The 6 Best Pet Cameras of 2024, Tested by PEOPLE

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The 6 Best Pet Cameras of 2024, Tested by PEOPLE

One of the hardest parts about being a pet owner is seeing their face in the door when you leave the house. Short of never leaving, or bringing them with you in a pet carrier, the cure to this heartbreak is being able to watch your pet from afar via a pet camera.

Experts Say

“Pet cameras are an extremely valuable tool for monitoring your pet while you’re away, or even just out of the room. We use them often when working with pets who suffer from separation-related distress. The voice and treat delivery features can be good for some dogs and contexts, but we don’t recommend them for helping with separation training.” — Lillian Ciardelli, ACAAB, applied animal behaviorist

Many of the latest models come with features so you can watch and speak to your dog throughout the day, throw treats, detect when they’re running around or barking, and much more. We picked 17 of the most popular pet cameras and tested them to see how well they would work for the average pet parent. We tested each model for ease of setup, performance, functionality of features, and overall value.

YI Technologies Dome Pet Camera
PHOTO: Amazon

Our Ratings

  • Ease of Setup

    5/5

  • Performance

    4/5

  • Functionality

    5/5

  • Design

    5/5

  • Value

    4.5/5

This camera is an affordable and well-designed device to watch your pets when you’re not home. We found it easy to plug in the device and set up the app. The camera had clear video quality as well as HD and SD options, plus features like 360-degree monitoring and night vision. The microphone also provides clear audio provided when speaking to your pet. The device is also super compact and portable. While it cannot be mounted, the camera exceeded our expectations — especially as a budget pick.

View: 360 degrees | Lens: 1080p wide angle | Treat Dispenser: No | Two-Way Audio: Yes | Dog Diary: No | Subscription: No | App: Yes | Special Features: Night vision, motion sensor

Furbo 360° Dog Camera
PHOTO: Amazon

Our Ratings

  • Ease of Setup

    5/5

  • Performance

    5/5

  • Functionality

    4/5

  • Design

    4/5

  • Value

    3/5

Editor’s note: The model we tested had a 160-degree view but has been replaced with a newer model with 360-degree mobility.

With a sleek design and features like motion- and bark-detection, two-way audio, and more, this little camera has it all. It took no time to set up, so we could play with the features right away. The treat dispenser was a highlight, throwing two to four treats out with each swipe on the app. The video and audio quality were also great, including the night vision.

The Furbo is sophisticated in design, but there’s no wall mounting support. If you opt for the standalone camera, it costs $210 (the most expensive on our list). However, you can also buy a bundle package with the base camera for $99 and the Dog Nanny Subscription (which lets you access videos of your dog throughout the day) for an additional $6.99 a month. Given all of the features and stunning design, we believe this is a great pet camera if you’re willing to invest.

View: 160 degrees | Lens: 1080p wide angle | Treat Dispenser: Yes | Two-way Audio: Yes | Dog Diary: Yes | Subscription: Yes | App: Yes | Special Features: Night vision, motion sensor, bark detection

Editors Say

“Since I moved to New York and our family’s dog lives in Florida, I’ll check the Furbo every now and then to catch a glimpse of her and see what she’s up to. It works well, but it does go offline occasionally and has to be restarted.”—Madison Yauger, shopping editor

WYZE Cam v3 with Color Night Vision
PHOTO: Amazon

While this security camera is basic in features, it offers resistance against inclement weather, making it ideal as an outdoor pet camera. The setup is completely done within the app — you just need Wi-Fi connectivity. This camera can record video and take photos, and the sound quality and other features like motion detection and night vision worked well, too. This model is mountable, very lightweight and compact, and can be adjusted to view different angles. If you do mount this camera outside, you’ll need to purchase the Wyze Outdoor Power Adapter.

