Innotek UltraSmart IUC 5100 Contain n Train

The Innotek IUC-5100 adds a remote training feature to the standard IUC-4100. As well as being able to correct dogs that cross their boundaries, the collars can also be triggered by a remote control. This allows owners to use the collar as a training aide.

Remote training is particularly useful where the dog is being instructed in some activity where the owner is not nearby the dog, as is often the case with hunting dogs. The owner can correct the dog with a beep, a shock or both. The unit has a range of about 150 yards.

The disadvantage of remote training is that it can confuse dogs, because they are often not sure why they are being corrected, and think it has something to do with fence boundaries. If you do use the remote training, please hold off until the training on using the dog fence is complete and the dog has thoroughly learned the system (at least three months). Otherwise, neither the remote training nor the dog fence training will be effective.

Another disadvantage of the remote training functionality is that the collar receiver is considerably bigger than the standard IUC-4100 model. The IUC-5100 collar is about 50% bigger than the IUC-4100.

Commendably, Innotek includes 100 feet of twisted wire and a lightning protection module in the IUC-5100. The IUC-5100 is also reasonably priced, being only about forty dollars more expensive than the standard IUC-4100 model.

Summary: A good system that adds the remote training functionality to our favorite model the IUC-4100. But, note that using the correction for two purposes has the potential to confuse your dog.

The IUC-5100 shares many common components with the Innotek UltraSmart IUC-4100. The main difference is that you have a remote trainer built into the collar, but the tradeoff is a bigger collar.

Collar

The collar for the IUC-5100 is about 50% larger than it’s IUC-4100 sibling. The collar is significantly thicker and a little wider to accomodate the extra remote training circuitry. You will also notice an extra LED on the IUC-5100 to show you whether the remote training mode has been activated. This extra bulk makes it unsuitable for dogs under 20 pounds.
As with the IUC-4100 the collar is extremely well made. With no external buttons the waterproofing is good and the collar is one of the most reliable electric dog fence collars we have used.

ReadyTest All the Ultrasmart (IUC-4100 & IUC-5100) collars have ReadyTest, which helps you get the collar fitted onto the dog properly. When you slip the collar off the charger, it goes into ReadyTest mode, then you place the collar onto the dog. The collar makes a sound to let you know when the fit is right. This kind of feedback is really useful when you get started. It avoids the common problem, particularly on long-haired dogs, where the dog’s collar is not on properly and the dog feels no correction.

Rechargeable The IUC-5100 collar has a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Like the 4100 it lasts about a month between charges while in dog fence mode. Switch it into remote training mode and you will get only 3 days between charges. Charging takes about 2 hours and is done by placing the collar on the provided cradle. While, we have not had any trouble with the battery life over the last few years we suspect that people that leave the remote training feature activated and thus have nearly ten times more charge/discharge cycles will get a significantly shorter lifespan in vicinity of three years … but this is pure speculation and we have not received any reports of fading battery life. As a practical matter, customers don’t seem to leave the correction mode on for very long.

Battery Indicator The battery indicator LED blinks green when the collar is charged, and blinks red to tell you to recharge the battery. The low power warning usually signals that you have about three days of charge left in the collar.

Remote Training Indicator When the remote training mode is activiated, the Remote Training Indicator LED glows to let you know that it is working.

The IUC-5100 collar is good, but has a few disadvantages:

• No controls – like the IUC-4100, the collar has no external controls, this means that all dogs on the system must be set on the same correction level. (there is a resistor workaround, here) So for owners with two or more dogs that have significant differences in size or temperament, take a look at the older Dogtra EF-3000 or the non-rechargeable PetSafe PRF-304W.
• Quiet Speakers – the waterproofing seal on the collar also seals in the sound. This means that the internal speaker in the collar is heavily muffled and hard to hear. The high pitched noise cannot be heard by many adults, particularly where there is lots of background noise or wind. Dogs can hear it just fine, but it would be nice if the owner could hear it a bit louder at least during the training.
• Size – the collar is about 50% bigger than the regular IUC-4100 collar. While not a big deal for larger dogs, it is too big for smaller dogs.

Long/Short/Training Prongs Prongs can be unscrewed and replaced with the “no shock prongs” for training, the “long prongs” for long hair dogs, or the “standard prongs” for short hair dogs. The three sets of prongs are included along with a handy little tool for unscrewing the prongs.
Collar Band The collar band is identical to the 4100. It is plastic and integrated into the collar. The band is extremely wear resistant and strong, but we still prefer cloth. Some more enterprising people, unscrew the collar band and replace it with cloth bands. The collar has a buckle style closure.

