Customer Reviews

RoamEO GPS Pet Location System, Large Collar

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased this unit with two collars for two Labs that roam in a mixture of fields and woods. I have what I think is the newest design as of Dec 2008.

Initially the collars worked great and I even used the "fence function". After about a week the collars began to not always lock onto the satellite signal even when left stationary in the middle of a field for hours. Next the hand held unit began to fail. I began to spend more time trying to get the system to work then it was worth. The Manufacture replaced everything for me with new collars and a new handheld unit.

The replacement units worked well at first but as time goes on I'm spending more and more time trying to get the collars to lock in on the GPS signal. Many times my dogs will be outside for over an hour and never get a GPS fix even in the middle of a field on a sunny day. The collars seem to always be able to communicate with the handheld unit.

As for the design, it is a great idea. It just needs some improvement. The battery in the collar is not very convenient to charge. It requires removing the battery from the collar instead of having a plug-in port on the collar. The clasp on the dog collar is not very sturdy and has already worn out on one of my collars. Because the GPS on the collar is only on when the collar is clasped together, if the collar should become unclasped and fall off the dog, there is no way to find the collar using the GPS because the unit is now off.

What would I like to see improved?

1. Collar should have a waterproof rating.
2. An on/off switch on the collar.
3. A battery charging port on the collar.
4. Better satellite acquisition for the collar.
5. More powerful transmitter on the collar.
6. Some type of quick clasp on the collar like regular dog collars.
7. Louder "Fence alarm" (the current unit's alarm is so quite, it can only be heard if you are in the same room).
8. It would be nice to be able to load topo maps on the Handheld unit.

Garmin makes a system but it is a much larger unit on the collar so it is designed more for hunters.

Based on the unreliability of the Roameo system, I am considering returning the unit and waiting for the product to be improved.

This collar is not what the description says it is. I live out in the country, where my line of sight is at least 10 miles, but i have yet to be able to pick up my dog collar farther than 1000 ft. That is about 1/5th of the advertised possible distance. There are no buildings no houses no trees, there is nothing out here to obstruct the signal, but it does not have any range. As for the battery life, it seems to last about 8 hours on the collar and 6 hours on the receiver. When i put it on my lab at 7am and take him to work with me the battery is dead before i get home at night. For the amount of money that i spent on this product, i still spend a couple of hours a day trying to find my dog. I was doing the same thing before i bought this product.

I had one of the first units and had to return the collars and hand unit numerous times. First problem was with the collar on/off switch. They failed all the time. Next was the antenna. If you have more than one dogs and they bite the antenna/collar while playing, the collar may or may not work. I had one antenna completely chewed off and it worked fine, I had another that had a tooth dent in it, and it didn't work. Personally, I really think that collar had another problem, but the manufacturer didn't want to admit it. I've had some collars that just lose lock or only transmit a short distance.

Overall it's really a great idea. The manufacturer usually works with you, but it gets to the point that it's not worth it anymore. I got a full refund. They have a new generation of collars coming out, but I hear they have problems too. I think I'll wait until they've been out a few years and they have worked out the manufacturing and design problems.

I ordered this to keep track of my city dog when we moved to a rural acreage. On the first day out, the tip of the antenna on the collar broke off. Despite this, the unit worked reasonably well for the next few weeks until the dog decided to wade into a creek. The instructions do warn that the collar can take an occasional moistening, but that full immersion is not recommended. They aren't kidding! My collar got soaked and has been non-operational ever since. So don't get this thing if your dog is a swimmer.

Another beef is that the shape and size of the handheld unit is completely unrelated to the shape and size of the human hand. It is wide, ungainly, and awkward to carry. There is no belt hook or wrist strap. It is too large to fit into conventional coat pockets, too. When I did find a pocket large enough to accommodate it, the unit had some kind of meltdown and stopped displaying information, even though I'd left the antenna pointing out. All of which means that you have to carry the thing in your hand, which gets old quickly if you do not happen to have giant gorilla paws and are walking further than the mailbox.

I also occasionally experienced an issue wherein the handheld unit wouldn't recharge because of a wonky connection between the unit and the charger. I'd have to jiggle and reposition it and cross my fingers several times before the connection would take.

All in all a disappointment. I should have ordered the Garmin Astro, which is supposedly waterproof, and has the added advantage of regular, non-dog-related GPS functions.

I like the product a lot . It works well and I can keep track of my Lab when he wanders. AT this time I don't know if I have a problem with the collar. It will not hold a charge more then over night. If I don't use it for 2 or 3 days it has no charge so I MUST always remember to allow 8 hrs. to charge it in advance of use.