Pawport's pitch is straightforward. You already have a pet door with a flap that lets in cold air, stray cats and the occasional possum. Pawport mounts over it and turns it into a motorised, app-controlled, locked door that only opens for your pet.

Then you go looking for whether it fits the door you actually own, and you find a sentence that sounds great and tells you nothing:

"The Smart Pet Door effortlessly mounts onto or over virtually every pet door ever available. It adjusts to fit regardless of how wide or tall your pet door is. An exact fit is not required."

That is not true as written, and Pawport contradicts it on its own site. There is a hard maximum. We went through every page in Pawport's sitemap, all five of its PDF manuals, and its live product data. Below are the actual numbers and the four measurements you need before spending $699 to $949.

The short answer

Pawport fits your existing dog door if all of these are true:

1. Your existing opening is no wider than 13.25 inches and no taller than 24.25 inches
2. You have at least 15.4 inches of flat width around the opening for the unit to mount to
3. Your existing door has security panel grooves, or you are willing to screw the unit to the wall or door instead
4. Your original flap is intact and staying in place, or the doorway is sheltered from rain
5. Your pet is at least medium sized, since there is no small or cat size

If any of those fail, Pawport does not say so on its site. The 30 day fit guarantee is what you fall back on, and in practice it is the real compatibility check.

What Pawport actually is

This is worth getting right, because a lot of coverage describes it wrong.

It is a motorised two-panel cover that mounts over an existing pet door. It is not a replacement door. It sits on the inside face of your door or wall, over the opening you already have.

And here is the detail almost nobody reports: your original flap must stay. Pawport's own FAQ describes retrofit as mounting over an existing pet door frame, where the original flap must remain in place to provide a rain barrier.

What comes out is the security panel, the solid slide-in cover that most pet doors ship with. That is it.

How it attaches

From the retrofit manual: two mounting rails hook into the security panel grooves on each side of your existing door's interior frame, held by five pre-fitted M4 set screws per rail. Pawport then hangs on a metal lip over tabs on those rails and locks down with four M6 mounting screws.

The manual's exact instruction: start by looking at your existing pet door frame on the interior of your home, you should see two security panel grooves. If your security panel is installed, remove it now.

No grooves? The manual says: if you do not have security panel grooves, you can mount Pawport directly onto the wall, over your existing pet door frame. But the written instructions for that path do not exist. The manual sends you to a video and picks the text back up four pages later. That path uses 2 inch wood screws, wall mount spacers and metal wall anchors, so it is screwing into your door or wall, not a tool-free clip-on.

The sizes, and the hard limit

Outer frame width is 15.4 inches on all three sizes. That number, not the opening, is what decides whether the unit physically fits your door. If you only have 14 inches of flat surface between a stile and a frame, no size works.

The maximum existing opening Pawport supports is 13.25 wide by 24.25 tall. That comes straight from Pawport's own Guaranteed to Fit page, and it directly contradicts the regardless of how wide or tall claim in the FAQ. Anything bigger is out.

There is no Small. We checked the full catalogue. Cat-sized and small-dog openings are not served at all.

Which pet door brands does it fit?

We checked every page in Pawport's sitemap, 21 pages, plus every product page, against: PetSafe, Ideal Pet Products, Endura Flap, Dog Mate, Hale, Freedom Pet Pass, Perfect Pet, Petmate, Whisker, PlexiDor, Gun Dog House and Doggon.

Not one brand name appears in any visible copy anywhere on pawport.com. No compatibility list, no tested-models page, no brand mentioned even once.

The single trace in the entire site is a photo filename on the Guaranteed to Fit page, served as install_over_petsafe_door-trans.webp. So Pawport has photographed its product on what its own file naming calls a PetSafe door, and names no brand in the copy.

The only source that engages with fit critically is a competitor, Hale Pet Door, which says: PawPort says its smart door adjusts to fit most existing pet doors within its size limits, but the only way to know is to compare PawPort's current size guide against your specific model and opening. Don't assume, measure.

That is a rival talking, so weigh it accordingly. But on the substance they are right, because Pawport gives you nothing else to go on.

The four things to measure before you buy

Pawport's Size and Install Guide asks you to measure exactly two things. That is not enough. Measure all four of these.

1. The clear opening. Pawport's own instruction: the actual clear space your pet walks through, not the outer frame or trim around the pet door. Focus only on the inside tunnel or opening area from edge to edge. Must be no more than 13.25 wide by 24.25 tall

2. The flat mounting area around the opening. You need at least 15.4 inches of flat width, plus 20.5, 24.5 or 28.5 inches of flat height depending on size. Pawport never asks for this measurement, and it is the one that fails installations on panelled doors

3. Your security panel groove. The whole retrofit hangs off rails hooked into that groove. Pawport publishes no groove width, depth or profile spec, and grooves vary by manufacturer. Check yours exists and photograph it

4. Your pet. Floor to the highest part of the back, around the shoulders. Step-over height is typically 3 inches, or 5 to 7 inches for medium to large dogs

Also check clearance to your door handle, deadbolt, floor and any adjacent frame. The manual hints at this without giving a number: for most installations Pawport will be centred around your pet door opening, unless space limitations require an adjustment.

