Plexidor's RFID-activated sliding doggie door: it's about time

Frankly, we're disappointed. It's 2008, the veritable future, and you still don't have an RFID-based automatic sliding doggie door? For shame! The Plexidor Electronic Doggie Door allows for all that nice canine coming and going with none of the less-nice house robbing a regular flap door enables. Your dog gets to wear an RFID chip on his collar, which lets the door know to automatically slide up when he shows up -- hopefully with a sort of squeegee sound to complete the sci-fi effect. Prices range from $700 to $800 depending on configuration.

[dualtrx @ Jul 28th 2008 9:15AM]

LOOOL !

[snowenloe @ Jul 28th 2008 10:38AM]

@ Handy

Sort of like a Star Trek door opening sound?

[Steve Gates @ Jul 28th 2008 11:23AM]

Wait.....

Laughing Out Out Out Loud?

[inteller @ Jul 28th 2008 2:07PM]

so what happens when a battery fails mid egress, does the door come slamming down and guillotine the dog? that would be awesome!

[Prasand J. @ Jul 31st 2008 12:32AM]

Lost collar? No problem. Our patented design ensures that the doorknob is close enough to the doggy door, coupled with a "lost dog" address tag ... ensuring that some good samaritan will return your collar to you in no time.

[Simon @ Jul 28th 2008 9:19AM]

Let's place a bet on how many days it will take for someone to train their dog to rely on the sliding door and then to switch it off just to do a Cpt.Kirk-homage YouTube video.

And if they were smart enough to include cool sound effects they might expand their market to geek wo don't even have pets ;)

[Rick White @ Jul 28th 2008 9:20AM]

Slight design flaw...just remove the animal's collar and use it to gain entry to the house. Or just pick up the whole dog and wave it near the door. I could fit through this hole. All this protects against are other animals and weather.

[DrunkMonkey @ Jul 28th 2008 9:36AM]

Which is exactly why it is better than a normal doggie door. At the very least you would need the pet or its collar nearby to get in.

[Joshua Ochs @ Jul 28th 2008 9:50AM]

Raccoons and skunks won't be able to hold your dog hostage to get in.

Or maybe raccoons can - they're smart little devils...

[Wii60 @ Jul 28th 2008 9:59AM]

Well, I'm just guessing here, but I think that most people avoid doggie doors for discriminatory purposes. Sure, the some people may call it doggie racism when I let my white dog through, but not the wide-eyed brown raccoon with its rabies. RFID lets us keep the homestead pure on an automated basis.

Plus a modder could set it up guillotine style for the unwelcome animals/dinner, though admittedly a malfunction could prove disastrous one day....

[Michael @ Jul 28th 2008 10:17AM]

People that have doggie doors typically have an indoor dog that needs to be let out to use the bathroom (in the yard).
Someone with an "outdoor" dog wouldn't need this product.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Jul 28th 2008 10:41AM]

How about a burglar makes a noise at the door so that the inside dog comes barking to the door. If he gets close enough, the thief's in.

[brad @ Jul 28th 2008 11:12AM]

I'd like to see you try to get a collar off my dog... or "pick up the whole dog and wave it near the door" for that matter.

[LC @ Jul 28th 2008 11:17AM]

"How about a burglar makes a noise at the door so that the inside dog comes barking to the door. If he gets close enough, the thief's in."

Or the thief's balls are in the owners Rottweiller's jaws.

[Wwhat @ Jul 28th 2008 12:14PM]

Or you could use the money to rent a mexican valet to open the door for the dog.

[Eldiablo @ Jul 28th 2008 12:23PM]

Or just pet the dog whilst its out and about whizzing on the local lampposts, look at the address on the collar, copy the RFID tag, burn off your own identical one and enter without breaking. Not difficult.

Or do I just need my tinfoil hat?

[Marques @ Jul 28th 2008 1:05PM]

To Brad:

A dead dog isn't that threatening.

Also...seriously, that is a design flaw, just like with the basic door...so I have an idea...train the dog to not piss+more in your house, and also bark when it has to go out.

I did that with my dog...works like a charm. No accidents in the house, and no people trying to come through a square hole in the door.

Problem solved.

[brad @ Jul 29th 2008 6:39PM]

Personally I never really understood "doggie doors" in general, but when you live somewhere that is freezing cold more than half of the year you usually want your door to be as thick and tightly sealed as possible.

To Marques:

If someone really wanted to get into the house bad enough to go through with killing a large and intimidating dog, I'm sure they would find their way in doggie door or not...

[HOOPER @ Jul 28th 2008 9:20AM]

Wow, a terrible looking product that takes up a whole door. Nice job you guys

[rlynd3 @ Jul 28th 2008 12:37PM]

Why is this installed on a hotel door?!?

[John @ Jul 28th 2008 9:22AM]

Easily RFID-hacked to become a doggy guillotine.

[Brett @ Jul 28th 2008 9:28AM]

Using special dog collars to unlock doggie doors is nothing new. They have versions that use a simple magnet and are much cheaper than this ugly door.

