In order to properly control access to food in an automatic feeder, pets need to be recognized in advance of their arrival to the feeder. This allows the feeder time to close the bowl door before the food stealer can get even a mouthful.
With embedded microchips there is no battery and nothing that emits an independent signal. They work by having signals sent out of an outside device that then bounce off the microchip and return to be recognized by a receiver (think echolocation). This method is known as passive RFID and only allows for a very short range. In our testing of other feeders, we have found that pets need to be within just a few inches for the feeders to react.
Using our active RFID tags, we send out a signal to the feeder from the tag that is recognized at approximately 2 feet away. This extra distance gives the feeder the chance to react accordingly by either opening (or staying open) for an approved pet or closing if an unapproved pet is approaching.
Our system of access control could not work successfully without utilizing our patented RFID system and food motivated thieves would easily win.

Ideally for proper portioning and access control within a home each cat and/or dog in a house would be given its own feeder and tag. The PortionPro portions out food for a single pet and any pet being fed normally can still be stolen from by other pets in the home. There are some circumstances when you could purchase less feeders than you have pets. An example is if you have a dog that steals food from the cat and you want to stop that behavior. Purchase a feeder for the cat and an additional tag to put on the dog. The cat can eat freely and the dog will be restricted from accessing the food in the bowl.

There are many ways that a PortionPro feeder can enrich the lives of you, your family, and most importantly your pets.
Is your pet a dog? Cat? Do you have multiple pets? Do you have pets on therapeutic diets? Do you have overweight pets? Do your pets steal food from each other? Do you worry that multiple people are feeding the pets the same meal? Do you feed your cats on the kitchen counter, or other elevated surface, to keep the food away from the dog? Are you often stressed out at meal times? Do you work long hours and can’t always feed your pets at consistent times? Do your pets wake up for early for food? Does your cat frequently throw up after eating?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your pet is the right pet for a PortionPro.

The uneaten portion of the food remains in the feeder bowl available to the pet. The pet has access to the food in the bowl 24/7. If the pet does not eat all its meal by the time the next meal is scheduled the meal will be delivered on time.

For the access control element of the PortionPro to work properly all pets in the home will need to wear tags. The tags communicate with the various feeders in the home telling them which pets can and can’t access the food within them. Any pets not wearing a tag can access and steal food from feeders they are not assigned to.