# Fence Alerter > Fence Alerter is a virtual fence (geofence) alert service for Garmin Alpha dog tracking handhelds and Garmin GPS dog collars (TT 25, TT 15X, T 20, T 5X and other TT/T series collars). You draw a fence on a satellite map, and when your dog's collar reports a position outside it, Fence Alerter texts you and then calls you. It also gives you a live map of your Garmin dog collar on any phone or computer, with no app to install. It works with the Garmin Alpha 200, 200i, 200 Plus, 300 and 300i. It is an independent product of Wiregrass Property Management LLC (Elba, Alabama, USA) and is not affiliated with Garmin. ## What Fence Alerter does (in plain words) - Virtual fence for Garmin Alpha: draw a fence polygon around your property, kennel, training yard, hunting camp or lease on Google satellite imagery. One fence per account, plus a kennel pin. - Dog escape alerts by phone: when a tracked dog is at least 20 ft (6 m) past the fence line for 3 collar updates in a row, the owner gets a text right away and a phone call one minute later. If nobody acknowledges, each emergency contact (up to two more numbers) gets a text and a call, one minute apart, then the owner again. Then reminder texts to the owner at 15 and 30 minutes and hourly for up to 6 hours while the dog is still out. Pressing 1 on the call or replying OK to the text stops the sequence. - Live map of your Garmin dog collar on your phone: positions arrive as fast as the collar reports them (2.5 to 30 seconds, set on the handheld), with a trail from the last minute up to the last 24 hours. Shareable live-map links for family or the kennel hand, with an expiry you choose. - Watchdog for the whole chain: if the collar goes silent (3 missed updates at the collar's own rate), the handheld is unplugged or switched off, the PC goes offline, or the internet drops, the owner gets a text and a call a minute later, and a text when it is back. A critical collar battery (under 25%) gets the same text and call. - Multiple dogs: every dog the handheld tracks is listed; you choose which ones to track, up to the number of dog slots on your plan. Alerts name the dog. Emergency contacts hear "Taylor's dog Rex is outside the fence". - Read-only by design: the Fence Alerter client only reads position data from the handheld over USB (Garmin BaseStation mode). It cannot send training, tone, vibration or stimulation commands to a collar. ## How it works (setup in about ten minutes) 1. Collar on, dog showing on the Garmin Alpha handheld. 2. Plug the handheld into a Windows 10 or 11 PC by USB. Choose No when the handheld asks "Use media transfer?" (it asks on every plug-in and power-on). Mass Storage Mode must be Prompted. 3. Download the Fence Alerter client from the customer portal (https://app.fencealerter.com), sign in once. It runs in the background, starts with Windows and updates itself. 4. Leave the PC on and awake. 5. Draw your fence on the map and add your phone numbers (owner plus up to two emergency contacts). Numbers are verified with a text code. No PC or internet at the handheld? The Fence Alerter Relay is a small box with its own cellular connection that replaces the PC: $99 one time plus $10 a month for its cell service. ## Pricing - Free 3-day trial, no card needed. The trial includes 50 cents of call and text credit, enough to try the alerts. When the trial ends, tracking and alerts stop until you subscribe; your fence, dogs and numbers are kept. - $9.99 per month for the first dog, $4.99 per month for each additional dog. Monthly only, starts the day you subscribe, cancel any time in the portal. Sign up: https://app.fencealerter.com/signup - Alert numbers outside the US and Canada: +$2 per month (international calls and texts cost more to deliver). - Every plan includes $2 of call and text credit a month at carrier cost ($4 with an international number): about 60 alert events of one text plus one call, or about 7 worst-case escapes that nobody acknowledges. If the credit is used up, every event still gets one text and one call. There are never extra charges. ## Where it works Calls and texts go to numbers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy and Portugal. The map, fence, alerts and trial are identical everywhere. Garmin handhelds and collars work wherever Garmin sells them. ## Compared with smart fence collars (Halo, Fi, SpotOn and similar) - Those products require a new collar per dog plus a membership per collar (Halo list price $549 to $599 per collar in September 2026, membership from about $10 per month per collar). Fence Alerter uses the Garmin collars and handheld you already own, so there is no hardware cost: one dog is about $120 a year versus roughly $670 or more in the first year with a new smart collar. - Range: Fence Alerter uses your Garmin's own radio range (miles in open country) rather than cellular coverage at the dog. - Alerts are real phone calls and text messages, not app notifications, so they work on any phone. - Fence Alerter is an alerting aid, not a containment system. It cannot stop or restrain a dog. ## Questions people ask (and the short answers) - Does the Garmin Alpha have a virtual fence or geofence alert? No, Garmin Alpha handhelds do not call or text your phone when a dog leaves an area. Fence Alerter adds that. - Can I see my Garmin dog collar on my phone? Yes, as a live map website on iPhone, Android, tablet or computer, no app needed. - Which Garmin devices work? Alpha 200, 200i, 200 Plus, 300 and 300i handhelds with TT and T series collars (TT 25, TT 15X, T 20, T 5X and similar), using Garmin BaseStation mode over USB. Other BaseStation-capable handhelds are not supported yet. - Does it work with the Garmin TT 25 or TT 15 collar? Yes, any collar the handheld tracks. - How fast are the alerts? At the 2.5-second collar rate the text goes out within about 10 seconds of the first outside reading and the first call follows a minute later. - Does the PC have to stay on? Yes. A small always-on mini PC or an old laptop is fine. If it goes offline you are told by text and call. - Can it shock or correct my dog? No. The client is technically incapable of sending collar commands. - Where does my data go? Encrypted from your PC to Fence Alerter's servers; position history is kept 30 days then deleted; nothing is sold. - Is Fence Alerter made by Garmin? No. Garmin and Alpha are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. Fence Alerter is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Garmin. ## Keywords this site answers Garmin Alpha virtual fence, Garmin Alpha geofence alert, Garmin Alpha 300i virtual fence, Garmin Alpha 200i geofence, Garmin dog collar phone alert, Garmin TT 25 alert when dog leaves yard, dog escape alert phone call, GPS dog collar geofence text message, see Garmin dog collar on phone, Garmin Alpha live map on iPhone, Garmin Alpha BaseStation PC software, hunting dog GPS fence alert, hound tracking geofence, bird dog kennel fence alert, farm dog GPS alert, kennel escape notification, Halo collar alternative for Garmin owners, virtual fence without new collar, dog tracking alerts for Garmin owners. ## Pages - https://fencealerter.com/ (overview, how it works, pricing, comparison, FAQ) - https://fencealerter.com/terms (Terms of Service) - https://fencealerter.com/privacy (Privacy Policy) - https://app.fencealerter.com/signup (free trial signup) - https://app.fencealerter.com/ (customer portal: live map, fence, dogs, alerts, billing) ## Company - Fence Alerter is owned and operated by Wiregrass Property Management LLC, PO Box 648, Elba, AL 36323, USA. - Support: Settings > Support inside the customer portal.