Electronic Dog Door: Plexidor vs. Solo vs. Hightech

Electronic Dog Door: Plexidor vs. Solo vs. Hightech

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I’m starting this post even though I don’t know the outcome of my search for a dog door yet.

We have a traditional dog door in place that our dogs have to push open. Louie has no problem with it, but Bobby has never figured it out in over a year. If he really wants to go out, he’ll push it open without thinking about it. But he has never gotten the hang of pushing it to come back in. This may be because it’s at the top of stairs on the outside, so he would have to come onto the top most stair before pushing.

One time I forgot he was out and it started raining. He stood for about 20 minutes getting soaked waiting for me to lift the door open for him.

So I decided to invest in what I call a George Jetson door, an electronic dog door that raises up when the dog approaches. I’m *pretty* sure Bobby will come inside if he sees an open space like that.

I had investigated this type of door a decade ago and there was only one company that made it for around $600. Now I’ve found three that keep coming up:
Solo Pet Door for $485
High Tech Power Pet Door $334.00
Plexidor Electronic Door for $1249.00

At first glance, these three doors seem very similar. But I dug a little deeper to find some differences:

High Tech Power Pet Door

Best Places to Buy:
Amazon, currently at $350.

This is the brand that seems to have the best marketing department. It is sold at lots of places such as Amazon, pet stores, Walmart, and Home Depot. It has a YouTube videos and was mentioned on HGTV (which doesn’t necessarily mean it is the better product). The Better Business Bureau had 55 complaints in the last 3 years, but they have all been closed and the bbb still ranks them with an A+. It looks like the company made an effort to address/solve all the complaints.

Pros:

  1. It’s the only one that has four different settings for in/out: in only, out only, both, and neither.
  2. It’s the only one that has battery as well as AC; I believe the battery kicks in if the power ever goes out.

Cons:

  1. The transmitter worn on the dog’s collar is ‘sonic’ and can malfunction if it gets wet, even though they advertise it as waterproof.
  2. Transmitter falls apart with rough play. It just snaps together; no screw holding it closed. If it falls apart, the button battery can fall out. You don’t want your dog to eat this.
  3. The door can malfunction (not go up) in cold temps.
  4. Known problem: sometime the door will just go up and down on its own. The only solution is to disable to obstruction sensor safety feature.
  5. Made in China, which from my experience in general tends to mean a cheaply-made product.
  6. Proprietary transmitter.

[Update: They’ve come out with a better transmitter. They still claim it is waterproof even though it isn’t (one guy dunked it in water and then opened it up to see if it was wet inside. It was, but still seemed to work.)

But the biggest problem is still that the door goes up on its own randomly. Originally they said disabling the safety sensor will fix this. But now they say something else. I called them myself to ask if this problem has been fixed. They claim now that the fix is to—get this—you have to loosen the screws which mount the door whenever there is a drastic change in the outside temperature.

I asked how long ago this particular model came out and was told 6 years.

So that means that this problem has been occuring for 6 years and they still haven’t fixed it. It sounds like they have no plans to either.]

Solo Pet Door

I was all set to go with this one. A friend of mine has it and it has worked fine for her for years. BUT then I found a webpage that has a lot of negative reviews. The motor tends to fail after a year. One guy said he took it apart and it was cheaply made (it has worked fine for my friend, but it could be that the motors have gotten cheaper over time). They all say that the Australian guy who answers the phone (owner?) is extremely rude and hangs up on you unless you are a potential customer. The Better Business Bureau only had 6 complaints in the last 3 years, but still gave them an F ranking. The owner never even responded to the bbb inquiries.

PROs:

  1. The only one operated by magnet worn on the dog’s collar. The should mean that any magnet will open it. I do dog boarding sometimes, so I could just put an ordinary magnet on the house guest’s tag without having to invest in another proprietary transmitter. Also magnets are 100% waterproof.
  2. Made in the U.S.

Cons:

  1. Very poor customer service. Rude owner (http://www.xomreviews.com/solopetdoors.com), and a Better Business Bureau ranking of F. Sounds like you’ll never get help if the product fails.
  2. Motor seems to be cheaply made and fails after 8 months to 1 year.
  3. No obstruction sensor to stop the door from closing. They say it goes down by gravity, so it won’t hurt your pet. That may be true, but if the door closes on my dog, it will spook him to the point of him never wanting to go through it.
  4. Common problem: if your dog lingers midway to look outside and the door comes down, stopping on him, the motor keeps turning and the string comes off the pulley.

Plexidor Electronic Pet Door

Best Places to Buy: Here are some of the lowest prices for the Plexidor electronic dog door:
Amazon, currently at $1,138 (any Star Wars fans out there?) and free shipping

Over $1200!!! Seriously? Holy Cow! This door is about 3x more expensive than the other two. What’s up with that? But bbb gave this company (Pet Doors USA) an A+ ranking and had 0 complaints. Zero.

Pros:

  1. It has a sensor so that the door stops going down if it senses an obstruction. (Edit: it does NOT have this feature. They used to, but removed it and never updated their website and documentation.)
  2. Great customer service–A+ ranking by Better Business Bureau. I talked to them on the phone and they were really nice.
  3. Great guarantee. The only one that offers money back if not completely satisfied in 90 days (Solo says you can return it only if it hasn’t been installed.)
  4. They claim the collar transmitter is 100% waterproof
  5. 5-year warranty.

