Save your money
Reviewing the smart feeder. It's not so smart. And it's expensive! I give it two stars for the only fact that it's shape design is the only feeder that my hens can't manage to spill the feed out of, so I do love that. But the control options on the app are severely lacking. You have no control whatsoever. I have one set to time mode- it never opens and closes on the times I've set. And there is not an option on the app to click "open" or "close". I also have the door, which does have that option- and works great. Why can't that option be available for the feeders? Doesn't make sense. The other one I have set to light mode. So it should open and close at dawn and dusk. One would think. But no. Most of the time I have to go out and physically push the button on the feeder to open or close. Y'all need to get it together for the price you're getting. It's honestly, well, dishonest.
Show more
Why can’t I open the feeder or close the feeder with a button push?
I don’t understand how the maker of this app thought people would only ever want to schedule their feeder. Let’s say it’s raining really hard at an angle and the chickens are in the coop and I wanna close the feeder to protect the food. I can’t close the door without going out there and pressing the button. Only for it to open back up because, I think, the app refreshes the schedule and just opens it back up. you gotta fix that. You you can’t ask me to pay top dollar and then phone in the app.
Show more
Terrible app never works right
This is a cool concept but the app never works. Takes like a day if lucky to update its info like open, closed, or how much food is in the feeder. Light sensor never works and basically the only way to open it is by pressing the button on the feeder. Payed tons of money just for this all to be garbage
Show more
Inconsistent, which is bad when protecting your flock.
Door good….app total garbage. I have two smart doors and smart feeders. App is horribly inconsistent. Set up worked but first time we lost power at our property nothing in the app worked correctly again. Not connected notifications but WiFi signal shows connected. Doors and feeder are actually connected and are working perfectly per their programmed schedule. App says all offline!!! But I can close and open doors. Can’t even begin to imagine why the smart feeder can’t be opened and closed remotely just like the doors! Seems like a poor decision and defeats some of the point of being able to add it to the app? Wish the app was better but it’s garbage (looks nice though!!!!)
Show more
Mediocre, missing basic functionality
App is kinda wonky, odd UX.
Missing super obvious feature:
Let me set my auto door to open/close X minutes before/after local sunrise/sunset. Annoying to have to change it constantly, especially around daylight savings.
Missing super obvious feature:
Let me set my auto door to open/close X minutes before/after local sunrise/sunset. Annoying to have to change it constantly, especially around daylight savings.
Good, but room for improvement
It’s a great app and I’m grateful for it making my life easier, but it could be even better. Hopefully the next logical development step is to incorporate it into Apple HomeKit/Shortcuts. This would allow for more bespoke automations. As an example, I want to open the door at sunrise, but can’t use the integrated light meter because we have a powerful outdoor light which could open the door in the middle of the night. Using Apple Shortcuts, I could use an automation based on the rolling *time* of sunrise, rather than the light meter.
Show more
Usually works
I wish I could do half stars because much as I love how useful this app is, it can be wonky at times. However it’s been so helpful for us that I left 5 stars.
We use this in our catio and when our cat gets out, I can leave the door open till he comes in. It’s been a huge help.
We use this in our catio and when our cat gets out, I can leave the door open till he comes in. It’s been a huge help.
Removed feature
You can no longer open or close the door remotely from the app as the button because it’s gone in the latest update. The app often doesn’t connect correctly to the coop door. The door works fine without it - but it’s sure lame
I don’t have all the features I paid for.
I don’t have all the features I paid for.
No issues with the App here
This app has worked great for me. I have yet to have issues with it. It is easy to understand and use. It is very well designed for use with my iPhone. Setup was easy as well.
Doesn’t work as advertised
System locks up and will not cancel a request to turn off light, open door always takes 7-15 minutes, always says the system is sleeping and will run the command when system wakes up.
Light sensor doesn’t function as it should. Closing works, but takes way longer and had to reduce the light number dramatically to get it to close when it isn’t pitch black.
Light sensor to open NEVER works. I have to manually open the coop door every day which defeats the purpose of the door and its programmed/advertised features.
Constantly tells me the wrong notification. “Door Closed” when it wasn’t opened followed by “Door Open”
I see comments in threads about changing to timed open and close, again, defeating the purpose of the features and it’ll have to be adjusted every few weeks for the difference of sunrise or sunset.
Again, manually opening from the actual block defeats the purpose of having an automatic door.
