A Detailed Look at Features, Benefits, Drawbacks
The PetPace Collar is an innovative smart collar that goes beyond just activity tracking to provide pet owners with vital information about their furry friend’s health and wellbeing.
In this comprehensive review, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the PetPace Collar.
What is the PetPace Collar?
The PetPace Collar is a smart collar worn by dogs and cats that monitors your pet’s vital signs, activity levels, and behavior. It goes beyond basic activity tracking to provide pet owners with insight into their pet’s health and wellbeing.
Here’s a quick rundown of how it works:
- Collar worn around pet’s neck collects data on vital signs like temperature, pulse, respiration, as well as activity levels and behavior.
- This data is transmitted wirelessly to the PetPace app on your smartphone.
- The app analyzes the data and can send alerts for any concerning changes in your pet’s health measurements.
- Dashboard displays trends and summaries of your pet’s vitals and activities.
- If any abnormalities are detected, you and your vet are notified immediately.
The key benefit of the PetPace Collar is that it allows you to monitor your pet’s health from afar and get notified of any potential issues before they become serious. This makes it especially useful for senior pets or pets with chronic medical conditions.
How Does the PetPace Collar Work?
The PetPace Collar utilizes a variety of high-tech sensors to collect data on your pet’s vital signs, activity levels, calories burned, and more. Here’s an overview of how the technology works:
- Collar and sensors – The collar contains a variety of sensors to monitor temperature, pulse, respiration, activity, and more. The snug fit ensures sensors stay in contact with skin.
- Data transmission – Bluetooth and wifi are used to transmit data from collar to gateway, then to the cloud servers for analysis.
- Data analysis – PetPace’s proprietary algorithms analyze the data for any concerning changes or patterns.
- Alert system – If any abnormalities are detected, it immediately sends alerts to pet owners and vets.
- PetPace app – Owners can view data trends, summaries of vitals and activity levels, and receive alerts via the app.
- Vet access – With permission, vets can access data to monitor concerning health issues and determine treatment plans.
So in a nutshell, it provides 24/7 monitoring of your pet’s health and activity, analyzes that data for problems, and alerts you and your vet so issues can be addressed quickly.
Key Features of the PetPace Collar
Here are some of the key features that the PetPace Collar offers:
- Health monitoring – Temperature, pulse, respiration, heart rate variability monitoring detects health issues early.
- Activity tracking – Monitors activity levels, calories burned, and behavioral patterns.
- Location tracking – Uses wifi to identify location in house, GPS for outside location tracking.
- Alerts – Get notifications for abnormalities or concerning changes in vitals.
- Customizable monitoring – Customize monitoring frequency and thresholds for notifications.
- Veterinarian access – Grant vets access to data to monitor concerning health trends.
- PetPace app – iOS and Android app provides monitoring, data history, and alerts.
- Water resistant – Can withstand splashes, rain, and being worn while swimming. Not fully waterproof.
- Rechargeable battery – Lasts approximately 3 weeks per charge.
PetPace Collar Subscription Options
The PetPace Collar requires a paid subscription plan to access health monitoring services and the app functionality. There are four subscription options available:
Pet Starter ($159.95 one-time fee + $15/month)
- Health monitoring and alerts
- Vital sign sampling every 2 hours
- Mobile app access
Pet ($199.95 one-time fee + $25/month)
- Health monitoring and alerts
- Vital sign sampling every 30 minutes
- Mobile app access
Pet Plus ($245.95 one-time + $35/month)
- Health monitoring and alerts
- Vital sign sampling every 2 minutes
- Web dashboard access
- Mobile app access
Pet Platinum ($349.95 one-time + $50/month)
- Lifetime health monitoring
- Vital sign sampling every 2 minutes
- Web dashboard access
- Video vet consultations
- Mobile app access
As you can see, costs can add up due to the monthly subscriptions. Pet Platinum is the most comprehensive but priciest option.
Setting Up the PetPace Collar
Getting started with the PetPace Collar involves a few simple steps:
- Download the PetPace app and create an account.
- Activate the collar and pair with the app using Bluetooth.
- Correctly position and fit the collar snugly on your pet’s neck.
- Set up the PetPace Gateway and connect it to your wifi.
- Sync the collar with the Gateway to enable transmission of data to the cloud.
- Customize monitoring thresholds and notification settings in the app.
The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes. The app includes tutorials if you get stuck. Positioning the collar correctly is important to get accurate vitals data.
Most users find the collar and app easy to set up. However, using your home wifi network and getting the collar gateway connected can be tricky for some pet owners.
Using the PetPace App and Dashboard
The PetPace app and web dashboard allow you to view and analyze all the data collected by the smart collar.
