Dogs really are man's best friend (sorry cats). But if you have a furry one at home, life quickly turns into, "how soon do I need to get home before the dog wets the floor?" Doggy doors are unsightly and could let in the wrong animal. Enter the myQ Pet Portal, an elevator-style smart home door that lets your dog in and out automatically.

Let's get the important stuff out of the way first: The myQ Pet Portal isn't just a doggy door. It's a total door replacement. You'll need a professional installer to come to your home, remove an existing door, and replace it with the myQ Pet Portal door. But for the effort, you get a nice looking door that hides its best feature.

A dog waiting at a door with a seam in the middle.
Chamberlain Group

While most of the door looks normal, look closely towards the bottom and you'll see a seam. That's the real magic of the myQ Pet Portal. When a dog approaches the door wearing a myQ Pet Portal sensor, the elevator style doggy door parts and opens wide enough to let your puppy in or out.

The folks from myQ put real through into its system, and you have lots of options. For instance, the Pet Portal supports two modes: "automatic" and "by request." Automatic is just what it sounds like, your dog comes near the door and it opens automatically. That's perfect if you're home and your K-9 wants in and out and in and out all day long.

By request mode sounds perfect for when you're home or out with friends. Instead of automatically opening, the door will send a notification to the myQ app. That will let you decide whether to let the dog through. And to help with that decision, the Pet Portal comes with two cameras, one on each side of your door. You also get a set of speakers and a microphone.

A man looking at a dog through a camera app.
Chamberlain Group

You'll be able to talk to your dog, see what's going on, and even make sure they're not bringing any dead "presents" in with them---or worse, some furry friend. To that end, the door automatically closes after your pet traverses the opening. The cameras have downward wide angle,

In the myQ app, you can set up profiles for your various dogs (even if you have more than one) and individual set options like which mode to use. You can list size, age, breed, and gender, and set a photo. Each pup will need their own sensor of course, as that's how the door differentiate one dog from another (and ignores your cat or a possum)

If you are worried about the size of your dog, or the potential for the doors to close on your best friend, don't be. The Pet Portal accommodates everything from tiny 10-pound dogs to beastly 90-pound hounds. And myQ delved into its garage door background to protect Rover. It uses a non-contact sensor to double-check that nothing is in the opening when it closes the door. And, much like a garage door, it also detects if the doors do contact with anything and back off when that happens.

Three screens of the myQ app, showing dog profiles, entry options, and more.
Chamberlain Group

Chamberlain Group (the parent company behind myQ) isn't known for doors, and as such the company partnered with Kolbe doors to create something that will look good in most homes. But here comes the part that does sting---pricing.

The myQ Pet Portal calls for a total door replacement, and the new door sports built-in elevator-style doors, multiple cameras, speakers, and microphones. It needs to be wired to your home for power as well. So, it's not cheap. Not even a little. Depending on the options you choose, the myQ Pet Portal starts at $2,999. The nicer you want your door to look, the higher the price. And the price doesn't include installation.

But for your $3,000+, you get peace of mind that even if you stay out for an hour or two more, your dog won't suffer. Instead, they can let themselves out. And you'll have a cleaner house for it. You can preorder now at the myQ Pet Portal site.

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myQ Pet Portal
Perfect for Doggies Home Alone

The myQ Pet Portal lets your dog in and out, even when you're not home. It won't stand out like the average doggy door either. And thanks to included cameras, you can can keep an eye out your puppy even when you're away.