The Chamberlain myQ Pet Portal replaces the old-fashioned doggie door flap with a programmable sliding-door system built into your house’s front or back door. The video explains how it works. It is very sophisticated and very expensive. It’s what you call high-end and very techie but no doubt it will suit a lot of people. Cat and dog doors are problematic in terms of security and in terms of stray animals getting through them. On the security front burglars can use pet doors to gain access to a home if the homeowners are a little bit careless on where they leave their keys.
This gadget won an award at the CES conference which normally takes place in Las Vegas but is online because of the pandemic. In America it costs $2,999 and in the UK it costs £2,220. That buys the entire door by which I mean the door for humans and the door for dogs and cats. It may also may include installation. The companion animal wears a bluetooth device on their collar. This activates the door if you want them to activate it on their own or you can activate it yourself when you receive a signal to your smart phone from the collar. The software also tracks what your dog or cat is up to.
I guess for a dog you will have to have a dog-proof enclosure to which the door leads. A lot of cats are freeroaming anyway so that’s not an issue but you can’t have dogs freeroaming. I guess that goes without saying. It does cost about 10 times more than a normal cat or door dog to buy and fit so you’ve got to be particularly concerned about the weaknesses in a standard product. They say that it is, “the only no-compromise solution for homeowners who want to keep the security and exterior appearance of their home intact while providing their pup with the freedom to party and play on demand.”
Yes, a major feature of this product is that you have a fairly normal looking door. You don’t know the cat or dog flap (door) is there until it’s used. That is certainly a big advantage for people who are keen on appearance.
Once again I have to remind people that these sorts of embedded videos sometimes disappear because they are sometimes pulled from YouTube. Sorry if it has disappeared. If so, I’d would advise you to search online and you will no doubt find another video or perhaps go to their website. However, it is beyond my control.
