Smart home devices for pets
SMART FEEDERS
Smart technology is becoming more and more common in households, such as smart light bulbs, smart washers, and even smart feeders. If you have a pet, you might be considering getting yourself one of the many smart feeders out on the market right now. If you are running late from work or away for the weekend, a smart feeder lets you feed your pet remotely from anywhere.
HOW DO SMART THINGS WORK?
The term “smart” is just a really fancy way of saying “remote controlled”. They can’t do things like calculate molecular thermodynamics or whatever. Many smart apps like SmartThings use some sort of hub device which works similarly to a router, connecting to and using your Wi-Fi to communicate with many of these devices. Because of this, that means that wherever you are, you can access these devices from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.
In addition, many smart light bulbs take advantage of the many smart apps out there by using colored LEDs, allowing you to change the color of the light to your heart’s content. See the other reasons to have a smart home.
WHAT MAKES A SMART FEEDER DIFFERENT?
A smart feeder takes advantage of many of the previously mentioned features (minus the changing light colors) that allow you to feed your pet from anywhere. In addition, many smart feeders come with features that let you change how you feed your pet. You can change how much, how frequently, and when you feed your pet.
Some smart feeders also come with a camera installed into them. This is a good way to check on your pet’s eating habits, especially if your veterinarian has put your pet on some sort of diet or prescribed other changes to their diets.
PROS AND CONS OF A SMART FEEDER
One good thing about owning a smart feeder is that you could save money by not hiring a pet sitter to feed your pet since you can feed it remotely. In fact, some smart feeders have a feature that lets you set a schedule, further automating the process. It’s useful if you don’t feel like getting out of bed. I myself have two cats, and I would enjoy the automation of a smart feeder, because I care for their well-being.
However, because the smart feeders are dependent on Wi-Fi, if your house loses Wi-Fi connections, your smart feeder just becomes an overpriced pet bowl. You also still have to manually fill up the food yourself once it runs out of the storage container. Another thing to consider is if the hardware fails in the feeder, it also just becomes an overpriced pet bowl.
SOME SMART FEEDERS
CONCLUSIONS
Ultimately, the decision to buy a smart feeder lies in you. If you prefer to have the fancy wireless features in a pet feeder, you can try some of the links we have provided to snag one of these yourself. If not, a regular pet bowl is much cheaper, which can save you money if you are on a budget.