Cons:

  1. Pricey.
  2. Proprietary transmitter
  3. Your dog has to be about 9 inches from the door for it to open. For a wall mount, this was a problem for us. Since the door mounts to the inside wall, the sensor is already at least 5 inches away if you consider the width of the drywall, stud, and plywood. (This isn’t as important for a door mounted unit since a door isn’t as thick.)

So…what to do. It sounds like the Plexidor is the best quality. But can I really justify spending that much? I’m leaning towards the Solo with the understanding that I may just have to buy a new $85 motor every year.

Hmmm….stay tuned.

Update: I ended up buying the absurdly expensive Plexidor, but decided to return it. (I’ll post a separate review at some point).

Then decided to go with the Solo until I saw Amazon reviews. Only 5 reviews, but all of them bad.

So I think I’ll go with the cheaply-made High Tech door and know that I may have to disable the obstruction sensor and find a way to keep the collar tags from falling apart.

If anyone out there is an inventor or mechanically inclined, what we need is a door that has the best parts of all three of these:

  1. The nice control panel of the High Tech that is outside the unit so you don’t have to unscrew anything to change a setting.
  2. An obstruction sensor of the High Tech
  3. A good-quality motor and plastic of the Plexidor
  4. A piece of metal attached to the sliding door of the Plexidor instead of a string so that there is nothing to come off a pulley.
  5. Adjustable sensor distance of the Solo.
  6. Collar of the Solo and Plexidor that are waterproof and tough.

[EDIT: I didn’t return it after all. Have had it for about a year so far…]

56 thoughts on “Electronic Dog Door: Plexidor vs. Solo vs. Hightech”

  2. Hi,
    Thanks for the write up on dog doors. I have been searching for a large dog door that is secure as we have already had thieves try to break in through the cat door!
    Plexidor would probably be the best but they are very expensive and not ideal for fully glazed doors

    Anyway thanks you article has confirmed my suspicions.

    Sue

  3. Hi, I ended up not returning it. But I was going to because my dog wouldn’t get close enough to trip it. You need to be around 8 inches away. Bobby would just stand on the steps outside, but not close enough.

    When I told the manufacturer of my reason, he said he would send me a long-range transmitter. He said it usually costs $200 but he would send it to me for free, which he did. Now the door opens even though Bobby doesn’t go right up to it, so I’m happy.

  4. High Tech Pet has THE worst customer service ever. They take a week to respond to emails and NEVER answer the phone. I got the power pet patio door since I have a sliding glass door. It has had issues from day one. When I tried to contact the company about it, I got so frustrated and gave up. There is a real reason why the BBB has had so many complaints about them. The product is way over priced for what it is. At the time I purchased two years ago I couldn’t find another alternative for a power pet door. I would have been willing to pay for the expensive one if it worked.

  5. Are you still satisfied with the Solo product?
    Do you know if one remote will work on two dog doors, as my dogs have to go thru 2 to get outside.

    What product do you still recommend?
    Thank you very much

  6. SoloPetDoor’s online order forms transmit and store his customer’s credit card without encryption. This is a violation of rules set forth by Visa, MasterCard, Amex, and others. This is a blatant disregard for his customer’s financial security. The lock icon and promise of a secure site in the footer of his order forms are nothing short of a lie purposefully made for monetary gain.

    Product does not work as advertised. When set to maximum sensitivity, my dogs have to move around inches from the door for it to open. Training was difficult. Owner is narcissistic, dismissive, and defends his product with an appeal to authority citing 25 years of experience.

    A request to order replacement tags via USPS mail and money order due to the above defect in his order processing went unanswered.

  7. Hi Dotty,

    I didn’t get the Solo product, I got the Plexidoor product.

    Solo is the only thing I’ve ever seen on Amazon with only negative reviews! Usually you get at least one person who is happy, but not with that door.

    I still recommend the Plexidoor, but stay tuned. It just stopped working yesterday. It would just click when my dog approached it, but not open. Then it totally went dead; no lights, no sound, no power.

    I’ve put in an email to customer service since it is still under warranty (It has a 5-year warranty), so I’ll post here about how easy it is to get it fixed.

    I don’t know if the same key on the tag will work for two doors, but you could ask them: http://www.plexidors.com/contact_us.php

  9. Wow..sounds like the automatic dog door business needs shaken up a bit! I personally have the Hi Tech Pet door and LOVE the idea behind it. We got one 5 years ago at our first house and then another at our new house once we moved. I have 4 dogs that are constantly going in and out so it has saved my sanity. When we got them i was unaware of the other brands so never researched them. The only problem we ever had with the DOOR itself was the motor died on the first one we got. This was not surprising as my 4 liked to go over and have a “look see” outside about 10,000 times a day so the motor got quite a workout lol. My husband bought a replacement motor and fixed it with no problems. The door in our new house has had no issues in 2 years. My issue is with these LOUSY COLLARS!!! Surely they can come up with a better design that doesn’t fall apart! They started out being $18 on Sam’s website, but then they did some sort of “upgrade” (which hasn’t been apparent to me in the quality) and now they are $36!!! They changed the batteries and you can only get them through Hi Tech ..and also raised the price. We have found that putting electrical tape around the outside fixes the falling apart issue…BUT if you ar edoubling the price of something i would EXPECT the known flaws to be fixed! Also, the collars are hard to get on and off due to the type of nylon collar they use. It should either be a collar with a buckle or plastic snap ..i’m sure for $36 they can produce a better quality collar. That is my rant. I wish a competitor would come up with a reasonably priced door with a decent collar…..and good customer service : )

  10. Hi,

    That’s a helpful rant! I’ve read other complaints about the collars as well.

