Pet parents have always wondered what their beloved cats and dogs get up while out. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pet owners got to stay home a great deal more with their fur babies – this was fantastic for dogs. Less so for the greater cat population of Earth, who were greatly inconvenienced by their owners being home. All. The. Time.
Now that life has resumed, not only are we missing our furry companions that we now have to leave at home, but they're experiencing more significant separation anxiety than ever before.
Enter the pet camera! They've been around for a while. Handy little cameras that allow you to spy ... ahem... check in on your pets when you're away. I constantly check on my cat when I'm not home because I know he gets anxious when we're out for a long time.
But how do you choose the best pet camera? Just the camera? What about pet cameras with treat dispensers? What are all the things you need to consider? Read on as we compare two popular models: Petcube Bites 2 Lite and Furbo 360° Dog Camera.
Read more: Pet Treat Cameras: a Hit for You and your Pet!
Content:
- Furbo 360 Dog Camera: technical specs
- Petcube Bites 2 Lite: technical specs
- Pros and Cons
- Customer reviews and influencer content
- Extra services
- Comparison Table
- Final thoughts
Furbo 360 Dog Camera: technical specs
This dog camera allows you to see, talk to, and toss treats for your doggy pal while you're out. 15-second video clips are saved within the Cloud Recordings so you can look back at the day's happenings.
Set-Up Process
Setting up your Furbo 360° dog camera is a pretty straightforward experience. Choose where you want the pet feeder camera to sit, stick it down, plug in the power cable, and you're ready to go.
Choosing the correct location for your pet camera treat dispenser is crucial. You'll need to adhere the device to a surface to ensure it can't be knocked over, spilling all the treats, so be sure of the location before sticking it down. In addition, to make the most of the 360° rotation of the camera, you’ll need to place the camera somewhere central within the space.
Video Quality/Night Vision
The Furbo pet feeder camera offers HD quality, a 132-degree wide-angle lens, and automatic infrared and color night vision. The pet feeder camera can zoom up to 4x.
Two-Way Communication
The pet camera treat dispenser has a built-in mic and speaker to allow you to talk to your pup and also hear what's going on at home while you aren't there.
Additional features include a customized snack call, automatic barking detection, and alerts with customizable detection sensitivity.
Alerts
Real-time alerts are delivered to your phone, so you always know what's happening at home. Alerts include barking, dog activity, and home emergency alerts.
Treats Tossing
The Furbo 360° dog camera can hold up to 100 treats in its reservoir to dispense to your pup. In addition to this smaller treat capacity when compared to the Petcube, you’re quite limited in terms of the treats you choose as they need to be round-shaped and roughly 1 cm or 0.4 inches in diameter.
To prevent your puppy from knocking over the pet feeder camera and making off with all the treats, we recommend placing the Furbo at a height that will deter your dog from trying to knock the unit over. In addition, there's the 3M sticky bottom to keep it upright (and very stuck to your furniture) and a bamboo lid to keep the treats safe.
Petcube Bites 2 Lite: technical specs
A smart pet camera and treat dispenser that allows you to stay connected to your pet wherever you are. A great way to enjoy peace of mind while you're away and still be there for your cats and dogs so they don't miss you too much.
Set-Up Process
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite setup is as simple as it gets. From unboxing to up-and-running is a matter of mere minutes. Plug it in, download the app to your phone, connect the device to your home Wi-Fi, and you're ready!
Regarding the placement of the pet camera treat dispenser, you can place it on a table or shelf or hang it on the wall using the supplied mounting kit.
Video Quality/Night Vision
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite outputs 1080p HD video and photos. The pet camera offers a 160-degree wide-angle view to cover most of the room and automatically switches to night vision in low light. When it comes to zoom, this trumps the Furbo with 8x digital zoom.
Two-Way Communication
With two-way communication, the Petcube pet camera allows you to talk to and hear your pet. The output to your pet is natural and life-like, so they'll instantly recognize your voice and feel like you're in the room. This is great for pets that suffer from anxiety.
Alerts
Real-time notifications let you know what's happening at home while you're not there. In addition to detecting your pet's movements, the Petcube Bites 2 Lite also recognizes barking and meowing (which makes this a great pet camera for cats) and alerts you.
Treats Tossing
With the Petcube Bites 2 Lite, you can toss treats for your pet remotely using your phone. You can control how many treats and even how far to throw them, offering some variety and added stimulation for your fur babies.
If you're busy and need to keep your pets occupied for a bit, set the pet camera treat dispenser to autoplay.
The treat container on the Petcube Bites 2 Lite is detachable and dishwasher-safe for added convenience and hygiene. The treat capacity is much bigger in the Petcube device, and can also accommodate bigger treat diameters of up to 1 inch.
Pros and Cons
The Furbo and Petcube devices are made from plastic, but there are some key differences here. We've mentioned that the Furbo 360° dog camera requires industrial strength adhesive to ensure your pet doesn't 'break in' to the device or knock it over.
