SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Connect Review: Does a Chip Keep Strays Out?

The sales pitch for a microchip pet door is one sentence long: only your pet gets in. It is a good pitch, because you already paid a vet to put the key under your pet's skin. Whether the SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Connect delivers on it depends on a few unglamorous details: how fast it locks, how well it reads the chip, and how much of the smart part you actually need.

How the door decides who comes in

There is no tag to wear. The SureFlap reads the pet's existing microchip through a reader on the outside of the door. Sure Petcare says it works with "all common microchips" and offers a microchip checker on its site, which is worth running before you buy. Anything can leave; only a registered chip unlocks the way in.

The Connect model adds an app. You can lock and unlock remotely, set curfews, see entry and exit notifications and track whether each pet is home or away. The app also lets you share access with other people in the house.

One cost the headline price skips: the Connect version needs a separate Hub to talk to the app, and the Hub plugs into your router with an Ethernet cable. The door body costs about $221 in the US, according to the retail listings we found, with the Hub on top. There is no subscription mentioned on Sure Petcare's page.

Does it keep neighbourhood cats out?

Mostly, and the evidence for the exceptions is worth reading. Owners on ProductReview write that it is excellent for keeping neighbourhood bully cats out, and that their own cat learned to use it in a day.

The same page carries the other side: one owner reports the door "works for a few days then stops sensing the cats", leaving them locked out without their knowledge. Another owner says a second cat stayed locked out after several setup attempts, and a third owner found the door failed to see a chip because of metal in the door it was fitted to. Those are anecdotes, not a failure rate, and no test we found gives one. They do point to the two risks that matter: a pet shut out in bad weather, and a door that depends on its batteries.

Two more details come up in owner posts we read. The lock takes a few seconds to engage after a registered cat passes, and one owner claimed that a few unregistered cats learned to slip in during that window. The PetsRadar reviewer reported a cat that learned to pick the lock mechanism. Sure Petcare sent a free replacement panel with a 3D-printed lip, which fixed it. We count that as a point for the maker's support, and a point against assuming the door cannot be beaten.

What about wildlife?

The question was whether it keeps wildlife out too. We found no independent test of a raccoon, opossum or similar animal against this door, so we will not claim it does. What it does is read a chip: a small animal without one gets no unlock. It is not a security barrier. A determined large animal is a matter of the door's frame, and for that you would lock it at night in curfew mode, which the app supports, or bring the pet in yourself.

Setup, batteries and size

Installation is a paper template, a cutout and a bolt-down, and PetsRadar rated it easy. It fits doors, walls and glass. Training is the slow part: you register each pet and coax them through with treats. PetsRadar notes the door fits tightly with a little draft.

The flap opening is 7.5 inches wide and about 6.7 inches high, with a tunnel depth of 2.75 inches, which Sure Petcare designs for large cats and small dogs. Check your pet's shoulder width before you order: the maker's page gives no weight limit.

Power is four C cells, not included, with a claimed life of up to six months. Owners report much shorter life in some homes: a few weeks with rechargeable cells, quicker drain in cold winters. That is the most common complaint, so plan on battery checks, and use alkaline cells if you can.

Who should buy it

Buy it if your pet is already chipped, a neighbour's cat has been stealing food or spraying inside, and you want curfew control without a collar tag. Large cats and small dogs fit. The app is helpful, not essential: PetsRadar says the door still works when the internet is down, and you lose app functions only.

Skip it if your pet is a very small cat, or if you do not want to maintain batteries. Skip it too if your real worry is wildlife: for that, lock the door at night and do not rely on a chip reader.

We would buy it for the first problem and not the second. It is a sound, widely praised door with some odd failures, and the Hub plus batteries make it dearer to own than the sticker says.