sound, or static.
During the 21-day training program, your dog will get used to all feedback. When your pup gets the alert, it will move away and make its way back.
On the other hand, if your dog does not get distracted from the first alert, it will receive two additional warning prompts.
SpotOn Virtual Fence
- Virtual Fence
The virtual fence feature of the SpotOn collar is easily customizable and allows you to set up multiple overlapping fences with almost 1000 virtual fence posts.
It can be in any shape and size, ranging from half an acre to thousands of acres.
It is just that easy to create the GPS fence.
Initially, you must ensure that your SpotOn GPS fence is turned on and working correctly; next, walk around the boundary lines where you want the virtual fences to be.
Then you can see the fence built right in the app.
On the other hand, you can also pause the creation to get around water or any other obstacles like thick bushes. Once resumed, this completely automated technology of the SpotOn fence will snap a line through those obstacles.
After setting everything, the virtual fence will be automatically programmed in the Spoton dog collar.
If your pup gets too close to the virtual boundary you have programmed, the SpotOn collar will emit a beep sound to discourage your dog from getting close.
If the first alert does not distract your dog, then your dog will feel a slight painless static shock, hopefully deterring your dog from running away.
- Training Process
SpotOn collar offers you a free training program with certified expert dog trainers, which is already one of its features upon purchase.
It is best to train your dogs with the noise that SpotOn virtual fence emits. Positive reinforcement could help you in this aspect.
Encourage him with treats and command him to make his way back from the fence once he hears the beep sound.
Using the SpotOn collar and a leash at the initial stage is better.
If the static correction is what you are worried about, you could avoid it since it is an additional feature, but a bit of training would help for all this to work.
- True Portability
This feature lets you know that you can use the collar whenever and wherever you need it. This helps all dog lovers to take their dogs on adventures and camping without fear.
Your dog will keep up its limit while roaming, and you will not need a leash.
- Easy to Install
Just like the Halo collar, SpotOn fence does not hassle you in the installation process.
You don’t have to dig your yard to bury wires as you would with a traditional fence since the whole system is contained within the collar and the smartphone, making the process easy.
Pricing and Subscription
Halo Collar
Wireless fence systems are not cheap, and the same goes for Halo; it costs $599, and it also provides you with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee and a one-year warranty.
To gain access to Halo’s functionality, users must initially subscribe to one of the subscription plans.
This subscription plan enables data storage for fences, GPS location service, activity tracking, and training from Cesar Millan.
- The basic plan gives you everything you need to make the system work. Including unlimited cellular data, basic tracking and training content, and 20 automatic fences.
This will cost about $4.49 per month.
- Halo’s silver monthly plan will offer significant benefits of advanced tracking of your dog’s activity, historical data and customized features, and basic plan features.
This will cost about $9.99 per month.
- The gold subscription plan offers you premium training content, including training classes launched every month, live video chat sessions with experienced trainers, expert Q&As for individualized training support, and silver plan features.
This will cost about $29.99 per month.
SpotOn Collar
The collar costs about $999. SpotOn offers a 45-day money-back guarantee and a one-year warranty. And you also will be getting a 90-day free trial of their subscription plan only if you subscribe to the one or two-year program.
SpotOn virtual fence needs its AT&T and Verizon cellular coverage service to activate the tracking features.
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Customer Reviews
Hallo Collar
Halo has been very promising for all the customers. The new upgrades of the collar make the users really enjoyable.
Users claim that the battery life and durability play a major role, and on top of that, the pro case seems to be really very helpful.
The GPS range ensures the customers that their furry friends are safe off-leash. The customers are well satisfied with the customer service.
I was blown away by the quality and features of the Halo collar because it’s excellent.
Note: See why I recommend Halo collar.
SpotOn Collar
The SpotOn collar is self-contained. This product has some positive reviews, appreciating the accuracy of the GPS collar.
However, users claim that this product is way too pricey, considering whatever it offers.
You can see our comprehensive review of SpotOn collar here.
Pros and Cons of Halo Collar
Pros
Cons
Pros and Cons of SpotOn Collar
Pros
Cons
The Winner: Halo Collar
Of my concern, Halo can be given the bone! This device literally offers you everything you need to keep your dog safe.
This Halo collar is legit. With the involvement of the canine professional Cesar Millan, it uses the most effective method of training with much more effective added benefits in tracking your dog and its activity.
This collar is all in, matching your needs and making your job a lot more easier.
SpotOn, on the other hand, is excellent, but the thing is its price.
The expensive nature of the collar leaves a lot of second thoughts, plus for that, it doesn’t offer too much.
Halo clearly has an edge overall; if you want the best experience, you should go with it.
Other Comparisons:
Conclusion
With drastic development in technology, every dog trainer’s dream of E-collars has come into reality. These GPS dog trackers are becoming one of the most essential needs for a trainer.
Choosing the best option for your dog is somewhat tricky; hopefully, I think I’ve made it easier for you.
I’ve made the wise decision by bringing home the halo collar, and I’m thankful for the outcome of it. It’s your turn now, go ahead and purchase the Halo collar in the short run.
FAQs
Was this article helpful?
I have had 3 of the SpotOn Collars and 1 Halo in the last 2 months.
My first SpotOn Collar had a hardware issue, defective speaker in collar, and would provide no feedback to the dog. The last two would either not read the fence at different places or would give false readings sometimes 30 yards away from where the fence should have been. After numerous phone calls, SpotOn tech support even said my cell service was too spotty for it to work correctly. The GPS Tracking on the SpotOn Collar was awesome and easy to use. Way to expensive if that’s all your getting. Average wait time for their tech support is 45 minutes via phone. If they can’t figure out your issues, they will promise to get back to you with an answer. They never do, a week later you get to repeat the process.
The Halo Collar has a faster and more accurate tracking feature. Their access to tech support is an average of 3-5 minutes with all questions answered. The app is easy to use and the training videos are phenomenal.
Both collars basically do the same thing. The Halo seems to have the bugs worked out of their product and comes in at about half the cost.