    I just resolved my issue with the Plexidor. Their customer service is great! It’s warranted for 5 years, so I’m good until 2017. My problem was that the door just stopped working. Tech Support walked me through testing it with a multimeter. It turned out that the power supply that plugs into the wall wasn’t working. It was probably due to a power surge on our end. I do recall that the salesman originally recommended getting a surge protector because he said a surge might blow the control board. In this case it was just the plug, so they sent me another one, no problem. It works fine now.

    I think you had a pretty good experience with the door itself. I keep hearing that the doors just go up on their own. Originally customer service told people to disable the obstacle sensor and that would fix it. But when I called them and asked them if that’s been resolved, they said it hadn’t and their recommended ‘fix’ now is to loosen the screws mounting it to the wall when the weather changes.

    My theory is that both High-Tech and Solo have gotten cheaper over the years. I read nothing but bad reviews about Solo, and yet it’s the door one of my client has had for years with no problems. But she got it long enough ago that it hadn’t been cheapenized yet (I made up that word, but it seems to fit). That’s my theory at least.

    You could be having the same experience if your High Tech door hasn’t been malfunctioning.

  11. This is all so helpful and interesting. We purchased the High Tech Pet door in May last year because we have 3 big dogs that love to go in and out all the time. The door has definitely been a blessing and a curse. The collars that were available last year were the MS-2 version and even one of the three collars was a little different design. One of the collars didn’t work and it took forever to get in touch with someone but they did send a new collar to us. Our dogs are older and they don’t do rough play but we’ve still had trouble with the collars falling apart so we use rubber bands to keep them together. We live in the south and it was super hot and humid last August and September and the door stopped working. Tried and tried to get in touch with customer service with no luck. Once the heat and humidity lifted it was fine again.

    Needless to say a year after we installed it, the door now won’t open from the outside. At first it was just taking longer to open as they stood patiently waiting so we changed the batteries. Then the collar that is slightly different seemed to work fine while the other two would have to get right up by the door and wait. Now the door just won’t open from the outside. We called customer service and they actually answered first try. Since we were only 1 month outside the 1 year warranty they’re actually sending us a new door. We also ordered 3 MS-4 collars and batteries so we could just start fresh but it cost us just over $150. We thought about switching to the Solo door but there are too many features we love on the High Tech Pet door. Plus since they’re sending a new door we might as well give it another shot.

    I see that some have had the issue of the door just opening by itself. There’s a control that let’s you adjust the sensitivity so you can set it to fit you dogs style. The only time our door has opened on its own has been when we have the sensitivity set too high.

    Thanks again for the info and if our door stops working again well definitely check back and see what product is the least of all evils at the time. I really wish someone would make one with the best features of all of the doors.

  12. Thanks for the writeup, it’s awesome. I agree with the poster that says this market could use some shaking up, all I want it a good quality electronic door and am willing to pay for one, but it’s amazing how many bad reviews there are out there on these, and you can tell from the complaints that they aren’t just problem customers because the complaints are almost 100% consistent. Anyhow, after reading countless horrible reviews of the High-Tech product, and more importantly rants about their horrible customer service, I’m inclined to go with the Plexidor.

    I hope you can take the time to answer several questions!

    1. I have one huge concern, you say they removed the safety feature?! I’m having a hard time believing they did that, when every single ad/spec says it is there, are you sure? And the last thing in the world I want is my dog getting their tale crushed in this door. Can you comment on the safety aspect? How hard does the door close? Could a dog have their tale )or worse) get caught in it?
    2. How easy is it to disable? I really wish they offered a programmable time or similar options.
    3. How heavy/big uncomfortable is the sensor for the dogs, it looks huge/heavy (4 ounces seems heavy for something that’s hanging on your neck 24/7)
    4. Is the door battery powered? It will be hard for us to get power to it.
    5. How secure is it as far as a burglar lifting the thing up from the outside?

    I’ve read multiple complaints on this unit about the standard transmitter, and wonder why in the world the long range one isn’t standard, but at least I know to get that.

    Thanks again for your review.

  13. Oops, never mind on the weight question, I see it’s only .4 ounces, that it fine!

  14. I have gone through 3 of the electronic high tech pet doors. They are poorly made but a good idea. The transmitter the dog wears is also very fragile and breaks easily. I tried talking to customer service but they only want me to send the door back for repairs. At my cost for shipping and repairs!!! Going to order plexidor electronic dog door for my pug. He isn’t hard on equipment.

  16. I own a Solo door and love it BUT RUDE is an under statement!!!! But even after talking to the rude man, i love the way the door works and the dogs love the freedom.