Transmitter

The 5100 transmitter box is shared with the IUC-4100. The transmitter is where you set all the controls for the dog fence system and powers the boundary wire.

1. Correction Level Switch - toggles between the three correction levels on the system. The correction levels are all progressive, meaning that they increase in strength until your dog retreats from the boundary wire. The three levels cover most dogs, but note there is no provisions for adjusting different collars to different correction levels.
2. Field Size Switch – set the field size to small for installations under under an acre (1,000 linear feet); set it to large for installations over an acre. The system is capable of handling 25 acres (5,000 linear feet of boundary wire)
3. Field Width Dial - sets the thickness of the boundary zone. You can adjust the thickness of the boundary zone where the dog receives the warning and then the correction from a few inches to above 10 feet.
4. Collar Recharge Reminder Switch - this is a feature that was made redundant when the battery indicator was added to the collar. Always switch it to the off setting.
5. Alarm Volume Dial - controls the volume of the alarm on the transmitter box. You probably want this set to maximum to alert you to any wire breaks.
6. Power Switch – powers the unit on and off
7. Battery Backup Switch - the battery backup uses 8 AA batteries (not included) to keep the system up and running in the event of a mains power failure. It works for about three days before you need to replace the batteries.
8. Power Adapter Plug – where the the power comes in
9. Boundary Wire Terminal – where the boundary wire hooks up to the transmitter box. The two orange latches secure the wire in place
10. Status Light - Green indicates that everything is right with the world, red signals the calamity that is a wire break

The transmitter box can be wall mounted by slipping off the rear panel and attaching it to the wall using the supplied mounting screws. The unit needs to be kept away from the elements and should be kept above freezing point lest it catch a cold.

Boundary Kit

The system comes with all the basics plus twisted wire and lightning protection:

• 500 feet of boundary wire (20 gauge), enough for about 1/3 of an acre
• 100 feet of twisted wire (20 gauge), for creating a no shock section of wire that joins the control box to the main loop
• Lightning Protection Unit – protects the control box in case the boundary wire is struck by lightning
• 50 boundary flags – used to mark the boundary line during the initial training phase
• 2 Waterproof wire splice – used to join sections of the boundary wire

Additional boundary kits are available through our online store ($30 per 500 feet). We can also upgrade you to the slightly thicker 18 gauge boundary wire ($10 per 500 feet), although this is not particularly useful in most situations.

Training DVD and Instruction Manual

A good training DVD and a pretty sparse manual accompany the IUC-5100.

Indoor and Outdoor Zones

The Innotek 5100 works with the ZND-1000 indoor zones and the outdoor zones. These create small exclusion zones. You set the diameter on the zone, from 2-12 feet, to make a circular zones that keeps the dogs out. These are useful outside to protect garden beds, ponds, etc. Inside they are a good way to keep your dogs off furniture or outside of certain rooms.

Warranty

The Innotek Contain ‘n Train IUC-5100 has a limited lifetime warranty, basically a one year warranty, plus a discounted repair in future years.

Model	Innotek IUC-5100
Type	In Ground
Collar Battery	Rechargeable – Lithium Ion
Correction Levels	3 Levels + Progressive Correction
Beep Only Training Mode	Yes
Collar Warning beep	Yes
Collar Vibration	No
Independent Correction Levels	No – all collars have same correction level (Independent correction level workaround)
Collar Dimensions	2.5” (L) x 1.2” (W) x 1.1″ (D)
Collar Neck Size	7″ – 23″
Collar Water Resistance	Waterproof
Collar Fit Test	Yes
Maximum Number of Dogs	Unlimited
Minimum Dog Size	15 lbs
Minimum Age	6 months
Maximum Containment Area	25 acres (5,000 feet)
Boundary Width	0-10 feet (adjustable)
Control Box Dimensions	6” (L) x 5.5” (W) x 2.25″ (D)
Control Box Power Source	Wall Outlet (110V)
Control Box Battery Backup	Yes – 8 AA batteries
Indoor Pod Compatibility	Yes – ZND1000
Outdoor Pod Compatibility	Yes – Rock!!
Included Boundary Wire	500 feet + 2 wire Splices
Included Boundary Flags	50
Training Materials	DVD + Manual
Other	Remote Trainer, Collar recharger, Boundary Tester
Package Dimensions	12” (L) x 8” (W) x 6″ (D)
Package Weight	12 lbs
Warranty	Limited Lifetime

For the Innotek IUC 5100 Manual click here. (PDF)