FAQ's 🐾
Here are the questions that were asked mostly by our customers. If you have a question and don’t see it here feel free to contact us below.
1) ZeroMOUSE™ detects movement with its passive infrared sensor (PIR) if the cat approaches the flap.
2) When the cat enters the tunnel a active infrared light barrier (AIR) is triggered.
3) ZeroMOUSE™ takes a series of pictures (in about 40 milliseconds distance) of the cats face.
4) ZeroMOUSE™ sends these pictures to the artificial intelligence (AI) over WiFi.
5) The AI analyses the pictures and sends the result to your ZeroMOUSE.
6a) If no prey is detected by the AI, ZeroMOUSE™ does nothing, so the flap is reacting as normal.
6) If prey is detected ZeroMOUSE™ sends out an additional RFID signal. Then the flap "thinks" there is an additional foreign cat in front of the flap and does not open.
The mechanismn is patented by mousebouncer GmbH.
ZeroMOUSE™ detects any kind of prey. For example mice, birds, lizards, etc. But ZeroPREY would not have been a very nice name. :-)
Yes, you can have as many cats as desired.
Yes, an internet connection is required for ZeroMOUSE™ to work.
ZeroMOUSE™ needs to connect to your local WiFi. The WiFi connection needs to be stable and good.
The hardware of ZeroMOUSE™ is stable and is very unlikely to change to the series version.
The software of ZeroMOUSE™ is still in developement and field testing faze.
The basic functions as detection and blocking is working, but are evolving.
There are for sure some bugs in the software but they are constantely fixed with your feedback.
ZeroMOUSE™ has a remote upgrade functionality.
If there is new software available it upgrades itself automatically.
Yes, with the ZeroMOUSE™ APP you can see all events with the pictures taken.
How it works when blocking is activated:
1. When movement is detected in front of the flap, the system blocks access, and ZeroMOUSE™ waits for the cat to enter the tunnel.
2. Once the cat enters the tunnel, ZeroMOUSE™ captures images, which are then analyzed by the AI. This process takes about 7 seconds, during which the flap remains blocked, and the cat tries to access it.
3. If the AI determines there is no prey, the flap is released. The cat's microchip is then recognized, and the flap opens, indicated by the click of the shutter.
4. If the AI detects prey, the flap remains blocked until the cat exits the tunnel. Once the cat leaves, the process starts again.
Current security features:
1. WLAN dependency: If the WiFi connection is disrupted and ZeroMOUSE™ does not receive a response from the AI within 10 seconds, the flap is automatically released. A stable WiFi connection is therefore essential for proper functionality.
2. Quick entry: If the cat enters the tunnel too quickly, preventing a clear image from being captured, the flap is released. It is important that ZeroMOUSE™ detects movement for approximately 0.5–1 second before the cat enters the tunnel.
Tracking functions in case prey is detected:
1. If prey is detected, the system behavior changes.
2. Movement in front of the tunnel is checked every 5 seconds (x), up to a maximum of 12 times (n), which equals a total of n * x seconds. If movement is still detected after x seconds, the flap remains blocked until the next check. After n checks, a new series of images is taken, and the entire process starts over. If you would like to adjust the values for n and x, please contact our support team and provide the desired values.
3. This ensures that the cat cannot bypass the system.
4. Currently, these values can only be adjusted via a support request, but this functionality will later be available in the app.
Adapting to new behavior:
Cats generally adapt to the flap's changed behavior, even if they may struggle initially. They also learn that they cannot bring prey into the house, which reduces the frequency of such attempts.
At the same time, we are working to shorten the detection time. In the future, we aim to integrate detection capabilities directly into ZeroMOUSE™, eliminating dependence on WiFi. Initial development steps for this feature are already underway.
Go to www.zeromouse.ai/install
There you can find videos that show, how easy it is to set up ZeroMOUSE™ in under 5 minutes.
RFID cat flap
USB-C power device
USB-C charging cable suitable for the place of use (e.g. not textile-coated)
ZeroMOUSE™ works with the most RFID cat flaps on the market:
SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap
SureFlap
Microchip Cat Flap connect
SureFlap
Microchip Cat Flap (older version) --> needs an additional available frame extension
SureFlap DualScan
SureFlap Pet Flap
SureFlap Pet Flap connect
PetSafe Microchip Cat Flap --> needs an additional available frame extension
CloserPets Microchip Cat Flap
Cat Mate Microchip Cat Flap
We produce and assemble completely in Germany, as we think that the local work is best in quality and sustainability.
If ZeroMOUSE™ is not able to connect to your WiFi, it goes back again to setup mode. In that mode it is blinking green.
There can be various options why ZeroMOUSE™ is not able to connect to your WiFi e.g.:
1) Your misspelled the SSID (name) of your WiFi or your password.
2) Your router blockes unknown devices.
3) Some WiFi repeaters make problems. We are on that. If there show up two WiFi in your list while setup, please try both.
4) For the setup process you need to turn on all required rights for the app. You can turn the rights off after setup again. We are not using your localization data. It needs only to be turned on to find the bluetooth signal during setup process.
If the device is blinking green, you can remove the device in your app, and start the setup process once again.
If WiFi is found by ZeroMOUSE™ again, it will reconnect and start working as normal.
ZeroMOUSE™ can not do its start up routine correctely.
ZeroMOUSE™ needs to be in the cat flap tunnel to start up.
If it is in the tunnel and still blinks red for a long time, something is really wrong with its sensors or the camera.
Please contact us in that case over the support from on the website.
If you make some movement before the cat flap, ZeroMOUSE™ will quickly blink two times green.
Then it is waiting for smth. to enter the tunnel.
If you put in something in the tunnel it will record it and the app will show it.
In some cases it will not detect a hand or smth as "cat" or "prey" and then the app will not show anything as the artificial intelligence sorts it out.
Please repeat it for some times. If then still nothing is coming to your app, contact us over the support form.
Yes. The artificial intelligence of ZeroMOUSE™ sorts the pictures of the belly of the cat out.
There are some edge cases where an event is not recordet correctely:
1) The movement in front of the flap needs to be detectable. There needs to be some time where ZeroMOUSE™ can "see" the cat approaching the flap. The timespan is about a second. If this timespan is to short, ZeroMOUSE™ wakes up to late and cannot take correct pictures. It still records pictures, but if no face of the cat can be seen, the artificial intelligence sorts them out. So please make sure, that ZeroMOUSE™ has a chance to detect the movement of the cat in front of your flap.
2) If the cat does enter with the head very low, it is possible that ZeroMOUSE™ cannot see the face of the cat. These events are also sorted out by the artificial intelligence of ZeroMOUSE™ and not shown on the app. But: This is very very unlikely if your cat has prey in the mouth, because then the cat holds its head high so that the prey is not touching the ground.
Currently, issues may arise when using a repeater if the Wi-Fi name (SSID) of the repeater is the same as that of the original router.
Solution: Assign a unique name (SSID) to the Wi-Fi network of the repeater that does not match any other existing network.
We are working on a long-term solution to resolve this issue and will communicate any updates via the app under "Messages" once the fix is implemented.
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