Frequently Asked Questions
One great reason to get an Easy Out Deluxe is the incredibly cool feeling you get every time you press the button on your smartphone or remote control from far away and immediately hear your pet bursting through their door in the distance and running excitedly to meet you! The fun of that never gets old, especially when you see how happy and proud they are when they make their way to you all on their own.
Yes, the Easy Out Deluxe also provides many incredibly important benefits and helps the lives of pets and their owners in a wide variety of ways:
When you get:Â a) up in the morning, b) home in the car, or c) tired of getting up!Â
The inventor originally used it to release his puppy from her crate early in the mornings when she would wake up and start crying, without going down/up the 2 flights of stairs. Many customers use it to let their dogs out when they get home so their pet can meet them calmly inside the door with no barking to annoy the neighbors as they get out of the car and open the door to go inside. It's also great to release your pet after you and they have finished a peaceful dinner in separate areas, or without leaving the couch.
When you are leaving home:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Other customers have told of using it from their car to release their pet from its crate to have free roam of the house when they leave home, after the family is all safely outside, keeping their pets from running out an open garage or other door before everyone (children, etc.) is safely in the car. It is also great for keeping your dog from jumping on your good clothes when leaving for work or a night out on the town, as you can release them to roam inside the house after you have made it out to your car. Others use it to release their pet remotely, often using the app's timer function at a preset time, for free roam of the house and yard after a time of day when neighbors will no longer complain.
Keeping your dog from running after your car as you leave:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Many customers in rural areas or with driveways have told of using it to release their dog after they've gotten sufficiently far away from their house in their car that their dog will not try to chase after them, thus avoiding the risk of their pet getting accidentally and tragically run over.  It has actually saved the lives of several beloved pets in this manner, as shared in heartfelt feedback found on our Testimonials page here.
Mobility issues:
Another advantage is that for pet owners who are less mobile and/or aren't able to bend down easily, the Easy Out lets them release their dog without walking up or down any stairs, bending all the way over/down to their crate on the floor to fiddle with the crate's latches, or even getting out of bed or up from their recliner or kitchen chair.
Home Security:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Some folks have expressed appreciation for the secure feeling they have knowing that if they ever hear any odd noises downstairs in the middle of the night, they can release their dog from its crate remotely to check things out instead of them, while they stay safely upstairs in bed, or even program their home security system to release their dog automatically upon sensing danger or motion in the home.
Pet Safety:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The Easy Out Deluxe could also be used to release an owner's pet from an area of the house that would otherwise be unreachable during a fire or other emergency, not even by a fireman, no matter where the owner was - say still at work - thus potentially saving their beloved pet’s life. This is truly an insurance policy that has a priceless benefit
Avoid going out in the elements or getting up early every day:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Some use it to avoid getting dressed up and going out in the elements to release their pet from a separated garage or kennel, which is great, and chicken farmers love the ability to let their chickens out early every day automatically without getting out of bed!
As a training aide:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Whether it be an owner crate-training their new puppy, or a professional trainer teaching good manners or vital skills to puppies or dogs, the Easy Out is great for rewarding and reinforcing desired behavior. This may be for quiet calmness when you are getting home or when neighbors might complain rather than rowdy loudness, or learning to perform commands and skills such as "come" or "attack" (for K9 security training) at the correct moment (for example, after an extended "stay" command) - exactly when the smartphone or remote-control button is pressed - without the need for a 2nd trainer.
The Easy Out Deluxe will work on the most common wire-construction pet crates that have door latches which lock and unlock via a simple lateral (i.e. right/left) sliding motion. It will not perform any lifting, twisting, or squeezing though, so if your crate requires you to perform any of these actions as part of opening the door, you will need to disable or remove those features and use lateral motion latches, as illustrated in the installation/limitations videos on our "Application Videos" page here.
The Easy Out Deluxe is simple to install and comes with thorough directions.  One opener must be installed onto your crate's door behind each latch. This can be done in less than 5 minutes per opener. There is a great video on our Videos page that shows the inventor installing one in 2 minutes. All that is necessary is to install 6 screws and 1 tie wrap.  To use the smartphone option, a Wi-Fi smart plug is used, and its free app is downloaded to your phone. You may use your own smart plug for this or purchase an Easy Out Deluxe "Plus" model to have one included with your order. Also, any standard commonly available AC outlet plug-in timer will work, just plug the Easy Out Deluxe into the timer, plug the timer into your AC outlet, and you are done.
All that is needed is a small Phillips Head screwdriver and a pair of scissors.
There are 2 main differences between the Easy Out Deluxe and those products. First, those are designed to open whenever your pet approaches them, giving your pet complete control of when they come and go. For the types of problems described here that the Easy Out Deluxe solves, that is NOT a good thing. The Easy Out Deluxe allows the pet's owner to control when their pet is released or given access to an area. Second, the Easy Out Deluxe is the only product available that works on common wire crates, sideways swinging pen doors, and more. This means you can easily mount it to what you are already using to control all kinds of access and mobility within and around your home, not just through a certain door, and do so without having to cut a big permanent hole in a main door of your home and pay up to 5X as much!
