Electronic pet doors, also called Smart pet doors, come with a wide array of features that can make the life your life as a pet owner much easier. Here are the six top features that will make you want one ASAP.
1. Key fobs
One of the biggest issues with pet doors is that the flap itself is not secure, you could come home from work and find your little kitty surrounded by 10 of her friends.
Many electronic pet flaps eliminate this problem completely by only allowing your pet to enter through the door. How? Well they use a key fob that attaches to your pets collar and triggers the pet door anytime they want to come in and out of the home, just like your regular front door key.
A big added benefit to a key fob is not only knowing no other pets can enter the property but people cannot as well, any fear of pesky thieves entering the property is eliminated.
One con to this type of electronic pet door, if you have more than one pet you will need a fob for each collar, and if your pet likes to lose his collar you could run in to some bother.
2. Microchip access
A brilliant alternative to counter the cons mentioned above is a Microchip pet door, this works like a key fob flap except it signals to your pets’ microchip that was injection at the vets. Just make sure that the pet door can link to multiple chips if you have more than one pet.
3. Insulated flaps
Regular pet doors can be drafty and let in a lot of cold air from the outside, with an electronic door this issue is eliminated as the flap can only open when needed. This make a huge difference if you want to be energy efficient.
4. Curfew timers and lock modes
If you want to keep a tighter schedule on when your pets are in and out of the house, you can install a pet door that allows curfew times and lock modes.
Lock modes allow you to control where your pet is. The most common modes let your pet in but not out, or vice versa. For example, the High Tech Pet Power Pet Electronic Pet Door has In Only, Out Only, Full Access or Closed and Locked modes.
Curfew timers can be set up to lock the door during certain hours and then automatically unlock when it’s time to let the dog or cat out. This is particularly handy if you want to keep your animals inside at night, but you do not want to have to get up to let them out in the morning.
5. Apps
Some doors, like the SureFlap Microchip Pet Door, can be functioned using an app on your phone. This will ensure you never have to get out of bed before you are good and ready.
These apps can also monitor how many times your pet goes out in a day. A monitoring feature can be useful if you are tracking a sick pet’s behaviour for your veterinarian.
6. Helps prevent the need for repairs
An electronic pet door also helps prevent the need for repairs and replacements, as they are more sturdy, airtight, and come with a longer warranty.
