Constant interruptions
Dogs do not care whether you're working, cooking, relaxing, or in another room when they want outside.
Smarter everyday products
Your dog knows when it wants out. Your door should too.
KNORR INTELL is developing a smarter approach to pet access—combining motorized control, connected technology, and pet-status awareness in one streamlined system.
Currently in Alpha development • Raleigh, North Carolina
01 / PRODUCT CONCEPT
INTELL
01
Motorized
access
02
Passage
detection
ALPHA / IN DEVELOPMENT
02 / Why it matters
A simple problem,
repeated every day.
Passive doors sacrifice control
Traditional dog doors provide freedom, but owners may not always want unrestricted access.
“Is the dog outside?”
In multi-person households, simply knowing whether the dog is inside or outside can become surprisingly difficult.
03 / Product concept
A smarter way in.
And out.
The KNORR INTELL system is being developed as an integrated approach to pet access. The first Alpha brings mechanical, electronic, sensing, and connected-control work together in one testable platform.
01In development
Remote control
Designed to open or close pet access from a phone.
02In development
Passage detection
Sensors are being developed to detect when a pet moves through the doorway.
03In development
Inside / outside awareness
Maintain an informed estimate of whether a pet is indoors or outdoors.
04In development
Safety-first actuation
Develop the motorized system around safe, dependable movement.
05In development
Configurable access
The product concept supports future control over when and how the door operates.
06In development
Built for real homes
Installation, cost, reliability, and everyday usability are core engineering constraints.
04 / Design philosophy
Smart doesn't have to
mean complicated.
Premium connected pet doors have established interest in the category. KNORR INTELL is exploring a more focused design philosophy:
Deliver the smart functionality owners actually value while reducing unnecessary cost and complexity.
Essential intelligence
Prioritize useful functionality over feature bloat.
Accessible hardware
Design around manufacturability and a realistic consumer price from the beginning.
Practical installation
Treat compatibility and installation as part of the product, not an afterthought.
Design goal These principles guide development; they are not claims about a finished commercial product.
05 / How it works
From request
to return.
A simple interaction model keeps the technology in the background and the outcome clear.
Request
The owner initiates access through the app or configured control.
→Open
The motorized system safely creates an opening for the pet.
→Detect
Sensors determine that the pet has moved through.
→Update
The system closes and updates inside/outside status.
06 / Development
Built by testing,
not guessing.
Technical feasibility is one part of the work. Each phase is designed to answer the next set of product and market questions.
Current phaseAlpha integration
01
Concept
Problem definition, competitive research, and initial system architecture.
02
Alpha
Mechanical actuation, sensors, electronics, and control-system integration.
03
Beta
Refined units deployed into dog-owning households for real-world testing.
04
Validation
Reliability, willingness to pay, installation, unit economics, and product-market fit.
05
Launch
Design-for-manufacturing and initial commercial release.
07 / Early access
Want to help build a
better dog door?
KNORR INTELL is looking for dog owners interested in testing future prototypes and providing candid feedback as the product develops.
A good early tester:
✓Owns a dog
✓Has direct yard or outdoor access
✓Regularly lets their dog in and out
✓Is comfortable testing early technology
✓Will provide honest feedback
08 / About
Making everyday products
more intelligent.
KNORR INTELL LLC is a Raleigh, North Carolina product company focused on applying modern sensing, electronics, software, and thoughtful engineering to traditionally non-connected products.
The smart dog-door system is the company's first product. The broader goal is to identify ordinary products where intelligent functionality can solve a meaningful everyday problem—without adding unnecessary complexity.
09 / Founder
Ethan Knorr
Founder, KNORR INTELL LLC
Ethan is an engineer with professional experience in product and process development, experimental testing, technical troubleshooting, prototyping, and translating early-stage technical concepts into repeatable systems.
He earned his engineering degree from East Carolina University and lives in North Carolina.
10 / What comes next
Help us build
what comes next.
Interested in being an early tester, following product development, or helping KNORR INTELL bring intelligent everyday products to market?