Because I’ve always had a dog, I’ve also always had a pet door. Even the most expensive models are still terribly simplistic— it is nothing more than a hole cut in your door (or wall) with a plastic flap hanging down that allows your pet to access the outside autonomously. They leak air, are a big security risk for your home, and they get quite dirty as your pet bolts in and out. Pawport introduced a solution this week at CES: a smart door that retrofits your existing doggie door on both the inside and outside, opening only when your pet approaches it. CES was impressed enough to award Pawport the Innovation Award.
This isn’t Pawport’s first time at CES; the company showed an earlier prototype last year, but the new version vastly improves on the original. While last year’s version only had a smart door on one side of the pet door (the inside), by adding a matching door for the outside that syncs and works in tandem with the inside door, your pet will be able to identify if the door is closed from both sides. More importantly, the door is actually on pre-order now, with release plans for “early 2025.”
The build looks solid: thick, powder-coated steel and aluminum, with two solid deadbolts, meaning the door is likely to be built better than the existing pet door, which are often constructed with a lot of plastic parts. It features a French door design, so the two half doors open toward the pet as it approaches the door.
Here’s why I’m excited to try the Pawport on my doggie door: First, the dual door design is going to solve the leaking air issue. Pet doors are terrible for your heating and cooling bills—even the really nice ones. Keeping the door sealed unless your pet needs it will stop that problem immediately, and the double-door design on the inside and out provide double the insulation.
While any intruder would have to get past my doberman, having what is basically a person-sized hole in my back door is a screaming gap in my security system. Pawport is installed securely enough to also solve this issue. The door has safeties built in to never close on your pet, and also to prevent your kids from getting out through it. A small, wearable Bluetooth device alerts the door as your pet approaches it. Controls on top of the door allow you to manually open and close the door, but that function can be disabled via the app to prevent kids from accidentally (or purposely) activating the door.
The doggie door itself is always dirty. The function of a dog sliding through the door means that the flaps pick up all the dirt and oil on your pet. I far prefer to look at the Pawport, which will come in three styles (Standard, Designer, and Signature) and price points to match almost any home (although it will always look futuristic due to the persistent LED light that you can customize).
The covers that come with pet doors now, to keep pets in or out, are largely worthless—any pet worth its salt can paw that plastic off easily. Pawport looks impervious to such assaults.
But regular pet doors, with or without their covers, can’t offer the insight into your pet that Pawport can, either. The Pawport app allows you to set access to the door based on a curfew (keep my pet inside after 10 p.m.) or weather (keep them inside if it starts to rain). You can see how many times your pet went in and out over the course of the day, and know whether they are in or out right now.
The door has a number of power options: consistent power via usb or plug, hard wiring, or rechargeable battery. With the battery installed, the door is usable even when power and wifi go out.
Pawports start at $499 and are expected to hit the market in early 2025. They are available for pre-order now.
