PetSafe Smart Feed Pet Feeder, Automatic Cat Feeder, Automatic Dog Feeder with App, Compatible With Alexa, Apple, Android, Backup Batteries For Power Outage, Black

I can't believe I've had this feeder for 4 years now! It has worked great from day 1, until the power went out the other day. Now I can get the unit to power on, even with swapping batteries. The Wi-Fi was really easy to set up and use, especially the "feed now" option and being able to lock the button. I'm not sure I can stomach the price again, but I do recommend it if you're looking for a Wi-Fi feeder.

We have only had this feeder for a few days but so far I am very happy with it (I will update this review if my decision ever changes). As several people have noted, this feeder does not support 5Ghz networks, only 2.4Ghz, so I had to setup my mesh network to only transmit in 2.4Ghz while I set this up, but everything went smooth after that. PROS: --Setup was simple. --The hopper can hold quite a bit of food, which is something I didn't even realize I would like about this. My old automatic pet feeder had a smaller hopper and could not fit the entire bag of dog food, so I always had 1/4th of a bag of dog food that I needed to store. Not with this one -- I can fit the entire bag in the hopper. --The app that you install on your smartphone is intuitive and easy to use. It uses cups as the measurement (1/8th, 1/4th, 3/8th, etc. all the way up to 4 cups) so it is easy to tell how much food your pet will be getting, unlike my old automatic feeder that just listed the servings as 1 portion, 2 portions, etc. (you had to manually measure it to figure out how much 1 portion was). --It is compatible with Alexa (but some minor tweaks needed -- see the CONS section below) CONS (all minor so far): -I didn't like the command you have to speak to use the Alexa skill. "Alexa, ask Smart Feed to feed a snack" just didn't feel natural to me. So, to offset this, I added a routine in the Alexa app so whenever I say "Alexa, feed my dog" or "Alexa, feed <dog's name>" she interprets that as "Alexa, ask Smart Feed to feed a snack". So now I can say what feels more natural to me, and Alexa understand this and passes the right command to the device. Works great and works from any Alexa device in my house (we have 8 echo devices)! -My pups don't understand that they each have their own dish. The main reason why I purchased this auto-feeder is due to the fact that it supports a splitter and two bowls. I set this up so my dogs wouldn't have to share a bowl anymore, but they still eat from the same bowl together (see the picture). Maybe this is what they prefer or maybe it will just take time to teach them... we'll see. Overall, really pleased with this purchase so far and would recommend this to others.

Nice feeder until it breaks. This is my 2nd feeder. I had to replace the old one when 5G became the internet. It works great. The connection is much better then in the previous model. The clip that holds the battery draw shut broke. It has always been wonky. I called & PetSafe does not sell either the clip or the battery drawer. So for a .25c item I would need to replace my entire feeder that is 18 months old.

Petsafe is a great brand. I have now had this feeder for 5 years, and I still LOVE IT! It’s never had one problem, and it looks and works the same as it did when I first got it. My cats also love it big time! As soon as they hear the smallest noise, they go running for it. They’ve used an automatic feeder for 16 years, but the brand they had before went out of business. I also bought a food splitter that you can get for it, which will make it go into 2 separate bowls (with a panel in between so they can’t see each other), and it’s been wonderful too. Unfortunately, my dog just passed away, so they have 2 different feeders in 2 separate locations now. If for some reason something happens to the one I have now (which I’m highly doubting), I’d buy another one in a heartbeat. It’s made my life so much easier as a disabled person. Highly recommend!!

I loved this feeder while it worked. It was the purr-fect solution for feeding my cat. It was simple, easy, and reliable (until it wasn't, but more to come on that). My cat got his meals on time, and I got peace of mind knowing I didn’t have to wake up at 6 a.m. to him screaming for breakfast. But after about a year of normal use, the feeder started showing its true colors... or should I say, error messages. At first, it would miss a feeding every now and then, like a moody teenager ignoring chores. Then it decided to really lean into its rebellious phase. After a few years, it completely quit—nothing but a red light and a notification on my phone of a "mechanical error." There was no movement, just silence. My cat stared at it like he was in prison waiting for his final meal to be delivered, wondering where it all went wrong. I reached out to customer support, hoping for some reassurance or maybe a replacement. Instead, I got the customer service equivalent of a shrug and an offer to assist me with placing an order for a new one. It was the cat feeder support equivalent of asking “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Yes. Many times. Spoiler: that doesn't fix a mechanical problem. For a product that markets itself as “smart,” this one has the lifespan of a mayfly with WiFi. It was amazing when it worked, but for the price, you’d expect something that could outlast a phone charger. If you want a feeder that works reliably for a while and then retires early without warning, this is the one for you. Otherwise, save your time and money and consider another model that doesn’t confuse “smart” with “temporary.”

