Finding the right smart pet door for your needs can be a little difficult. But, if you know what to look for, then the entire process is significantly easier. That is why, in this buying guide, you are going to learn all about how you can find the best smart pet door for your exact needs!
What Is A Smart Pet Door?
A smart pet door is a pet door that uses smart technology to let your pet in and out of your home – or any other building – in a more secure and automatic fashion than other pet doors.
Most of the smart pet doors that you can purchase rely on RFID technology. Your pet comes within a certain radius of the pet door and then the pet door opens up, allowing your pet to walk through the door. Right after they go through the door, and are inside/outside of your home, the door closes and locks. That way, there is no risk of intruders being able to use the door to get into your home.
Many smart pet doors offer more than just a door that lets your pet go in and out of the door. Rather, they also offer a timer function, that allows the smart pet door to operate for specific periods through the day, and to be inactive during other periods. Another key function that many pet doors offer is a feature that allows only certain pets to go through the door, while preventing other pets from doing so.
Why Should You Purchase A Smart Pet Door?
A smart pet door offers many benefits. Many of these benefits will be, to those who already own a pet door, familiar and, perhaps, uninteresting. But, if you don’t own a pet door already, and want the best possible experience, the benefits that come from owning a smart pet door should be noted.
Right away, the most notable benefit that a smart pet door offers is convenience. Your pet will have a very easy way of going in and out of your home. But, this convenience is further enhanced by the flexibility that a smart pet door offers. You can set a smart pet door to open only for certain pets, while also choosing specific periods during the day in which the smart pet door can open.
Beyond those qualities, smart pet doors are often stronger and more durable than standard pet doors. The strength and durability that smart pet doors offer means that they will last for a longer time, while suffering from fewer issues.
To go along with the strength and durability that the average smart pet door offers, most smart pet doors also come with enhanced security features. Many of these security features have to do with automatic locking and unlocking, while also, as mentioned earlier, only letting specific pets go in, while preventing others – a neighborhood cat that doesn’t belong to you, for example – from coming into your home.
Buying Guide For The Best Smart Pet Door
How Big Is Your Pet?
To begin searching for the best smart pet door that you can buy, you must consider the size of your pet. A large pet – a large dog, for example – will require a large pet door. A small pet can work with a larger smart pet door, but a smaller pet door will, for a small pet, be ideal.
Take the time to consider the size of your pet. If you have multiple pets, consider the size of each of those pets. The size of your pet/pets will determine which pet door you purchase. A pet door that is too small will be of no use to you, whereas a pet door that is too large will be, generally speaking, unnecessary.
Right after you know what size your pets are and, in turn, what size the smart pet door you purchase must be, there is something else you must do. Take those measurements, and add two-inches to your pets width, and another two-inches to your pets height. Both of these measurements will ensure that your pet will be comfortable, as they go through the pet door and in and out of your home.
Where Do You Want To Install Your Smart Pet Door?
A smart pet door can be installed in one of two places. You can install a smart pet door within a door – for example, your backdoor – or within a wall. Both of these options are equally valid, but there’s a good chance that one of these options will be far more preferable than the other.
Most people choose to purchase a smart pet door that is meant to be installed in a door. It isn’t hard to see why this is, since smart pet doors meant for regular doors are a lot easier to install and the installation process often takes far less time and costs very little money.
For the easiest and most convenient installation process, you should purchase a smart pet door that is meant to be installed within your door.
With that being said, however, sometimes that isn’t a possibility. If that is the case, then purchasing a smart pet door that is meant to be installed within a wall is the best choice.
To install a smart pet door within a wall, however, there are a few things that must be done. More often than not, the most important – and complicated – thing you must do is to create a tunnel extension within the wall, so that the door will connect directly to the outside.
Doing this can be difficult and expensive. Depending on your needs, it may be necessary, but if it isn’t, then a smart pet door that’s meant for a wall-installation will definitely be the best choice.
What Type Of Frame Should You Purchase?
Smart pet doors come with one of two frames: a metal frame, or a plastic frame. Both frames work well, and both frames serve the same basic function: keeping the smart pet door sturdy and in-place, while also allowing you to install the door in a wall or door.
