Pawport brings security (and smarts) to your existing pet door

By Jon Bitner Published January 10, 2024

A dog sitting next to the Pawport pet door. — Pawport

Of all the wild smart home gadgets on display at CES 2024, few are as quirky as Pawport. This unique gadget is a motorized pet door cover that’s programmable via an accompanying smartphone app and works in conjunction with a collar tag — allowing it to automatically open when your pet approaches.

Pawport is built to bring added security to your home, giving you a simple way to monitor your existing pet door. Using the app, you can control the door remotely, set curfew times, schedule when the port can open or close, and even issue voice commands with Alexa, Siri, or Google. Other cool features include pet tracking and usage data, letting you know exactly when your pet is walking into (and away from) your home.

A person placing the Pawport over a pet door. — Pawport

If you don’t have your phone with you, the unit has a control panel that lets you quickly lock or unlock the door, close or open the door, toggle its light, and more.

Recommended Videos

Constructed from steel and aluminum — and with deadbolt locks — it should provide a nearly impenetrable seal that keeps out would-be pets like raccoons and coyotes. Despite its heavy-duty construction, Pawport looks surprisingly sleek, thanks to vibrant LED lights and a variety of available patterns such as glacier, expresso, napa oak, and brushed nickel.

To power the unit, you can use swappable battery packs or solar charging panels. Pawport even offers ramps to help elderly pets navigate the pet door. The company will even be offering complete pet door systems, so if you don’t have an existing pet door, Pawport can help you get one installed that’s fully compatible with its technology.

Pawport won’t start shipping products until the second quarter of 2024, but some products are now available for preorder. Prices start at $459, but quickly inflate if you bundle in additional accessories.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…

Topics

Tech News

Smart Home

Should you invest in a smart home gym or stick with a gym membership?

Tonal Fitness Smart Mirror

Home gyms have come a long way over the past few years. Instead of a simple workout bench and some weights, you’ll now find smart home gyms that can provide custom workouts tailored to your needs. They can also track your stats, provide advice, showcase lessons, and even sync you with a larger community of users working with the same gear. However, many smart home gyms also require a subscription -- which can range from $15 to $50, making them an expensive proposition.

So, should you invest in a smart home gym or stick with a traditional gym membership? That’s not an easy question to answer, and the truth is that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Some folks might benefit from the ease of access offered by a smart home gym, while others might enjoy the motivation and socialization provided by a traditional gym.

Smart Home

These buttons and dials offer a unique way to access your smart home

The Flic Smart Button on a table.

One of the major pain points of the modern smart home is its digital nature. Whether it’s controlling your smart lights, robot vacuum, smart lock, or thermostat, there’s a good chance you’re using a smartphone for most of your interactions. That makes it less than ideal for other members of the household -- or even guests -- to make changes to your setup. This is where Flic comes into play, as the company offers a lineup of physical buttons and dials so everyone can use your favorite smart devices without the need for a digital interface.

I’ve been testing out both the Flic Smart Buttons and Flic Twist, and while they lack certain functionalities, they’re bound to be a fun addition to most smart homes. That’s especially true if you use Alexa or HomeKit, as both platforms work with the innovative smart buttons.
The Flic app makes setup a breeze

Smart Home

This smart display alternative can now use AI to plan all your meals

The Skylight Cal Max installed on a wall.

Skylight is a smart home company that produces a variety of smart display alternatives, such as the Skylight Cal Max. These serve as a central hub for all your daily planning -- they’re primarily used as a digital calendar, but you can also use them to track chores, make lists, or meal prep. That last aspect just became much more exciting, as Skylight is officially introducing Sidekick, an AI-powered assistant that can plan all your meals in just a few minutes.

Sidekick is a new AI feature for Skylight devices. It’s capable of generating personalized recipes based on your budget, family size, and dietary restrictions, and it’ll even create a shopping list and load up step-by-step cooking instructions. Skylight hopes the new feature will save families 10 hours every month, as they’ll no longer need to worry about the logistics surrounding meal prep.