So after resting on the seventh day, God got off his lazy ass and built this thing. I adopted a Great Dane last November. If you've read my other reviews, you are probably quite familiar with Duke. What you might not be familiar with is bloat. It's a condition giant breed dogs with barrel chests are very prone to. Google it, because I just don't love you enough to educate you in this review. Anyway, bloat is caused by a number of things: eating to soon after exercising, eating from a bowl that's too low to the ground, watching rom-coms on Lifetime (I'm not sure about this last one, but if I was forced to choose between this and dying of bloat, I'd say goodbye cruel world). Another common cause of bloat is eating too much at once. That's where this gift from our great deity comes in. You can fill it up with 24 cups of your fur baby's favorite kibble, set your timers and portions, and spend more at the dog park instead of watching movies on Lifetime while you wait for your dog's stomach to settle after his last meal of the day. I have this set to feed Duke three times a day: once in the morning, once at noon, and once around 4:30. This last meal is key. Since you can't exercise a Dane too soon after eating, normally I'd have to come home from work, feed Duke, and watch whatever cinematic excrement Matthew McConaughey recently starred in on Lifetime (I mean seriously, has there ever been a worse channel). Instead, by the time I get home, Duke has long ago finished his last meal, and we are ready to go pick up chicks (I mean play and get Duke his much needed exercise for a healthy and long life) at the dog park. This thing has yet to fail me. It warns me when his food is low. It has backup battery power. I can use my phone to feed him from anywhere if I want to give him an extra treat. And, I don't have to feel too guilty if I work late or want to grab a drink with friends after work. It's not exactly cheap, but its build quality is great, I've had no issues with Duke getting to the food inside, and it has worked flawlessly so far. My only complaint is that the backup batteries can't be charged just by keeping it plugged in. Your phone will tell you when the battery is low, but how hard would it be to add a rechargeable battery.

The product works and while not entirely intuitive, you get used to it. My cat also seems to enjoy it since as soon as he hears the food dropping into the bowl, he is off to the races. So why am I giving it only 3 stars? 1) Poor customer service/poor battery compartment. The spring on the inside of the feeder which keeps the back up battery compartment locked in place broke within a few weeks of using it. I emailed customer service several times and didn’t get a response. I can’t even use the battery compartment since even with tape, it will not catch on the inside. So it renders this function totally useless. I should have returned the item but we were going away for a bit and needed it and then I got too busy. We just hoped the power didn’t go out while we were gone (it didn’t) and also employed a human back up (no battery required!). 2) My cat figured out how to hit the button to feed himself. I wanted to keep the button active so I bought the uxcell clear plastic switch cover from Amazon and secured it in place with double sided tape. It fits perfectly and is easy to access the button! 3) The cat can easily move the bowl holder away from the unit. He will still get food but it will drop on the floor instead of into the bowl. They need a latch or something. 4) The cat has figured out that if he jumps on the unit, food will drop. Yes, I have a very clever and food motivated feline! Anyway, the lousy customer service is the biggest disappointment since I felt like I paid enough for the unit to not have a main function suffer a breakdown and that an email could be responded to after a few months. Perhaps they could have explained to me how to fix it or sent a replacement part. While I’m not actively searching for a new feeder, and I continue to use it, once this one fully breaks down I may look to buy another brand.

Over time I have gone through multiple of this same feeder. It lasts several years though. It is a perfect solution because I travel for short stints and my dogs get fed (I get notice) when I'm gone. (I also have cameras, water, doggie door and fenced in back yard so they are good alone, and daughter close by if needed). the feeder feed the exact amount it is set to. I have tested it a few times and every time it is right on. It stores a lot of food so you don't have to constantly be filling it and the top is clear so although it also sends a warning to your phone, you can see when it is getting low.