pcgboca
Chirping
- Sep 12, 2023
- 31
- 151
- 64
Dear BYC community here is my review of the Wi-Fi Enabled Automatic Chicken Coop Door by JVR.
I had a need and wanted a chicken coop door that meet the following requirements:
But if I saw one review that said a fox came in and killed all my chickens then that brand was off my list. I saw that a few times. Some of the auto doors are just not secure IMHO.
So I settled in on the JVR Wi-Fi Enabled model. I had Wireless signal and was adding a 120V GFI electric outlet for lights and such so electric was fine.
Let's look at the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good:
Install was easy. So easy in fact I wanted a second one right away and had enough seeing this one kit to know it was the right door for me.
The use of a Wi-Fi only door not only required wireless in the coop area but my smart phone to download the "Smart Life" app so I can do the setup.
This did everything in one seamless setup and now I had an icon on my phone and 2 remotes in my hand to open/close the door.
The door worked well and sends a notice to the phone when open/close events occur. I was ready to order another after posting to ensure I can have 2 with remotes bound to the correct controller, etc. The MFG quickly confirmed via email this is fine and the unit is addressable so you can have 2 right near each other. that proved true when I setup the second unit without issue. They both show in the app and remotes only work the correct door. The price was also part of the good here at only $150 delivered fast.
The bad:
This door requires you to cover the motor with a plastic bottle as the motor is not waterproof in its housing. That is fine for some as it can be mounted inside the coop in many cases. Mine was outside so I used a gallon jug and cut it out and glued and taped it to the side of the coop in the horizontal install. My second door is a vertical install so a bottle of apple juice upside down over the motor - sure easy for vertical install. Now this was not great but I dealt with it. Then came placement of the proximity sensor. It is difficult because the sensor only has about 6-8 inches of range and the door is 12" wide and tall, so there is no one spot you can prevent a chick from getting in the way and be sure 100% it will set off the sensor. Good news is it is easy to test and reposition and there is a red light when the door is blocked and it stops going down. More bad news is that it does NOT go back up after a detection and it resumes closing from the spot it was at during the detection, i feel this is not ideal for safety. It would be better if it "reset" after detecting an object and opened IMHO - suggestion sent to MFG via E-Mail. Bottom line is this door will break a piece of wood or stick closing. It is strong and can do damage if the path is obstructed. Be careful.
The Ugly:
Now after all the water proofing and delicate placement of the sensor to get best anti-squish results you should be good right? well the bad news is if the doors are open and there is a power failure then when power comes on the doors close. Not ideal as its another chance to squash the chicken if the sensor is not 100% so I put my units on a UPS to ensure no power failure which would result in both doors closing as soon as power was restored. I posted to the MFG as well on this and suggested they open on power failure IF it was open. They would need a way to track state (Open/closed) after power failure so its not an easy ask for them. We will see what future firmware brings. Long term plan on the Sensor for me is to replace it with a better adjustable sensor that has the range of 12 or more inches. The sensor is a NPN NC so that is not ideal or I would just put another sensor in parallel. I will post a follow up on this review if my sensor works better. Here is the one I purchased to try and replace the OEM one with - should work fine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WRGGTG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Overall this was the best door for me because of the integration with Alexa and Google via API as I have a Raspberry Pi computer I am making into a "Coop Controller" which will give me an app or web page with temp, door status, etc....and I am going to use computer vision and check the camera for no chickens in the door before closing since the pi will control everything in the end. Motion Sensors outside turn on strobe lights at night, I have all kinds of plans. The Pi Computer will turn on 2 small fans when its hot, etc........So for me the best door was secure and reliable and 120V not solar or battery. So with any door the end game is reliability. We will see if these motors hold up over time outside and I have a 2 year warranty so that is a good start. So far so good, about 3 weeks in production opening every morning at 7 AM on a timer. I view the coop cam and manually close them via phone remotely wherever I am at by 8PM until I get the sensor sorted out. Then I will close them on a timer by 8 PM as all the girls are in bed by then. Hope this helps someone pick the right door for them.
