Hi all!
In the last article, we looked at smart and not so smart devices that provide water to our beloved pets. Mainly, the cleverness of these devices lay in the circulation of water provided by a pump and the presence of a filter that filters out large fractions and ensures the purity of the liquid.
A reader with the nickname @Gray rightly noted the non-involvement of the animal world in the electromagnetic world and suggested a good alternative in the form of a drinking fountain with a bactericidal lamp. The filter is a filter, but the lamp significantly reduces the risk of any bacteria appearing in the water, thanks for the tip and reasonable criticism with humor.
In the case of dry food, the situation is somewhat simpler – the dispenser must have a capacious container for food and a more or less reasonable system for dispensing food in a bowl using a timer or, if you need to be smarter, an application, camera, microphone and other optional attributes. It is worth noting that such feeders are best considered primarily for cats and small dogs, which are tolerant of both temporary separation from their owners and dry food in the dispenser.
Gravity feeder
Price: ≈550₽
Yes, yes, don’t be surprised! The domestic brand “Anti-scratch”, specializing in an endless variety of accessories for pets, has released a simple and effective automatic feeder that doesn’t even have a name. The galosh feeder works in the simplest way: pour food into a 4-liter container (up to 2 kg of dry food) – some of it pours into the tray – the pet eats – space is freed – food is poured into the tray under its own weight.
Of course, there are a whole bunch of disadvantages: if the room is damp and the food is not dry enough, it will get stuck. The device must literally be pushed to work, which is no wonder – gravity has some effect on the small fraction of feed.
At the same time, the automatic feeder has a number of very significant advantages: it is prohibitively cheap, the easiest to operate, completely domestic, and absolutely unpretentious. As an operational case, users unanimously define it in the “street feeder” niche, thus saving street cats from begging and, apparently, accustoming them to actively shaking the foundations of the feeder to obtain food, because the street location inevitably implies high humidity. However, many people install it at home and cannot get enough of it. In terms of price-quality ratio, this is a completely stupid, but top-end specimen.
Autokormurushka Xiaomi Mijia Smart Pet Feeder 2
Price: ≈8000₽
Here the story is completely different…
A smart feeder that allows you to control the diet and amount of food for pets through the ubiquitous MiHome application. It has a spacious five-liter container for dry food (approximately 2.5 kg of dry food), its own dosing algorithm, a container fullness sensor, a weighing sensor under the bowl that informs about the remaining food, an information screen and an emergency power system in case of a power outage.
In addition to the usual design, somewhat spoiled by the screen, the feeder received triple protection from moisture. Two conventional circuits in the form of an airtight container lid and a silicone seal for the dispenser spout that delivers food into the bowl, and a third, exemplary one – a cartridge with moisture-absorbing granules. The cartridge is serviceable, and the granules are sold on any marketplace.
An important advantage is the presence of a stainless steel bowl, which is easier to clean and maintain and is resistant to mechanical damage. The bowl is equipped with a high-precision weight sensor, which, in “stupid” mode without connecting to the network, will always show how many grams of food are provided to the animal and will not allow violations of the diet. Also, as a plus, you can consider the power cord braided with durable nylon, which will provide some protection from the pet’s interest.
It is worth noting that the device is sufficiently energy independent. At the bottom there is a compartment for 4 AA batteries (not included). The manufacturer claims that in the event of a power failure, fully charged batteries will last for 14 days of feeding, but does not specify with what regularity.
The device connects to Wi-Fi and is located in the “Smart Home” from Yandex, which allows you to set feeding scenarios without problems with the Chinese region and MiHome. Don’t forget about the power adapter with a Chinese plug.
Automatic feeder for cats and dogs PET FLAT
Price: ≈6800₽
This device makes up for its somewhat less attractive design with an impressive food container and the ability to monitor your pet using an HD camera. The automatic feeder is equipped with a sealed lid with a cartridge for moisture-absorbing granules, a proprietary feed supply system, a stainless steel bowl, although without a weight sensor, and an emergency power system with 4 AA batteries (not included).
But its main charm, of course, is the possibility of interactive communication and observation of the pet. It is enough to integrate the feeder into your home network and pair it with your smartphone through the Smart Life application – you will get a very convenient way to monitor your pet and even be able to talk to it. There is a rich set of scenarios, for example, a pre-recorded start phrase is voiced immediately before loading food into the tray, which, if the furry one is generally familiar with the basics of training, will ensure very quick adaptation. The camera is equipped with a motion sensor and can send notifications about movement or photos of a pet caught in the lens. Of course, among other functions, there are settings for the size and time of serving, and flexible settings for interval feeding will allow you not to worry about overeating or hunger. When operating on batteries, the device, as in the case of Xiaomi, switches to operating mode according to the last loaded configuration, and you will not be able to communicate with your pet.
