Start with the job you’re here to do — each path leads into the manual, the dashboard guide, and the tools.
Charge it, load a recording schedule, and get the first GPS fix. Five steps — the only tool you need is a screwdriver.
Run the pre-flight checks, seal the cover so it stays waterproof, and — if you sealed it early — wake it in the field with a magnet swipe.
See where it is, get told when something needs attention, and change its schedule over the air — no handling, no recapture.
Take the collar off the animal, pull the SD card, browse what it recorded right in your browser, and export for analysis.
Most problems announce themselves through the status light. Decode it, work the common fixes, or just ask us.
Exact numbers, full procedures, and everything the dashboard can do — when you need the complete answer.
The paw print on the top of the cover is how the collar talks to you — the light shines through the grain lines inside the big pad. Find the pattern that matches what you’re seeing; each tile below glows the way the real thing does.
Near the USB-C port there’s a separate red / green pair that only speaks about charging — don’t confuse them with the paw print.
Connect to a collar without opening it — a magnet swipe puts it into pairing mode (what the manual calls BLE mode), with the cover on and the seal untouched.
Press it flat against the paw print on the top of the cover, count to three, then pull it away. The collar restarts.
Startup pulse, then steady green while it checks the SD card — usually well under a minute, longer with a very large card.
Open the CollarID app (iOS or Android), or the Configure page in Chrome or Edge, and pick your collar from the list.
If the collar is open anyway, powering on with a freshly formatted exFAT card (no schedule on it) lands in pairing mode automatically after startup — handy on the bench, no magnet needed.
For the technically inclined: pairing mode is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising, and it’s the same mode used for schedule changes and firmware updates. The full detail lives in the manual under Entering BLE mode.