Whistle is one of the best brands to go for when purchasing a GPS tracker for your dogs. You get lots of benefits and perks from this brand and so many gadgets to choose from. This is why we made this Whistle comparison review of Whistle 3 VS Whistle GO VS Whistle Fit to help you decide on which one would be suitable to use for you and your dog.
I really like to see our dogs actively playing in the backyard. They can exercise and have fun playing with nature. If you haven’t bought a dog tracker but planning to buy one soon, you are probably looking online now and reading customer reviews. In this post, I will talk about the Whistle Collar perks, cons and how does it work. Our special bond with our dog really meant to us and we don’t want to have a painful experience losing them on our sight.
Microchips, RFID tags and Bluetooth only trackers can just track with a range of 50 feet, it is okay for dog owners if their community is so helpful and participative, or if you don’t mind finding your dog in days or weeks, but if your dog is really important to you, you can find him or her in real time and rest assured that your pet can be found in a safe place. If your canine friend is athletic or wants to wander to different places, having a more effective tracking device is a smart way to keep your dog. If your dog is also aloof to strangers, you might consider this GPS dog collar.
Comparison Chart of Whistle 3, Whistle GO Explore & Whistle FIT
Whistle 3 VS Whistle Go VS Whistle Fit
Quick Summary
Tech Specifications
General Features
Whistle Dog GPS Tracker Review
How Does Whistle Work?
So as mentioned earlier, Whistle is a device that serves as a location, health, and activity monitoring gadget all at the same time, which is specifically designed for your dogs.
Who is the Whistle For and When Do You Need It?
Whistle is specially designed for dog use. If you are more concerned about the health and wellness of your dogs, Whistle collar is the perfect device for you. It can monitor your dog’s activity levels and can also suggest not only a tailored diet for them but also can recommend exercise regimen for you to choose from based on your dog’s activity levels, and other pertinent details such as their age and size. Therefore, this is also perfect for pet owners who have dogs that are having problems with their obesity and help develop the best exercise activities and proper diet for them. The Whistle app lets you view all the information the device will send you 24/7.
If you and your dog love adventures, you don’t have to worry because Whistle GO, the newer version of the brand, now features GPS tracking. Therefore, if you love hiking or other outdoor activities, Whistle gives you the relief of having your pets tracked in real time and straying away from you a bit won’t give you a heart attack anymore. All of these three devices are water resistant and durable which means being submerged underwater will not destroy the device.
The main priority of every dog owner is their furry friend’s safety. However, our furry friends seem skillful in escaping and venturing around. Because in fact, dogs are genetically built to wander. To keep track of my escape artist, I purchased the Whistle 3 GPS Tracker on Amazon about a month ago.
Truthfully speaking, a lot has changed. I live in a place where immediately finding a fast travelling dog is somehow impossible without a GPS tracker. I believe that it’s my responsibility as a dog owner to ensure that my canine companion is safe all the time.
Microchips would be my last option because it would cause pain to my beloved pooch. Even if microchips come in handy, the minor wounds it would cause can lead to major complications. My priority is my dog’s safety and that is the last thing we would like to happen.
On the other hand, Bluetooth and RFID tags only collars doesn’t perform efficiently and accurately. I also tried cheaper GPS tracking units before. Even if I purchased cheaper versions, the repair costed me more money. Now, I am regretting that I settled for less.
Luckily, I discovered a product that is designed for tracking my dog and monitoring his activities. I cannot deny that the Whistle Collar is costly plus the subscription plan but it actually saved me from buying two units!
Installing the Whistle 3 GPS Dog Tracker and Activity Tracker
Photo Amazon
The Whistle Collar isn’t the first dog tracking device I bought for my dog. I already used a couple of GPS tracking units before but unfortunately, they didn’t work well. I always had troubles with setting up tracking units. Due to that, it has been instilled in my mind that setting up GPS tracking units are complicated. I was expecting that the Whistle GPS tracker isn’t different.
Surprisingly, the Whistle dog unit and app got me out of trouble! Installing the device and connecting it to the app were pretty simple. Understanding the use and functions of the app was clear too! I didn’t have to call customer service because the instructions manual was very handy.
The Whistle GPS Dog Tracker contains a battery, a GPS unit receiver, a Bluetooth antenna, a Wi-Fi antenna, and a 3G antenna.
In opening the package, the instructions will instruct you to directly go to the app store to download the free Whistle 3 app. Remember that you cannot set up the Whistle 3 device without connecting it to a smartphone. Before setting up the app, make sure to charge the device first so by the time that you’re done with the app, the device can be used.
After downloading the app, it will require you to sign up for a subscription plan and create a profile for your pooch. I was delighted to see that I can invite my family, friends, and my dog’s caretaker to view my dog’s location and activity! To acquire this, all I did was to invite them to download the free Whistle app.
Once you have subscribed to a plan and created your dog’s profile, it will prompt you to connect the device to your phone via Bluetooth. Once it has been connected via Bluetooth, connect the GPS tracker to your Wi-Fi. Now, the app is completely installed!
Once the GPS unit is done charging, Whistle will send a notification that the unit has finished charging and it is ready to be used. Then, simply attach the Whistle GPS tracker to your dog’s collar and it’s ready to use!