View: Straightforward view | Lens: 1080p | Treat Dispenser: No | Two-Way Audio: Yes | Dog Diary: No | Subscription: No | App: Yes | Special Features: Color night vision, motion sensor, sound detection

Skymee Owl Robot
PHOTO: Amazon

Our Ratings

  • Ease of Setup

    4/5

  • Performance

    4/5

  • Functionality

    4/5

  • Design

    5/5

  • Value

    5/5

Using a remote control app, you can move this little robot camera around your home to see what your pet is up to. You can use pre-programmed movements to make the owl turn in different directions to entertain your pet. Compared to stationary cameras, this option can detect when your pet is near or even touching the camera. It has an easy setup: Simply download the app, scan a QR code, and the device connects automatically.

The rest of the features — two-way audio, motion detection, and treat dispenser — also performed well. There’s an option of attaching a cat stick to the front of the camera for added entertainment. While the video quality is great, if you move the owl camera around with the remote control, there’s a bit of a lag with the video timing.

Note: If your pet is anxious around devices, this might not be the right camera for them. We suggest seeing how they react to it while you’re home before leaving your pet alone.

View: N/A | Lens: 1080p | Treat Dispenser: Yes | Two-Way Audio: Yes | Dog Diary: No | Subscription: No | App: Yes | Special Features: Night vision, motion sensor, touch sensor

Kasa Indoor Pan/Tilt Smart Security Camera
PHOTO: Amazon

Our Ratings

  • Ease of Setup

    5/5

  • Performance

    4/5

  • Functionality

    5/5

  • Design

    4/5

  • Value

    4/5

With 360-degree views, this camera can be controlled through an app on your phone. We appreciated how quickly it connected to the Wi-Fi and its ease of setup. The design is sleek and compact, and the camera can either be set on a table or mounted. The night vision video quality was as clear, and the two-way audio microphone has adjustable sensitivity so you can modify it based on how noisy the area is. We liked the motion control feature on the app and how easy the camera was to move around. While some users report issues with connectivity and lagging, the camera still has all the basic features at a good price.

View: 360 degrees | Lens: 1080p | Treat Dispenser: No | Two-Way Audio: Yes | Dog Diary: No | Subscription: No | App: Yes | Special Features: Night vision, motion sensor, can connect to Alexa or Google devices

Amazon Blurams Security Camera
PHOTO: Amazon

Our Ratings

  • Ease of Setup

    5/5

  • Performance

    5/5

  • Functionality

    4/5

  • Design

    4/5

  • Value

    5/5

Star Qualities

  • Setup took less than five minutes

  • View up to four cameras on the app with premium video quality

  • Multiple mounting options

We collectively swooned over this simple and efficient security pet camera. We set the paired app up in less than five minutes after connecting to Wi-Fi. We appreciated the clear quality of the video and audio features (we could even hear the sounds of dogs barking nearby). We could easily see the dog moving around as well as their surroundings when using the night vision feature.

We expected a higher price considering all of the features that come with this pet camera. The notifications were almost instantaneous — it would be a good camera for security as well as watching your pet. Plus, the detailed notes about movement and time-stamped log make it easy to access all that information later. In addition, this device can connect to your smart devices so you can turn the lights on remotely — and other security measures — if the camera detects movement.

View: 360 degrees | Lens: 2k (2560p) | Treat Dispenser: No | Two-Way Audio: Yes | Dog Diary: No | Subscription: No | App: Yes | Special Features: Night vision, motion sensor

Add to Cart

While you’re shopping for pet cameras, consider adding the following PEOPLE-Tested favorite dog and cat supplies to your cart. We’ve dubbed them winners for their categories, so we feel confident you’ll love them.

What to Know About Pet Cameras

Function

The type of camera you purchase will depend on your and your pet’s needs. For instance, if you are primarily keeping an eye on your pet and house, then a security camera like the Wyze Cam V3 or the Kasa Indoor Security Camera would be a good option because these cameras can function as a pet and a home security camera. However, if you want extra features (like the ability to talk with your pets and throw treats), you might want a more well-rounded camera like the Furbo Dog Camera.

Treat Dispensing

You might love the idea of being able to send your pet a little treat when you’re away, but this feature’s success depends on your dog. “The treat dispensers are hit or miss,” says Ciardelli, who works with many animals at Behave Atlanta LLC. “Some pets can enjoy a treat or two while their owners are gone. However, highly food-driven pets may try to dismantle the camera to get the treats out or obsess and stay glued to the spot where treats come from.” If your pet is already used to an automatic pet feeder, then this shouldn’t be an issue.