App features:
- Data graphs and trends over time
- Current vitals and activity status
- Location tracking
- Customizable alerts
- Health timeline for records like visits, medication, notes
Dashboard features:
- At-a-glance overview of pet’s health
- Vitals history and trends
- Activity levels and behavioral patterns
- Location tracking and mapping
- Analysis of concerning trends
- Share access with veterinarian
The app provides real-time monitoring and instant notifications while the dashboard allows for more detailed analysis of long-term records and trends.
Benefits of the PetPace Collar
There are many benefits that make the PetPace Collar a useful health monitoring system and activity tracker:
- Early illness detection – Quickly detect early signs of illness through changes in vitals.
- Peace of mind – Real-time monitoring provides reassurance about your pet’s condition when away.
- Better treatment options – Early detection of health issues improves treatment options and outcomes.
- Activity monitoring – Track your pet’s daily activity levels, calories burned, and behavioral patterns.
- Location tracking – Locate your pet’s position inside your home or outside within wifi/GPS range.
- Custom notifications – Get instantly alerted about vitals crossing concerning thresholds.
- Vet access – Allowing vet to view data helps them proactively monitor and treat health issues.
- Portability – The collar can go wherever your pet goes to allow continuous monitoring.
For high-risk pets like senior dogs or animals with chronic illnesses, the PetPace Collar provides invaluable health monitoring and early detection capabilities that can truly save lives.
Potential Drawbacks to Consider
While the PetPace Collar has many excellent features, there are some potential drawbacks to keep in mind:
- Expensive subscription – Monthly subscription costs add up, with pricing from $15/month up to $50/month.
- Not completely waterproof – While water resistant, the collar cannot be fully submerged underwater.
- Limited data access – You cannot view all the raw data, only summaries and alerts.
- Collar must be worn continuously – To get complete monitoring, the collar can’t be removed for extended periods.
- No cellular backup – Relies on wifi, no cellular connectivity if wifi goes down.
- Installation challenges – Connecting the gateway and getting the collar linked can be difficult for less tech-savvy users.
So while the collar provides very useful capabilities, the costs, warranty limitations, and connectivity dependencies are things to consider carefully before purchasing.
Cost Breakdown of the PetPace Collar
Let’s take a look at the costs involved with purchasing the PetPace Collar:
- One-time purchase price – $149.95 for the collar hardware itself.
- Subscription plans – Ranges from $15/month for basic up to $50/month for premium monitoring.
- Annual costs – With monthly subscriptions, first year costs range from $299.95 up to $649.95 depending on plan.
Value assessment:
At the lower end, you’re mostly paying for the collar hardware and limited health monitoring. Higher tiers provide more valuable features and services for the price.
For pets at risk of serious health issues, the more expensive plans can provide priceless peace of mind and early detection. Healthier pets likely don’t require such comprehensive monitoring and alerting capabilities.
Many users feel the subscription costs are too high for what you get. For maximum value, opt for a plan aligning closely with your pet’s specific needs.
How Does It Compare to Other Pet Activity Trackers?
The PetPace Collar compares favorably to other pet activity trackers when it comes to the variety of health data monitored. However, other devices match or excel in certain areas.
- Less expensive at $129.95 with $10/month subscription.
- Provides location tracking, activity monitoring.
- Lacks health monitoring capabilities.
- Also $129.95 with $10/month fee required.
- Focuses solely on activity levels and behavioral patterns.
- No health or location monitoring.
The PetPace Collar is most ideal for pet owners specifically wanting health monitoring and alerts. For just activity tracking or location monitoring, other options are cheaper while still providing robust functionality in those particular areas.
Conclusion – Who is the PetPace Collar Ideal For?
The PetPace Collar shines when it comes to providing continuous, detailed health insights for high-risk pets. The collar enables pet owners to detect brewing illnesses early and monitor chronic conditions closely. This allows for earlier veterinary interventions and better health outcomes.
Ideal for:
- Senior dogs
- Dogs with chronic illnesses
- Highly active dogs
- First-time pet owners needing reassurance
Less ideal for:
- Healthy adult pets
- Pet parents on a tight budget
- Pets who frequently swim or are in water
For owners of dogs at risk for health problems or interested in maximizing their pet’s lifespan, the collar provides invaluable early detection and monitoring.
Healthy adult dogs can likely forego the comprehensive health tracking and rely on less expensive activity monitors instead. Ultimately, choose the collar if your priorities align with the specific benefits it delivers based on your dog’s needs.
In summary, the PetPace Collar enables detailed 24/7 monitoring of vital health signs, activity, and behavior, providing pet owners with invaluable insights and peace of mind. While expensive, for higher risk dogs, it can deliver priceless early detection of life-threatening illnesses. For healthy pets, more affordable activity trackers are likely sufficient for most owners’ needs.
