Here is a basic comparison of wireless fences to wireless pet containment system, covering several of the different aspects.
Cost
Wireless Fence: If you choose a quality model such as the PetSafe® Stay & Play, you can expect to spend around $250 to $300. If your system doesn’t come with replaceable batteries, over a year’s time it can cost you around an additional $25.
Wired Fence: Depending on the model, the price of a wired fence is around the same as a wireless fence. The difference in price comes in if you decide to pay someone to bury the wire for you. You may choose to plant the wire on the ground instead of burying it, but you will just need to use a thick wire so that it is strong enough to withstand the elements.
Ease of Installation
Wireless Fence: A wireless fence is as simple and quick as it gets. It is as easy as plugging in the wireless transmitter, putting a battery into the receiver and putting the collar on your dog. You can expect it to take 10 or 15 minutes at the most.
Wired Fence: There is no argument that installing a wireless fence requires some work. Burying the wire takes some elbow grease and a day of labor. However, if you rent a trench digging machine, it won’t take you as long. You can also choose to take the easy route and pay someone to install it for you.
Containment Area
Wireless Fence: The signal that is cast by a wireless dog fence can only form the shape of a circle. In most cases, the radius cannot be larger than 250 feet. The circle can be made larger by purchasing additional wireless transmitters. In some cases, doing this will make it possible to cover an area such as a rectangular yard.
Wired Fence: This is one clear advantage that wired systems have over wireless. You can create any type of border that you want. No matter what the shape of your yard is, you are able to wind the wire around just like you need it. In addition to this, wired dog fences are able to cover a larger amount of ground than wireless dog fences can. In fact, SportDOG makes a system that is designed for rural properties, covering up to 100 acres of land. No wireless system has the ability to even come close to this, no matter how many transmitters are used.
Signal Reliability
Wireless Fence: The boundary signal on a wireless dog fence can vary greatly, at times. There are certain aspects that can cause a disturbance in the signal, which need to be avoided. If your home has aluminum or stucco siding, this can be a problem. If you have heavy trees or landscaping on your property this can disrupt the signal. The same thing can happen if there are any large metal buildings or vehicles existing within the containment area. Even if none of these situations apply to you, be aware that the boundary will still fluctuate by a few feet at random times.
Wired Fence: The boundaries on a wired fence are solid. You also will not have to worry about any signal interference with a wired fence. Nothing will get in the way of the signal being transmitted like it needs to be.
Maintenance
Wireless Fence: Should the wireless transmitter or receiver malfunction, you will need to send them in for a repair.
Wired Fence: If you have a problem with your wired fence, it is generally going to be with the wire. This is especially true if you install a thin, cheaper wire. If a break happens in your wire, your transmitter will sound an alarm to let you know. Now you will need to use a wire break testing kit to locate the exact spot where your wire is broken. Then, the wire will need to be dug up and respliced. If you pay someone to take care of a wire break for you, it won’t necessarily be inexpensive.
Collar
Wireless Fence: Collars for electronic dog doors are generally 1 ounce heavier than wired fence collars are. They usually come with short and long correction probes. There are usually 5 different correction level settings on wireless fence collars.
Wired Fence: Wired fence collars are a bit more lightweight than wireless fence collars. Sometimes they only come with short contact probes and don’t always have up to 5 levels of correction.