5 Best Pet Cameras

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After 12 hours of research evaluating 65 products, we picked Petcube Play 1080p Video as our top choice.

Here's a scenario every pet owner is familiar with: you come home after a long day of work to find your house/apartment trashed by your nervous, hyperactive, or hungry pet. Pet anxiety is a very common problem. After all, your pets (dogs, especially) want to spend all day running, jumping, playing, and cuddling with you.

There's lots of pet gear you can buy to make your pet's life more comfortable. An automatic pet feeder will keep them from getting hungry. A comfy pet bed gives them a warm, cozy place to sleep. And there are lots of products to keep your dog "cool". All you're missing is a way to stay in communication with them.

A pet camera gives you a way to keep an eye on your pooch all day long. Some allow you to dispense treats, while others make it possible for you to talk to them. A pet camera can keep your pet calm and happy!

Looking for a camera that will help you to stay in touch with your pets? We've done the research to bring you the best pet camera options. Check out our list below to find all of the best pet cameras.

Why trust us: Faveable has spent thousands of hours researching, interviewing experts, and testing products to come up with carefully selected lists trusted by millions of consumers since 2013.

Best Pet Camera for Playful Pets

Pawbo Wi-Fi Pet Camera

Get from Pawbo

128 Bought

Why People Love it

Hear and speak with your pets anytime during the day, from anywhere in the world
Great for taking pictures and video to share to Facebook, Twitter, and G+
Excellent customer service; durable device

ProsCons

Two-way audio, 720p camera, live streaming, video recording feature, makes sharing to social media easy, setup is simple, built-in laser dot chasing game, multiple sound effects, and dispenses treats.

Image and sound clarity suffer and the device features limited camera functions.

Details

Performance: This is a simple pet camera to set up. The instructions are clear, and the camera should connect to your WiFi within a few minutes. Once you've downloaded the app to your smartphone, it's a simple matter of running the app and setting your preferences for the camera.

The quality of the image and video isn't as good as our top-rated Fave, and the sound quality suffers slightly (echo-heavy and slightly tinny). However, the pictures taken are of decent quality, and the app is designed to make sharing your videos and images to social media a breeze.

Features: If you have a pet who needs a lot of playtime and attention, you'll love this pet camera. The built-in laser dot game allows you to control the laser via your smartphone. You can spend many happy hours playing with your pet, and you can dispense a treat, talk to them via two-way audio, and snap pictures of them having fun. It's great for active pets who get nervous if you're away for too long.

There is also a feature that allows you to trigger animal noises from the camera. It can hold your pet's attention or stop them from getting into the garbage/scratching the furniture. The food dispenser is fairly small, but it dispenses a wide range of dry food, treats, and even some medications.

Price: At $200, this is one of the pricier pet cameras on our list. It's definitely not the best of the best, but it's ideal for owners of active, playful pets who need to run around throughout the day.

Learn more:Pawbo Wi-Fi Pet Camera »

Most Versatile Pet Cam

Feed and Go Automatic Pet Feeder

Get from Amazon

107 Bought

Why People Love it

Gives you control of treats, food, and medication while away
Keeps both wet and dry food fresh for 24-48 hours
Easy to operate from your smartphone

ProsCons

Has compartments for six different treats or medication, food stays sealed and fresh for 48 hours, allows you to send a message to your pet, easily controlled via smartphone or home PC, setup is easy, reliable connection, solid construction

No mobile app, iffy speaker and camera quality

Details

Performance:

If you have a dog who needs regular medication and feeding, this is the perfect cross between a medication dispenser, treat launcher, and food bowl. The 6 compartments hold a variety of pills, treats, Kibble, and even wet dog food. When the time comes for your pet to eat, you can dispense it via the web-based operating system. There is no app, so you have to do everything via a web page.

The camera built into the feeder is iffy at best, and the speaker quality leaves a lot to be desired. This is not the pet camera for those who want high resolution images of their pet doing adorable things. Instead, it's the camera ideal for anyone who wants to make sure their pet is eating and taking their medication.

Features:

The pet camera does NOT offer two-way audio—instead, it allows you to play a pre-recorded message to calm your anxious pet down. The camera and speaker features are basic, but you will find the setup of the camera (including connecting to WiFi) and the user interface are both very simple.

The various food compartments are sealed for maximum freshness. The construction is solid overall, making it ideal even for larger dogs. Sadly, there is no night vision, and the web-based app won't let you know when the feeder is empty.

Price:

At $180, this is a fairly pricey pet camera, especially given its low audio and camera quality. However, it's ideal for owners of pets that need to take medications or eat throughout the day.

Learn more:Feed and Go Automatic Pet Feeder »

Best Security Pet Camera

Zmodo Pivot

Get from Amazon

471 Bought

Why People Love it

Easy to set up and connect to WiFi; reliable connection
Great as both pet camera and home security system
Affordable, decent quality of video and image, and long-lasting

ProsCons

Compatible with home security systems, 1080p HD video, 360-degree field of view, door and window sensors included, Bluetooth speaker, reliable connection, built-in motion detection, two-way audio, and no monthly fees.

