PETLIBRO Automatic Cat Feeder with Camera, 1080P HD Video
PETLIBRO Automatic Cat Feeder with Camera, 1080P HD Video with Night Vision, 5G WiFi Pet Feeder with 2-Way Audio, Low Food & Blockage Sensor, Motion & Sound Alerts for Pets
From the brand
| Weight: | 2.13 kg |
| Size: | 5L Feeder with HD Camera |
| Dimensions: | 19.6 x 19.6 x 35.8 cm; 2.13 Kilograms |
| Model: | PLAF203 |
| Colour: | White |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Dimensions: | 19.6 x 19.6 x 35.8 cm; 2.13 Kilograms |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | 5L Feeder with HD Camera |
Chose this feeder after doing some background reading on several other pet feeders.
Was a little concerned that it may not do all that I wanted it to do, as the write up was a little vague in places as to what functions it actually came with out the box. However I need not have been concerned. It does all that I need it to do.
It took a few tries to get it to connect to the router but once the connection was made all was fine. I found the user interface quite intuitive and hence easy to use.
I thought I would be using the scheduled feeding function, but as it turned out I relied on the Motion and Sound sensors to alert me to the presence of a cat in the vicinity. The real time camera stream (both daytime and night time [infra-red]) showing which cat was nearby so I could decide whether to use the Manual Feed to dispense food. This feature was particularly useful as both cats will eat whatever is available regardless of whether it is their feeding time or not!
I was also able to call them using the Talk function which enabled me to call their names, which to be honest I thought would freak them out, but it did not.
There was probably a bit of a downside from the cat’s perspective in that I was not always monitoring my phone, so there were a few longer gaps between feeds than would occur if I was at home. I could have employed the schduled feeding function to elminate this and used the log and message/alarm functions to identify which cat had eaten, but I chose not to do this.
In addition there is the function to share the feeder (device) with others, which I have done so they can feed the cats if I am not able to do so.
It worked for me, my partner and the cat situation in our house, so therefore recommend this version of the Petlibro Pet Feeder with Petlibro LITE App for smart phone.
Okay, so it’s a bit of a gadget, but this Cat feeder have really fave a lot of time and make the easier to keep our cat fed on a regular schedule. We use it all the time, not just when we are away. One word of warning they talk about a sachet which goes into the top of the machine which is extremely overpriced for what it is I didn’t bother with it.
I loaded this with food and for 3 weeks it has been feeding my cat , while I was away I was sure she was being feed, I got notifications every time she eat. The feeding is scheduled but you can add more manual if required.
+ Build quality is good. Quality parts. However, the auger inside, which feeds the cat food through the bowl is surprisingly small and made of a rubber-like material. I am concerned that could wear out too quickly
* Set up is easy (once I figured out why I couldn’t even use the app due to account creation lack of info, see above). Just follow the directions, ALL of them, as the app walks you through. I had no problem connecting two of these feeders to my Wifi, which has both 2 gHz and 5.
* The Android app is pretty good, until it freezes or crashes, which is too often. This tends to happen when you change any of the settings.
* I originally had the “IR Night Vision” turned on but noticed that one of my cats seemed to jump away scared from the feeder once that night vision camera activates. I assume this use an IR light which, according to my research, cats cannot see, but apparently can feel due to extra heat receptors on their skin, compared to humans. I turned it off and there were no more problems.
* By default, Two-Way Talk Mode is turned ON. I found this to be a problem, as when I was monitoring my cats while they were near the feeders they were startled and jumped back the second there was an incidental sound on my end. For that reason, I highly recommend switching to One-Way Communication. This can be done by tapping the Settings icon in the main device screen (looks like a hex nut in the upper righthand corner), then tap the Basic Function Settings item, then tap Talk Mode, then tap One-Way Communication. You will still be able to talk to your cat by holding the Talk button in the main device screen, so that sound on your end is heard by your cat only when you want them to hear you. Kind of like using a CB mic.
* The notification feature is good and customizable. My cats and I are still in the “acquaintance” stage of these feeders, so i want to know which cat is at which feeder (and shoo the cat who is on the wrong feeder).
* Note that this feeder uses grams to express the amount of cat food dispensed. That makes sense, as all kibble is different. Most bags of cat food express recommended feeding amounts in cups. So, you will need to find out via internet search how much 1 cup of your particular cat food weighs in grams. 1 serving on these machines is 10 grams. You can determine how many of these 10 gram “servings” should be done in 1 feeding.
* Phone Battery-draining app settings: The instructions walk you through a procedure to keep the app always running in the background, as well as other settings which drain your battery. I get why they want to do that, but I ignored all of that, since my phone battery is 2 years old and is having difficulties with a full charge as it is already.
