We are now in the market for one of these due to a change in the cat population.
I'm prepared for the cost, and I Googled. I wasn't impressed to get an early hit on the Pet Porte (of which I've heard good things) from the infamous James Winsoar (Google if he is unfamiliar).
However, he's just a supplier and I can get it elsewhere. It looks good, but there's also the Sureflap which is a little cheaper (although that is a minor factor).
The Sureflap is attractive because it's designed to run on batteries - the Pet Porte is only battery backup with reduced function. I have two sockets nearby but both are in heavy use, so I'd have to add a spur, which is a nuisance.
Pros and cons of either, from those with experience, would be very welcome.
I did some research and opted for the pet porte, mainly because its claimed to have a better ranch due to the porch arrangement which the sensor coil is located in. I think I bought from petplanet merely to get the 12 month warranty which you dont get with an ebayed unit.
Its plasticky, but I suppose they all are, but the important bits such as the door and solenoids seem sturdy enough. It was easy enough to fit and I plugged it into a socket, with no battery fitted. That gives you the option to plug it into a timer and then prevent the cats entering during the day(as there is no backup battery) if you don't want them bringing in wildlife in if you are out at work. In normal operation the exit solenoid is unlocked so they can always exit. You have a vet mode which permanently locks it. Also there is a night mode so it is locked from dusk to dawn if you wish to set them on a curfew.
FYI, The new version has buttons on the top. I think the older version has buttons on the front. You should get the new version if you are buying from a website. I called up their technical helpline during setup with a dumb question and they set me right so I would recommend them on that too. If you ever had to replace a solenoid, it would be very easy to do as they plug into the main pcb with flying leads.
In use, the cats adapted to it very quickly without having to post them through the flap to teach them. If you leave it on default mode it beeps when their chip is scanned and accepted. Its loudish though so you would hear it from a room away. It can be muted though. The door unlocks for about 4 seconds which is long enough to let one through but not long enough to let another cat who was trying to sneak in behind. Programming was easy - you press and hold the appropriate buttons then hold the cat under the sensor. The unit then beeps to confirm, which was comical as it reminds you of scanning your groceries at the self service checkout. In use the range is acceptable and they rarely get to the door and find its locked. Annoyingly, they can sit under the sensor watching you through the flap while it beeps, unlocks, locks, beeps, etc.
If you look on youtube you can see some examples of unauthorised cats trying and being unsuccessful in entering. I didn't setup a camera to catch this type of attempt but it would be interesting Im sure. I'd vote for the pet porte. If its just for the mains socket situation can you not fit a 4way surge adaptor on the wall?
For ease and neatness how about upgrading one of your sockets with more ways - we've replaced two of our 2-gang sockets with Clipsal 3-gang - they fit straight into the 2-gang box and are only slightly deeper than the standard sockets. I think that you can get ones for 1-gang to 2 or 3-gang; and 2-gang to 3 or 4-gang.
As it happens, we've just bought a Sureflap. We'll see how long the batteries last and if it's not good I'll be modifying it for an external supply - one of those 3-gangs is in just the right spot!
As an aside why are there never enough sockets and what there are are never where you need them? We started with five 2-gang, one cooker socket/1-gang, plus three 3-gang sockets, but still ended up adding a 1-gang for a TV, converting three 2-gangs to 3-gangs (to add two combi-ovens and a Squeezebox), comverting the cooker socket to a 2-gang (we use gas for cooking and it's on the opposite side of the kitchen to the electrical cooker outlet) and adding a two gang in a cupboard to run air pumps for an air ringmain for the fishtanks in the living room (keeps the noise out of the living room).
We have the SureFlap unit. It took a short while (a few days) for our moggie to get used to the latch unlocking. It makes a loudish click/clunk. It's just a small dc motor with a limited operating range, not a solenoid. In use the range is excellent, but the coils are only energised when the cat sticks its head in the tunnel and breaks an infra-red beam. You can test the range (if you're sad like me) by obstructing the sensors with masking tape. On the downside, our first unit failed with the coils on all of the time (this is my guess) and the batteries went flat very quickly. On the plus side, the manufacturer sent us a replacement without quibble (they actually sent another by mistake too. Sorry, I sent this one back; I'm too honest). The current unit has been running for quite a while, and the battery life is supposed to be about 6 months. If you have a metal door panel, then it won't work. We had to replace our UPVC lower solid panel by a glass one as the panel was a metal sandwich. I suspect that the PetPorte would have a similar restriction. It has a 4 position rotary knob too; earlier models have a slider instead of a knob. This can select the various entry exit allowances. In only, out only, in or out, and fully locked. Not really much else to say. It's white, made of plastic, and has saved us some money in cat food already. If you can think of anything else, then I'll gladly try to answer.
