There are many Halo collar reviews out there, but the Halo 4 collar is the new kid on the block. The Halo collar has been around for five years, with Cesar Milan conceiving the idea back in 2017. He felt that the invisible fence technologies of the time were inadequate.
The Halo collar was the end result, drastically changing the market for the better. Now, Halo is on its fourth iteration. I have three generations of Halo Collar, and the Halo 4 is a significant upgrade over its immediate predecessor despite the consistent software upgrades.
| Halo Collar 2+ | Halo Collar 3 | Halo Collar 4 | |
| Containment | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Indoor Boundaries | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Real-Time Tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Activity Monitoring | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wi-Fi, Cellular, GPS, and Bluetooth Connectivity | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Battery Life | Up to 20 Hours | Up to 20 Hours | Up to30 Hours |
| Dual-Frequency GPS | ✅ | ||
| Proactive Support | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Video and Text Guidelines and Training | ✅ | ✅ | |
| One-on-One Live Video and Chat Support | ✅ | ✅ |
What’s New in Halo Collar 4?
The Halo Collar 4 doesn’t offer many new features. However, it’s still a huge leap forward thanks to the new dual-frequency GPS, which improves the precision and overall accuracy of the Halo Collar.
Halo’s fourth offering also includes enhanced Precision GPS, longer battery life, lighter weight and size, more durable materials, and a sleeker look. The AI and machine learning tech introduced through software upgrades to Halo 3 also return with more robustness and speed in Halo 4.
It’s 33% smaller and 18% lighter than the previous model, which is good since collars at this level are typically large, heavy, and bulky in all the wrong areas.
Thanks to its size and weight, the new Halo Collar is much easier to fit on your pup and more comfortable, which smaller dog breeds can wear and also participate.
The same impressive level of video and guideline content return, all of which is packed into a slick, easy-to-use iOS/Android app.
Like the Halo Collar before it, the Halo 4 has an IP67 rating, which means it will withstand full water submersion, something I’ve tested repeatedly in several of my YouTube videos covering the Halo collars.
Let’s start with some of the biggest changes listed above and work our way down from there. If you’re a visual learner or prefer to watch rather than drink in all my wonderful written words, I have a full Halo Collar 4 review on YouTube.
I also have several comparison videos, SpotOn virtual fence reviews, and more, bringing in some of the top GPS collar options on the market and matching them against the new Halo Collar.
Overall Performance
First and foremost, the dual-frequency GPS function is the biggest technological leap from the Halo Collar 3 to the Halo Collar 4. It brings several marked improvements, including increased accuracy, better overall signal reception, and enhanced signal stability.
The Halo Collar 4 uses both L1 and L5 GPS bands, bouncing back and forth between them according to which is strongest at the moment. The Halo Collar 3 uses only the L1 band. Think about it like a multi-band router with band steering capabilities.
These routers switch bands depending on the needs of the device connecting to them. The same concept applies here. The Halo 4 also drops or disregards signals that are degraded due to bouncing off of structures like trees, buildings, and rocks.
This results in higher reliability thanks to the collar’s ability to stick with what works and change on a dime if need be. It also leads to consistent location updates, which dog owners really need in the event of a lost dog.
The Halo Collar 4 also utilizes Precision GPS technology, which is AI-driven software that enhances its GPS tracking system. Gotta love that! The AI helps eliminate GPS fence drift, something I’ve observed since my first GPS smart collar. AI also works with motion sensors and activity alerts to streamline and sift through the chaos of information.
This results in more accurate returns in case your dog is lost, or you just want to see how active it is on any given day.
Halo Collar 4 Design
As I mentioned above, the Halo Collar 4 is 33% smaller and 18% lighter than the Halo Collar 3. The difference is big enough that it’s immediately noticeable. Plus, the slicker design includes a split in the middle of the bulky section of the collar.
The Halo 4 comes with the same velcro sleeve as its predecessor, but the collar itself looks really neat, and wrapping the thick velcro sleeve around it almost feels like sacrilege. The smaller size allows for a custom fit, and the Halo Collar 4 now fits necks as small as 8″ and as large as 30.5″.
The magnetic charging piece is a little bulky, but it looks nice and works well. It’s also understandable that Halo would stick with this kind of design feature. Some dogs like to roughhouse outside, and mud or dirt find their way into ports, clogging them up and ruining the charging capability of the collar in the long run!
The perfect custom fit system is the best in the business. Simply size the collar to your dog’s neck size, cut off the excess collar with scissors, and use the provided crimping tool to install a new endpiece. It’s more durable than the previous iteration and highly water resistant, with an IP67 rating.
Battery & Charging
The Halo Collar 4 features a major battery life boost, with 30+ hours of use between charges. I typically get all 30 hours, especially since my dogs are trained and stay within the yard (thanks to that halo training process).
Good behavior results in a longer battery since you don’t have to engage the collar’s tracking capabilities if your dogs remain in place.