  17. Very impressive review..

    I personally have the Hi-Tech and have for close to 2 years. Initally I was also annoyed by the damn collars, however I have found a good solution to all the problems the collars/transmitters have, and haven’t had any issues in over a year now.

    first, I got rid of the cheap nylon collar they provide, I got some small zip ties and zipped it to their normal collars.. in order to make sure the transmitter stays facing down (otherwise it basically won’t work) I zipped it next to their tags and added 2 small bells to the tag ring, so there is enough weight to keep the collar in the right direction.

    second, to prevent the transmitters from falling apart – hot glue – a couple of dabs of hot glue on the tabs before snapping it together and they stay sealed, but the glue doesn’t present a problem when changing the battery I simply use a plastic pry tool and it pops open, scrape off the old glue, replace battery and re-glue. I tried putting the glue around the edge to seal the two pieces together, which works, however it made the unit a lot harder to separate and open when the battery died.

    lastly, the batteries.. some searching will yield some great results, I have the batteries on ebay 12 batteries for $40 free shipping , when you consider that Hi-Tech charges $8 for 2 plus shipping, I saved over $20.. The ebay batteries came in a baggie, but were individually wrapped 2 per inside that baggie.

    Also, you can use generic batteries, I have in a pinch, the B3V1A battery that they use for the MS-4 and MS-5 collars is nothing more than a CR2430 with a shield over it as to make the battery have the positive and negative on the same side because that is how the transmitter is designed. So a Radio Shack CR2430 works, all you have to do is pry off that shield and hot glue it to the generic battery, worked for me for 3 weeks while I was looking for and waiting for the B3V1A batteries to come in.

  18. Hi, I’m not sure what the negative solo pet doors are about – we’ve had one for about 6 years, and yes, the motor did fail, but it was easily and relatively cheap to replace. It’s a very simple mechanism. These doors are going up and down constantly, so it’s no surprise. We are moving in about two weeks, and so I’m searching again for an automatic cat door. After all the reviews on the collars of the hi tech option, it looks like I’m again going the solo pet door route. I just wish they made a 2 inch door model and not just the wall installation.

  19. I purchased the medium Solo Pet Door 10+ years ago. It is still working as if new. I have never had one problem with this door. My pets love it. I will purchase a replacement when this one eventually stops working.

  20. I have had a Solo door for 12 years, and I love it. I am rehabbing a house and moving, and now I am thinking that I may just move this door with me, as a new one is now $1300!!! I paid only $650 for it 12 years ago. I have a cat, a small dog and a large dog. Part of the reason I would stay with Solo is that they are used to it, and all use it without any problems even thought they are of vastly different sizes (8 lbs. to 63 lbs.).

    The cord broke a few years ago, and I was able to download the schematics for how to put in a new cord, which I bought at the hardware store for a buck. The motor works fine – another reason I am thinking of taking it with me!! The magnets are ridiculously priced, but I found out that I can use a regular magnet, so don’t have to buy any of those anymore.

  21. Hi,

    I am Solo, the owner of SoloPetDoors http://www.solopetdoors.com

    Thank you for the review, but there few features you might not know about.

    The NO – NONSENSE SETTINGS will PREVENT ‘’ unnecessary operation of the door – which SHORTEN the LIFE of cables / springs / motors / electronics etc !

    The OPENING TIME (how LONG the door stays open) should be set to stay open for 2 seconds. That’s plenty of time for 3-4 dogs to egress!

    SENSITIVITY – ( how far away the door activates ) The distance should be 1 – 1 ½ Feet away for med / large dogs , and 8” for small dogs and cats !

    If these settings are NOT correctly adjusted to the NO NONSENSE settings, then the door COULD operate 500 hundred times a day instead of 100 times per day, depending on the number of pets!
    Pets are animals and they do what animals do! It is our job to MINIMIZE unnecessary / mischievous activation!! It is VERY important to keep and read the instructions!

    It OFTEN happens that the installer / builder keeps or discards the instructions – The sheets that say in huge print on the top of the page that says “ SAVE FOR HOMEOWNER “ !

    Also if the settings are in the N_N_SETTINGS, the pet becomes” lazy “if allowed to take it’s time to exit! You will, in fact, teach your pet – “BAD HABITS “- which will over work / breakdown all the workings of your door!

    I find that 80 – 90 % of customer queries have never adjusted dials, and in most cases don’t even know they exist!!! Our objective is for solo pet door owners to have happy experiences with our company pet doors with many years of trouble free pet doors!

    Thank you! SOLO!

  22. I am actually shocked to see all the negative posts on Solo Pet Doors! I am building a new home and about to buy my second one. My papillon adapted to the smallest size door with no problem. It gives me such comfort to know he can come and go into the security of our yard to relieve himself or just lay in the sun. In 9 years since our door was installed, I replaced the motor only once, and that was about 6 years in, with a lot of use! My door goes in and out at leat 10 times a day.

    Mr. Solo may not the most personable small business owner. But when my motor wore out, he was very helpful and even stuck with me on the phone while I sat on the floor trying to switch it out. Alas, I asked someone to help me, as I am not mechanically inclined. Although it comes with two chunky magnets, I have found that putting a small magnetic hematite ring on my door’s collar worked perfectly and is so much lighter than the magnet. Another tip is to install it in a corner where it is less likely to be activated by some metal object passing near it. Mine opens when I Swiffer the floor near the door. I hope this is helpful!