Pet Flat brand products are mainly presented on marketplaces, but can also be found in online pet stores.
By the way, I read a review in which the owner, taking advantage of the fact that the bowl of the automatic feeder is removable, taught a timid cat to eat from this feeder, simply by replacing it with a regular plastic bowl.
Automatic feeder Aqara Smart Pet Feeder C1
Price: ≈9500₽
Timeless classic from Aqara with Zigbee communication protocol. The feeder is equipped with a four-liter feed container and a cartridge for replaceable desiccants. The compact dimensions of 193x193x312 mm will allow you to install the feeder in any place, even hard-to-reach for humans – usually animals have the most freedom there, in addition, this will protect the feeder and food from the encroachments of children. Naturally, like other devices, the feeder is conditionally autonomous, but in this case, three LR-20 batteries are used, which are not supplied with the feeder, so you will have to order them on the marketplace – a set of four batteries costs around 500 rubles. There are no cameras here, just like there are no scales in the bowl, there is only a microphone with a speaker and an LED.
However, this device is not interesting for night hunting for animals. The Aqara brand has long established itself as a nice gadget for the so-called “smart home”. So in the case of Smart Pet Feeder C1, the feeder is equipped with communication with smart devices via Zigbee, which will definitely be of interest to eternal fans of coding and soldering their own version of a smart home. As one happy owner wrote: “A super device for those who know a lot about Z2M.” If you have a somewhat functional assembly, you can turn on the feeding mode based on a bunch of different triggers, since in this case all the devices that are looking, listening and measuring something, united by a single smart center, become an extension of the smart functions of the feeder. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a smart Aqara hub or the creation of a shadowy genius like Sprut.stick – tying a feeder to the same Alice will not be difficult.
A case with training immediately comes to mind, when treats are loaded into the feeder, and a “clicker” in the form of a well-clicking smart Xiaomi button acts as positive reinforcement for the correct execution of the command, which starts dispensing a minimum portion of treats. It is clear that this is excessive entertainment, the “clicker” in the store costs 300 rubles, and the trainer’s hand may well act as a dispenser, but it does not have a Zigbee protocol…
By the way, there is a detailed and thorough article about this feeder from Eldar. I strongly recommend that fans of smart homes take a look.
Auto feeder TuttoTuo QQ009
Price: ≈7300₽
The only one of the presented feeders, which, depending on the need, can be equipped with one or two bowls. This version is well suited for owners of two or more tailed animals.
The feeder is equipped with a capacious 6-liter container with a sealed lid and protection from moisture in the form of already familiar granules, one or two metal bowls, and also has the ability to operate on backup power from 4 AA batteries, which are traditionally not included in the delivery package.
The Pet Zero app allows you to track your pet’s behavior using an HD camera, which is equipped with a night vision module and a motion sensor. Unlike the previous model, the camera horizon can be adjusted manually to enjoy almost macro photos of hungry guests. Under the hood, the application has 12 feeding programs that will allow you to fine-tune the nutritional process. When equipped with two bowls, the plastic base of the bowls has a separator that can be used to manually set the uniform dissection of dry food granules into two streams.
As with previous smart devices, in emergency mode the feeder loses some of its functions, but it will feed like clockwork, according to the last saved configurations.
The device is perfect for the lucky owners of nocturnal predators who are uneasy about being left alone at night. After all, if you see mischief in the middle of the night, with the help of the application you can call for order by shouting something familiar, for example, about slippers.
I would include the following as useful advice in the field of using such devices:
- Place them away from their own habitats; they constantly tap with food, which, attracting animals, inevitably distracts you.
- Still, these devices are more preferable to cat lovers than to dog lovers, although automatic feeders are quite suitable for small dogs. It’s not even a matter of the volume of the container, but rather the size of the food granules; automatic feeders of this type do not like fractions larger than 12mm, but large dogs, on the contrary, do. The smaller the granules, the better the feed impeller copes with them and then nothing will get stuck.
- Even a braided power cord won’t keep a truly curious rodent from exploring electricity. If your pet is a naturalist in spirit, then it is better to cover the cable with a special “snake skin” type braid, and rest the back of the device against some corner or wall.
- Interval feeding only works if your pet is accustomed to it, otherwise you risk an overcrowded bowl and a lack of interest in the animal.
I wish current and future users of such devices affectionate and understanding pets who will respond favorably to your technological hobbies, and the devices will serve happily ever after!
Source: mobile-review.com
