pet – Smart Home Geeks

Sure Petcare releases smart pet feeder

Henry McLean-Low — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 10:20:27 +0000

Sure Petcare release their exciting new innovation a smart microchip pet feeder!

The smart pet feeder connects to their existing Smart petcare app via the already released hub. As part of their expansion into the smart space and joining the Smart Cat flap. (Read our review of their Smart Cat flap here)

The pet feeder goes further than any pet feeder before, allowing total control over which animal can eat what food – automatically. All done via the microchip inside your pet or RFID collar tag. The feeder closes over the feed only opening for the chosen pet, this also keeps the food fresher for longer.

Check the Price on Amazon UK Check the Price on Amazon US

It weighs the food, making it easier to not over feed your pet and monitors if your pet is not eating and when they are how much. Very smart!

The Microchip Pet Feeder Connect is available now direct from Sure Petcare. Price depends on configuration.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook so you can see when we have reviewed the smart pet feeder! We can’t wait to get our paws on it. ff

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Pawbo Pet Camera Review

Henry McLean-Low — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 08:54:25 +0000

Pawbo Pet Camera Review

Simple to setupNo subscriptionAdditional toys can be connected

Laser limited rangeSmall treat dispencer

4.0Great for cats!

How it works

Cost

Setup

Reader Rating 2 Votes

Imagine if you could play with your pet from your work, throw them a treat and even talk to them?! Step up the Pawbo Life Pet Camera and treat dispenser that lets you do exactly that.

What does the Pawbo Pet Camera and treat dispenser do do?

It is a small camera specifically designed for you to interact with your pet, its packed with the standard camera features:

720P HD video with 4x digital zoom
130° wide-angle lens
Two way audio
WiFi connectivity (2.4 GHz only)

However also these pet friendly features:

Treat dispenser
Laser pointer with auto play mode
Connect up to 8 Pawbos – allowing multiple rooms
Connect additional play accessories
Instant social sharing to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

All recorded video or photos are stored locally on your phone, there is no subscription required.

How easy is it to setup?

Setup was easy and done via the app. During each part of the process you are guided by a voice telling you when a stage is complete, ‘WiFi setup complete’.

It took under 10 minutes from unboxing to fully setup.

What’s the connectivity?

Pawbo does not connect to anything else in your smart home. However Pawbo is designed to be used when you are not home so smart connectivity is not really required.

How much does it cost?

£149 direct from Amazon.

Pawbo Pet Camera

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What’s it like living with the Pawbo Pet Camera?

We tested Pawbo with a cat and a dog, the dog was not interested in the Pawbo, even the laser did not get a reaction. However the cat loves playing with the laser, the auto mode is great.

One frustration is the range of the laser, it only goes a short distance in front of Pawbo – it would have been better if it went further.

When you start viewing the video the Pawbo makes a doorbell sound, the idea to alert your pet to come over. After two weeks of testing our pets did not get used to it but I’m sure after a while they will.

Another reason this is great for cats is because Dreamies, every cat owner will know what were talking about, fit perfectly! Dog treats are generally too big.

Treat compartment in Pawbo

Being able to add additional toys to the Pawbo is a good idea, this way we can keep our cat entertained with new stimulation, when they get bored of the laser.

Cat teaser toy you can connect to Pawbo

What are our final thoughts?

If you are looking for a cat pet camera with treat dispenser this is for you! It beats competitors with the automatic laser toy and option to add additional toys.

For more information you can visit their website: https://www.pawbo.com/uk/

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SureFlap tease Smart Cat Flap

Henry McLean-Low — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 06:31:16 +0000

SureFlap the market leaders in cat flaps have upgraded their app and dropped a hint about a new product release. A specifically designed, app enabled, smart cat flap!

SureFlaps app connects to their existing smart pet door, a larger cat flap, allowing you to:

Monitor your pets activity and easily spot changes in behaviour
Receive notifications when your pet enters or leaves
Remotely lock the door
Schedule locking and unlocking
Share access with friends

This is clever tech as it allows you to easily monitor your pet. Giving you peace of mind as well as giving your pet the freedom they need.

The updated app comes with a few improvements:

Improved server communication
Updated dashboard allowing quicker and easier access to data
Improved household view – supporting multiple pets

SureFlap released their smart pet door in April 2017 (read about the release here: Sure Flap Smart Per Door ) and hinted about a smaller cat flap version in the future.

Todays update states it will also support the “SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap Connect”. A yet to be released smaller version designed specifically for cats. This strongly suggests to us the smart cat flap will be released any time now!

Hopefully with it will come additional integrations like Alexa or IFTTT functionality. IFTTT would be very useful as if would allow you to connect your cat flap to your smart home, for example welcoming your cat home with lights or a recorded welcome message.

When will the smart cat flap be released?

As soon as we have a release date and pricing for the smart microchip cat flap we will share it with you.

The updated app is available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store today.

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Sure Flap – Smart Cat Flap Coming Soon!

Henry McLean-Low — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:15:41 +0000

Sure Flap the cat flap and pet experts made an interesting announcement, they have developed the worlds first Wifi App controlled – Smart Cat Flap. You can buy it now from Amazon UK for just under £50 with next day delivery.

However before we talk about the tech this is not just a cat flap it is in fact a pet door. This is due to the size, it is slightly larger than your average cat flap, meaning it is also suitable for small dogs.

Sure Flap – Smart Cat Flap

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The Smart Pet door connects to your wifi via a hub, the only hub we have seen with ears, and then gives you notifications on an app when your pet uses it as well as allowing you to control access.

The door uses 4 C batteries and they claim will last more than an impressive 6 months. It has a memory of 32 pets – we are guessing this has been done to allow for commercial use or your local crazy cat lady!

Like Sure Flaps existing cat flaps the new product uses the animals microchip to identify your cat or dog. If you do not have a microchip you can use an RFID collar tag.

To us this sounds like a brilliant idea – being able to see when your cat is in or not and being able to control when it can go out and not. Our cat comes and goes as it pleases and this gives extra peace of mind being able to see when exactly he was last home.

Founder of Sure Flap, Dr Nick Hill said

“We plan to pursue more opportunities in the connected space, developing products that address real concerns for pet owners,”

Hopefully this means there is more smart pet products in development, this is for sure a booming market and one we are pretty excited about.

The Smart Pet Door Connect and Hub can be purchased together for a RRP of £159.99.
The Smart door can be purchased separately for RRP £119.99

PS. You can buy it now from Amazon UK for just under £50 with next day delivery.

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