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Photograph: Molly Higgins
Enabot Ebo Air 2 for $199: This model from Enabot is an improved interactive robot toy and camera on wheels from the brand’s lineup. It’s got a 2K HD camera, two-way audio, and a laser toy, and you control the robot’s movements from your phone’s app. It’s lightweight and compact, and can easily maneuver around objects. While acting as a pet camera, the robot also entertains (or scares or confuses) your pet by making various animal noises, doing tricks like spinning and zigzagging, and displaying various “emotions” via its front screen. It also has a built-in laser toy that my cats actually played with, along with key features like 24/7 video recording with smart playback, motion detection, and activity alerts.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Furbo Mini for $40: I love this super-affordable, 360-degree-rotating, basic pet camera. Furbo’s app is easy to use, the 1080 HD feed is clear, it can be mounted on a wall, and it has two-way audio. It’s connected to power via USB, but it only works with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi , so beware. As is the case with most other pet cameras, to access the full features—like smart detection, alerts, and access to historical video footage—you’ll need Furbo Nanny, the paid subscription service. Luckily, Furbo gives you a 14-day free trial to see if the service is a good fit.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Petcube Bites 2 Lite for $125: This food-dispensing camera from Petcube has HD 1080p live streaming video, night vision up to 30 feet, the ability to zoom up to 8X, and two-way audio to talk to and hear your pets. There’s also an easily detachable plastic treat dispenser that holds up to 1.5 pounds of kibble, and you can toss treats remotely from the app, where you can also control the amount and distance. With the subscription service, the app alerts you when the device detects motion or sound, and logs it with playback video. I like the customization capabilities and clear video feed, but—like with other Petcube devices—you sort of need the extra Care plan to unlock all of the best features.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Enabot Rola PetPal Robot Pet Companion for $200 (treat dispensing): This rolling pet camera has the best of intentions, but the sometimes glitchy app makes the combo pet camera/toy/feeder a little unpredictable. Through the app, you can watch your pets on the security camera and drive the robot around, pressing buttons to do tricks and dispense treats. You can watch the camera feed live from the app, but you can also schedule recordings, which are viewable via cloud Playback, and it compiles a 30-second “day in the life” compilation. The robot is also supposed to detect abnormal movement or sounds, like barking or broken glass, and send a smart alert to the owner with a time stamp while away from home. Through AI-powered pet recognition, the bot can also snap a picture of your pet, but the AI features were unreliable when I tested them.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Petcube Cam for $32: This simple, compact camera doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of more advanced models, but it’s a great price for a reliable, basic pet camera. Like others in Petcube’s lineup, it has a 1080p HD camera, night vision, and two-way audio. It sits on hinges and can angle upward and downward, with the option to flip the video feed in-app if you want to lay it horizontally. You’ll need the brand’s subscription Care plan to get any features beyond live feed. You can set a “motion zone” to only get notifications in a specific area, and you connect your phone’s location to the app, so that you’re alerted more often when away. You can also share the camera feed with others so they can watch remotely and specify the footage you want to share. This camera is basic, but it has a high-quality camera feed and advanced extras that make it a steal at this price.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Catit Pixi Smart Mouse Camera for $96: This cutie looks like a miniature mouse with oversized, magnetic feet that attach to a metal stand, and the mouse legs hinge so you can adjust the camera’s height and angle. While adorable, it’s expensive for what it is: The lens doesn’t move, and it requires microSD to get video footage beyond a live feed. With the SD card, you can scroll through the video to see the goings-on from past days, record live footage, and save photos and videos to your smartphone’s camera roll. Even with the SD card, though, it was hard to pinpoint exactly which time you’re looking at when reviewing footage. The live video feed can be laggy, and there were connectivity issues a few times. It’s a tad expensive at this price point for its (lack of) capabilities.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Closer Pets TreatView with Pet Camera for $100: This solid pet cam features an HD camera, two-way communication, motion detection, a built-in memory card, and one-cup storage for kibble or treats, which you can schedule or dispense at random. The video feed was always crystal clear, although sound was a bit laggy and hard to hear well. The treat portions were huge, dispensing a heaping handful of kibble at even the lowest setting. The alert sound when dispensing was super jarring, and my pets were scared of it—there was no way to silence it. Because of the placement of the hole for dispensing kibble, the camera is angled low, which made it hard to see the area I wanted. This is a solid pet camera, but its additional features become a burden rather than an asset.
To find the best pet cameras to test, I first looked for security cameras that had extra pet-specific features. I set up each camera individually, noting any difficulty or issues with initial setup, configuration with Wi-Fi, and speed and reliability of the camera feed. I tested each camera for at least a week (most, much longer) in various spots around my house and rigorously tested the extra features available on most of the cameras, like scheduled feedings, food-dispensing, playtime, and scheduled recordings, and I noted any issues I experienced. Over the months of testing, I went out of town several times and completely relied on these cams to keep an eye on my two children—I mean, cats.
So, Is There Really a Difference Between Security Cameras and Pet Cameras? Sort Of
Security cameras enable you to watch your house (and pet) while you’re away, but pet cameras often have a few more pet-specific features, like ability to dispense treats and interact with your furry friend via two-way speaker. These cameras with special features can help ease common pet issues like separation anxiety or boredom. The Enabot Rola PetPal Robot Pet Companion, for example, has attachments so you can remotely give your pet a treat or engage in “playtime.”
That’s not to say that you can’t use a security camera as a pet cam, but like any other smart home device that connects to Wi-Fi, there’s a chance it can be hacked and compromise your privacy. Make sure your Wi-Fi password is strong, set up two-factor authentication with your camera’s app, and it’s not a bad idea to keep it turned off when you’re home, as an extra precaution.
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