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite is sleek and entirely pet-proof and offers a wall mounting option if you suspect your pet may try to get in.
Both the Furbo and the Petcube Bites 2 Lite work with Alexa.
When it comes to treats, the Petcube camera outshines the Furbo with a significantly larger treat capacity. In addition, the Petcube Bites 2 Lite can handle treats of varying sizes whereas the Furbo is limited to smaller-sized treats.
One more benefit of the Petcube device is that you’re able to adjust the force with which treats are dispensed – throw them further or nearer to keep your pets entertained and stimulated.
Security is paramount when it comes to having a pet camera treat dispenser in our homes. The Petcube Bites 2 Lite follows all the best industry practices. Data transmission is performed via proven TLS protocol with 128-bit encryption.
Both Furbo and Petcube work through mobile apps that are compatible with both iOS and Android, yet the Petcube app features an much more efficient and easier-to-use design.
Customer reviews and influencer content
When it comes to Furbo vs Petcube, let's see what the customer reviews say:
Petcube Bites 2 Lite Reviews:
Awesome product
As with many pets, ours got very attached and used to always having us around during quarantine. But with life slowly returning to normal, more and more often they are left home alone for a couple hours. The PetCube has been great in helping us stay in touch and training our furry friends to stay independent and playful while we are away. Our kitty loves his treats and affection so this was a good addition for him. He likes to hang around it now during the day and he wants a break from the sun 🙂 The design is nice and looks very clean, and the color is neutral and looks good with pretty much anything. Great quality product.
Worth the money!
Works amazing! Was super easy to set up. Picture quality is great. Has all the features of the expensive cameras that dispense treats without the expensive price tag!
Furbo Dog Camera Reviews:
Finally peace of mind..
I was always concerned about leaving my puppy home alone because he will cry a lot. When I got Furbo, things got much better! Furbo sent me notifications to my phone when he was crying, so I would log on and talk to him right away. This changed everything!! My puppy knows I'm always there, so his separation anxiety is getting better. I feel much more relieved!
One Happy Dog Mom
I have 7 dogs and most are seniors, so I need to know what is going on throughout the day in case someone is sick. Furbo is PAWSOME! I love the clarity and I know what is going on with the notifications to my phone. I can see them anytime I want and see that they are OK! Peace of mind is everything!
Extra services
What about add-ons? Let's compare the added extras of each pet camera treat dispenser.
Petcube Care
Your Petcube Bites 2 Lite camera comes with a 14 days trial of Petcube Care. There are two levels to choose from: Optimal ($3.99/month on an annual subscription) and Premium ($9.99/month on a yearly subscription).
The plans offer extended video history, smart alerts, a web interface, video downloads, and smart filters. Choose the plan that meets your needs best.
Petcube Online Vet and Emergency Fund
Petcube offers an exceptional pet insurance alternative in the form of the Pet Emergency Fund. This service is there to take care of any emergency treatment your pet may need for less than $1 a day.
The emergency fund can protect up to six pets in a single plan without any exclusions based on breed, age, or medical history.
$29 a month is all you'll need to ensure that in any life-threatening situation for your pet, you'll have access to up to $3000 in cover for your vet bills.
Not only that, but included in this, you'll have 24/7 access to a team of online veterinarians via Online Vet who is on hand to answer any and all pet-related questions you may have.
Read more: Things You Should Know Before Buying Pet Insurance & Comparison Table
Furbo Dog Nanny
The Furbo Dog Nanny extends the Furbo 360° Dog Camera's abilities to include real-time alerts, recordings, and highlights video of your dog's day. For $6.99, you'll receive alerts when your dog barks, when the motion sensors pick up movement by your dog and another human, and other emergency alerts.
Comparison table
Final thoughts
For the most part, the Petcube and Furbo are very similar, with a handful of key differences. The zoom on the Petcube Bites 2 Lite is almost double that of the Furbo, and the Petcube offers one key element that isn't mentioned at all in the Furbo – security and encryption. The Petcube app is well-designed and super easy to use.
The Furbo's paid subscription offers a daily Doggie Diary, a fun "highlights package" of your dog's day, and a motion-detected selfie function. That said, the Petcube Care options offer two subscription tiers that you can choose from to suit your needs.
Petcube's camera options really stand out for me because you can connect multiple cameras to a single account – ideal if you wish to cover more than one room in your house or if you're keeping an eye on multiple pets. When it comes to dispensing treats, in my opinion, Petcube is miles ahead.
Not only do you have greater flexibility with treat sizes and types, but you're also able to control the number of treats dispensed and the distance they're thrown. Also, you can set treats to dispense automatically.
When choosing between Petcube and Furbo, you won't be disappointed either way. It will likely come down to your personal preference at the end of the day, but we'd say that the Petcube Bites 2 Lite is a stronger contender based on costs, value, and functionality. Not only does the Petcube Bites 2 feature superior hardware and software, but it’s more affordable too.
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