Fi Startup Launches Fi Ultra Collar With Starlink Satellite Connection for Dogs

The Fi smart collar startup has released a new model Fi Ultra, which uses Starlink direct-to-cell satellites from SpaceX — the device keeps dogs connected even where regular cellular networks don't reach.

How satellite tracking works

The Fi Ultra collar connects directly to Starlink satellites using direct-to-cell technology, bypassing regular cellular towers. This means that a dog who has run far from home or is walking in a forest, mountains, or any other area without coverage remains trackable for the owner through the app instead of the familiar "signal lost."

• The manufacturer is the Fi smart collar startup
• The new model is called Fi Ultra
• Uses Starlink direct-to-cell technology from SpaceX
• The device works where regular cellular networks are unavailable

Why satellite communication ended up in a dog collar

The formulation by TNW news outlet is precise: the next device to transition to satellite communication is not a smartphone, but a dog collar. This emphasizes how rapidly direct-to-cell technology, originally conceived for connecting regular phones directly to satellites without towers, is spreading to niche device categories where continuous coverage is critical. Dogs' habit of running precisely where cellular networks are weakest — into the forest, mountains, wastelands — makes such a product a logical answer to a real problem dog owners face.

What this means for the tracker market

Fi Ultra shows how Starlink direct-to-cell satellite communication is becoming infrastructure not just for smartphones, but for mass consumer devices. Animal trackers gain the same level of coverage that previously was only available to expensive specialized satellite phones and communicators, not mass-market household gadgets.

Why this is more convenient than old GPS collars

Regular smart dog collars rely on GPS to determine pet location and on cellular networks or Wi-Fi to transmit this data to the owner. The problem is that GPS can show the coordinates of the lost pet, but if there's no cellular tower nearby, the collar physically cannot send these coordinates to the owner's phone — the connection breaks off precisely where the lost dog is needed most. Direct connection to Starlink satellites via direct-to-cell removes this bottleneck: the device no longer needs a tower nearby to transmit the signal.

Context: satellite communication without towers

SpaceX's direct-to-cell technology was originally developed so ordinary smartphones could send messages through Starlink satellites where there's no ground coverage — for example, in remote areas or during natural disasters when communication towers fail. The appearance of this technology in a consumer device like a dog collar shows that direct-to-cell is moving beyond emergency communications and becoming a normal option for gadgets where continuous coverage is critical, while size and power consumption must remain minimal.

For dog owners who walk in areas remote from the city — in forests, mountains, at campsites — this removes the main source of anxiety: before, losing cellular signal meant the owner effectively lost connection with the tracker on the pet's collar, and Fi Ultra solves precisely this specific problem thanks to the satellite channel.

What it means

The Fi Ultra story is a small, but telling example of how new-generation satellite communication is rapidly spreading beyond smartphones: while major operators discuss direct-to-cell for phones, less visible device categories like animal collars are already getting this technology in practice.