  23. I have a Hi Tech Pet door. Have had it 4 years and zero issues with the door. I suspect the problems people speak of with the door binding during temperature changes are installation problems and not the product itself (thus loosening the mounting screws frees up the door).

    The collars aren’t the best. I do like Tiffany suggested and tape the transmitter case together so it can’t fall apart. I also don’t like the flimsy nylon collar, especially for a 100+ pound dog. My fix was to use the flimsy collar they provided and “weave” it onto his regular dog collar. This has worked well for 4 years now. In 4 years I am on my second transmitter.

    The issues I have is that we are considering getting another large dog. Our dog we have now is getting older. As an older dog with mild arthritis, it is getting difficult to step through the opening. Hi Tech Pet doesn’t make a door rated for larger than 100 pounds. They are most cost effective of the brands listed here and I am happy with the door I have, just don’t have the option through them of a bigger door.

    The solo door working on a magnet is both pro/con. The plus is not having to buy batteries or worrying that the transmitter stops working. The con (and this is big) if a magnet can open the door, that means any person with a magnet can open the door. Big concern when the opening for a large breed dog is enough that an adult human could also crawl through.

  24. I actually have had a Solo door for about 1.5 years and haven’t had any issues with it at all. It actually works really well. Honestly, one of the main reasons I got it was the design was so simple, I figured I could fix it myself if the time ever came. I haven’t had to contact the owner for help whatsoever, so take that with a grain. It came packed really well, it locks itself with a very simple mechanism when the door lowers, and the tags being magnets, they don’t require batteries or any of that nonsense. I even have it hooked up to my house alarm that if it’s forced opened somehow while the alarm is on, it will set it off. Granted, I’m a pretty experienced DIY’er, but I just couldn’t justify shelling out another $500 on the Plexidoor after hearing about range issues. The Plexidoor used to be about $850 ~2 years ago, but they had a price hike right before I ordered the door. I may have gone with the Plexidoor if they were similarly priced though. Still happy with my Solo.

    Both my dogs got the hang of it really quick. The frame, IMO, is bomb proof. It’s very thick extruded aluminum that’s welded at the joints.

    One of the other things I really liked about it is it’s flush mounted to the wall when installed, so after a coat of paint, it really blends in well.

    I do feel his shipping and part prices are high, though.

    I do have it on a surge protector, just in case.

  25. Thank you for this information. I bought a Hi Tech door two years ago and have the same issue with it as Tiffany. The collar fobs are cheaply made and don’t stay together at all. I used electrical tape as well and a key chain ring to hook them to my dog’s collars. The redesign was only a slight improvement and now you’re stuck buying their proprietary batteries. Also I remember it being advertised as silent but the whine of the motor opening and closing is quite loud. It’s time to order batteries again so I was looking to see if there was an alternative out there.

    I was hoping to find a product that used RFID or some similar technology for a light and passive, rather than battery powered collar. Also a product that is well made. The people behind the Nest thermostat or Elan Musk or someone needs to get on this. Make if wi-fi enabled so you could track your pet’s movements and change door settings via your iPhone and this could be a huge seller.

  26. Hi, I would like to leave a review for all dog owners thinking about doggie doors.
    I bought my first doggie door in 2010 from Plexidor.com (around $1200.00) it was the best investment you will ever spend on your dog’s happiness.
    My two dogs loved that electronic door. The electronic key collars are waterproof. I have had the same two keys for around 2 years until they are so old that they fell off of the dog collars, mainly from the dogs scratching at their necks and hitting the attached key (looks like a black lock) after awhile, I would hear an alarm sound. I had many problems with trying to find out why the door would stay open & not close. I used WD40 to lubricate the metal wheel track and called the plexidor customer service number and then I received a new electronic face plate I guess you could call it, with directions on how to install the wires back into the plate. After awhile I got tired of the WD40 routine and I made the mistake of about $1000.00. I went on the Solo Pet Door Site and decided to buy one of their electronic doors. If you are smart -Stick with the Plexidor Electronic Door. I have only had the Solo Pet door for less than 8 days and the door goes up but won’t come down. I have called customer service and spoke to the australian owner of the pet door. He seems nice so far, but I haven’t complained about the thin no nonsense door as of yet. Spend the money on the Plexidor. I had the door for almost 4 years now. If the problems with the Solo Pet door continue – I will be out $1000.00 for buying the solo pet door and then $1200.00 to get another Plexidor for my babies. Best of Luck to all thinking about electronic doors…Most importantly try to find good and bad reviews before buying the electronic doors.

  27. We bought a Solo Pet Door 3 years ago for our then 4 year old Australian Labradoodle (rescue) and have had no problems with it. We bought it because at that time our son had owned one for 5 years and he loved it and had no problems with his 2 dogs using it. We bought a middle sized door the Model 2014 which has a 14’X20′ door. I wonder if the reviews on Amazon are from his competitors? For those it might be important it is the only US made door. I personally bought having seen my son’s dogs use it effortlessly for years, so I highly recommend trying a Solo Pet Door and then reviewing your experience with it. P.S. We have never had problems with its magnets or rain affecting its use.