Power, and the thing that catches people out

1. Default is corded. It plugs into a standard outlet via a 10 ft USB-C cable and included charger
2. Battery is an optional paid add-on, sold separately. The 6.4 Ah pack gives 24 hours of backup. The 57.6 Ah pack gives up to 6 weeks depending on use. They run $99 to $249, and the larger one is currently out of stock

In a power cut with no battery, the door stays locked. Pawport's FAQ says your pet will still be able to come and go as they please, as long as your Smart Pet Door is supported by a Pawport battery pack. The flap behind it does not help, because steel deadbolts hold the cover shut.

1. Other power options: concealed power kit $39, solar panel $79, charging dock $79

Cold climate warning: operating temperature is -31C to 60C with no battery, but only 0C to 50C with a battery installed. So the backup power you need for winter outages is itself limited by winter temperatures.

How it knows your pet

1. A collar tag over Bluetooth. Not a microchip reader, not RFID, not a camera
2. Tag is 1.15 x 1.15 x 0.4 inches, 3.32 oz, runs a CR2050 button cell lasting roughly 12 months, replaceable, 2-pack for $8
3. Water resistant, not waterproof
4. Up to 10 tags can be paired to one door. Unlimited pet profiles in the app, but 10 tags
5. One tag is included. Extras are $39, and replacement tags are currently out of stock in all 7 variants
6. Placement matters. Pawport says position the tag at your pet's throat area for consistent range

No tag means no automatic access. There is no alternative identification method.

App and connectivity

1. No subscription. Nothing paywalled anywhere on the site, and the iOS listing shows no in-app purchases
2. Wi-Fi is optional for basic operation. The door and tag work without it, but remote control through the app needs a stable connection
3. Wi-Fi band is not published. No 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz statement on the site, in any of the five manuals, or in either app store listing. If your router is 2.4 GHz only, or 5 GHz only, you cannot check in advance
4. App features: lock schedules and curfews, light schedules, door open angle of 90 or 120 degrees, open duration, volume, inside and outside range, weather lock that auto-locks on rain or lightning in your area, disabling the top controls for child safety, guest invites, remote open and close, usage tracking, notifications, and Alexa, Google and Siri voice control
5. Safety: jam detection reverses and retries three times then sounds an alert, plus a forced-open alarm with phone notification

One signal about how many of these are actually out there: the iOS app is rated 3.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings. Three.

The weatherproofing contradiction, and why it matters for retrofit

Pawport's product page says: weatherproof seal, closes to form a weatherproof seal between your home and the outdoors.

The FAQ and every manual say the opposite. The manual's warning page reads: this product is designed for indoor use only. The Smart Pet Door must be installed with weather protection such as a Pawport Outdoor Pet Door, a covered exterior, or a retained flap on an existing pet door. Exposure to rain, snow, or extreme temperatures may damage the product and void the warranty.

Pawport allows three configurations: paired with its Outdoor Pet Door, under a sheltered porch, or a retrofit with the original flap retained as the rain barrier.

Here is the trap for retrofit buyers. The Outdoor Pet Door, the only purchasable weatherproofing, is stated to be only for use with the Pawport Tunnel and Frame System or Glass Mount. A retrofit customer cannot buy their way to weatherproofing. And it is out of stock in all nine variants anyway.

So your old flap is doing warranty-relevant work. If your flap is cracked, warped or has lost its magnets, which is the usual reason people go looking for an upgrade, Pawport does not fix that, and a failed flap could expose the unit to water in a way that voids the warranty.

No R-value, U-factor or air infiltration figure is published, despite third party coverage implying energy savings.

Price and availability

Marketing says from $699, and only the Medium Designer is that price. All 42 door variants are in stock, so this is a shipping product, not a pre-order.

Accessories: Tunnel and Frame System $349 to $399, Outdoor Pet Door $499 to $599 and out of stock, battery $99 to $249, glass mount $149 to $189, tunnel extension kit $99, solar panel $79, charging dock $79, awning $59 out of stock, exterior sensor $59 out of stock, concealed power kit $39, smart pet tag $39, collar $29 to $39, scratch guard $19, cable raceway $15, sliding glass door adapter $14, tag batteries $8. Free shipping over $250 in the continental US.

