The world has gone smart. We have smart homes with loads of smart devices, appliances and gadgets, built with the purpose to make our lives easier and more connected. For those of us with pets, who are very often important members of our families, seeing to their needs can feel like another task. Xiaomi has created some nifty smart appliances to help us see to the important needs of our pets, and I have just received two of these smart appliances to review: The Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder and the Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain. What do these smart appliances do and do they make taking care of your pets needs easier? Let’s find out!
Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder
First up, we have the Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder. This Smart Pet Food Feeder offers automatic dispensing of your pets food, at a time set by you, at the correct dosage. Now I don’t know about you, but I never get to adding food to my pets bowl at the same time every day. Some mornings I oversleep or others I am stuck in a meeting. And I also worry that I am not over or under feeding my pet on a daily basis. With the Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder, these two major worries have been removed. Paired with the Mi Home or the Xiaomi Home app over Wi-Fi, you can set the dispensing time and dosage, from your smartphone or tablet, whether you are at home or on the go. This means you are always going to be feeding your pet the correct dosage of food at the correct time.
You can also get smart refill notification reminders via the app, so you will know when you need to top up the food compartment! There are two sets of sensors monitoring the food levels and dispensing status, and if there is an error, these are indicated via the feeder light on the Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder as well as on the Mi Home/Xiaomi Home app. The feeder lights indicate whether the unit is connected to Wi-Fi, whether the dispensing system has an error or whether the food compartment needs a refill.
There are two ways to feed your pet, via the Mi Home/Xiaomi Home app and the unit itself. You can either set a feeding schedule with a fixed time and quantity, for automatic feeding. Or dispense manually via the app or with a tap of the button located on top of the unit. The latter would be suitable when you want to give your pet some extra food if you are away and want to “treat” your pet.
The dispensing system features a unique 6 grid dispensing structure, with a flexible soft food stirrer and dispensing blades, to ensure that your pets food is dispensed smoothly. Xiaomi have tested the dispensing cycle to over 10K times and the dispensing channel is wide enough to prevent blockages and accommodate various dry pet foods. The 6 gird dispensing structure also ensures that the quantity being dispensed is fixed.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder can take kibble with a max diameter of 5 to 12 mm. Any kibble bigger or smaller can cause a blockage, so best to check the kibble you use before purchasing.
The food compartment is triple sealed, to keep your pets food fresh, dry and delicious. The lid has a 360 degree silicone sealing ring to keep the food compartment sealed, blocking air and slowing down the oxidation of the pet food. The food compartment also has a replaceable desiccant cartridge, which protects the food against moisture, corrosion and fungi. The feeder door features a hidden dispensing mechanism, so that your pet can’t bite it, and it also stops your pet from trying to lick some food out of the feeder. The feeder door also pops off in the event of resistance, to avoid your pet injuring their paws. The unique spherical seal design guarantees freshness as well.
The lid of the food compartment features a safety lock to prevent your pets or kids or other creatures accidently opening the unit. The dispense button located on top of the unit can also be disabled via the app, under the child lock setting, to avoid your kids from pressing it for fun.
The food bowl is made from 204 stainless steel and confirms to requirements for food contact materials. The bowl sits in a plastic base that attaches to the main unit with magnets. The bowl can be removed from the plastic base for cleaning purposes.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder is designed for small to medium dogs and cats, and can hold roughly 1.8kg of dry pet food. This should be sufficient for a grown cat or a small dog for 15 to 20 days. The test is based on a 5kg adult cat (or a 10 kg small dog) eating about 80-120g of dry food per day for a period of about 15-20 days. Errors may occur in actual use due to changes in food type, pet type, age, health and behavior. The feeder is suitable for adult dogs with shoulder height up to 40 cm.
So while you are away during the day, or for short distance travel, you know your pet will have enough food. Though I am not advocating leaving your pets alone. It is just to know that even if you have a friend or family member staying with your pet, you can still remotely monitor your pets eating schedule.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder is powered via a standard wall socket, with a braided nylon cord. This cord is also bite resistant, as we all know pets loving chewing on cords and cables around the home. The power cord can also be stored in the base of the unit, to avoid tripping over it.
But what happens if your power drops (Like we experience in South Africa during Load Shedding) or when the Internet is down or not working? Will your pet go hungry? Luckily, no. Your feeding schedule is saved to the Smart Pet Food Feeder, regardless if your internet is working or not. And there is a built-in emergency power supply to ensure that your food dispensing continues when there is no electricity! The emergency power supply system takes four AA batteries, which need to be installed before the backup system can be used.
The Mi Home or the Xiaomi Home App is super easy to use, and lets you set the schedule for feeding your pet as well as the quantity of food. You can also have pet profiles, if you have more than one pet and both eat the same type of food. An interesting feature of the app is its ability to create smart scenes. With smart scenes, you can set your smart lights to go on when the smart Pet Feeder is dispensing food, so your pets can see. But the possibilities are endless here depending on what smart devices you have at home.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder is for sale on Takealot for R2999 (on sale for less though at the time of posting) and the desiccant cartridge can be bought for R318.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder is a great smart appliance to take care of your pets food needs. It removes the worry of your pet not getting any food, and allows you to see to your pets food requirements from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.