  28. I very much appreciate your review, but I am a little confused. When I look on Amazon reviews of the Solo door, there are 175 reviews and all but 2 are 3 stars or above, with 170 being 5 stars. That was what was convincing me to pay the extra monty over the High Tech one. I am woddering about the discrepency?

  29. Info about the SOLO is just not accurate. Its actually one of the highest rated products I have seen on Amazon in a long time….
    j

  30. Hi: Great review and thanks for the comparison. I see that people say that Solo has only bad reviews but there are like 180 reviews on Amazon and most of them are good. Could you point me to the bad ones so I can research it further before I spend the money. The Plexidor electronic one simply does not appear large enough for my Neo Mastiff.

  31. Do you still have the Plexidor? Is it still the one you’d recommend? Any new doors in the past two years worth considering such as the Passport? Any update you can give would be appreciated. Thanks for posting your research! 🙂

  32. I appreciate your research. Having done a fair bit myself, I am VERY confused by your claim that all reviews on Amazon are negative. I just came from there. There are 183 reviews, and they are overwhelmingly positive — 174 are 5-star, 4 are 4-star, 2 are 3-star, 0 are 4-star, and 3 are 1-star. In other words, more than 95% of reviewers gave the product the highest possible rating, and less than 2% gave it the lowest. I am trying to make sense of this massive discrepancy between your search results and mine. Do you suppose Solo concocted a bunch of fake reviews in the year or so since you posted this? Or perhaps they simply asked their satisfied customers to (belatedly) submit a review to amazon to make up for the bad reviews you found?
    — Mystified

  33. I’ve owned 2 Solo doors for 7 years and love the freedom it gives the dogs and me. The only repair I’ve made, almost on an annual basis, is to replace the string that pulls the door up. It gets worn out and breaks. I do agree it is an inexpensively made product, but I wanted freedom enough to try it. Now I’ve purchased a Plexidor and I’m about to have it installed. My only complaint is that it is only available in one size. I wanted a size that a human could not pass through, since theirs is big enough for a person to come in through I’ve had to make other installation modifications to make it work for me. Time will tell if I like it.

  34. SUSB8383: just wondering since it has been awhile, are you still fairly happy with the Plexidor? I am willing to pay if it has continued to work for you better than those others you mentioned. I have not seen anything new on the market as yet.
    Thanks for your help and opinion, Kathy

  35. Hi – I see that this blog is 2 years old but still curious if there has been any change in results or opinions on the Plexidor. I’m building a new home and looking for a good automatic door for my choc lab. I’ve spent HOURS reading reviews and searching online. I was close to ordering the Hitech Pet model as the size was smaller (48″ H) and “look” was decent to install in my laundry room door, but saw so many bad reviews about the quality. Then ran into Solo Pet Door option, which looks cheaper in the pictures but liked the idea of the magnet, however, bad reviews overall and many said the magnet would not work well in a laundry room (too many other magnetic forces with the W/D – who knows). Then I found Plexidor – the price is crazy, but if I’m going to be replacing parts and motors and dealing with poor cust service with the others… the extra cost will be worth it in the longer run.

    Still satisfied with the Plexidor? Thanks!

  36. Hello,

    Thank you for doing this research. The last post was mid-2013 so I’m wondering if any improvements have been made. I’ve been looking at both Solo reviews and “Power Pet” electrical door. The reviews are ‘mostly’ great for both but I wonder how many of them are actually written by company affiliates paid to produce them as a part of marketing. I’m a single parent so money is pretty tight. But in order to keep one of my dogs who has a severe BM problem in the house, I have to invest in some kind of electronic door for when I’m a work, or I have to give him away to someone who can take him outside a few times a day. 🙁 So this is a very important decision to me and not one that I can make a mistake with considering my resources. Is your Plexidor door still going well for you? Have you heard anything new about the other two you researched? Or have you heard of any others new on the market that seem impressive to you?

    Thank you for any information you can provide.

  37. I’ve had both – I bought Solo after high tech – high tech was more trouble than it’s worth. Solo with the little magnet on their collar is the only way to go – I’ve had it at least 10 years – not one single problem – replaced collar magnet from wear and tear from my dog one time $12.50. We are moving and enclosing a back porch and I’m putting two Solo doors in one for our lab and little one for are weenie dog. High Tech was junk – Solo awesome product.

  38. I’ve been using Solo Pet Doors since 1999, have installed 6 doors in various houses since then and have had one issue besides replacing ropes once or so times a year. I had one upper pulley wear out in the very first door I bought (1999), sold that house last year and the door was working fine when I left. If one understands quality construction they can’t argue with the Solo door, it’s not made with custom products, but from off the shelf parts and therefore a whole lot easier to repair and more durable. Magnets, doesn’t get easier. If you want great conversation, call your best friend, I’d rather get a great product from a grumpy guy.
    Brian

  39. I need to buy an electronic dog door, size large. I’ve been reading all these terrible reviews online and I can’t find one that reliably works with few problems. I read your recommendations from a few years ago. Is Plexidor still your choice??

