We Found the Best Pet Camera on the Market Today

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Here at Country Living, we love our pets (we have a whole Pet Lab to prove it!), and we understand it can be hard to leave them home alone, whether you're gone for a few hours or a few days. Our office is dog-friendly, but when we do have to be apart from our beloved four-legged friends, we turn to technology and pet cameras.

I enlisted the help of my fellow editors to test out some popular pet cameras and keep an eye on our pups while we're away from home, and these are five we can recommend with confidence. We evaluated them based on ease of setup, app integration, camera quality, and extra features. These high-tech devices make a great gift for the pet-lover in your life, but you'll want to do your homework first.

360° Dog Camera

My family has had so much fun trying out the Furbo camera. After using it for several months, it has become one of those gadgets I can not live without. My boisterous mutt Smith stays home during the day, and I love checking on him to see what he's up to.

I tried it for the first time when I was on vacation, and I didn't give Smith the chance to acclimate to it. I placed it in the living room where he spends most of his time, but the noise of the camera rotating and even my voice caused him to get up and move to a different location. When I got home, I helped him get comfortable with it.

The Furbo shoots out treats, and has two-way audio. I have been really impressed by the video quality and notifications (although I turned off barking dog alert because he barks...a lot). The camera has had an unexpected security benefit. One time when I was out of town, my son noticed on the camera that our front door seemed to be open. I was able to rotate the camera and confirm what he suspected: Our dog sitter left the front door wide open!

As you might expect from the name, the Furbo 360° rotates, which I find to be a very helpful feature. It gives me a great view of the room. The camera is powered by an electrical cord, so you'll need to keep that in mind for placement. It is the most expensive camera on our list, but I find it to be well worth the cost.

A view of Smith through the Furbo 360.

Indoor Camera 360°

If you're looking for a budget-friendly option, it's hard to beat the Roku indoor camera. The company best known for its streaming devices makes an impressive line of inexpensive home cameras, including the Indoor Camera 360. While it doesn't toss out treats like other cameras, it has done a great job of helping me keep an eye on my dog.

The 360 model has automatic motion tracking for people and pets, and you can manually control the camera from the app. I placed it in my living room, and was able to pan for a complete view of the space.

The Roku app allows you to adjust your notifications and motion sensitivity. I had to make some adjustments to avoid being overloaded by notifications. Plus, you can easily add more cameras to your home and monitor them in the Roku app (a stationary camera is just $21.99).

Roku offers an optional Smart Home subscription, that gives you motion and sound recording and storage for up to 14 days, smart detection, and package detection. A new device comes with a free trial, and after that the subscription starts at $3.99 a month.

Smith on the Roku camera with night vision

Bites 2 Lite

The Petcube camera is easy to set up with step-by-step instructions and our tester, Country Living Deputy Art Director Emma Gray Pitt, found the app to be easy to get the hang of. Emma explains, "Video and audio on the app were surprisingly great! I was also happy that the audio on the device itself could be turned up loud enough for my almost 16-year old dog Henry to hear."

Emma chose to turn off sound alerts because her dog isn't much of a barker, and she found the customizable motion alerts to be helpful. She said, "For both motion and sound, you can set it to alert you immediately, or once every 3 minutes, 15 minutes… up to every 4 hours. If multiple events happen in the span of time you choose, they’ll be put into one notification. However, since the free subscription only allows live video, you can’t go back and see what actually happened."

The Petcube Bites 2 Lite also has the option to toss treats at your pet, which Emma used to reward her dog throughout the day, but the camera does not move so it needs to be in just the right spot. Emma said, "I set it on a 2 foot-tall-box, but that’s not much of a permanent solution. Once I officially commit to where I want it, I do think I’ll mount it to the wall for the best view."

Petcube has other options, including the Petcube camera and Petcube 360, which allow you to adjust the camera to point up or down but don't have the treat option. Emma added the basic Petcube camera to her home and placed it where she could watch her dog in one of his favorite spots.

Emma found that the Petcube cameras are more affordable than what her home security company charges for indoor camera, and they have as good (if not better) quality video. Petcube offers an optional subscription ($9.99/month) that allows the user to record and stores videos throughout the day, but she did not find that to be a necessary addition.

View of Henry through the Petcube

Emma's Petcube setup

2K Pet Camera

Commerce Editor Hannah Jones is our resident dog expert. The mom of two rescues, Lottie and Bailey, tested out the eufy 2K Pet Camera. Hannah found it easy to set up using the app, which shows you your treat storage and allows access to the camera.

According to Hannah, "The video and audio quality are excellent. The camera follows movement, a feature I really like." Like most of our testers, Hannah decided to limit notifications because she was getting so many, but fortunately the app gives you a good bit of control on that front. Hannah explains, "You can select whether to be notified for pet motion, human motion, or both, but I don’t think that the person vs. pet is 100% accurate. I get notified of pet movement a lot when it’s just my husband or I walking around."

