The Best Pet Camera of 2023
By Linus Tan
Published Feb 2023
Have you ever wondered what your pets do when you're away from home? Pet cameras make it easy to check in on your furry friends, so you can rest assured that they're safe and sound. We've compiled a list of the best pet cameras in the market to give you peace of mind over your precious babies.
Best Overall: Petcube Bites 2 Lite
✓ Interactive treat dispenser
✓ 160° wide angle view
✓ Full HD video & night vision
✓ Smart AI pet detection
Best for Cat Owners: Petcube Play 2
✓ Interactive laser
✓ 160° wide angle view
✓ Full HD video & night vision
✓ Smart AI pet detection
Best for Dog Owners: Furbo 360 Dog Camera
✓ Interactive treat dispenser
✓ 360° pan view
✓ Full HD video & night vision
✓ Colour-changing indicator light
Best Alternative: Wyze Cam Pan v3
✓ 360° pan and 180° tilt
✓ Full HD video & colour night vision
✓ Automatic motion tracking
✓ Budget-friendly
#1 Best Overall: Petcube Bites 2 Lite
Petcube Bites 2 Lite
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite checks all the boxes. Not only do you get high-quality video and two-way audio, but there's also a night vision mode and a treat dispenser, all of which can be controlled using your smartphone. It is also the budget-friendly option of Petcube's top-of-the-line, Petcube Bites 2, meaning you get all the great features at a fraction of the price due to its more affordable material design.
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite is a tall treat dispenser with an interchangeable duct on the top half for different-sized treats. The bottom half houses the camera, speaker grille, microphone, and treat dispenser door. It is powered by a 6.5-foot USB cable and power adapter, both of which come included with purchase. For safety, it is recommended to wall mount the camera to prevent your pets from knocking it over.
Petcube Bites 2 Lite
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite has a 160-degree lens, 1080p resolution and a handy pinch-to-zoom 8x digital zoom. Wherever you place the pet camera, you'll have a clear and wide view of the room you're watching with a tap on the smartphone app. It also has a built-in night vision which presents a monochrome view of what's going on at home. What’s great about Petcube is that they have specialised in AI detection of motion and sound for pets to let you stay alerted of any events that happen at home.
Thanks to the built-in speaker and microphone, the Petcube Bites 2 Lite allows you to communicate with your pet if you're not there. While the camera doesn't have a laser pointer for your pets, the Petcube Bites 2 Lite has a fun treat-dispensing function to make up for it. Instead of dispensing a treat, the camera flings the treat a few feet away, a great method to keep your furry friends engaged.
In order to access to video history and unlimited video downloads, you will have to subscribe to Petcube Care at a monthly fee. This may be a drawback for some but the subscription is an add-on service that you do not have to sign up for if it is not needed.
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite remains the top option for pet cameras which it’s rich feature set and affordable price point.
Petcube Bites 2 Lite
Best Overall
✓ Interactive treat dispenser
✓ 160° wide angle view
✓ Full HD video & night vision
✓ Smart AI pet detection
#2 Best for Cat Owners: Petcube Play 2
Petcube Play 2
The Petcube Play 2 is a fun way to keep an eye out on your cats. It's another pet camera from the Petcube range. It has an interactive laser which entices both owners and cats alike. Plus, this laser can be automated to start so your pets will be entertained while you're away. Keep in mind that the laser doesn't move entirely smoothly but this doesn't seem to bother most cats. One thing to note is that the laser doesn't work as well in areas where there is a lot of natural light.
Unlike most pet cameras, most users have remarked that the Petcube Play 2 looks more like a portable projector due to its squarish shape. You can easily set it atop a surface or mount it to a wall in your preferred area. Just plug it in through USB-C and you're good to go.
Petcube Play 2
Coming with full HD support and a wide-angle 160-degree lens, the Petcube Play 2 lets you see more of your home. However, in night vision mode, images appear softer even though there are enough details to make up your view. The Petcube Play 2 also has a four-microphone array to converse with your pets.
Though the Petcube Play 2 lets you view the camera's feed and plays an alert whenever people or pets are being watched, purchasing a subscription has bonuses like notifications, video clips, video downloads and clips that save automatically.
Petcube Play 2
Best for Cat Owners
✓ Interactive laser
✓ 160° wide angle view
✓ Full HD video & night vision
✓ Smart AI pet detection
#3 Best for Dog Owners: Furbo 360 Dog Camera
Furbo 360 Dog Camera
Other than a two-way audio and HD video capability, the Furbo 360 Dog Camera enables you to toss treats to your dog and even reinforce obedience training.
Consisting of a wide enough base and a secure lid that covers the treat storage compartment, the Furbo feels sturdy and well-made. It comes with a USB cable which many have praised because of its convenience to plug in wherever you want. With the camera is positioned towards the top as well as its panning base, you get a 360° field of view coverage to capture your entire room. Thanks to automatic infrared light, the Furbo 360 Dog Camera gives you clear night vision. It also has a microphone to get your dog's attention.
Furbo 360 Dog Camera
The Furbo 360 Dog Camera stands out as it has a clicker sound to reinforce training. Another cool feature is within the app, Furbo includes instructions to guide owners on how to get their pets used to the treat dispenser. Along with customising the sound of the dispenser to your voice, you're also actively involved in the treat tossing process by sliding your finger on an image on the live streaming view.
The colour-changing indicator light comes in useful. Thoughtfully designed, Furbo 360 uses a blue light (which means interactive mode is activated) and yellow light (which means sleep mode is activated), colours that dogs can see. Over time, your dog may learn that the blue light indicates you're there. Not forgetting a Barking Alert function which sends a notification to your smartphone when it detects your dog barking.
Furbo 360 Dog Camera
Best for Dog Owners
✓ Interactive treat dispenser
✓ 360° pan view
✓ Full HD video & night vision
✓ Colour-changing indicator light
#4 Best Alternative: Wyze Cam Pan v3
Wyze Cam Pan v3
Offering a wealth of features, the Wyze Cam Pan v3 is a great alternative if you're on a budget and looking for something more general with fewer pet features.
The Wyze Cam Pan v3 takes on an interesting stacked white cube design — the top cube being the camera and the bottom cube being the panning base. Once placed on top of a surface or mounted to the ceiling or wall, the Wyze is capable of doing a 360° pan and 180° tilt for total coverage of your home. If this is a concern, fear not. You have the ability to activate “Privacy Mode” which adjusts the camera 180° straight down, eliminating its field of view and turning off.
Wyze Cam Pan v3
This smart home camera from Wyze is feature-rich. Firstly, it has full HD daylight footage. Where the Wyze Cam Pan v3 shines is the colour night vision, made possible by the Starlight sensor. Additionally, its Automatic Motion Tracking is great at recognising movements even at the lowest setting so you can rest assured that it detects your pet. With it, you also get an 80 dB siren and clear two-way audio.
For video storage, inserting a microSD card into the Cam Pan v3 enables local storage. However, subscribing to the Wyze Cam Plus gives you an unlimited length of videos and a no-cool-down period between clips. Other bonus features include person, package, vehicle, pet and face detection.
Wyze Cam Pan v3
Best Alternative
✓ 360° pan and 180° tilt
✓ Full HD video & colour night vision
✓ Automatic motion tracking
✓ Budget-friendly
Compare Pet Cameras
Final Thoughts
If you're a pet owner, having a dedicated pet camera has probably crossed your mind. Whether you have a cat, dog or other pets, these smart home gadgets are sure to offer you great comfort through their wide range of features offered.
While you're at it, double up your home security with the best smart cameras as well.
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