  40. I have been burglarized twice by people who entered through my x-large dog door. Sadly, my docile, elderly, blind, and deaf dog was no deterrent. She has since passed on and I have gotten a young mastiff. I have moved and need to purchase a new door. I was leaning towards the Solo Pet as it is the only x-large unit available, but the absolute smallest size I can use is $695! Why no one makes a unit that uses the RFID chip that nearly every dog in the US has implanted in their body is a mystery. Perhaps it is a matter of lack of range? I know there is a cat door that uses that chip. I am considering attempting to manufacture a door of my own design, as there is clearly a market for a reliable, reasonably priced, automatic, LOCKING door. This seems to be a situation of a ready market going unserviced. I live in Florida and there is a real danger of a dog, particularly an elderly dog, dying of heat stroke if locked outside. I have heard of just such a thing. Cold weather presents the same problems. The Hi Tech door is something of a rip-off with their “proprietary” battery which is just a common battery modified and their crappy collar seemingly purposely designed to fail frequently. I have installed a flap-type door that is just barely big enough for my dog and have to just hope the tight squeeze for a human and the somewhat aggressive nature of my dog will be enough to keep burglars out, but I will have to get a larger door eventually.

  41. Great comparison. I have both the HI-Tec and the Solo both extra large. I started out with the Hi-tech mostly chosen for price. I have a very large dog and a very small dog (Rhodesian and Chihuahua). The Hi Tec worked fine mechanically for me but I had to constantly try adaptations with something placed close by so my little dog could jump up and out because the door had to be placed too high for the big one to get out. This got too hard for her to do so we went to the Solo because it was the only one that offered a big enough size that i could mount low enough for both dogs to use.

    I agree the Solo guy’s a little rough around the edges, but his customer service is adequate. It is my understanding that he is the original idea guy and manufacturer of the first electronic pet door. Hi-Tec took his idea and made it slick with lots of bells and whistles and the glamorous website. Has to sting a little.

    I was aware that there were complaints about the Hi-Tec not working in cold weather, but never had a problem here in GA, north of Atlanta. My dogs aren’t super active and so the collars held up fine for me. I did opt for the upgraded receiver and batteries. These do have to be unscrewed to change the battery.

    If you need to rely on battery back-up I would recommend buying a second battery and the recharging station so you always have a better ready to use.

    My only complaint(s) were that the outside plastic surround yellowed badly in direct sunlight, and they didn’t offer a large enough size. Also, I ultimately decided that I did
    not like how big even the smallest receiver was because it never seemed comfortable for my little dog or the cats, and it makes a constant humming noise which i guess the get used to but seems like it could possibly be annoying.

    By comparison, the Solo door may seem cheap because the materials are utilitarian, no fancy lights or buttons and you do have to take off the cover to make adjustments. I would say read carefully the directions for maintenance and operation. And keep them in a safe place to refer to. There are definitely adjustments you need to get right to preserve the life of your motor. Mine has been in use since 2012 with no problems but seasonal and occasional adjustments have been needed.

    I’m glad to know about the lack of security on their website I will have to look into that because I need to order some new small magnets for my cats.

    The company might seem less than slick and modern but I believe the owner/inventor is an older gentleman who may be a little slow to take advantage of modern consumer technology. He answered all of my questions when I originally contacted them and the last tag I ordered arrived quickly .

    My only complaint is that the black plastic liner/collar has warped and buckled (it bows- doesn’t lay flat) in the opening. This is possibly because the hole I cut in the door is just a little bit too small not allowing for expansion/contraction? Or may just be due to the extreme sun/heat conditions where it is mounted.

    I got an electronic pet door because I wanted new carpet but refused to get it until I knew that my pets could get outside on their own as needed and there would not be anymore accidents! It’s great being able to have our pets and know that they don’t have to wait on us to do their business.

  42. Have had solo door for years with no problems at all. Have had to replace magnet, as over time, it can wear away and fall off their collar. Have to watch. We love ours! Have two of them.

  43. I have read a lot of bad reviews about the collars being cheap, flimsy, breaks easily and when the batteries need replacing the collars still won’t work. It seems as if the collars were made to be disposable on purpose to make up for the prices being so low for the doors.

    My question to you is how are the collars and battery pack working on the door you have now? Is it tough or easy to change the batteries? Are the collars made with better quality. I have not been willing to try any door because the doors seem to work well, but the collars are cheap and basically a piece of junk. Is the collar better that comes with the Plexidor? Or are they all about the same. Also is there a longer warranty on the collar?

  44. Thank you for the reviews and good information.
    However, please note, having a good rating on BBB does not mean much. You can get a BBB approval rating simply by paying their dues.

  45. I appreciate the research you’ve done and everyone’s comments. I’ve been doing some research recently on large dog doors, and haven’t been impressed with the current selections. After almost four years since you’re review, it doesn’t look like the landscape has changed much in the dog door industry.

    PetSafe has a couple of products (Passport and Smart Door). Although the PetSafe Passport has a great set of features (e.g., RFID tags, wireless option with app, USB port for programming), it only comes in a small and medium size, and the reviews of its performance are not that complimentary. The PetSafe Smart Door has a large dog product size, but it uses radio frequency transmitters with proprietary batteries, which they sell for $25 a pair (sounds like the inkjet printer business model). I’d rather use a system that has a passive component that hangs on the dog’s collar, like an RFID tag. I not a fan of using a magnet (like the Solo system does) as any person with a magnet can open the dog door and gain entry into the house.

