If GPS trackers for dogs are legion, it is becoming more difficult to find a connected object dedicated to the health and well-being of our faithful companions. Invoxia takes up the challenge with a product that aims to be the canine equivalent of an Apple Watch, minus the screen.
With more than 75 million pets in France, our faithful furry, feathered or scaly friends represent a market of 5.8 billion euros for France. A figure which is constantly increasing, +7.5% in 2023 compared to 2022. Connected objects still remain on the fringes, but the interest of brands and owners is already very real.
In 2021, the ethics committee of the Animal Law Foundation highlighted that connected objects could contribute to animal welfare, provided that owners are well informed. Indeed, the sector is not exempt from products of questionable effectiveness and interest.
It is in this context that Invoxia stands out with its new Smart Collar. This collar is intended to be the Apple Watch of dogs, being able to track both its health, its activity, and its GPS position. Dogs can have very different sizes, so we tested this connected collar on a 32 kg Weimaraner and a 12 kg Shiba.
Design and functionality: stylistic commonality in action
The Invoxia Smart Collar is an object with elegant lines, slightly arched to better fit a dog’s neck. It has generous dimensions of 175 x 88 x 34 mm for a weight of 130 g, but, as we will see below, this does not hinder the animal in any way.
The product benefits from a very good level of manufacturing. It is robust while remaining flexible thanks to its rubber shell. The latter is covered with dermatologically tested silicone, so it should not irritate your pet’s neck. The product is IP65 certified, allowing it to withstand all situations, including immersion in water. Additionally, it also works in a temperature range of -10°C to 40°C.
The bottom reveals a rubber cover providing access to the USB-C charging port. On the top surface there is a small button intended for Bluetooth pairing. The collar has a strap made of RPET fabric (recycled and fully recyclable polyester), available in black, yellow, orange and red, and equipped with a metal buckle.
The strap slips over the collar and adjusts using the metal buckle. It requires precise adjustment to obtain reliable measurements of health data.
However, like a classic collar, a space equivalent to the width of a finger between the neck and the collar allows you to maintain a good level of measurement, without harming your pet’s daily comfort.
Source: Yazid Amer – Frandroid
Source: Yazid Amer – Frandroid
Source: Yazid Amer – Frandroid
Installation and configuration: child’s play
The Invoxia Petcare application is at the heart of the use of this collar, it will concentrate all the results and process them in order to make them accessible to dog owners.
Invoxia Petcare
The application is well thought out, intuitive and it starts with installation. After creating your Invoxia account, you must press the collar button to initiate pairing. This operation works perfectly on both Android and iOS.
Next, you will enter the identity of your dog, indicate if it is sterilized, its date of birth and finally its weight.
The final stretch of the installation process, you must specify the breed of your dog, and associate its profile with a photo.
The app settings inform you about the collar’s battery level and activated alerts.
It is also possible to define safety zones and the application will alert you if your pet leaves them. Good idea, you can define square, circular or hexagonal areas. This seems like a detail, but while the majority of GPS applications are limited to a circle. Here you will be able to better adapt the security zones to the topography of your environment.
We now have all the tools to monitor the health and location of your dog in real time. Now let’s see what this looks like on the ground.
In use: effective and practical
We therefore tested the collar on a 32 kg Weimaraner and a 12 kg Shiba. For both animals, we did not notice any discomfort.
After the first few minutes, they no longer pay attention to the object. This is also true with the Shiba, even if the object seems a little too imposing. Ultimately, this seems to have bothered the owner more for the aesthetic aspect than the risk of discomfort for his animal. The collar fits perfectly, does not irritate the neck and should prove solid over time. However, this collar only exists in one size, you can only choose the strap size, and it is already a little disproportionate for a 12 kg Shiba, so we’ll let you imagine on a smaller dog.
Source: Ulrich Rozier – Frandroid
Source: Ulrich Rozier – Frandroid
This Invoxia collar uses dedicated artificial intelligence which works on the basis of information collected by the various biometric sensors. These technologies make it possible to precisely measure the dog’s heart and respiratory rate, and to detect certain abnormal behaviors.
Its motion sensors are complemented by radar technology and the two combined can in theory differentiate the actions of your pet, whatever its size. The home page displays a summary of the latest activities observed by the collar, and regularly offers articles on dog health.
The section Position is very simple to understand. We have a map summarizing all the journeys of the day and are also alerted in real time as soon as the animal leaves the security zone. It uses the low frequency LTE-M network which is dedicated to connected objects and based on 4G. An integrated SIM card is responsible for sending information to the application wherever you are.
You can define a position update rate to have real-time positioning. Use sparingly, during a long walk in the forest where he risks getting too far away or if you are actively looking for your lost dog, because this function consumes a lot of energy. An audible alert for proximity searching is also available, but will only be useful in quiet environments. The sound is audible, but not loud enough to be heard from a distance, but it reduces the chances of causing him to panic.
The measurement of biometric data is only done at rest. We compared the results with those taken in a veterinary office. We performed the operation several times and obtained a reliability rate slightly above 85%.
The measurements of the Shiba (below) are also consistent and, quite logically, this little dog has a heart and respiratory rate higher than that of a 32 kg Weimaraner.
According to our veterinarian, this connected object is not uninteresting. It can be very valuable in the context of postoperative monitoring, early detection of diseases or even monitoring reactions to certain drug treatments.
In addition, this allows, during diagnosis, to analyze the causes over time, or alert you to unexpected cardiac problems.
The tab Activity summarizes your dog’s actions during a day, some are already validated by Invoxia and others still in beta version. We observed and manually timed Vladim’s behaviors in a dog play area, and pleasant surprise, the collar succeeded very well in differentiating them. Walking is well identified, as is running. However, it is sometimes confused with trotting.
Beta features are less precise. Thus, caresses are rarely spotted, and periods of play are underestimated or confused with running. Information on meals and hydration is also underestimated. The measurement of barking still needs to be improved, because it transforms a bark into a minute of barking… On the other hand, the measurement of car journeys is very precise.
In terms of autonomy, Invoxia announces 10 days and we came close to 12 days without too much difficulty. The biggest downside remains the obligation to take out a subscription to the Petcare service. The latter is billed at 12 euros if you take it per month, 11 euros/month if you subscribe for one year and 10 euros/month for a two-year subscription. Without this, the SIM card will not be activated and the measurements will therefore not be sent to the smartphone, even nearby via Bluetooth. Additionally, you will not have access to remote geolocation tracking.
Price and availability of the Invoxia Smart Collar
The Invoxia Smart Collar is available at the price of 149.99 euros on the manufacturer’s website and at partner resellers.