It takes a bit of setting up, and when there are problems it takes up to 24 hours to get a reply to set-up queries, however they are good at responding. The software is not perfect, but it definitely makes life easier for every day use, and when traveling for perhaps a week or two our cat can be left alone and we know it is getting fresh dry food. You can monitor the dish via camera to add/change feeding times. The alarm function to notify you when the cat is eating doesn’t seem to work, but it records the events so you can see them. It also tells you when you are out of food, but literally I don’t have to touch it for weeks at a time. It’s a game changing device.
The feeders great at food delivery, alerts, timing & camera etc.
Only issue the feeders speech/voice output made my wife & I sound like Daleks.
Appreciate it would have a basic sound board or we possibly had the settings on exterminate…sadly the screeching 1980’s electro voice frightened 1 of our cats from coming anywhere near the boule to feed no matter how hungry she was.
Also we found the lid at times difficult to fit back on.
We brought this for a couple reasons:
A) my cat would jump onto my partners painful area in the morning to try and wake him up for breakfast
B) my cat would try opening my eyes while I’m sleeping to wake me up for breakfast which was likely going to end in him blinding me
This feeder has got him into a good routine of knowing his food will be coming at the same time every day so that we’re safe on days where we oversleep. It has a really good camera and mic too so we can check up on him and talk to him whenever we’re out of the house. It’s a really worthwhile buy
It is a fantastic feeder, it has changed my life and provided peace of mind. Takes about 30 second to set up, the app works perfectly and offers various levels of both audio and video alert, and has never let me down. Highly recommended, worth every penny.
At first, setting up the network and installing software update would fail over and over. What is odd is once I walked away from the unit, about 10 feet, it connected to Wi-Fi instantly, and software also updated instantly. Somehow the cell phone in-hand interferes with the unit connecting to the Wi-Fi signal. I wish I had known this from the start.
I was concerned that my router is in the basement on the other side of the house. I was able to connect to 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi and the signal has never dropped so far. I have 5 Ghz as well but the router is too far away and there’s too many walls for a stable connection. Besides 5 Ghz is over kill, video streaming works fine on 2.4 Ghz and signal travels farther and works better through walls.
I have an AC timer connected to my router and ONT to cut power to both at 4:30am every morning for 30 minutes. This simulates a power outage and the Petlibro reconnects every single time no issues.
I tested the backup battery by disconnecting the power adaptor and the unit continued to dispense as per schedule with the 3 D-cell batteries! However, it disconnects from Wi-Fi when running on batteries. This was probably by design to conserve battery. Disappointed as I like to see the food in the bowl and option to manually feed for peace of mind! I found an easy and cheap workaround that maintains Wi-Fi connection on battery power. I connected a cheap $20 4000mah portable USB battery, that is used to charge cell phones, into the USB port and then I plugged a USB phone charger into that battery. The battery is charged and powers the unit at the same time. Not all USB battery packs have this pass-through feature, and I was surprised that this small cheap power pack did. I chose to use a higher quality charger instead of the included charger as I noticed that the included power pack got a little hot when charging this USB battery. I then disconnected the charger from the wall outlet to simulate a power outage and the unit disconnected from the Wi-Fi for only 15 seconds but then reconnected. It’s fully functional running on the USB power pack, stayed connected to Wi-Fi and enough power to run for 6 hours! An even larger USB battery will last at least 12-24 hours longer. Keep in mind this is only helpful if your Router & ONT are also on battery-backup/UPS so they are powered during a power outage. I have the smallest APC UPS for the router and ONT that cost $69. Also, the D-batteries are not even used until this USB battery pack is depleted! So technically my current setup will continue feeding per schedule for about 24 hours using both batteries. The unit apparently doesn’t draw a lot of power, so I wonder why Petlibro doesn’t allow Wi-Fi on the D-batteries or include a rechargeable battery instead of 3 D-batteries. D batteries are not cheap, they will lose power over time and are sold in packs of four, so I have a single battery left over. My USB battery is always 100% charged and ready to go so I prefer this setup.
So far, the portion size is consistent and zero blockages. Then again, I am using very small kibble and set to 1 portion for 6 feedings. I need to dispense the smallest portion and feed more often as my cat throws up if he eats too fast or too much. This unit is great as my cat hasn’t thrown up at all since, I bought this unit! I wish I could select an even smaller portion. Portion size is bigger when using small kibble.
An added benefit of the motion activated camera is that it’s also activated when my cat is drinking from the water fountain 12 feet in front of the feeder. I never see my cat drinking water and now I have proof. lol
I have not confirmed yet that the low-food alert works but I will update the review if there are any issues.
Some users have complained that you can’t delete a scheduled feeding. Swipe left and it gives you an option to delete a scheduled feeding.
So far, I agree with everything that is being said in the positive reviews and luckily not experiencing the issues in the negative reviews.
IF YOU WANT TO GO AWAY FOR A DAY OR 2 AND FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT YOUR CATS ARE GOING TO BE OK, THIS FEEEDER AND ITS CAMERA IS FOR YOU.
WELL MADE AND EASY TO OPERATE IT’S AN EASY 5 STARS FROM ME