There may be many questions on how the SpotOn Dog Collar can be the better smart virtual dog collar or if it is worth the price. We are aware that the SpotOn GPS Fence Dog Collar has a very high price tag, however, but is it the better version overall when compared with the Halo Dog Collar? They may seem quite a bit identical, so let’s figure it out.
We reckon that the technological advancement that the SpotOn Dog Collar seems to utilize is more superior and accurate than the Halo Dog Collar. Check out below the similarities and differences between the SpotOn Smart Virtual Fence and the Halo Collar. We fully compared these two popular GPS dog fence solutions.
Halo Collar VS SpotOn Collar Features
| SpotOn GPS Fence | Halo Collar | Invisible Fence | Petsafe Fence | |
| Customizable Shape | Up to 1,500 automatic GPS fence posts | Up to 20 Manually placed fence posts | Yes | No |
| GPS Coverage | GPS, GLONASS, Galelio, Beidou | GPS, GNSS | N/A | N/A |
| Flexible Shape that can be modified after installation | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Multiple fences | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Overlapping fences (fence the entire property and just the backyard) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Location Tracking | Updates every 6 seconds | Updates every 15 seconds | No | No |
| Portable (When you move or travel) | Yes | Yes | No | When you move only |
| Subscription Optional | Yes | No | N/A | N/A |
| Cellular Carrier | Verizon or AT&T 4G LTE-M | AT&T 4G | N/A | N/A |
| Static Correction | 30 levels | 15 levels | 4 levels | 4 levels |
Table of Contents
Virtual Fence
The Halo Collar only allows for you to create a maximum of 20 virtual fences that requires you to manually select different spots on your property.
The virtual fences of the Halo Collar gets activated all at once when turned on and gets deactivated all at once when turned off. The downside of Halo is that you cannot create virtual fences that have overlapping boundary lines which then limits you choosing areas that you would want to secure for your pup to roam around freely in.
The SpotOn GPS Fence on the other hand features a much more customizable fence and allows for you to create unlimited GPS fences and save up to 20 at a time.
The SpotOn Collar also features overlapping fences which the Halo Collar does not provide. The good point about SpotOn is that it allows for you to activate each fence individually (so you can have a fence of the entire property for use during the day and a smaller fence of just the backyard for bathroom breaks at night) which prevents malfunction of the virtual fences.
The Halo Collar only allows for you to create a maximum of 20 virtual fences that requires you to manually select different spots on your property.
The virtual fences of the Halo Collar gets activated all at once when turned on and gets deactivated all at once when turned off. The downside of Halo is that you cannot create virtual fences that have overlapping boundary lines which then limits you choosing areas that you would want to secure for your pup to roam around freely in.
The SpotOn GPS Fence on the other hand features a much more customizable fence and allows for you to create unlimited GPS fences and save up to 20 at a time.
The SpotOn Collar also features overlapping fences which the Halo Collar does not provide. The good point about SpotOn is that it allows for you to activate each fence individually (so you can have a fence of the entire property for use during the day and a smaller fence of just the backyard for bathroom breaks at night) which prevents malfunction of the virtual fences.
Terrain Types
Training
GPS Accuracy
The Halo Collar utilizes multiple satellite constellations which makes its accuracy very reliable.
The antenna of Halo Collar is positioned in front of the dog therefore the dog’s head blocking the view of signals to the sky.
Halo sends location updates every 15 seconds which is already good in tracking your dog’s location accurately.
The SpotOn GPS Fence Dog Collar uses patented True Location™ GPS technology, a highly technological advancement that makes its GPS incredibly accurate. It connects to four-point satellite navigation systems simultaneously (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and Beidou) which means that the SpotOn Fence is constantly connected with 25-30 satellites at all times, making it more accurate in pinpointing your dog’s location to within 10 feet.
The GPS antenna of SpotOn is strategically placed at the back of your dog’s neck which helps in its accuracy as there are no obstructions that can hinder the view of the satellites.
SpotOn sends location updates every six seconds which proves its tracking accuracy.
The Halo Collar utilizes multiple satellite constellations which makes its accuracy very reliable.
The antenna of Halo Collar is positioned in front of the dog therefore the dog’s head blocking the view of signals to the sky.
Halo sends location updates every 15 seconds which is already good in tracking your dog’s location accurately.
The SpotOn GPS Fence Dog Collar uses patented True Location™ GPS technology, a highly technological advancement that makes its GPS incredibly accurate. It connects to four-point satellite navigation systems simultaneously (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and Beidou) which means that the SpotOn Fence is constantly connected with 25-30 satellites at all times, making it more accurate in pinpointing your dog’s location to within 10 feet.
The GPS antenna of SpotOn is strategically placed at the back of your dog’s neck which helps in its accuracy as there are no obstructions that can hinder the view of the satellites.