If I’m being honest, it’s nowhere near worth the price for the “features” that do not function as they should right out of the box. Quality is great, user manual is top notch, but the whole system needs better coding for things to work as intended.
For 3x the cost of a typical door, you’d expect more functionality that works. I was planning on getting a second door for the other side of the shed/coop, but not if this is what I have to look forward to again. I bought the power adapter and the light option which increased the cost another $60.
If they can fix these issues, it would be 5 star, easily, but given the functionality issues, it’s definitely a two due to the cost and expectations are not being met.
Light sensor doesn’t function as it should. Closing works, but takes way longer and had to reduce the light number dramatically to get it to close when it isn’t pitch black.
Light sensor to open NEVER works. I have to manually open the coop door every day which defeats the purpose of the door and its programmed/advertised features.
Constantly tells me the wrong notification. “Door Closed” when it wasn’t opened followed by “Door Open”
I see comments in threads about changing to timed open and close, again, defeating the purpose of the features and it’ll have to be adjusted every few weeks for the difference of sunrise or sunset.
Again, manually opening from the actual block defeats the purpose of having an automatic door.
If I’m being honest, it’s nowhere near worth the price for the “features” that do not function as they should right out of the box. Quality is great, user manual is top notch, but the whole system needs better coding for things to work as intended.
For 3x the cost of a typical door, you’d expect more functionality that works. I was planning on getting a second door for the other side of the shed/coop, but not if this is what I have to look forward to again. I bought the power adapter and the light option which increased the cost another $60.
If they can fix these issues, it would be 5 star, easily, but given the functionality issues, it’s definitely a two due to the cost and expectations are not being met.
Show more
When it works it’s great
I’ve not found a way to open and close the door from the app. Sometimes the door won’t open and I have to go outside and manually open it from the electronic switch panel.
Anytime I adjust the time for door to open or close it seems to take 24 hours for the new time cycle to register ( and hopefully work)
Frustrating, especially when I’m traveling and need the door to work.
Anytime I adjust the time for door to open or close it seems to take 24 hours for the new time cycle to register ( and hopefully work)
Frustrating, especially when I’m traveling and need the door to work.
Show more
When it works it’s great
I’ve not found a way to open and close the door from the app. Sometimes the door won’t open and I have to go outside and manually open it from the electronic switch panel.
Anytime I adjust the time for door to open or close it seems to take 24 hours for the new time cycle to register ( and hopefully work)
Frustrating, especially when I’m traveling and need the door to work.
Anytime I adjust the time for door to open or close it seems to take 24 hours for the new time cycle to register ( and hopefully work)
Frustrating, especially when I’m traveling and need the door to work.
Show more
Doesn’t work consistently
I love the idea of this app but it doesn’t always work :/
Close/Open Door Button is Gone!
The main feature is gone
Great when it works
This app is great when it works. I love being able to change the time the coop door opens and closes and I LOVE the notifications saying the door is open or closed. But more times than not- the notifications stop working and when I open the app to check on the door status it isn’t updated. What good is the app??? I cannot get the app to update. It’s worthless.
Show more
Don’t waste your money!
The auto door is good in theory however the app is very ordinary. We spend more time deleting the app and then resetting the door than it has worked over the 3 months we have owned it!
Unreliable app
The auto door is amazing, 5/5 stars. The app gets 0/5. Can’t rely on the app to work anymore. Have had multiple issues the past few weeks with the coop coming “offline” and also with the app stuck on the loading screen…meanwhile, it’s dusk and my chickens are exposed to predators unless I can get to the coop and manually press the button. Defeats the purpose of the autodoor when the app won’t connect.
Show more
Please make this one change!
My WiFi enabled door is brilliant, but one omission in the app is infuriating. Please can you create an option where you can set an open time, without having to set a close time? I want to manually close the door to avoid locking my cats out but want it to open at 6am. I’m currently doing this using Alexa but it’s really flaky and doesn’t always open. It would such a quick fix to enable this in the app. Please developers. Pretty please? :)
Show more
Great Coop Door …. Terrible App
Heaven forbid you’re out of town when power goes down on the control. Control powers up and connect to your WiFi but the app doesn’t app does not reconnect to your router from remote WiFi locations or your on site router
Please do a Watch app
Sometimes I don’t have my iPhone on me so have to manually open via the control panel. If you could do an Apple Watch app, this would go from Great to Amazing!