The other side of this coin is when the pet is afraid of digital devices, so they run away when treats are dispensed. “If the pet is anxious about departures, it is unlikely to eat the treats anyway,” Ciardelli says. “Our goal is for pets to be relaxed while we are out of the house — not startled by a treat machine or vigilantly waiting for treats to be dispensed. The remote treat function can be a cool, creative training tool at other times (think dispensing treats to a dog behind a dog gate while the owner hosts a dinner party), it just shouldn’t be relied on to help pets cope with being left alone.”

Video Recording

Not all pet cameras have video recording capabilities, but many of the options on our list do. This feature, whether as a dog diary recap or as security footage sent to the cloud, can be a fun way to keep track of the comings and goings of your pet. For instance, with a Furbo, you can use the dog diary feature when traveling to see a recap of what your dog is up to throughout the day, rather than watching the feed constantly. This type of feature can also make for a good complement to a dog GPS tracker.

Some cameras have a specific feature that creates a summarized video of the day’s events, and others allow you to look through footage and save certain videos to an SD card or the cloud. The Furbo’s dog diary requires an additional subscription, but the other cameras on our list offer similar features at no extra cost.

Price

Pet cameras range a bit in terms of cost. While some options on our list run around $35 to $40, the Furbo Dog Camera will run you just shy of $200. Whatever your budget, there is a pet camera that will serve your needs without going above your limit.

PEOPLE / LETICIA ALMEIDA


Behind the Scenes

Using 17 of the top-rated pet cameras (and a cute stuffed animal dog), we simulated watching our pet from afar to see how well each device worked. Our team considered the ease of setup, overall performance of the camera, functionality of each feature, design, and value to determine which products were the best.

  • Ease of Setup: We used the included instructions to set up each camera, connect to Wi-Fi if applicable, and download the app to our phones.
  • Performance: We tested the cameras by looking at the audio and video quality and checking features like night vision by turning the lights off. Our team simulated barking using a sound audio clip and examined how well the camera picked up the noise and if it followed the movement of the “dog” and people in the space. 
  • Functionality of Features: For cameras that have treat dispensers, we tried that feature 10 times per camera to see how the functionality was and tested each additional feature, like the mobility of the owl camera.
  • Overall Value: After all testing, we considered the price and assigned a value to each pet camera, which led our team to choose our favorites included in this article.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Should you talk to your dog through the camera?

    While two-way audio can be a fun way to engage with your pet, this voice feature is not ideal for all dogs. “The voice feature can be startling and potentially confusing/frustrating because the owner isn’t physically there,” says Ciardelli. She says pet owners should use these cameras to observe rather than correcting behavior in the moment, and then just “create a better setup” next time to avoid any issues.

  • Do pet cameras record all the time?

    Yes and no. Technically, they can record 24/7, but most pet cameras are activated by motion detection, meaning they won’t actively record unless a person or your pet is walking through the room. Like all smart home devices, you want to make sure your Wi-Fi is secure to prevent potential hacks.

  • Where should you place a pet camera?

    “In terms of placement, place [the camera] where you have the best view of the areas your pet is likely to hang out (usually high up is best),” says Ciardelli. “The camera should be out of reach, especially if dispensing treats. Make sure the treats don’t launch onto a counter or skid under a table, otherwise you might come home to some destruction.”

Why Trust PEOPLE?

Madison Yauger is a shopping editor for PEOPLE who’s extensively covered dog supplies, dog collars, and other pet content. For this story, she interviewed an animal behaviorist to learn how pet behavior might be affected by the use of a pet camera. She also researched the pet camera market and used testing insights from our PEOPLE Tested lab to determine which pet cameras deserved a spot on our list. We looked at extra features, compared the video and audio quality, and evaluated how well each pet camera worked. 

What Is PEOPLE Tested?

We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.

But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.

In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.

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