FUNPAW 6L Cat Dog Pet Smart Automatic Feeder with WiFi Camera 2-Way Speaking, Scheduled Feeding

See video for review. Just didn't work correctly.

I knew IP cameras could be faulty. I knew they had problems. But I wanted to stop paying $50 each time I was away to have someone come by and feed the cats. So, I started buying them - one at a time. I wanted a camera, the ability to trigger release of food remotely, and the ability to monitor my cats.The good:It works as stated - only 3 programmed meals but you can set them to large portion sizesYou can program video recording near those meals so you don't have to be watching for your cats to come eat.It uses 8 AAA batteries as a backup for brief power outagesand will continue to work on AC power until it's out of foodThe badChinese - no customer support NONEPoorly written manualThe device connects to your phone with Bluetooth mandatory. I have been unsuccessful using more than one phone so farUNINTELIGIBLE voice prompts - they are loud but spoken by an ESL Asian female (like a 1970's drive thru in China)Poor camera quality with no night vision (does ok in a well lit area)Camera is aimed too high to see the food in the bowl. I have to set a mirror in the view frame to check and see if they need a manual feeding.SD card slot is under the lid at the top - plan to tape over it so you don't get crumbs in it!Distance connection to the device REQUIRES THEIR SERVER ACCESS - if it's down you are not able to see or trigger manual feedings. BUT the unit continues to release food as programmed.The feeder drop is close to the food bowl - so it tends to 'pyramid up' to the release slot and block further food from going into the bowl. This effectively limits the maximum amount of food that can be released. The slot is also small - so smaller dry food bits will do better than huge ones.The feeding wheel is not easily removed for cleaning - nor is the food binThis device is not suitable for outdoor locationsFIXES: (*If you get it and need it to work)1) 2.4 GHz WiFi only - no 5GHz2) Bluetooth on and wifi connected on your phone to your 2.4Ghz network3) install the FunPaw app (*Not* FunPaw!Q)4) Get the app on google play - don't trust foreign sources of apps (or iOS if applicable)5) Insure you have no other Bluetooth devices connected to your phone6) open the app, register, confirm the email, and sign in7) Plug in the feeder, turn it on (switch at rear), then press and hold the pairing (far right button) for at least 3 seconds - release when you hear a voice command. If you don't hear a voice command after 5 sec release the button and repeat this step. (This procedure would require batteries to be removed if you have them in - and is useful to reset to factory settings as well.)8) In the app press the (+) button then (Search) then at the top right there's a tiny, faint cycle button to the right of the word search - touch that.9) If you are on the 2.4GHz wifi the unit will be on, and it is in range of your wifi and your bluetooth you will see an icon of your unit - touch that bar. You will then hear "Device Connected" in poor English.10) Now is the part you can't understand from the audio instructions no matter how hard you try - UNLESS you know what it's saying: "swipe down to begin configuration". It's not in the manual - Nor is it in the app - but what you have to do is swipe down from just under where it will cause your phone to display settings - this refreshes your feeder and switches it from offline to online. This action will also help pair you if your connection is lost due to wifi power or other issues. If swiping down does not fix it - stop the app and restart it. Then swipe down. It's worked 100% for me so far.Now I have 30 days to evaluate it and see if it keeps working. My next step is to run it on battery and see how long it takes to burn 8 duracell coppertops. They say 3 hours in the manual -but I think without video on I could get much longer.Recommendation: Place the amount of food you normally feed in a day in the feeder and see how many manual pushes are required to dispense that. Then subtract one. (The first rotation will be empty unless you had food in the feeder already.)

I can only see these "positive reviews" as being paid for. I bought this feeder a week before I went on vacation so I could make sure there were no hiccups when I wasn't there. The feeder would not connect to my phone/app. I have an iPhone which it states can be used with this feeder, but again it would not connect. I was able to get it to work when I pressed the manual feed button, but that was it. The feeder doorbell chime is also incredibly loud, there should be a volume setting on it. The only thing "good" about the feeder is it looks nice.We followed all the troubleshooting instructions, and are very tech savvy so no idea why it wouldn't work....we even went as far as calling the 800 number for customer service. We called followed the prompts and were left "on hold" for about 20 minutes then a recording came up that they were closed. I ended up returning the feeder for a basic no camera model and had no issues at all setting that one up.

Item did not want to connect to wifi, tried to connect it for over half an hour and just got lucky on what I was sure was my last attempt before I boxed it up to return it. Camera is decent but would be nice to be able to aim or just have it lower because it is too high for small animals. Easy to program however it can not be programmed without using the app. Can do a manual feeding on the app or by pushing one of the small buttons on the top corner on the front. Worked great for several months even after power outages. The biggest problem with it is the power input sticks straight out on the back keeping it from sitting flush against the wall. I went to fill it one day and bumped it against the wall and broke the power input on the back. I am hoping that I can solder it back together.

Rather finicky to set up on the WiFi network but works now. It dispenses food correctly and on time. The video quality is blurry and poor but will suffice if you just want to look at your cat. It looks like somebody put grease on the lens. The app is somewhat bare-bones and the user interface is a bit un-intuitive. It mostly works but is a bit shaky - often it is unable to connect with the feeder and it is then necessary to exit the app and enter it again. Turning off WiFi on the phone and using cellular data also seems to help, especially if away from home. All in all though everything mostly works fine and given the low price it is still good value for the money. Also customer service is responsive over email and helpful

I need to feed my cat three meals a day, as if I put the total he is to eat at one time, he eats the entire amount at once. This feeder holds more than a three and a half pound bag of cat food. So, if I am out for a few hours, his food can be timed to be delivered at a set time, three times a day. I love the door bell sound prior to the food being distributed. After only a couple feedings, my cat has learned that the ringing sound means it’s time to eat, and runs to his bowl and waits for the food to finish dropping so he can eat. The camera also allows me to monitor him when I am out.

The feeder itself looks nice, however the ap does not work at all. No settings for food dispensing frequency nor amount. Ap looks nothing like what is posted here, nor in the poorly written instruction booklet. We tried with both an Apple device and an Android. The ap interface looked and worked the same on each device. I do not know why for some people it seems to work fine.It’s a shame that there is no way to manually set the feeder without the useless ap. For the price, I expect much more out of it.

Obliged to give it a 1 ⭐️ but it’s worth 0 ⭐️‘s.Can not cancel/delete pre-scheduled feeding, the small portion is pre-set to 1/4 cup minimum, volume control does not work, customer service # is out of service, the company does not reply to email contact & the app is glitchy (does not update feedings without delay & app is always offline)

Can only be opperated with app no manual way very inconvenient if anything goes wrong. App would not load my tablet is not compatible and I dont own an iphone. Great idea but not thought out for easier safer use. Going back to exchange for one that can be accessed by anyone that is keeping an eye on the animal.