There are several advantages over using a wireless dog fence over a buried underground fence:
- It is very quick and simple to install a wireless pet fence. It only takes about 10 minutes to set up after open the box. This is because there are no measurements to take and no wires to bury in the ground.
- Although the cost of a wireless fence and a wired fence are very comparable, if you plan on paying someone to bury the wire for you, this will cost you a lot more. Paying someone to do this for you can cost around $1,000, and even more if a groove needs to be cut in the driveway.
- It is much easier to service a wireless system. If you have a wired system and the wire breaks, it is difficult to find out where the break is. Then you have to dig up the wire and splice them back together.
With that being said, there are also certain problems you can run into with a wireless dog fence. They all have to do with wireless signal instabilities.
Signal Interference
Unless you have purchased a very expensive GPS-based wireless fence, you should be aware that signal interference is always possible. The more objects that exist between the transmitter and the containment boundaries, the more likely that there will be a signal disturbance. Here are a few things you need to be aware of:
Large Metal Appliances
There are several things that can interfere with the wireless signal, which result in an unstable boundary and unreliable perimeter. Refrigerators, stoves and large metal cabinets are examples of these. An unstable boundary is not a good thing because it can cause your dog to be corrected in an area that should be safe. Frequent random corrections could cause your dog to become overstressed.
To help avoid this problem, make sure that all of these items are kept a minimum of 3 feet away from the transmitter. If you can keep them even further away than this, it is recommended.
Thick Concrete Walls
The strength of your wireless signal can be reduced by thick concrete walls. There are a couple of things that can be done to help this situation.
- The transmitter should always be mounted to the outer wall of your house so that there are as few walls as possible between the transmitter and the yard.
- If possible, put the transmitter right in front of a window, or if mounting strips are provided, you can use those to keep it in place.
The fewer walls that the signal has to penetrate, the more consistent the signal will be.
Heavy Landscaping
If you have thick trees or heavy landscaping on your property, this can become a problem. The more trees and bushes there are between the transmitter and the boundary, the weaker the signal becomes. A tree or a bush here or there won’t be a problem but lots of them can be. When you have many trees and it becomes damp outside, this makes it even worse.
Sloping
If there is a downward slope in your yard, there will be heavy signal interference. The best way to find out if this is a potential problem is to look out from where the transmitter is located towards your boundary. If you can see where the boundary is, then everything should be fine. However, if you can’t see where your boundary should be located, your transmitter will also have trouble finding it.
Other Obstructions
Check for any other large obstacles within your containment area. This includes vehicles, metal buildings and concrete structures. For any area located behind the object, the perimeter will be less stable.
The Ideal Set Up for Minimum Interference
To make sure you have the least amount of interference as possible, there are several things you should make sure of.
- Your transmitter should be installed as far away from metal appliances as you can
- There should be as few walls between the transmitter and the outdoors as possible
- There should be as few trees, cars, garages and other structures between the transmitter and the perimeter
- No downward sloping existing within the yard