Each Easy Out Deluxe door opener is roughly the size of a deck of playing cards and consists of only the opener box itself and a thin plastic mounting plate which goes on the inside of the crate's door. Both are sleek and complement most crates and are visually minimal and attractive. The remote is roughly the size of a pack of gum.
Once mounted correctly, the only thing your pet can physically come in contact with inside the crate is the smooth surface of its interior plastic mounting plate, so he/she is completely safe. By turning off the Wi-Fi smart plug each time after releasing your pet, there is no current running in the opener box wires, and even if your pet was to somehow bite into them when the power was on, there is no risk of anything beyond a slight, brief tingling sensation to their mouth as the wires are very low voltage.
Yes, the Easy Out's remote controls are based on RF signals and as such they work through walls and other obstacles over fairly long distances, similar to common garage openers. They are not like a TV remote which works on infrared signals requiring a clear path between the remote and its receiver (TV). This allows the Easy Out to be used from up to 2-3 floors or up to 50 yards away from your pet's crate. Of course, remote control performance at extended distances will vary with the types of obstacles in the way, topography, etc., just like garage door openers. This whole topic is avoided by using the "Plus" model's Wi-Fi smart plug and releasing with your phone.
Using the Wi-Fi smart plug provided with the "Plus" models, you can open your pet's crate with your smart phone at any time from anywhere your phone has signal, just like you would send a text. This can be from work, or around the globe.
The Easy Out Deluxe will pull back your door's latch rod and unlock it. Your pet will quickly, easily, and eagerly learn to nudge open the door and leave upon hearing the clicking sound the Easy Out Deluxe makes when activated. You can also have the door open automatically by simply elevating the rear end of your crate slightly so that gravity makes the door gently open, or by mounting a simple spring to the door.
After showing your pet only once or twice how the door can be pushed open after he/she hears the Easy Out Deluxe's clicking sound, your dog/puppy will learn incredibly quickly how it works. The inventor's dog is not particularly smart relatively speaking but picked it up immediately. Within 1 or 2 seconds of pressing the button your dog will be through its door and out.
Yes, other than the exact brief moments when it is pulling back your latch(es) to open your door upon being activated, the Easy Out Deluxe is a totally passive device. That means you can open and close the latch as if it were not even installed.
No, there is no way the Easy Out Deluxe can get stuck or locked in any position, because it only receives power for the brief moment you press the button.
Yes, the Easy Out Deluxe can be adapted to control your pet's access to a variety of enclosures by pairing it with simple, cheap, and commonly available barrel type slide bolt latches. The pictures and videos on our "Application Videos" page show what these latches look like and many of the different enclosures they can be made to work with. The inventor used this approach to let his own dog out of her plywood paneled pen every day.  They may also be used to apply an Easy Out Deluxe to popular plastic transport carriers, modular "fence" type pet barriers, gates, kennels, and much more.
 As presently offered now and without any non-included accommodations, the Easy Out Deluxe is not intended for use outdoors or in conditions where it might be subjected to rain or the elements. If protected from such elements in some manner by the user it would work; however, any buildup of ice on the latch it is intended to open will prevent the Easy Out Deluxe from having sufficient strength to pull back the latch rod.
Yes! There are videos on our "Application Videos" page which show how many of these types of needs can be served. Please contact us for further related information.
This question is best answered by watching the "Application Videos" videos which address this question. The answer is yes it can, but doing so requires special actions.
If your Easy Out Deluxe ever stops working, almost all of the time it will be because something has shifted such that there is friction preventing it from pulling back the latch rod. To correct friction issues, you just figure out what is rubbing on what and eliminate that rubbing, or if that doesn't work, contact us for help.
Yes, all Easy Outs work on the same frequency of RF signal, so if you press any remote's button all Easy Outs in range will open together. This works well when you always want to release all of your dogs at the same time.
Yes, you would just use separate Wi-Fi smart plugs for the 2 crates.
No, it is only designed to open the door so your pet can leave on their own. It cannot and does not need to close or re-lock the door, because you will be doing that manually anyway as you always do when you put your pet back inside, whenever you do that. This simplicity is how the price can be so much lower than other products.
Yes, we want only happy customers and back up all Easy Out Deluxe purchases with a 100% satisfaction policy. Most installation issues are easily resolved by the customer contacting us for help, but 100% of the full sale price (not counting shipping) will be refunded upon receipt of any return within a full year of purchase. Purchase and return shipping will also be refunded if any shipped item is defective.
Important Installation Consideration For Wire Crates
Here is one fine point to look for. Most commonly available basic wire crates have simple straight latch rods like circled in this photo and work great, as you just lift the latch up once to attach it to the end of my rod, and from then on it simply slides laterally right & left while attached to the Easy Out’s rod, both manually whenever you want to open or close it by hand, or via the Easy Out pulling it back:
![latch1 latch1](https://easyoutpetrelease.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/latch1.png)
But while this latch below looks very similar, it has a right-angled bend at its end, which necessitates a little extra effort. Watch this video to see how to modify this type of latch for use with the Easy Out:
![latch2 latch2](https://easyoutpetrelease.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/latch2.png)