The Best Pet Cameras of 2019

Why trust Lifestyle Pets?

We invest our time and energy researching, analyzing and testing products in order to recommend the best choices for most consumers. All products are bought with our own funds, never accepting freebies from manufacturers.

How we decided

Every product we review is purchased with our own funds. No freebies are ever accepted from product manufacturers.

• 32 Models Considered
• 11 Hours Researched
• 2 Experts Interviewed
• 54 Consumers Consulted

Easing Your Mind with a Pet Camera

Last Updated September 2019

Occasionally, our pets might be out of our site, specifically when we have to be away from home. As soon as you leave home, you may be wondering what your dog may be up to. Is he barking like crazy, wanting you to come home? Is he laying around, staring at the front door the entire time? Did he invite his friends over and throw a doggie party? Wouldn’t it be nice to know?

Having a pet camera can help you keep tabs on your dog while you are at works. You may just want a simple way to watch your pet while they are eating their dinner. On the other hand, you may want a fancy model that dispenses treats and allows you to communicate with Fido.

When you are able to see what your pets are up to when you are not around, this may help to relieve separation anxiety of you and your pets. Once you get an idea of what your pet does when he is by himself, you will learn more about him. This promotes a closer relationship with your pet.

Pet Camera Features

Viewing angle is one specification that varies from one camera to another. This means how wide of a shot each camera can give you. If you have a doggie that stays in one spot most of the day, a narrow shot may be all that you need. However, if you have a rambunctious little kitty that bounces around your house all day long, you may need a wider view.

Two-Way Talk

Watching your pets is nice, but you also may enjoy interacting with them even more. If this is the case, look for a feature called two-way talk. These cameras have a microphone and speaker, so that you can talk to your dog on the phone and say things like, “how is my sweet little puppy today?” or “don’t worry, mommy will be home soon!” Or, if you see your pup doing something he isn’t supposed to do, you could tell him to stop it. Some pet cameras go a little bit further by having a screen that shows your face to your pet while you are talking to him or her.

Night Vision

Do you work the graveyard shift? If so, your pets will be home alone at night. In this case, you may be interested in finding a pet cam that has night vision. Even if the lighting is very low, this will allow you to see at least a few feet in front of the camera. Although the image with be in black and white, you will able to see what is going on with your pet.

Motion and Sound Alerts

Perhaps you only want to know when your pet is active. You might just want to know when your pet is trotting into the kitchen to eat, or when he or she is running around the house. Some cameras offer sound and motion alerts for this purpose. An app on your smartphone lets you know when your pet is active or making noises.

Memory Storage

Perhaps your day was too busy to keep tabs on your pet. You may want to go back later and see how their day went. This is why your pet camera needs to have memory storage. There are three different storage options:

• An internal flash memory: this is built-in, and can’t be expanded later
• An SD memory card lets you choose the amount of storage that you want
• Cloud-based services store your images and video on a remote server

A Great App is Important

The app interface is very important to the experience you will have with your pet cam. It is the way that you will communicate and control your camera at home. These apps are usually free, so this means you can try them out before you invest in a specific pet cam. Keep in mind that your pet camera may need WiFi in order to work.