****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Before purchasing the Skymee feeder, i researched every web.app-enabled automated feeder i could find on Amazon with 4+ star ratings, and compared their features. Some of the things to look for in this category are: - fine control of the portion size - some have very small increments of 5-10g or 1/8 cup, while others only have increments of around 20g or 1/4 cup. My cat is on a diet so i need to give him a "little" less - widely configurable number of feedings per day - low/empty hopper warning - polished app that works every time with easy setup - reasonable hopper size, big enough to hold a decent food supply but not so big to be unwieldy. For me, 6-8 liters seems about right. - bowl and hopper easily removed for cleaning. - fully sealed hopper to keep the food fresh; having a compartment for dessicant is a bonus. - HD camera that's not mounted too high to see a small pet when it's eating; infrared / low-light capability is a bonus. - 2-way audio, motion sensing, and other advanced features are a bonusI initially purchased a different product, and couldn't get the app to work. Got ahold of the seller and was told that the developer needed to fix it - apparently a known issue, but they sold the product anyway! Re-reading the "5-star reviews" for the other product, it was obvious that most or all of them were fake. It's boxed up and ready to return.Then i had a friend tell me she had just purchased the Skymee feeder, and loved it. I checked it out on Amazon, and i'm not sure why it didn't come up in my initial searches, but i found that it had EVERY feature i was looking for, and more! The price is at the low end of the range of camera-equipped automatic feeders*, the app works flawlessly, and has a great range of configurability. Furthermore, the engineering and quality of construction really jumped out as being miles ahead compared to the one i returned. It's really thoughtfully designed, works perfectly, and does everything you'd want and more. Plus, i've got a bunch of cute pics of my hungry cat patiently waiting for his food, then chowing down!* One more bonus is that it's available with two hopper sizes - the 8L i purchased is plenty big for 1-2 cats for multiple weeks, and is significantly less expensive than the 12L that's also available, which might be great if you have a big dog, multiple dogs, or lots of cats!The fact that this is by far the longest and most detailed review i've ever written is a reflection of how very pleased i am with this product, especially after the disappointment of trying one of the other ones that *seemed* good, but didn't measure up in any way to this one.