SpotOn sends location updates every six seconds which proves its tracking accuracy.
Battery
Cellular Connectivity
The SpotOn GPS Fence Dog Collar requires cellular coverage for its tracking feature to work, however, fences will work without a subscription. You are not required to have or purchase a cellular plan as they offer an option for you to enable the cellular function for the SpotOn Collar that then lets you track the location of your dog directly from your smartphone. SpotOn is available in Verizon or AT&T and uses 4G LTE-M technology
The great advantage about this is that they offer the 90 days free, and plans start at $5.95 a month thereafter.
Another good point about the SpotOn Collar is not only that they also feature a free training program but they also offer one-on-one sessions with one of SpotOn’s certified dog trainers which provides a more personalized treatment for your dogs upon purchase.
The SpotOn GPS Fence Dog Collar requires cellular coverage for its tracking feature to work, however, fences will work without a subscription. You are not required to have or purchase a cellular plan as they offer an option for you to enable the cellular function for the SpotOn Collar that then lets you track the location of your dog directly from your smartphone. SpotOn is available in Verizon or AT&T and uses 4G LTE-M technology
The great advantage about this is that they offer the 90 days free, and plans start at $5.95 a month thereafter.
Another good point about the SpotOn Collar is not only that they also feature a free training program but they also offer one-on-one sessions with one of SpotOn’s certified dog trainers which provides a more personalized treatment for your dogs upon purchase.
Subscription Price
The Winner: SpotOn
Halo Collar can give you a better advantage based on its price which is much lower than that of the SpotOn GPS Fence Collar, however, SpotOn Collar provides better technology… Is it worth overpaying over $1000? As of 3/10/23, the price of the SpotOn GPS Fence dropped from $1500 to $1295, but it’s still a lot. That said, I do have an awesome SpotOn coupon for you! You can save $100 by using the code BARK.
Based on our thorough research, the SpotOn Dog Collar utilizes much more advanced technology than what the Halo Collar offers. One of which is the four satellite navigation system which is constantly in communication between the SpotOn device and the four-constellation system of satellites: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou.
The Halo Collar also uses multiple constellation navigation systems, however, the position of the antenna in the collar makes it so that the signal strength and communication between the satellites and the dog collar are inaccurate at times, but it happened really rarely to me. The SpotOn Collar gives you a better advantage over the Halo Collar with regards to the positioning of the SpotOn antenna, which is strategically placed on top of your dog’s neck.
SpotOn also offers overlapping fences which is important if you need a fence for your entire property and one for just your backyard.
One last advantage we definitely trust about the SpotOn GPS Fence Dog Collar is that it sends location updates every 6 seconds which makes it more accurate than the Halo Dog Collar which only sends location updates every 15 seconds… but again, does it worth overpaying over $600? It’s up to you!
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you found this comparison helpful and decided on buying SpotOn, I would highly appreciate if you use my referral link for purchasing (or this link if you decide on Halo). I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. It will keep me motivated to buy expensive dog gadgets, properly test them and provide unbiased reviews.
Due to COVID-19 shipment delays and the global crisis of electronic parts, SpotOn and Halo might not be in stock. If you see it available and decide on purchasing one, I would recommend to buy it as soon as you can.
Author
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Mark is a Boston University graduate and former electrical engineer. In 2017, he decided to combine his tech knowledge with his love for dogs. He spent a year familiarizing himself with the latest GPS tracking collars, invisible fences, and other hot pet gadgets before he wrote his first product review. After selling Technobark, Mark remained a writer and consultant but spends more time on his other passion now: raising and training his growing family of dogs.
If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you. 2023-09-27
Mark,
First, I would like to thank you for all the information which I found extremely informative and helpful.
I do have some additional questions and have tried to contact SpotOn through email but haven’t heard back from them. I am hoping you might know the answers to my questions.
I have 2 dogs – 13 week Airedale with a 10 1/2 neck and 18 week cavapoo with a 9 1/2 neck ( I am measuring their collars which have a 2 finger gap to get their neck size.
While both of my dogs are still puppies, my Cavapoo will not get much bigger. Does either system have small enough collars for my Cavapoo? My last question is since my Airedale is still growing, how adjustable are the collars and what size would you recommend getting.
All carriers seem to be eliminating 2G and 3G by end of year 2022. If the Spot On collar only has 2G/3G capability (I assume Halo is the same), wouldn’t the collars become bricked as far as cellular tracking at that point? If so, $1500 for a little over 1 year of service is indeed very steep.
Spot on will graciously allow you to upgrade for 500 a collar more to be on 4G. We have had the collars for 18 months and they have had to send them in twice for warranty work. When it works it is great but we spend as much time upgrading and resetting the maps as we do allowing the dogs to be lose on our property.
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.