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What is a virtual fence?

Monil's virtual fence allows you to choose where your animals will graze using an electronic collar and an app. You draw an area where the animal should stay in the app, and the collar will keep the animal there using sound and power signals.

The system works by playing a sound when the animals approach the virtual fence. If they go too far, they will receive a mild shock. For the animals to understand the signals, it is important that you train them by following our instructions on this page. In normal operation, the animal will primarily react to sound signals, and electric signals will rarely be used."

Monil's system

When you purchase a virtual fence from Monil, you will receive a package containing electronic collars, a charging adapter, and access to our mobile application.

The electronic collar

The collar primarily consists of three parts: a plastic collar, the electronic device, and the lock mechanism. When you receive the product, the electronic device will be mounted on the plastic collar.

The plastic collar keeps the electronics attached to the animal. It has two built-in electrodes that deliver current to the animals.

The electronic device sits on top of the plastic collar and is the 'brain' of the system. Here you'll also find the built-in battery, which is charged by the solar panels on top.

The lock mechanism ensures that the collar is securely fastened around the animal's neck. It is designed to be slightly heavier than the rest of the collar so that the electronic device stays on top. The lock mechanism also has the option to attach traditional bells.

Battery and Charging

The collar's battery is designed to remain operational for at least the entire grazing season from mid-May to mid-September. To achieve this, we utilize charging via solar panels. Note that battery life and charging will be affected by external factors such as:

• Sunlight conditions
• Vegetation
• Size of the virtual fence
• Activity level of each individual animal
• Mobile network coverage

Sunlight conditions and vegetation have a particularly significant impact on charging, but in most situations where the solar panel has 'clear sight' of the sky, it will generate enough power to charge the battery. Note that sunlight conditions can be ranked from best to worst:

• Direct sunlight
• Overcast weather
• Clear sky
• Shade (dense vegetation)

If the solar panel never sees anything but shade (such as grazing in very dense forest), the collar will rely solely on the battery. In such situations, the battery will last for 3-4 weeks, and we cannot guarantee that the collar will remain turned on throughout the season.

At low battery levels, functionality will be limited. For example, position data updates will be sent less frequently. If the battery runs out of power, the collar will turn off and automatically turn back on when the battery is sufficiently charged.

To make the product as waterproof and robust as possible, it's not possible to change the battery. However, we've worked to ensure that the battery lasts the entire season, so battery replacement shouldn't be necessary.

To manually charge the battery, you can use the adapter that comes with the collars.

Positioning

The collar uses GNSS (which includes the GPS system) for its positioning data. Placing the collar on the top of the animal's neck provides the best possible conditions for receiving satellite data. However, it's worth noting that all systems relying on GNSS will have a natural variation of a few meters. Depending on external factors such as weather, geography, and the satellite's position in the sky, larger variations of several meters may occur. It is recommended to take this into account when drawing the grazing area in the app.

Mobile network

For you to be able to see where the animals are and make changes to your fences, the collars must be connected to the mobile network. The collars are connected to the low-energy 4G network with a small SIM card for the best possible coverage across the country. The rollout of the 5G network will not affect the coverage of the 4G network.

The virtual fence will work independently of the mobile network! If the connection to the mobile network disappears, the collar will still receive position data and will use this to keep the animal in place. On the other hand, the collar will not be able to send position data for updates in the app, and the user will not be able to make changes to the fence.

Collar attachment

The collar is secured by pulling the plastic strap through the openings in the locking mechanism.

The collar should fit loosely on the animal. There should be space to slide a hand between the animal's neck and the electronics when the animal is looking forward. Remember that the strap will tighten when the animal looks upward. The collar should be able to slide easily around the animal's neck.

The weight of the fastening mechanism will keep the collar upright. Occasionally, you might see that the collar is sitting askew, but this is not a problem as it will soon straighten itself out again.

The Monil app

In the app, you can keep track of your animals and decide where they should graze. Among other things, you will have the opportunity to:

• Find your farm on a satelitte map
• Draw one or more virtually fenced areas
• Keep track of your collars
• See where the animals are located
• View the history of where the animals have been
• Receive alerts if animals escape

Repair and Maintenance

Each of the collar's three main components are replaceable. This allows you, for example, to replace a plastic collar if it becomes damaged. If the electronic unit is damaged, it must be replaced with a spare part or sent to us for repair. Check our terms of sale to see if you are covered by the warranty.

After the grazing season, the collars should be charged to over 80% of the battery capacity and washed with warm water before being stored in a dry and room temperature area.

Worth Knowing