The socket is in a flush metal box; with luck it might fit. Thanks, I'll take a look for future use.
They say 6 months.
HOWEVER...I seem to have got my requirements spec wrong. One thing I need is to control cats going OUT. There will be a kitten that is not allowed out, and a cat that is allowed out. But all the flaps seem to have control in only one direction. And I don't think reversal is an option, as the 'inside' side isn't weatherproof, what with the controls etc.
I'll post again as it seems my reply earlier didn't send. I would suggest two ways to workaround that situation and perhaps the cat had learnt that continually activating the beep was a way of getting the human to open the door.
Blank out the clear door so the cat can't sit there and gaze at people inside and therefore catch their attention. 2. Mute the beep so it doesn't annoy the people inside. Then the cat can obstinately wait there all he wants until hunger or cold encourage him to go through the flap.
The cat will occasionally go in and out the flap many times in the space of a few minutes for some bizarre reason and the beep can become annoying. Perhaps an anti-cycling delay option would put a stop to that sort of mischief. In a schadenfreude sort of way it is however quite amusing to watch them try to get in when the wall wart is unplugged.
Bob, I'm pretty sure the pet porte has a spare input on the pcb for an internal sensor coil, as an optional extra. If this used the same data as the outside to inside entry then you would be ok as long as the kitten isn't accidently let out the main door, then it wouldn't be able to get back in. Id call their tech support to check though.
On 26 May 2010 19:01:01 GMT, Bob Eager waxed lyrical about:
We've 2 moggies and have had a Sureflap for about 9 months.
No complaints as it works well and stops us providing free food for a couple of 'invaders'. There's a bit of a 'click' as the flap operates but the cats got used to that very quickly.
The batteries have lasted very well we only changed them after about 7 months because we were going away on holiday and didn't want them to fail why we were away.
Only thing I don't like is that the in/out/lock slider is a bit pathetic
Whichever flap you go for, make sure you check that the ID chips are compatible - I think both products have a web page that lets you enter the tag ID (if you haven't got the card with the ID on it, your vet will have it on record)
Well I had this problem with my cat so brought the first petporte which wasn't bad, but occasionally another cat did get in. The was due to the mechanism not quite engaging enough and that other cats sprayed on the flap making the mechanism stick a bit. I recorded what happened for about month. I put the video on youtube as you do with cats, and winsoar and another asked if they could use it on their website, I gave permission.
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send me the cost of the flap (via £100 chegue) and sent me their new version free which is better but still sticks).
a young fox also paid it a visit
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did another video before installing the new flap.
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think the petporte could be improved a bit, the electronics work fine. A friend brough one but their cat wouldn't use it if it heard the beep. I believethe beep can be muted. I also had to fit the flap in such a way to enable the cat to get in and avoid hitting it on my back stairs which isn;t a petporte problem more of a door access location one, which I hope will improve when I get the back door replaced.
I'm continuing my viewing and recording with the new flap but haven't done a movie yet, but in the near future plan to use the camera on other things. There's a bat in a friends garden I plan to try and record.
up to date 'live' images here of the new petport (circular flap)
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evocam software for Mac on a G4 dual 500MHz with a Swann IP camera capturing a still image and then 2 or 3 miniute movies which I then added togther to make these exciting movies worthy of an Oscar at least :-)
the petporte can have up to 31 cats, not sure if you can program for individual cats, but there is the VET )option in only can't get out) and a night only option which uses light to decide on entry as well as ID
Not really an option.
(Speaking as a petporte user) the default setting is to allow any cat out as I don;t think the cat can be scanned unless it's under the porche thing which is where the detector coil is located so it's best to have that outside.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "whisky-dave" saying something like:
too often. Looks like he's learned determination from another flap that eventually let him in if he messed around with it long enough. I'd mount a couple of water jets to the underside of the hood.
It's tempting, but it's partly my fault I felt sorry for it and he's ginger. I feed him outside and he's happy and goes away, he might be a stray he's been going next door and they don;t have a cat or a cat flap. I've heard ginger cats are more brave and determined too.
I'm not sure how I could go about making such a thing, that I could be sure it wouldn't mistakenly go off and spray my own cat. I guess making one might cause problems if sold as idiots might put something more dangerous than water in such a device and it'll end up as cruelty to animals.
A miniature pir under the hood with most of the sensor masked off just leaving a small zone aiming down. When the pir is triggered, start a timer. If the id chip is read and solenoid is released, that resets the timer. Otherwise the timer counts down say from 20 seconds and if movement is still detected, it then triggers the water gun somehow. It shouldn't be that difficult to rig that up with a 555 timer on a breadboard to get a prototype.
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