Omlet Smart Automatic Coop Door Review (WiFi)

Safety sensors and an app, and the one accessory you will probably wish had been in the box.

The verdict: This is the automatic pop door to buy if you want to know the coop closed rather than assume it, because the app tells you and the safety sensors stop the door on an obstruction. Buy it if you travel, sleep in, or have ever lain awake wondering whether you shut the coop. Skip it if you have no WiFi at the coop, in which case Omlet's non-smart Autodoor does the same mechanical job for thirty dollars less.

Specifications

Specifications above come from Omlet's published product information. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• Obstruction sensors that stop the door closing on a bird, which addresses the one failure mode every keeper fears.
• App notifications when the door opens and closes, so you know the coop is shut instead of hoping.
• Light sensor mode tracks the seasons on its own, so you are not resetting a timer every few weeks.
• An IPX6 casing tested to -4 F, which is a meaningful specification rather than a vague weatherproof claim.
• Mounts either way up, so it fits coops where the pop hole is on the wrong side for a fixed-orientation door.

Where it falls short

• For permanent WiFi use Omlet recommends mains power or non-rechargeable batteries, and the 12V cable is sold separately. Budget for it, because a WiFi door running on AAs will not see the stated six months.
• It needs WiFi to reach the coop. Many coops sit at the bottom of a garden where the signal does not, and no amount of door quality fixes that.
• A door is not security on its own. It guarantees the coop is shut, not that the coop is strong, and a raccoon that can lift a light pop door or pull at stapled wire is unaffected by a good opener.
• Any automatic door will eventually close on a schedule that does not match a bird's behaviour, and a hen that goes broody in a nest box outside the coop or roosts in a tree will be shut out. The sensors protect against pinching, not against a bird being left outside.
• It is the most expensive way to solve a problem that a cheaper door with a light sensor also solves.

What owners report

Owner reports on Omlet's automatic doors are consistently positive on the two things that matter mechanically: the door goes up and down reliably in bad weather, and the safety sensors work. Cold-climate owners regularly confirm operation well below freezing, matching the stated rating. The app is the divide: owners with decent signal at the coop describe the notifications as the reason they bought it, and owners without describe it as a feature they paid for and cannot use.

The recurring practical complaints are battery life on WiFi mode and the separate power cable. Both are stated in the listing, but they are easy to miss when comparing price tags. The other consistent theme, across every brand of automatic door, is that the door does not manage the birds: a hen that has not gone in by closing time gets shut out, so a head count at dusk remains part of the routine for the first few weeks until the flock's habits are established.

What an automatic door actually prevents

Most backyard flock losses happen at night, and the most common route in is a door that was left open because someone got home late. An automatic door removes that failure mode completely, which is why it is one of the highest-value purchases in chicken keeping. It does not, however, upgrade the rest of the coop. If the run around the coop is chicken wire on staples, that is where the predator gets in, and a good door has nothing to say about it. The full argument for the category is in automatic versus manual coop doors, and the security layer underneath it is covered in predator lights versus secure latches.

Smart or not smart

The mechanical door here is the same idea as Omlet's non-smart Autodoor, which uses the same light sensor or timer modes and the same safety sensors at a lower price. The premium buys remote visibility. If your coop is within sight of the kitchen window, that visibility is worth less than it sounds. If you travel, or the coop is out of sight, the notification is the whole product. Compare the field in our best automatic coop doors roundup, and if you are fitting a door to a plastic coop, our Omlet Eglu Cube review covers the compatibility.

Who it suits

• Anyone who travels, works late, or wants to sleep in without worrying about the flock.
• Keepers who want confirmation the door closed rather than an assumption.
• Owners of wooden coops, since this is designed to fit almost any of them.
• People in cold climates who need a door rated below freezing.

Who should skip it

• Coops with no usable WiFi signal, where the smart features are dead weight.
• Anyone unwilling to also buy the 12V cable for permanent powered operation.
• Keepers whose coop or run is structurally weak, who should spend the money on hardware cloth first.
• Budget-focused buyers, since simpler doors with light sensors cost considerably less.

Alternatives worth considering

Keep reading

• Automatic vs manual coop doors
• Predator lights vs secure latches
• Best automatic coop doors
• ChickenGuard automatic coop door review
• Omlet Eglu Cube review
• Land Guard hardware cloth review

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.