Installing the Whistle collar unexpectedly takes all of 10 minutes to set-up! Well, minus the charging part because it takes up to 30 minutes to full recharge. Unlike other GPS tracking units, the installation didn’t give me a headache at all!
If you are still having trouble with setting up your Whistle, you could reach out to customer service. A lot of clients testified that customer service is extremely approachable and friendly. You can be at ease!
I really love that YouTube video that shows abilities of Whistle.
Is The Whistle GPS Collar a Safe Choice?
Whenever I am buying products online, I always look if it’s backed up with a warranty or money back guarantee. I’m too scared to waste plenty of money on poor and defective products. I’ve experienced buying products that aren’t worth their price. Nevertheless, I still wanted to find the perfect GPS tracker for my dog to ensure his safety.
Good thing, I found the Whistle Go that offers a 90 day money back guarantee! If you or your dog are not satisfied with the Whistle GPS Tracker during those 90 days, feel free to return it! Clients that are not satisfied with the tracking unit can get a full refund on the purchase price.
Whistle also offers a pro-rated refund on unused time of your subscription plan. However, take note that you can only get a refund if you ordered through the official website at Whistle.com.
To get a refund, the first thing that you need to do is to submit a ticket. Whistle will send you a return authorization and after receiving it, package your Whistle Go (or FIT) to send it to the warehouse. Useful instructions are provided. Lastly, wait for 5-10 days of processing to receive your refund. It’s that easy!
To obtain more information about the refund, you can check the official website of Whistle or call their customer service. You don’t have to worry about bad customer service because a lot of clients proved that Whistle offers excellent customer support!
My dog and I were completely happy with Whistle 3 GPS Pet Tracker since the beginning so I haven’t utilized the 90 day money back guarantee. Nevertheless, a lot of clients testified that they were delighted with the customer support of Whistle.
One client tested Whistle’s customer service. Even if he hasn’t had a reason to reach out to the customer service and get a refund, he emailed them a question that wasn’t answered in the website’s FAQs. Surprisingly, the client got a very understandable response within a few hours! Customer support also offered to take care of the issue.
When the client didn’t respond back, he received a second email reminding him that Whistle can fix things he wanted too. This experience may be a small gesture to some but it proves how Whistle values their customers and their clients’ dogs too!
Another client even said that the customer service he received from Whistle is far and beyond from what he’s used to! Impressively, Whistle 3 is a high-rated product manufactured by a high-rated company!
Whistle Subscription Plans
Whistle Subscription Price As Of Jan 11th, 2020
Understanding how the device works may be confusing to comprehend with the subscription plans adding up to the work. Honestly, I was also confused about how the different Whistle collar models work because the approach of Whistle is completely unique for me. Nevertheless, with Whistle’s amazing support and useful guide, it didn’t took me a while to understand the product.
To help you in understanding the subscription plans, I made it simple for you. Pre-paid or free subscriptions should be activated within 12 months of purchase. No matter what model you have, Whistle 3, Whistle Go Explore, Whistle Go or Whistle FIT, each of them requires a subscription plan to work so you will be prompted to select a plan after installing the app.
You have three subscription plan options. Take note that the longer the subscription, the cheaper the price. The one year and two years options will be billing you for the full amount. The one year subscription plan for Whistle Go costs $95.40, if estimated, it would cost $7.95 per month. The two-year plan costs $166.80, if estimated, it costs $6.95 per month.
I am currently using the one year plan and so far, I don’t have any plans in discontinuing the service. To save more money, I highly suggest buying the two-year subscription plan. If you are still having doubts about the product, I recommend buying the monthly plan.
Be at ease because the 90 day money back guarantee also covers your subscription plan! However, the unused time in the subscription is only eligible for refund. The Whistle is still a safe choice!
Cons
So far, it’s only two things I do not like about my Whistle collar:
- Compare to Garmin tracking collars, you must have a Wi-Fi connection to activate the tracker and set your pet’s designated place or let’s say invisible fence in your home. The advantage is while your dog is within the Wi-Fi range, you can preserve your battery with the power save mode and the app will just notify you when they are outside your area. Within the Wi-Fi area, the power save mode will not track your pet since the pre-set Wi-Fi area is assumed to be your dog’s safe place.
- The biggest advantage of the Whistle Dog GPS Tracker and Activity Monitor is its price. The subscription plan can also add up to the burden. But if you prioritize your dog’s safety and doesn’t want to be uneasy whenever your dog leaves your sight, spending more money is worth it. It’s better to be safe than sorry, right? Also, it seems to be more and more dog GPS tracking collar are tend to have a paid subscription, however, there are still some no subscription fee dog GPS trackers.
Our Conclusion
All of these devices work great depending on your needs. Whistle 3 is a good enough device as it has almost all the features you will need to take care of your dogs albeit being the older version (it seems Whisle do not even manufacture this model). We highly recommend the Whistle FIT if you want to focus more on your dog’s health and wellness and developing a physical activity regimen and a better diet for them. But, if you want the all-in-one package, then the Whistle GO Explore is the best device for you. It not only possesses all the features the Whistle brand offers, but also pinpoints your dog’s location. This is the model I currently have and I am very happy.
RELATED: Best Dog Activity Tracking Devices
Whistle Collar Review
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Whistle Score by Mark Braeden
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