A metal frame is the best choice if you have a large pet, or a pet that is known for breaking things. Large dogs that enjoy running in and out of the house can easily break a plastic smart pet door frame and, because of this, a metal frame is ideal.
A plastic frame is less durable than a metal frame which, in turn, means that smart pet doors that offer a plastic frame cost less money than those with a metal frame. But, that being said, a plastic frame is, for most people, a great choice.
Even though a plastic frame isn’t particularly durable, plastic frames work well for small pets – cats and small dogs – that aren’t particularly large or particularly strong.
Which Sensors Should You Look For?
Every smart pet door relies on a series of sensors. Each one of the sensors that a smart pet door uses allows the smart pet door to know when your pet is close and to, in turn, let your pet into and out of the pet door.
More and more people are choosing to have their pets microchipped. For those whose pets are microchipped, you can find smart pet doors that use microchip sensors to let your pet in and out of the house.
These are very common smart pet doors, and they tend to work very well, since they simply detect the presence of your pet’s microchip and open the door when that microchip is detected.
Even though smart pet doors with microchip sensors are very common, they certainly aren’t the only smart pet door you can purchase. Rather, you can also find plenty of smart pet doors that rely on RFID sensors, magnetic sensors, and ultrasonic sensors. Each one of these sensors works quite well, and does a great job providing a convenient and easy experience.
To make use of an RFID sensor, you will need to put an RFID collar on your pet. Most of the RFID smart pet doors that you can purchase will come with an RFID collar. Just put it on your pet and, by doing so, your pet will then be able to go in and out of the pet door with tremendous ease.
The same is true of an ultrasonic smart pet door, which relies on an ultrasonic pet collar and provides a very similar experience.
As mentioned earlier, you can also find plenty of smart pet doors that rely on magnetic sensors. But, since these magnetic sensors usually rely on detecting the presence of a collar, this lets any animal with a collar go in and out of your home. For some, this may not be much of an issue, but if you would like to have more control over who goes in and out of your home, then it may be worth it.
What Is Your Budget?
Since there are so many smart pet doors available, you will find smart pet doors that align with various budgets.
For a simple and relatively basic smart pet door, you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $200. Most people choose to purchase smart pet doors of this sort, since they work so well.
But, if you are looking for a smart pet door that you can install in a wall – or a more elaborate door, such as a sliding glass door -and that also possesses a metal frame, then you may end up paying anywhere from $250 to $500.
Smart Pet Doors: Frequently Asked Questions
Does It Cost Money To Install A Smart Pet Door?
Most of the time, it does not. Rather, all of the materials and components that you need will come with the smart pet door. This also includes a guide, which walks you through the installation process. Making use of this guide, and the materials and components that have been provided, will allow you to install the smart pet door without spending any money.
With that being said, though, if you purchase a smart pet door that is meant to be installed in a wall, then that may cost you some money. To set up a smart pet door of that sort, you will need to ensure that there’s a tunnel within the wall that you pet can go in and out of. If that tunnel isn’t present, then you will have to make one, and this might cost some money.
How Is A Smart Pet Door Powered?
A smart pet door will usually be powered by either a battery or a standard power outlet. Some smart pet doors can be hardwired to a direct electrical connection, and while this can be convenient and reliable, setting this up can be rather difficult.
For the easiest set-up, it’s best to purchase a smart pet door that relies on a battery or a standard power outlet. A battery will, eventually, run out of juice, which means that you will need to replace it after a certain amount of time has passed. Because of this, if you don’t mind dealing with a power cord, that can also be a great, and very convenient, choice.
Are Smart Pet Doors Dangerous?
Smart pet doors are not dangerous. Much of this has to do with the fact that smart pet doors are outfitted with a variety of sensors. These sensors prevent the door from closing on your pet, or doing anything that would lead to your pet getting trapped or hit by the door.
Beyond that, however, most smart pet doors are well-designed and not strong enough to hurt your pet. Even if your pet runs into the door and it, for whatever reason, doesn’t open up, it’s very unlikely that they will be hurt.
Conclusion
In the end, if you have pets, a smart pet door is a fantastic investment! By reading through this guide, and considering the information we’ve outlined for you, you won’t have any problems finding the smart pet door that offers what you need!