I had a need and wanted a chicken coop door that meet the following requirements:
- Easy to install on my new coop
- Secure - not able to push up and open it or press in
- Reliable - need this key piece of safety gear to work day in and day out
- API integration to be able to control the door from my Raspberry Pi or hard wire it if able
But if I saw one review that said a fox came in and killed all my chickens then that brand was off my list. I saw that a few times. Some of the auto doors are just not secure IMHO.
So I settled in on the JVR Wi-Fi Enabled model. I had Wireless signal and was adding a 120V GFI electric outlet for lights and such so electric was fine.
Let's look at the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good:
Install was easy. So easy in fact I wanted a second one right away and had enough seeing this one kit to know it was the right door for me.
The use of a Wi-Fi only door not only required wireless in the coop area but my smart phone to download the "Smart Life" app so I can do the setup.
This did everything in one seamless setup and now I had an icon on my phone and 2 remotes in my hand to open/close the door.
The door worked well and sends a notice to the phone when open/close events occur. I was ready to order another after posting to ensure I can have 2 with remotes bound to the correct controller, etc. The MFG quickly confirmed via email this is fine and the unit is addressable so you can have 2 right near each other. that proved true when I setup the second unit without issue. They both show in the app and remotes only work the correct door. The price was also part of the good here at only $150 delivered fast.
The bad:
This door requires you to cover the motor with a plastic bottle as the motor is not waterproof in its housing. That is fine for some as it can be mounted inside the coop in many cases. Mine was outside so I used a gallon jug and cut it out and glued and taped it to the side of the coop in the horizontal install. My second door is a vertical install so a bottle of apple juice upside down over the motor - sure easy for vertical install. Now this was not great but I dealt with it. Then came placement of the proximity sensor. It is difficult because the sensor only has about 6-8 inches of range and the door is 12" wide and tall, so there is no one spot you can prevent a chick from getting in the way and be sure 100% it will set off the sensor. Good news is it is easy to test and reposition and there is a red light when the door is blocked and it stops going down. More bad news is that it does NOT go back up after a detection and it resumes closing from the spot it was at during the detection, i feel this is not ideal for safety. It would be better if it "reset" after detecting an object and opened IMHO - suggestion sent to MFG via E-Mail. Bottom line is this door will break a piece of wood or stick closing. It is strong and can do damage if the path is obstructed. Be careful.
The Ugly:
Now after all the water proofing and delicate placement of the sensor to get best anti-squish results you should be good right? well the bad news is if the doors are open and there is a power failure then when power comes on the doors close. Not ideal as its another chance to squash the chicken if the sensor is not 100% so I put my units on a UPS to ensure no power failure which would result in both doors closing as soon as power was restored. I posted to the MFG as well on this and suggested they open on power failure IF it was open. They would need a way to track state (Open/closed) after power failure so its not an easy ask for them. We will see what future firmware brings. Long term plan on the Sensor for me is to replace it with a better adjustable sensor that has the range of 12 or more inches. The sensor is a NPN NC so that is not ideal or I would just put another sensor in parallel. I will post a follow up on this review if my sensor works better. Here is the one I purchased to try and replace the OEM one with - should work fine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WRGGTG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Overall this was the best door for me because of the integration with Alexa and Google via API as I have a Raspberry Pi computer I am making into a "Coop Controller" which will give me an app or web page with temp, door status, etc....and I am going to use computer vision and check the camera for no chickens in the door before closing since the pi will control everything in the end. Motion Sensors outside turn on strobe lights at night, I have all kinds of plans. The Pi Computer will turn on 2 small fans when its hot, etc........So for me the best door was secure and reliable and 120V not solar or battery. So with any door the end game is reliability. We will see if these motors hold up over time outside and I have a 2 year warranty so that is a good start. So far so good, about 3 weeks in production opening every morning at 7 AM on a timer. I view the coop cam and manually close them via phone remotely wherever I am at by 8PM until I get the sensor sorted out. Then I will close them on a timer by 8 PM as all the girls are in bed by then. Hope this helps someone pick the right door for them.
