Easy set up
This is a fairly bulky device, so you’re going to need a suitable space in your kitchen for it — and your chosen spot also needs to be within reach of a power outlet.
The Petsafe feeder was a breeze to set up: Take it apart, wash and dry the components, put them back, and plug it in. You open the lid and pour kibble into the hopper, and there’s a kind of conveyor belt with sections for individual portions. You can dump a portion into the stainless steel bowl that’s provided by pressing the button on the top.
To take advantage of the smart features, you need to install the Smart Feed app for Android or iOS. It requires an Android phone running Android 6.0 or later or an iPhone running iOS 9 or later. It prompts you to connect to the feeder and then give it internet access through your Wi-Fi network. I used a Pixel 3 and had it up and running in a couple of minutes. I also tested it with an iPhone X, and was able to connect to the feeder without issues.
The SmartFeed app
It’s a bare-bones piece of software, but the Smart Feed app seems to work as promised. It opens to a big feed button you can tap to dump a portion of kibble into the bowl whenever you like. What’s even more interesting is the scheduling feature, which allows you to set up as many as 12 meal times. You also specify the amount of food in each meal, from one-eighth of a cup, all the way up to four cups. The feeder holds a maximum of 24 cups of dry food.