We have some exciting updates that are now available in the newest firmware release, Version 0.1.70. Here is a list of what is included, and how it will improve your Halo experience:
Battery Life Improvement
Extended battery life means more peace of mind for you and your pup. Enhanced LTE power management will increase your collar’s typical battery life while using LTE to approximately 12-16 hours — providing you with significantly more flexible, longer-term coverage throughout the day.
This major improvement reduces battery consumption by approximately 75% while connected via cellular, and your LTE battery life now matches the extended battery life your collar has while connected to WiFi.
Prevention Feedback Updates
To maximize your dog’s containment and safety, your Halo Collar will no longer delay Preventions in outdoor areas if there is a weak GPS signal (i.e. if you are under dense overhead coverage). Instead, it will send a Return Whistle if it detects that your dog is approaching or bypassing a fence boundary.
This change means your collar will avoid sending ‘false’ Prevention Feedback caused by diminished GPS in those areas, while still ensuring that your dog receives safety guidance to stay contained within their fences.
In the past, your collar may have delayed sending its Prevention Feedback because it was recalculating GPS accuracy (which it is constantly calibrating for optimal performance).
Additionally, we resolved a rare issue in which some overlapping Protection Zones previously caused notifications to be associated with the wrong fence.
Power Down
We’ve made it easier to turn off your collar when it is not on your dog. You can now power down your Halo Collar in any orientation while it is connected to power by holding the ON button for five seconds.
When off the charger, your collar still needs to be upside down (USB port up) and resting (not moving) in order to turn off the collar. This prevents your dog from inadvertently powering off the collar.
Faster Firmware Upgrades
Future firmware downloads over WiFi will take under 2 minutes (as opposed to 30 minutes).
Fewer GPS Calibration Notifications
Version 0.1.70 will now prevent unnecessary GPS calibration notifications. GPS calibration should only be required after the collar has been turned off for three or more days, or in rare cases following a firmware upgrade.
WiFi/LTE Connectivity
We’ve improved the collar’s transition time between WiFi and LTE connections to under three seconds (previously, it could take 30-45 seconds). This means more seamless communication between your phone and your Halo Collar — so you can track your dog, change their settings, or give them Instant Feedback at any time.
Sound Improvements
We have solved occasional audio playback stuttering when multiple Instant Feedbacks were sent via Bluetooth in quick succession.
This firmware update rolled out over the course of several days, and was fully available to all Halo Pack members on Friday, January 15th.
We hope you have a great experience with these important new updates in Version 0.1.70! Please don’t forget to send us your thoughts and comments by tapping “Settings–>Feedback” in your app so we can hear about your experience.