However, 30+ hours is still a tough sell for some, especially those who have working dogs that spend a lot of time outside. Fortunately, the battery life will reach 100% in an hour or two, and a 20W charger will get it there a little quicker (in my experience).
Customizable Virtual Boundaries
If you’ve used a Halo collar in the past, there’s not much new here, though frequent Halo collar app updates continue to bolster and expedite the ease-of-use experience the app provides.
Simply open the phone app, select “Find and Manage Fences” on the overhead map, and select “Add Fence.” You can fully customize it, and change the fence posts you add at any time.
While the Halo Collar app lacks a “fence walk” creation mode, similar to SpotOn’s, you can walk to the areas you want to add a post to, add the post, and then walk to the next for up to 20 posts. As you add each post, the invisible boundary locks into place, from the last perimeter to the current to the next.
User-Friendly Mobile App for Fence Management
The Halo Collar 4 is not even the best part of the package. The Halo app is probably the best app for smart dog collars available on either iOS or Google Play. It’s a fantastic mix of user-friendliness, tools, knowledge, training videos, and other video aids that are priceless in terms of the knowledge they convey.
If I had one gripe about the entire Halo app experience, it would be the collar-specific parts, where switching back and forth between the dog-centric portion and the knowledge-centric part can sometimes be confusing.
Regardless, the excellent video tutorials, guidelines, and customer support options make the Halo one of the best GPS collar options on the market. This goes a long way toward elevating the Halo collar despite its few faults.
The app is an endless fountain of information, showing your current battery life, activity tracking that’s broken down into easy-to-read bar graphs, alerts and their history (including where the boundaries were crossed), and a ton of other pertinent information.
Battery life is significant since you can’t get an accurate estimate of the current battery life remaining by looking at the collar. Additional information for the Halo GPS dog collar includes each protection zone you create, dog-safe alerts, real-time GPS location, activity tracker data, and all the Halo fences you’ve set up.
Activity and Health Monitoring
The entire Halo system functions seamlessly and provides you with plenty of information on your dog, including your set boundaries, activity, and health-related data.
Now, we’re not talking about Apple Watch-level health information here, but how active your dog is, the number of times it crossed into the warning zone, the number of walks, the time spent moving, and the overall number of feedbacks show up on a circular graph.
Selecting any one of those graphs will provide you with a more in-depth breakdown. The activity tracker is limited in scope but offers more than most invisible fence collars do. The feedback you receive will help you control and plan better, especially in terms of training.
Speaking of training, the training videos available are numerous, and you’ll notice that the activity and health breakdowns are more extensive while teaching your dog how to respond to emergency feedback warnings.
Halo Beacon
The Halo Collar comes with something unique that no other smart collar on the market offers. This addition, known as the Halo Beacon, can be a hit or miss with some, depending on how you look at it. A single beacon device comes with your collar.
You can choose from four other types, including a weatherproof beacon, but the Halo comes with the standard variation. This beacon provides two things.
The first is an invisible, spherical keep-out zone for areas you don’t want your dog getting into, such as a chicken coop, backyard garden, or shed. The second is as a deactivation device. The beacon can turn the collar off when the collar enters its sphere of influence.
One thing Beacon provides is freedom and peace of mind. This is highly convenient if you want to walk your dog without having to turn the collar on and off and on again. Simply place the beacon on your key chain, and make sure your keys are in your pocket when you walk your dog.
Training Guides and Customer Support
The Halo app is one of the most comprehensive apps on the market for training. This makes plenty of sense, considering that Cesar Millan was a major influence in the ideation and production stages.
There are textual guides and video guides galore. In fact, in order to use the Halo for the first time, you have to work your way through several video guides. The Halo app then encourages you to go through the remaining ones.
There are a lot, but they all offer something unique and useful. This is especially true with the dog training module. It’s important to stick with the Halo video guidelines, as your dog needs to understand his/her limitations and what to do in case they trigger a correction from the training collar.
Imagine being a dog, and suddenly, there’s a whining whistle in your ear, and your neck starts vibrating. What do you do? If you haven’t been taught how to react through positive reinforcement, you wouldn’t know what this corrective stimulus means!
The Halo system only works if you stick with the guidelines and the entire training process is properly covered. Once your dog understands that heading back home is the right choice, it will ease your level of worry as well.
Price and Subscription
The Halo 4 Collar is not a cheap one, currently sitting at a price of $599. However, they periodically feature discounts and promo codes, some of which you can obtain from us. Whenever the offer is open, I’ll drop a video on it.
If you haven’t seen one lately, you can always type WAF in the promo code box at checkout and see if it drops the price. One of the negatives of the Halo 4 is the subscription.
You have to pay for it if you want to use the collar. Worse, most people have multiple subscriptions running at any given time, and this just adds to the problem.
- Bronze Plan: This plan costs $9.99/mo and includes up to 5 virtual fences, real-time tracking, and limited fence creation. For an additional $3.99, more dogs with a Halo can join this plan.
- Silver Plan: $14.99/mo and includes up to 20 virtual fences, advanced tracking charts, and instant feedback for manual communication. Additional collars on this plan cost $4.99/mo each.