    Based on the recent reviews of the High Tech Pet door, they haven’t improved the quality of the transmitter collars, and they also have a non-standard battery that they want you to use in their collars. Plexidor continues to get great reviews. The downsides to the Plexidor product are the cost ($1,249) and the size of the interior panel (54 inches in height).

    So, based on the reliability and performance, I’m leaning toward the Plexidor product, even though it’s more than I want to pay for a dog door. After this period of time, can you (or anyone) provide an update as to the performance of the dog doors that you’ve installed? Are there any other product entries into this market that aren’t listed on this post?

  46. I bought the solo pet door about 3 years ago. I bought it used from craigslist. It worked fine for about one year but then the motor burned out. One issue I had with this is that in the cold weather, the door randomly would open even though there was no dog at the door. I did get a replacement motor and that has held up for about two years, but once winter hits and gets cold we have to turn the door off so we don’t have the cold coming in. I still like the door because I only paid 100 dollars for it. If I had paid full price, I would not be happy with the product

  47. I am on my 3rd HIGH TECH PET Large dog door in 8 years. And I need a new one, since my 3rd one has not worked for more than a year. So make that 4. The door lasts between 1-2 years (the motor on the door). The collars are even worse. I took the transmitter off of the cheap collar they provide and attached it directly to my dog’s collar with a wire tie (through the holes in my dog’s collar). Then I added another wire tie to hold the collar transmitter from falling apart when my dog played. This is an incredibly expensive product for how cheaply it is made. The problem is I now have a hole in my wall that is the size of the HIGH TECH PET door, and I’m out of luck. I would recommend any door before I would ever recommend this one. It is a complete ripoff and the company has no customer support to speak of. They’re just colleting money.

  48. Hi,

    I’ve been searching for a few months now looking for an electronic kitty door that slides up and down. I’ve got 4 rescue cats that showed up at my door over the years, one of which I believe may have been abused as he is very skittish. I am looking to put their litter boxes in the garage. I scoop twice a day but still can smell not urine or feces but the litter itself, they are all neutered and declawed and indoor only cats, other than they are allowed on the closed in screen porch during the summer.
    I came across your page and was like WOW I think I made my decision, going to the Plexidor website all I can find with the electronic door is a HUGE one, I’ve emailed support and got no answer back.
    Any info on if they have a smaller one?

    Thanks much for this page it has helped a lot.

  49. Hey, it’s 2017… is the Plexidoor still working 😉

    Just wanted to add something to this (better late than never). I went through a similar process. Bought a Solo, but not direct from the mfg. but from a reseller. I bought it fully aware of the potential customer service issues, but I’m pretty handy and figured I’d probably be able to fix it myself if it broke.

    It’s now 2 years later, it’s been pretty much perfect. Occasional random door openings if I’m near it when my cell phone vibrator goes off (I guess that makes EM radiation?) but no big deal.

    I really wish I could just add an RFID sensor to it, so it would be truly locked, but my quick googling a year or so ago found that the tech wasn’t quite there yet for consumer-grade/priced receivers with a range more than about 6″. I think I’d need at least a foot. Maybe I’ll check again.

    But what’s really nice about the Solo is that it’s dead simple. There’s no motherboard or programming. There’s a motor, a pulley and a string, a relay that detects the magnet, the potentiometers for ajusting sensitivity, a pin that locks when the door is all the way down, and a transformer. There’s literally nothing that you couldn’t fix with a soldering iron and a new part. It’s also very well made, solid aluminum construction, very well put together. No cheap plastic stuff to break.

    So if you’re the kind of person who isn’t afraid to try to fix something themselves, the Solo couldn’t be easier to deal with. Luckily it hasn’t come up yet for me (still working fine), but I expect it will be trivial to fix it if something goes wrong, and most of the parts you could probably find a generic alternative that sufficed, though the mfg. sells everything too. This is very unlike most mass-made consumer grade stuff, where if it breaks, it’s probably a custom circuit that you can’t buy at all and it’s just junk at that point.

  50. I don’t know if this discussion is still active, but it’s now March 2018 and I’m wondering if anyone is still using the door they bought and how it has performed. Just as I think I’ve found “the” door, I find all the bad news and move one. I’ve now discarded the Solo and the High Tech Pet doors as worth buying. I agree they’ve all been cheapened and yet are more expensive. Does anyone have a happy experience currently? We will need to install under a window in a bathroom through the exterior wall, so power supply is an issue. It is possible to run wire down the wall, along the baseboard and cabinet to the only outlet by the basin as is usual in a small bath, but it will be unsightly and I don’t know where we would put a surge protector (a good idea). Hard wiring is possible but expensive and will require hiring two guys instead of one. Any current guidance would be most appreciated. Our little guy is 15 pounds, 3 yrs. old. He wouldn’t push through a Cat Mate Elite which seems to have good customer service and is completely returnable/refunded by Chewy.com within a year, so no loss on it. Thanks.

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