Accuracy where it counts

The GPS in a eShepherd neckband is most accurate when a cow is near a virtual fence, which is when it matters. Within 20 metres of the line, positions are accurate to about ±1 metre (3 feet).

Further from the fence, neckbands save power and positions are less precise. A cow grazing in the middle of a large paddock does not need metre-level accuracy, so the neckband runs its GPS in a lower-power mode. As she walks toward the boundary, it switches back to high accuracy.

That is a deliberate trade. Concentrating high-accuracy GPS near the line puts precision where the fence is enforced and saves battery everywhere else.

What that means on the map

Most of the time you will not notice. You may see an animal's position look a little looser when she is far from any boundary, or when no virtual paddock is active. If you ever need to find a dropped neckband, assigning it to a virtual paddock switches it back to high accuracy and helps you home in on it.

When the network drops

Neckbands do not need a constant connection to hold a fence. Once a neckband has its boundary, it enforces it using its own GPS. A short network interruption does not let cattle out.

If the connection stays down, neckbands keep holding the current paddock for a set period, then stop until they reconnect. By default that period is 24 hours, and your Customer Success Representative can adjust it to suit your farm. Releasing the fence after a long outage stops animals being held indefinitely in one place without supervision, for example running short of feed.

When the connection comes back, neckbands pick up the same paddock again automatically.

What you will know, and what you can do

If the platform detects a wide outage, you are notified, so you can plan around it. During an outage you cannot send new boundaries or receive fresh positions, so the practical steps are:

  • Check feed. Make sure the mob has enough in its current paddock to last, and supplement if needed.
  • Check your own gear. If you use a base station, confirm it has power.
  • Avoid sending repeated changes. They queue up and can slow things down when the connection returns.
  • Have a fallback. Keep some temporary electric fencing on hand in case an outage runs long.

Moving cattle without the app

If you need to move cattle during an outage, the Emergency Pause Device lets you do it without the app. It pauses virtual fencing over Bluetooth, with no internet needed, and the pause passes from neckband to neckband through the mob. While cattle are in range, fencing stays paused in 3-hour blocks, which gives you time to move them. Once neckbands are out of range for that minimum period, fencing resumes on its own.

The mob as its own network

Neckbands also pass paddock updates to each other over Bluetooth. If only some animals in a mob can reach the network, the rest pick up a new paddock from their neighbours. Weak coverage at the far side of a property, or a base station down for maintenance, does not stop a move reaching the whole mob.

Planning for it

A good plan covers outages before they happen: know where your Emergency Pause Device is, keep a little temporary fence handy, and design paddocks with enough feed and water to ride out a day.