The eufy has a treat tossing feature, which Hannah says is her favorite thing about it. She says, "You don’t need a specific brand of treats. Sometimes the camera tosses out one, and sometimes three, so it keeps my pups guessing and can be a fun game. The noise also doesn’t scare my dog. You can even direct exactly where you want the treat thrown."

The camera on the eufy can move manually, and it follows movement automatically. Hannah says, "I’m fairly impressed with the field of view. I don’t have the largest living room, but I was surprised to see that the lens is super wide-view, so you can see an almost uninhibited 180-degree view."

The eufy records any noise or movement in case you miss a notification and has a treat dispenser, two really nice features.

HomeHawk Window Camera

HomeHawk is an excellent choice if your pet spends a lot of time outside. This window-mount camera will keep an eye on any activity in your yard and send you a motion notification.

The camera is very easy to install. The instructions give you two options, one for permanent installation and one for temporary. Once you choose your window (it needs to be within range of an electrical outlet), you simply attach the camera with suction for a temporary solution. If you'd like to adhere it permanently, there are adhesive strips included. I found the suction installation to be very helpful, because I could move the camera around to determine the best view. The instructions warn that the suction cups will need to be replaced every three months.

You can customize the notifications in the app to detect any motion, a person, or no motion. I tried "any motion" at first and found it to be too sensitive—I was getting an alert any time a squirrel walked by. Instead, I switched to "person," which is sensitive enough to pick up my 65-pound dog. Owners of smaller pets might need to experiment with that setting.

The camera will record upon motion detection or 24/7, but note that it requires a micro SD Card, which is not included. The camera has impressive night vision, and I can easily see my black dog at nighttime.

Smith on HomeHawk App Notification

Stick Up Cam

If you have a Ring doorbell or are just looking for a camera, opt for the Ring Stick Up Cam. This rechargeable battery-powered camera does an excellent job of detecting motion and sending notifications. The camera has impressive 1080 HD video with night vision.

This is not a pet camera, but I have found it to be just as useful. It has motion detection, live video, and app alerts. It simply doesn't have the additional features like treat tossing, but it it does offer two-way audio.

I was nervous about having a battery-powered device at first, but the charge lasts for a few months and recharges quickly. It is a benefit to have a battery-powered camera in case of power outages, plus you aren't limited to locations close to an outlet (this camera mounts to the wall).

Ring has an optional subscription plan. I opted for the Basic plan. For $4.99 a month (or $49.99 a year) you are able to record video on one device, which I find to be a worthwhile security feature.

What to Consider When Shopping for a Pet Camera

There are endless bells and whistles for pet cameras, so you need to consider what you're hoping to get out of it. If you just want to peek in on your pup, a straightforward camera will do. If you already have cameras in your house or a video doorbell, consider shopping from the same brand for seamless integration. But if you're hoping to speak to your dog while you're out of the house or even toss some treats his way, you'll want to try something specifically designed for pets.

Camera Placement:

The placement of the camera is key, and it might take some time to get it just right. My dog Smith spends most of his time in the living room near the front door, so I chose to place the camera on a small table near the door and windows. I also highly recommend spending some time testing the camera while you are home with your dog. I made the mistake of setting up the Furbo 360 and then heading out on vacation, and I quickly discovered that the noise of the camera moving and the treats flying out at him and even the sounds of my voice caused him to get up and leave the room. When I was back home, I spent some time reassuring him while the camera was operating to get him acclimated to it.

App notifications:

The pet cameras have barking dog alerts, and you might find out that your dog barks a lot. The camera can also sense loud noises like a (human) sneeze as a dog bark, so you might consider disabling that feature in the app. Some cameras, like the Roku, have sensitivity settings so you can adjust the alerts you're getting. It may take a bit of time to get it just right.

Subscription fees:

If you want to record footage of your pet and store it, you may need to pay a subscription fee, depending on the camera. It's often just a few dollars a month, but be sure to factor that in when considering price.

Security:

For any device that connects to your home Wi-Fi, make sure you have a strong password to reduce the risk of a hack, and keep the device updated. Consider keeping the camera turned off when you are at home.

What is the difference between a pet camera and a security camera?

The main difference between pet cameras and security cameras is the fun factor: Security cameras don't offer interactive extras like treat tossing. Many security cameras offer two-way audio, so you can use them to interact when your pets when you're away. Some security cameras offer alarms to startle intruders—a feature you would not want to use for your pet.

More of Our Top Products for Pets:

We've rounded up all of the best cameras and toys for your furry friends, thanks to our Pet Lab. A few more favorites:

• The Best Chicken Coop Cameras

• Automatic Litter Boxes

• Indestructible Dog Toys

• Best Bird Feeder Cameras

How We Tested

Here at Country Living, we are passionate about our pets. We set up pet cameras in our homes to keep an eye on our dogs and cats and evaluated the products based on price, audio and visual quality, app notifications, and fun extras like treat tossing. Our editors lived with the products for several weeks and checked on our pets regularly (we know, it's a tough job!) before giving our recommendations.

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