Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Compare Our Options
Some were tested
Photo: Molly Higgins
Enabot Ebo Air 2 for $199: This model from Enabot is an interactive robot toy and a camera on wheels from the series. It has a 2K HD camera, two-way audio, and a laser pointer, and you control the robot’s movements from your phone’s app. It’s light and compact, and can move around things. While acting as a pet camera, the robot also entertains (or scares or confuses) your pet by making different animal noises, performing tricks like spinning and spinning, and showing different “feelings” through its front screen. It also has a built-in laser toy that my cats played with, as well as great features like 24/7 video recording and smart play, motion detection, and event notifications.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Petcube Play 2 for $60: This Petcube tries to combine the popular laser toys that cats love with a pet security camera, to mixed results. Like many other cameras from the brand’s lineup, the Play 2 has excellent color and night vision, a wide range of features, and two-way audio. The laser dolly is supposed to activate itself if it’s moving, but it usually didn’t when I tested the camera. After the laser worked and caught my cats attention, the feature quickly turned off. Also, because the camera had to be on top of the shelf to see the area, the laser was often too high for the cats to try to catch. You can manually play with the cat and the laser through the app, although it’s often cumbersome, and my cats are more confused than playing with the laser on. It’s a solid camera, but the toy features fall a little short.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Furbo Mini for $17: I love this inexpensive, 360-degree, essential pet camera. The Furbo 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 powered via USB, but it only works with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, so be careful. As with many other pet cameras, to get everything – like smart detection, notifications, and access to old videos – you need Smart Nannypaid subscription service. Fortunately, Furbo offers you a free 14-day trial to see if the service is right for you.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Petcube Bites 2 Lite for $70: This feeding camera from Petcube features HD 1080p live video, night vision up to 30 feet, zoom capability up to 8X, and two-way audio so you can talk to and hear your pets. There’s also an easy-to-release plastic dispenser that holds up to 1.5 pounds of kibble, and you can throw treats away from the app, where you can control the amount and distance. With the registration function, the app notifies you when the device detects movement or sound, and sets it up with a video to play. I like the ability to customize and the clear animations, but – like other Petcube devices – you need the additional Care plan to unlock all the goodies.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Enabot Rola PetPal Robot Pet Companion for $200 (prescribing): This pet camera has the best intentions, but sometimes glitchy software 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 items. You can view the camera feed from the app, but you can also edit the recordings, which are visible through Cloud Playback, and collect a 30-second “live day”. The robot should also detect movement or abnormal sounds, like barking or broken glasses, and send a smart alert to the owner with a time stamp when you’re away from home. Through AI-powered pet recognition, the bot can also take a photo of your pet, but the AI features were unreliable when I tested them.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Petcube Cam for $32: This simple, compact camera doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of higher-end models, but it’s a great value for a reliable, essential pet camera. Like others in the Petcube series, it has a 1080p HD camera, night vision, and two-way audio. It sits on hinges and can be tilted up and down, with the option to resize the video within the app if you want to lay it out horizontally. You need a Care Care subscription plan to access anything other than live food. You can set up “motions” to only receive notifications in a certain area, and link your phone’s location to the app, so you’ll be alerted regularly when you’re away. You can also share the camera feed with others so they can view from a distance and show what you want to share. This camera is basic, but it has great cameras and features that make it worth it at this price.
Photo: Molly Higgins
$56 Catit Pixi Smart Mouse Camera: This cutter looks like a small mouse, with magnetic feet attached to a metal stand, and adjustable mouse legs so you can adjust the camera’s height and angle. Although it’s fun, it’s expensive for what it is: The screen doesn’t move, and it requires a microSD to get video footage beyond the live feed. With an SD card, you can view the video to see what happened in the past days, record live video, and save photos and videos to your smartphone’s camera. Even with an SD card, it was hard to tell when you were watching while watching. Live video can be weak, and there were several connection issues. It is very expensive at this price point due to its (lack of) potential.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Pets Nearby TreatView with Pet Camera $100: This rugged camera features an HD camera, two-way communication, motion detection, memory stick, and one cup for kibble or treats, which you can customize or give away randomly. Video quality was consistently good, although the sound quality was loose and difficult to understand. The nutritional components were large, breaking down into a pile of small particles even at the lowest point. The sound of the alert giving was so startling, and my pets were terrified of it – there was no way to stop it. Due to the placement of the kibble delivery hole, the camera is low, making it difficult to see the area I wanted. This is a solid pet camera, but its accessories are heavy and not economical.
Unauthorized
Photo: Molly Higgins
Enabot EBO Max FamilyBot for $510: I’m generally a big fan of Enabot pet tech—especially when it comes to Enabot’s line of pet cameras, which are often affordable and work seamlessly without the need for cloud storage software. This camera is considered as an AI family companion that can recognize pets and household members, remember their likes and dislikes, and come when called. Additionally, it has the expected camera-on-wheels features, such as two-way audio and video, night vision, and 4K recording. I’ve never had a problem with my camera after setting it up, the robot won’t connect and reconnect when it’s in the dock. I’m chatting with the support team, so I’m hoping to get an answer and I’ll update the review as soon as I find out if it’s possible or if it’s a dud thing.
To find the best cameras to test, I first looked for security cameras that had additional pet-related features. I set up each camera individually, noting any issues or problems with the initial setup, configuration and Wi-Fi, as well as the speed and reliability of the camera feed. I tested each camera for at least a week (much, much longer) in different places around my house and tested the extra features available on most cameras, such as automatic feeding, feed distribution, playback time, and scheduled recordings, and I noticed every problem I encountered. During the months of testing, I went out of town several times and completely relied on these cameras to keep an eye on my two children—I mean cats.
So, there is Of course Difference Between Security cameras and Pet Cameras? Kind of
Security cameras let you see your home (and pet) while you’re away, but pet cameras often have more pet-related features, like the ability to deliver food and interact with your furry friend via a one-way speaker. These cameras with special features can help deal with common pet issues such as separation anxiety or boredom. The Enabot Rola PetPal Robot Pet Companionfor example, they have stickers so you can feed your pet or engage in “playtime”.
That doesn’t mean 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 could be stolen and your privacy compromised. Make sure your Wi-Fi password is strong, and set up two-factor authentication with your camera app; It’s not a bad idea to keep it off when you’re at home, as an extra precaution.
Boost it with unlimited opportunities THE WIRE. Get the highest quality reports and subscribers only that are too important to ignore. Register Today.