- Gold Plan: $19.99/mo with all of the Silver plan features, along with unlimited fence creation, new premium training sessions released each month, live sessions with expert trainers, and personalized training support. Additional GPS dog collars added to this plan are $4.99/mo each.
There are also annual versions of these three plans, which cost a larger sum but reduce the monthly price, so you ultimately save money by purchasing 12 months or more upfront.
With an annual purchase, the Halo per-month price drops to $4.99 for the basic Bronze Plan, $9.99 for the Silver Plan, and $14.99 for the Gold Plan. The difference is significant when added up for 12 months.
Warranty Information
All Halo collars come with a 1-year warranty that’s fairly standard in the industry. It covers defects or workmanship issues. If you prefer stronger coverage, you can opt for Halo Care, which is separate from the Halo Protection that automatically comes with a subscription plan.
Alone, the Protection plans are kind of garbage. You have to pay a replacement cost for a lost or irreparably damaged collar, which, in most cases, is nearly the cost of the collar all over again. The cost decreases with each higher-level subscription choice.
Halo Care is entirely optional and costs an additional $9.99/mo or $101.88/yr. Under the Halo Care plan, you can replace your collar for any reason, including damage, theft, loss, or just upgrading to the next collar release.
You have to figure the Halo 5 will come out eventually. Under this plan, you still have to pay a fairly significant price for a replacement, at $199 as a Bronze member, $174 as a Silver member, and $149 as a Gold member.
Pros and Cons of the Halo 4 Collar
Pros:
- High GPS Accuracy (Within 1.4 feet)
- Easy and Quick Fence Setup
- Real-Time Location Updates
- Customizable Training Options
- Lightweight and Comfortable Design
- Comprehensive Support and Resources
- 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee
- 1-Year Warranty
Cons:
- Monthly Subscription Required (Starting at $9.99/month)
- Higher Initial Cost Compared to Some Alternatives
- Subscription costs more if you want two dogs
- Static Correction May Not Suit All Owners
Alternatives to the Halo 4 Collar
My personal favorite alternative to the Halo 4 is the SpotOn. As of this writing, the SpotOn is a fantastic smart collar with more precise and dependable accuracy than the Halo 4 (check out my Halo 4 vs. SpotOn collar comparison/review).
The Invisible Fence GPS Collar is another option that’s good for those on a budget but not the most highly recommended alternative in my book. Still, it’s a decently solid smart collar. In fact, if you’re feeling especially skippy, check out my larger comparison article, “Best GPS Dog Fence,” for the best information on all of the smart collars in the same category as the Halo 4.
Is the Halo 4 Collar Worth Buying?
It is definitely worth buying if you have a smaller yard than the minimum constraints of the SpotOn and the Invisible GPS Collar and no trees on your property. While Halo 4 accuracy has improved, it still has a few slowdown issues under moderate to heavy tree cover.
Don’t forget that it also comes with some neat features, like the keep-away beacons, a fantastic and robust app, and one of the best-fitting systems on the market. If you’re willing to put in the time and patience to train your dog and have an open property, the Halo 4 is a solid decision.
FAQs
Does Halo Collar Shock?
The Halo Collar does have a shock feature, but only if you set it up to do so. It has multiple shock levels that you never have to use. In fact, you don’t even have to install the shock probes on the collar. You can simply train your dog to respond to the vibrations, beeps, and whistles.
How to Switch off the Halo Collar?
You can switch it off by holding down the power button, or you can deactivate it using the beacon or the app, whichever you choose.
What are the Battery timings of a Halo Collar?
The Halo 4’s battery life is 30+ hours, used in moderation. The Halo 3 and Halo 2+ last closer to 20 hours between charges.
Does a Halo Collar operate without signals?
The Halo Collar fencing system will still function without an internet connection or signal. However, unlike SpotOn, you have to build your invisible fence before you travel to an area with spotty signals. If you do that, the invisible fence and collar will interact normally.
What is a Halo Beacon?
The Halo beacon is a small, circular device about the size of a quarter that comes with the Halo collar and serves as either a mobile/portable keep-out zone fence area or a device for deactivating the Halo 4 collar.
Final Thoughts
The Halo 4 Collar has a few faults, some of which are carry-overs from the 3rd gen offering. However, it’s still a reliable and robust GPS tracker with a nice upgrade to the antenna and AI. It’s solidly accurate, with a few hiccups showing up whenever there’s moderate to heavy tree coverage.
The lighter weight and smaller size are welcome additions as well, allowing smaller dogs to take advantage of the containment and security measures it offers. However, the standout feature of Halo 4 remains the app, which is loaded with top-notch visual guides, tutorials, advice, and general knowledge, along with useful activity-tracking data.
If you’re looking for a mid-tier smart collar that’s accurate and dependable (and you don’t live under a heavy tree canopy), I’d recommend the Halo 4 as a solid alternative to the beefier, more accurate SpotOn.