Motion sensor is a bit over-sensitive, and the software and updates are reportedly problematic.

Details

Performance: If you want to buy a pet camera that can double as a home security camera, this is the one for you! Thanks to its 1080p HD camera, 360-degree field of view, and built-in motion sensor, you can keep an eye on your home. The app will give you readings on the room temperature and humidity, enabling you to turn up the A/C or heating if it gets too hot/cold.

The motion sensor is a bit over-sensitive, so you may have to turn it down to avoid receiving notifications every time your dog or cat walks around. However, the connection is highly reliable and the app is easy to use. You'll find set-up is a breeze, even connecting the device to your WiFi network or to your smartphone's Bluetooth connection (for playing music).

Features: The camera comes with 16 GB of internal storage space, allowing you to record video to watch later. Sadly, the storage can't be expanded, but you can transfer video to your computer or mobile devices to free up storage space.

The built-in speaker allows you to talk to your dog, and your dog can answer back via the two-way audio. The camera can actually scan the room from side to side, giving you a full view of your home (and any messes made while you were away).

Bonus: the camera comes with a door and window sensor to add to your home security system.

Price: At $100, this is a beautiful combination of a pet camera and security camera. It's also the most affordable solution on our list!

Learn more:Zmodo Pivot »

Best Dog Camera and Treat Dispenser

Petzi Treat Cam

Get from Amazon

149 Bought

Why People Love it

Talk to your pet throughout the day, no matter where you are
Give them a treat/food to keep them happy
Great for smaller dogs, and very useful for training pets

ProsCons

Decent quality camera, dispenses treats to your pet, one-way audio speaker, easy to share photos to social media, and incredibly easy to use.

Only compatible with certain treats and not the most durable camera.

Details

Performance: If you've got a small dog with separation anxiety, this is the perfect pet camera to use! Not only can you see what your pet is up to (via the pet camera), but you can talk to them and even dispense treats.

The camera isn't the best quality on the market, but it does take good pictures, captures decent quality video, and comes with features that make it easy to upload your content to social media. If you love sharing pictures of your pet doing adorable things, it's a great choice.

The Wi-Fi connection must be very stable, or some users have reported troubles with the connection. However, it's an easy device to set up and use, and the audio is high-quality enough that your pet will recognize your voice.

Features: The main selling point of this dog camera is the treat dispenser. You can set it to launch a treat for the dog to chase. However, the dispenser only holds a certain type of treats. You'll have to buy those treats specifically.

The audio is one-way, meaning only you can talk. However, the Petzi will make a sound when the camera is turning on, alerting the dog that you're going to talk to them. It's great to keep pets with separation anxiety calm.

Note: the treat dispenser isn't going to survive a full-on assault by a hyperactive or large dog looking for treats, so make sure to use it only with smaller dogs.

Price: At $170, this is one of the better-priced pet cameras on our list. The camera quality may not be the best, but it's great for those who want to give their pets treats and keep in touch with them all day long.

Learn more:Petzi Treat Cam »

Best Pet Camera Overall

Petcube Play 1080p Video

Get from Amazon

527 Bought

Why People Love it

High quality, reliable, and functional pet camera
Excellent image and audio quality; two-way talk feature is great
Night vision kicks in immediately

ProsCons

Sleek, beautiful, wide-angle lens; HD camera captures photos and video; compatible with iOS and Android; and features two-way audio and laser pointer to talk to and play with your pet.

Camera delay is noticeable and set-up can be challenging.

Details

Performance: Petcube is the market leader for pet cameras, so is it any surprise that their 1080p HD camera model tops our list? Not only do you get high quality video, but the image quality is superb. There is a slight delay on the video, but the images and video are crisp, clear, and free of the fuzziness common with older Petcube models and competing products.

The set-up is designed to be easy, though more than a few users have reported difficulties connecting it to their Wi-Fi. However, the app is beautifully easy to use on your smartphone (iOS and Android), with features that make it easy to share the content you capture. As long as you have a reliable internet connection at home, your Petcube Play will always be on!

Features: First off, there's no denying that the 1080p HD video camera is the main selling point of this pet camera. The camera includes reliable night vision, as well as a 138-degree wide angle lens and a 3x digital zoom. Thanks to its image and video quality, you can capture videos and pictures of your cats and dogs doing adorable things when they're home alone.

The two-way talk feature allows you to stay in touch with your pets while you're away. And this model is designed for you to play with your pet using the built-in laser pointer. It's definitely more for cats than dogs. The autoplay mode will keep the laser pointer moving around so your pet chases it and gets their exercise during the day.

Price: $200 is a bit of a steep price to pay for a pet camera, but wait until you see it in action! Once you get a glimpse of the high quality video and audio and spend time talking and playing with your pet, you'll never regret it.

Learn more:Petcube Play 1080p Video »

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