Its gone mad.....

[DebbiJayne]

Hi all,

First off I'd like to say how pleased I am with our new Pet Porte Catflap. We have had terrible trouble with the neighbourhood rouge cat coming in at night and spraying, eating our cats food and fighting with them, we've tried other flaps that the little blighter managed to break through so finding Pet Porte has been a great relief.

Right, here's the problem, since yesterday the flap seems to have taken on a mind of its own and is constantly locking, unlocking and beeping and I have no idea how to fix this problem, I'm sure theres a simple solution but I'd be greatful for any help in this matter as its beginning to drive me a little bonkers . At first I thought it was one of our cats playing silly beggars and just going in and out until I realised it was actually the flap doing it by itself.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help.

Debbi.

[James]

If there is strong electromagnetic or radio interferrence in your area it could cause the cat flap to open randomly thinking that it has read your cat's microchip number.

To stop it happening you need to put your cat flap into high security mode by following these instructions:

1) Ensure that no cats are near the porch of the cat flap

2) Press and hold both buttons simultanuosley and keep holding them for about 30 - 40 seconds until you hear three beeps. After about 5 seconds the cat flap will beep and the green light will start to flash, please ignore this and keep pressing the buttons.

3) When you hear the three beeps, let go of the buttons and then switch the cat flap off, wait 5 seconds and then switch it back on again.

Please do not use this mode unless the door is opening randomly.

[DebbiJayne]

Thank you James, I followed your instructions and problem solved.

On reflection, after reading your reply and carrying out your instructions I began to wonder if it could have been my microwave causing the flap to play up? I realise this may sound silly and I could be way off but your reply just got me thinking, I have a very long narrow kitchen and our microwave is situated very close to the back door, could a microwave too close to a Pet Porte cause interference?

Debbi.

[James]

From a safety point of view it may be worth checking that the seals around your microwave door are all intact. There should not be any microwaves leaking from your microwave oven.

I cannot comment as to where the interference might have been coming from. Something was obviously confusing the Pet Porte. I'm pleased that the high security mode has rectified the problem.

[DebbiJayne]

Hi again James.

Microwave checked and all fine so it wasn't that and the problem has started again, it seems to have gone into frantic mode, I carried out the above steps again and it worked for about 24 hrs . It seems to have quiet times where I'm under the impression it's ok and then all of a sudden it starts again, as I'm typing this its going absolutely bonkers, is there anything else I could try as it's actually having a negative effect on one of my cats and he now won't use the flap.

Thanks James.

Debbi.

[James]

Hi Debbie,

It sounds like there could be a fault with your electricity supply. Please send me an email at james@microchipcatflaps.co.uk and I will send you further instructions.

Usually the high security mode will last as long as the cat flap remains powered. If your electricity is going off and on again then the cat flap will return to the normal mode.

I look forward to your email,

James.

[DebbiJayne]

Hi James,

Thanks for your email regarding the power possibly being interrupted, as I stated in my email we have had a couple of 'split second' power cuts and I hadn't connected the two, as the catflap has been OK the past day or so I'd say you were right and that the catflap has been re-setting itself. If it should happen again I will certainly take your advice and purchase a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) to combat this problem.

I'd just like to say that you've been a great help and I'd also like to point out to others that the problems I've been having are obviously not due to a faulty cat flap and more to do with 'outside' problems interfering with the flap.

The Pet Porte has been one of our best purchases ever, it's solved our problem the second it was installed and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of purchasing one.

Thanks again James.

Debbi.

[James]

Hi Debbie,

I'm currently at the manufacturers in Guernsey and have just been told that if you do set the high security mode and the power goes off, when it comes back in it will still be in high security mode.

Also this applies to vet mode, changing the entry time, the light sensor levels etc. Everything including your cats microchip numbers are stored on the memory.

Also with the latest ones we are now sending out there is no need for the high security mode anymore. All of them will be in high security mode by default so there will be no chance of interference causing false positive readings.

[James]

You can check to see if high security mode is active by default by looking at your Pet Porte barcode number.

If it is higher than 060139012400 then it is shipped with the high security mode active.

If the number is less than 060139012400 and you get any unauthorised cats coming in then you will need to activate the high security mode by following the instructions supplied above.