Radio, Wi-Fi and mobile coverage

"Wireless" covers three different things a pet product might do: a short-range link such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth inside the house, a mobile radio that talks to a phone network, and a GPS receiver that listens to satellites. Ofcom regulates the radio. It does not review cat flaps.

A licence, or an exemption

Ofcom's page on the rules, published 10 July 2023 and read for this guide on 14 November 2026, says it is illegal to establish, install or use radio communications equipment except under an Ofcom licence or a licence exemption. It says the maximum punishment on conviction is imprisonment and an unlimited fine. Section 8 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 is the licensing scheme Ofcom describes: you have a licence, or you are exempt under regulations Ofcom has made.

The same page says many common uses, such as Wi-Fi, cordless phones and car alarms, are exempt. Exemption is not a free-for-all. Ofcom's short-range devices page says those devices usually operate licence-exempt, over short range, at low power, on a non-protected and non-interference basis, and are not permitted to be used airborne unless Interface Requirement 2030 says otherwise. If a pet camera or a feeder hub is a Wi-Fi device used in the house, it is in the everyday exempt world Ofcom names, provided it is the kind of equipment the exemption covers. This guide does not quote a power limit for Wi-Fi. The short-range page points at IR 2030 for the parameters, and a single number pulled from the wrong row would be a guess.

Using spectrum without a licence or an exemption, or in breach of the conditions, is a criminal offence. Ofcom also says it is illegal, unless authorised, to use apparatus for the purpose of interfering with wireless telegraphy. A jammer is not a way to stop a neighbour's camera. Do not buy one.

Ofcom says it cannot promise any user interference-free spectrum. Interference can come from unlicensed use, from electrical equipment, or from a fault in the affected set. If a camera drops off the Wi-Fi, the first reading of that page is "this is shared spectrum", not "the camera is defective". The maker's troubleshooting still matters. Ofcom says it does not give product-specific legal advice.

Mobile coverage is a different problem

A cellular tracker is not a short-range hobby. It transmits to a mobile network. Tractive says its tracker uses 2G and/or LTE (Cat M1) through partner networks, and that it does not recommend the tracker where cellular coverage is very weak or absent, because updates wait until the tracker can connect again. GPS satellites and the mobile network are both required, on that account: one to calculate a position, one to send it. See how a cellular GPS pet tracker works.

Placing radio equipment on the market is the Radio Equipment Regulations 2017, which Ofcom names, and the UKCA or CE choice for Great Britain is on GOV.UK's marking table. That is batteries, chargers and product safety.

A Wi-Fi pet camera that films past your boundary is lawful or not under data protection for reasons that have nothing to do with the radio exemption. Ofcom being content with the Wi-Fi does not answer the ICO. See pet cameras and your neighbours.

Do I need an Ofcom licence for a pet tracker?

Ofcom says use of radio equipment needs a licence or an exemption. It names Wi-Fi among common exempt uses. A mobile tracker uses a network under the network's own licensing arrangements; Ofcom's page does not tell a shopper to apply for a personal licence for a normal consumer tracker. If a seller tells you to use the device airborne, or to alter its radio, stop. Short-range devices are not for airborne use unless IR 2030 says so, and tampering can take a product outside its exemption.

Why does the dot freeze in the woods?

Tractive says that without good cellular coverage the tracker cannot send the position promptly. Trees and hills are a coverage question, not a reason to assume the collar has been removed. The collar can also have been removed. The two failures look similar on a phone.

Can a stronger antenna be added?

Not as a project this site will describe. Changing the radio can take equipment outside the conditions of its exemption or its approval. Ofcom's enforcement note is the reason to leave the hardware as it was approved.

Sources

• Rules on using radio equipment — Ofcom, accessed 14 November 2026.
• Short-range devices — Ofcom, accessed 14 November 2026.
• How does a Tractive tracker work? — Tractive Help Centre, accessed 14 November 2026.
• Product regulations by sector: UKCA and CE — GOV.UK, accessed 14 November 2026.