Petwant Automatic Pet Feeder for Dogs and Cats, Automatic Timing Pet Feeder, Voice Recording--102

Firstly, just to clear up some confusion regarding the reviews, there is drop-down above for two variants of this product. One is cheaper and has no WiFi; you configure the product using buttons on the device. The other is the "W" variant which is (in theory) configured via a smart app using your home WiFi.I bought the Petwant F3 a year ago and it's been extremely reliable and the smart phone app, whilst basic, is very effective. Unable to get another F3, I bought this F1. The first disappointment is discovering that the app I use for my F3 no longer accepts the adding of additional devices. In poor English, it refers me to a "test app" however the URL re-direct fails to work! There is another app in the Google Play Store which apparently is meant to be used for the F1.This different Petwant app asks for your SSID. It doesn't scan for WiFi networks and lets you pick the right one; no, it makes you type in your WiFi network name and password. Mystifyingly, it doesn't matter what you enter, as it then asks you to connect to the "Petwant" WiFi network. This is a fairly typical process for connecting a device to your home WiFi. Except, the "Petwant" WiFi network never, ever appeared for me. So I can't configure this expense set of cheap plastic. So I'm returning it.An absolutely appalling product. Pity, as the F3 was very good.

NOTE: you do not *need* 3x D-cell batteries, the device will happily work via mains power. The batteries are as back up in case of a power-cut, so if you're planning to leave you pet alone for more than a day then you will need some.My housemate's cat recently developed a habit of miaowing manically when it came close to mealtimes, which were supposed to be at 8am/pm but could be as early as 6:30 depending on schedules. I supposed that a more regular feeding time, and removing the connection between miaowing at us and getting food, might buy me a bit of peace. So far it seems to have worked like a charm!As for the device itself:I bought this at £43 (I think due to it being replaced by an apparently identical 2018 model), and I think that seems a good price judging by other products, but still a bit overpriced for what it is. That said, the build quality is very good, with everything seeming solidly constructed.The device is inoffensive looking, the clear lid allows for you to quickly glance at how much food is left tin the hopper, and the display is sensibly positioned. The clasp on the lid is such that I can't see a cat managing to get in.Given the size of the device, I feel it's even more suited to a small dog than a cat. I would have preferred a smaller device, with a smaller hopper, and a smaller bowl, and more accurate small portion sizes.We did a very inaccurate test of portion sizes (we were using a 319g bowl, and only tried each portion size once):Portion size 1 gave 10g, 2 gave 18g, and 3 gave 24g. I'll have to test portion size 3 a few more times, because 24g twice a day is exactly what we want.Some improvements could be made in the electronics:- The screen washes out (ie you can read the digits) when the light comes on. To be able to read it, you have to move into an unnatural position looking directly down on it.- The voice recording is pretty poor quality, picking up lots of background noise. It then repeats 3 times, with no option to only play once, or delete it entirely. That said, it's good enough to get the job done.Would I recommend it at full price, or the £64 you can currently buy the 2018 model for (it's £80 but there's a 20% off voucher you need to select)? It's difficult to say! For the actual plastic and electronics involved, it's hugely expensive, but it's a well made and well designed product so if it would be of enough value to you and your pet, go for it!

I bought the WiFi enabled version of this feeder in May 2017 and for the first few weeks it worked perfectly. I was able to easily program the feeds from the app and view the live video stream. Then after turning the feeder off for cleaning and turning it back on again, I was unable to connect to the PetWant WiFi. I've spent literally dozens of incredibly frustrating hours trying all sorts of 'solutions' imaginable to get it to work and have emailed the supplier with absolutely no response. £100+ down the drain as far as I'm concerned! I may as well have bought a much cheaper automatic feeder which would do the same job as this currently does. If the supplier reads this and feels inclined to contact me then please do!

I've given the review 3 stars, which to be honest is probably a little low for the product but I felt that I really should leave feedback. There are two reviews on this product that specifically talk about the wifi capability of this. Be aware this product IS NOT WIFI ENABLED, the reviews are not for this product, I'm a little annoyed with myself for not spotting this before I was trying to work out how the wifi was configured. Basically the product I got was not as expected. I needed to use it so had really no choice but to take it on the chin.Now the product itself, for £75 (reduced from £100) I thought I had a bargain, I feel £75 for this is too high, it's a basic feeder. I've had it a week or so now and so far so good, no jams or mishaps so far. There are a couple of concerns that no doubt will play out.1) The food comes down a chute and if the cat doesn't keep up it backs up against the chute rather than dispersing in the tray. I suspect this may cause a jam at some point.2) This is branded by a number of different suppliers, some have very negative comments re the build quality of the dispenser. I'd recommend reading around.3) You need to experiment with portion sizes a bit, it'd be helpful to have had size guides for portions.The pluses1) Really easy to setup, much easier than others I've had (after portion size experiments)2) Status is on the top and visible, others I've had aren't and you're not sure there's a problem until the cat has no food and you turn it around!3) Quiet4) Electric + battery backup

Glitchy app, no back up for passwords so we are now locked out of ours. With no dispensing function working this is a very expensive feeding bowl...!