Some history worth knowing

1. Kickstarter ran March to May 2021, raising $60,625 from 105 backers against a $50,000 goal
2. At CES in January 2025 it was announced at starting from $499 to $500, available early 2025
3. It now starts at $699, a roughly 40% increase, and shipping slipped from early 2025 to Q2 2025 and is only genuinely happening now

That is a five year gap from crowdfunding to shipping. Not disqualifying, but worth knowing before you buy accessories that are still out of stock.

Warranty and the fit guarantee

1. Warranty is 1 year limited from the date of original retail purchase, valid worldwide, only on products bought direct from Pawport or an authorised vendor, proof of purchase required
2. Remedies are at Pawport's sole discretion: repair with new or refurbished parts, replace with a new or refurbished unit, or a full or partial refund
3. Excludes cosmetic damage, misuse and unauthorised repair. Weather exposure voids it

The fit guarantee is 30 days: Pawport will mount onto or over your existing pet door, or we will refund your purchase plus shipping costs within 30 days of purchase or delivery, whichever is later. Prepaid return label in supported regions, reimbursement for international customers.

Given that Pawport publishes no brand compatibility list, this guarantee is effectively the compatibility check. Order, test fit within the window, and return if it does not work. Do not let it sit in a box for five weeks.

What independent reviewers say about fit: nothing

Pawport was a CES 2025 Innovation Award honoree and was covered by TechCrunch, PCWorld, BetaNews and IT Brew. Every one of those is a CES booth write-up. None measured anything, none tested a fit, none named a compatible door brand.

1. No Reddit threads on Pawport installation or fit were found
2. No Trustpilot profile and no BBB profile were found
3. The public Judge.me review page returns a 404, so aggregate customer reviews are not independently viewable
4. The iOS app has 3 ratings

One source to actively avoid. At least one affiliate site states the Pawport opening as 6.5 inches wide by 9 inches tall. That is flatly wrong against Pawport's published minimum of 13.25 by 16.25. If a page gives you those numbers, it has not looked at the product.

The honest conclusion: nobody has reported Pawport failing to fit a specific door, because nobody has publicly tested it on one. No failure reports is not evidence of compatibility, it is evidence of no coverage.

Every fit question Pawport does not answer

1. Which pet door brands and models actually fit. No list, no tested models page, no brand named anywhere

2. Whether PetSafe, Ideal, Endura Flap, Hale, Dog Mate, Freedom Pet Pass, Perfect Pet, Petmate or PlexiDor doors work. None appear on the site

3. What security panel groove dimensions are required. The entire retrofit depends on this and not one number is given

4. How much flat surface you need around the opening

5. Minimum existing opening size. Only a maximum is published

6. Doors with decorative frames, mouldings, raised panels or proud trim. Never addressed

7. Doors with an existing wall tunnel from another manufacturer

8. Minimum clearance to a handle, deadbolt, floor or adjacent frame

9. Written instructions for the grooveless wall-mount path. Video only, so you cannot assess it before buying

10. Whether your existing flap must be a particular type, size or condition to serve as the required rain barrier

11. Whether a retrofit can ever be made weatherproof, given the Outdoor Pet Door excludes retrofit installs

12. Wi-Fi band

13. Any insulation figure, despite energy saving being implied in coverage

14. How much weight your existing frame must bear. A steel unit hangs off two rails clipped into your old door's plastic or aluminium grooves, with no load rating published for either side

FAQ

Does Pawport fit a PetSafe pet door?

Pawport never says so in any copy. The only hint is an image filename on its own site referencing a PetSafe door. Measure your opening and your groove, and rely on the 30 day fit guarantee rather than an assumption.

What is the biggest pet door Pawport fits?

13.25 inches wide by 24.25 inches tall, which is the Extra Large. Anything larger is unsupported, despite marketing copy saying it fits any size.

Does Pawport make a cat door?

No. The smallest size is Medium, with a 13.25 by 16.25 inch opening, rated for pets up to 100 lb. There is no small or cat-specific option.

Do I remove my old flap to install Pawport?

No, the opposite. The flap must stay, because it is what provides the rain barrier on a retrofit. You remove the security panel, the solid slide-in cover.

Does Pawport work in a power cut?

Only with an optional battery pack, sold separately at $99 to $249. Without one the door stays locked and your pet cannot get through.

Is Pawport weatherproof?

Not on its own. The manual says it is designed for indoor use only and must have weather protection, which on a retrofit means your retained flap or a sheltered doorway. The Outdoor Pet Door accessory does not work with retrofit installations.

Bottom line

Pawport fits a narrower and more specific set of doors than its marketing suggests. Opening no more than 13.25 by 24.25 inches, at least 15.4 inches of flat mounting width, ideally a security panel groove, a sound original flap or a sheltered doorway, and a medium or larger pet.

Pawport publishes none of the brand-level detail you would need to confirm that in advance, and no independent reviewer has ever tested it on a named door. So do the measuring yourself before ordering, and treat the 30 day fit guarantee as the actual compatibility check rather than a safety net you hope not to use.