The idea is not to prevent intruders, but rather other animals / small children from entering (or leaving).

[ishism @ Jul 30th 2008 4:09PM]

Soon people will be using these to enter their own homes.

[joe @ Jul 28th 2008 9:29AM]

"Prices range from $129 to $800, depending on the size and model." Not $700-$800 (Check the read link)

[Maeztro @ Jul 28th 2008 9:30AM]

My dog wanted to comment on this so I am going to put his paws on the keyboard and let him comment:

lkasjdfjio aiosjdaks dkjfl;sadoiefd.

[Wii60 @ Jul 28th 2008 10:03AM]

@dog

Woof Woof. Bark Woof.

[Stiv @ Jul 28th 2008 10:11AM]

Translated:

Rub my belly. I'm hungry. Throw me a ball; I'm really hungry.

[CubeGuy @ Jul 28th 2008 9:42AM]

Would it not be cooler to have it register the RFID chip already inside your cat/dog instead of using the collar?

[farfisa @ Jul 28th 2008 11:24AM]

Now THAT's thinking like the future!

[Wwhat @ Jul 28th 2008 12:16PM]

I think the range needed is too big for that maybe, those implants (that have been proven to cause tumors, but let's not get into that now) are very short range.

[peestandingup @ Jul 28th 2008 9:46AM]

Dogs don't wear collars in the house. Fail.

[Joshua Ochs @ Jul 28th 2008 9:54AM]

Um... wha? Great, so as soon as the slip by you answering the front door, they have no tags or identification... GREAT idea. We always wondered how we adopted our well-trained, well-cared-for dog from a rescue - now we know it was because of someone like you.

[Jon Doe. @ Jul 28th 2008 10:13AM]

Yah because collars are like shoes. We take them off pets when they come in the house....That may be how it works in your little world but out here in the real world pets wear collars in and out of the house so they have an ID.
Something failed alright and it wasn't the product.

[Marco @ Jul 28th 2008 10:55AM]

I know exactly what you mean. I keep trying to make my dog wear one, but just last night, Spot came home, drunk, reeking of cheap bitches and cigarettes and ripped his collar off. I tried to put it back on, but he just yanked off again, because "It just feels better like this. You want me to feel good, right? Come on, owner, loosen up. Nobody has to know...I love you" Why can't I stop sobbing?

[Wicker24 @ Jul 28th 2008 12:46PM]

Marco FTW!!!

[Marques @ Jul 28th 2008 1:14PM]

@ Marco...

Greatest comment ever. Lol.

[johnzilla @ Jul 28th 2008 9:52AM]

$800 and no Star Trek door sound? What a rip-off.

[Ostar @ Jul 28th 2008 9:56AM]

This technology has been available for years, see www.petporte.com!

[Zephyr @ Jul 28th 2008 10:14AM]

1. Such a waste of space on the door.
2. Makes it look ugly
3. I won't be surprised that it scares your dog rather than letting them in/out, especially smaller dogs.

[BatteryAcid @ Jul 28th 2008 12:07PM]

My dog is scared to walk through normal doggy doors due to the flaps.

[mcg @ Jul 28th 2008 10:25AM]

We had a similar door for our house that used a magnet instead of an RFID tag. The guillotine action and the locking mechanism made it raccoon-proof. Traditional swinging doors, even with little tab locks, not so much. Raccoons are smart little bastards. Anyway, the door worked quite well.

[GORF @ Jul 28th 2008 10:26AM]

Loos more like a guillotine than a dog door to me... I wonder how long it takes until the company will get sued for broken animal necks or something like that.

[mcg @ Jul 28th 2008 11:04AM]

Not going to happen. For one thing the door closes by gravity and isn't that heavy or sharp. Furthermore there's no reason it can't wait until the RFID tag is out of range before closing.

[jwbeck17 @ Jul 28th 2008 10:27AM]

I know everyone is saying this is a "fail" because you can remove the collar, however, many dogs today are "microchiped" for identification reasons. These are simply an RFID chip which vets and other services use to identify dogs. Why not use that to open the door?

[Mustaine @ Jul 28th 2008 2:10PM]

Awesome, people have already started demanding to be chipped...zeitgeistmovie anyone?

[taco @ Jul 29th 2008 3:32AM]

That'd probably be because the implanted ID microchips are not designed for reading more than a few centimeters away.
The RFID chip that would go on your dog's collar is likely much larger so that it can capture enough energy to transmit up to a few meters

[Tommy @ Jul 28th 2008 10:31AM]

I am insulted! Where is my people automatic door and collar? I smell a lawsuit!

Mr Tommy

[gm76 @ Jul 28th 2008 1:22PM]

There will never be an equivalent for humans for fear those fat feminists will sue for being unable to fit.

[ZeroCorpse @ Jul 28th 2008 10:32AM]

`Better hope doggy doesn't like to sleep near the door.

[CK @ Jul 28th 2008 10:42AM]

It's cool, but too expensive and unsecure.