What does my dog think? Took her a day or two to be brave enough to eat from the new bowl. I do find her current food is smaller than the recommended size, so the feeder gets the portion incorrect, so once I change her food when she is a bit older, the feeder should then work better.
Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain
Now that we have covered the smart appliances you need for your pets food requirements, we can’t leave out your pets water needs, an essential part of your pets diet. Dogs and Cats needs to have around the clock access to fresh drinking water. But what happens when your pet has finished all their drinking water, and you aren’t around to top it up? Or what happens when your pet hasn’t finished all their water, causing their water to become stale? Xiaomi has another smart appliance which will save the day and ensure that your pet has fresh water around the clock, or at least will notify you when their water bowl is empty! Introducing the Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain!
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain is no ordinary water bowl. This smart appliance provides your pet with a clean source of water throughout the day and removes the worry over an empty water bowl thanks to its smart features. The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain also won the 2020 IF Design Award, so there is that!
In your pets eyes, flowing water represents a clean and reliable source of water. The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain simulates a mountain stream, using a oxygen circular water circuit to offer oxygenated running water. This attracts your pet and encourages them to drink water throughout the day. The water bowl is also positioned at 7 degrees incline which is the scientific proven angle offering your pet the best drinking experience.
Is the water cleaner? The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain makes use of a four stage efficient deep filtering system, to filter out fine particles, hair and debris, sit and dirt, and residual chlorine, as well as Ca or Mg ions which cause kidney stones, from your pets water, ensuring that your pets water is healthy and tasty. This four stage deep filtration system makes use of a Micropore PP membrane, a PET cotton, Active carbon granules and an Ion exchange resin to clean the water.
Is there any noise? The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain makes use of a three stage muting system to not add noise to your environment. Firstly, the height of the fountain has been tested to avoid a splashing sound as the water hits the bowl. Then the flow of water has been optimized for a slow and quite flow thanks to the silent water circuit division structure. Lastly the pump is suspended in the air to be silent. The overall operating noise has been controlled to be within 30Db. The fountain doesn’t impact your environment or affect sleep at all thanks to this system. The indicator on the front of the unit can be turned off to prevent disturbances while sleeping.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain operates in two modes, normal and smart. In normal mode, water is dispensed 24 hours a day, basically the fountain always flows. In Smart mode, the water is dispensed frequently in the day and intermittently in the night. In the day, this is for 10 minutes, and then a 10 minute break. At night, water will flow for 10 minutes, and then a 50 minute break.
The water tank can hold 2L of water, so you can relax knowing that your pet’s water needs are met. The fountain does need electricity to operate, but the lid of the fountain also stores water, and will dispense a small amount of emergency drinking water in the event of a power failure.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain has a few safety features to ensure that you and those around you are safe while the fountain is operational. There is a smart power-off feature to prevent idling. The power cord is made of nylon and is bite resistant. The unit sits on rubber feet to provide stability and prevent slipping.
Let’s talk about the smart features. The Smart Pet Fountain pairs with the Mi Home or the Xiaomi Home App over Wi-Fi to offer some nifty features. Using the app, you can receive reminders to your phone/tablet when the water needs to be topped up, when the fountain needs to be cleaned or when the filtration filter needs to be replaced. You can switch between the two modes (normal and smart) in the app. The modes can also be changed via the buttons located on the front of the unit. You can also turn off the water supply if your pet is not at home. Like the Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder, you can also use scenes to automate other smart devices, such as turn your lights on when the water is flowing.
The front of the Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain features a window so you can easily see the water level but there is also a light system on the indicator to notify you when the water level needs to be topped up. This light turns red when water is needed and you will also be notified in the Mi Home or the Xiaomi Home app.
When it is time to add water, simply lifting the handle on top of the unit will temporarily power off the unit. The water tank can then be removed and filled up. The fountain will turn back on when the lid is returned.
The filter in the water pump is designed in such away to limit hair from blocking the unit. Made with a split design and magnetic levitation fan blades which detach easily for cleaning. Regular cleaning of the unit ensures that your pet will have clean water to drink! It is recommended to wash and clean the filter assembly and magnetic levitation fan blades of the water pump once a week, to avoid blockages and proliferation of micro-organisms. The water tank is removable, and see through, making cleaning quick and easy. The power circuitry is hidden in the unit and separated from the water circuit to ensure a simple and safe unit.
The fountain has been tested by an authoritative testing agency, while the water tank and lid conform to requirements for food contact materials, ensuring clean, high-quality and safe water for pets. The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain is suitable for cats and small to medium sized dogs but is not suited to pets under three months of age.
My dog enjoys drinking from the bowl, and is attracted to the flowing water!
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain is for sale on Takealot for R1599 (also on sale for less at the time of publication) and you can buy a set of filters and pipes for R399.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain benefits both humans and their pets. We don’t need to worry that our pets don’t have water to drink, thanks to the 2L water capacity, the refill notifications, and the pets get safe and clean drinking water thanks to the four stage efficient deep filtering system. This is a win win for the whole household! And together with the Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder mentioned above and the Mi Home or the Xiaomi Home, it makes pet ownership much easier. Thanks to Xiaomi South Africa for providing these smart appliances to review and use!
The products featured in this review were provided on a trade exchange basis.
