If you spend any time away from your pet, you’ll likely miss them and wonder if they’re keeping out of trouble. If It’s not a bad idea to have some way to keep and eye on them and to that end, a smart pet monitoring camera for UK is a must buy.
Pets can be a bit, shall we say, naughty sometimes. (I’ve got a choc lab who is definitely a CHEWER!) And having a camera on them can help you prevent some damage.
There’s more to it than that though. You can install a simple Wifi camera into your home and do all kinds of things such as talk to your pet, which is great to calm them down if they’re distressed by a window cleaner or the doorbell going.
You can even throw them a treat by pressing a button on your phone. Or simply take some new snaps if they’re doing something worthy of Instagram. These spy cams are actually not that expensive, are easy to set up and there’s a pretty darn good selection on places like Amazon and other stores.
In this guide, we’ll look at the UK’s latest and greatest pet cams.
Quick version: the #1 smart pet camera in 2024 is the Furbo Dog Camera (Available on Amazon). A superb bit of kit with top quality HD video. As well as making sure your dog is safe, you can also dispense treats and interact with them easily using your smartphone.
Having a camera at home to keep an eye on your cat or dog home cameras can be especially useful when they’re puppies kittens or puppies too.
And the modern smart dog monitors can do a lot more than just see what your pet is up to. Thanks for the wonders of modern smart technology you can also interact with them live with your phone.
This guide will dive into everything you need to get set up with a new pet monitoring camera for the UK. Let’s get started.
A quick guide to UK pet monitoring cameras
If your family is anything like ours, it’s just not possible to have someone at home all the time with your pet. If you’re out for more than a couple of hours, it’s easy to start fretting about if they’re OK, or have decided to redecorate the kitchen / empty your waste bin all over the floor.
Getting a good pet camera is a good way to know what’s going on and even interact with your dog.
It doesn’t stop at cameras, a new breed of feeding stations like the Skymee pet feeder help you feed your pet, even when you’re away from home.
First up, how do these smart cams work?
WiFi is a wonderful thing and your home wireless network can be used for a lot more than catching up on the latest Netflix show. If you want to keep an eye on what your pet is up to, you’ll need to buy a standalone camera that has WiFi built-in and can connect to your home network.
You don’t need to be a networking wizard to get this thing up and running. Just about every smart pet monitor on the market has been designed to work out-of-the-box without any fussy setup that such gadgets used to have.
What can your new dog spy cam do?
Who knew you could do so many handy things with a pet monitoring camera? Once your new camera has access to your WiFi, there are a ton of cool things you’ll be able to do:
- Watch your pet from anywhere in the world
- Use your smartphone to see exactly what they’re up to
- Take still pictures
- Record video
- Use 2 way audio to talk to your pup or cat
- Press a button to dispense a treat (not making this up… this is a thing you can do)
(These are some features you’ll find and not every pet monitoring camera in the UK has every one of these features. We’ll get to the products later in this guide).
Simple pet camera or treat dispensing dog monitor?
As WiFi security and pet cameras use your existing devices for screens these days, they don’t have to include an LCD panel of some description. The great thing about that change is that you can get some great cheap pet monitors online. Pet cameras are generally split into two kinds:
- Simple dog cameras that work over WiFi
- More sophisticated cameras with treat dispensers
The second kind will come at a premium, costing up to three times as much as the basic cameras. Not everyone will want to buy a camera that can shoot treats out for your pup so it’s up to you to decide if you really need that and if it’s worth the extra cash.
How do you connect your phone?
Setting up your new pet monitoring camera is really easy to do because your mobile phone will already be connected to mobile WiFi and your home WiFi (you can also use an Android or Apple tablet too).
The only thing you’ll need to do on your phone is download the manufacturer’s free app from either the iOS or Android store and install it like you would any other app. This lets your phone and the camera talk to each other.
What’s the best pet monitoring camera for UK users?
We’ve found in our research that there’s a wide range of good quality pet monitoring cameras and some that you might want to avoid too. This next part will recommend some of the more popular pooch cams and then go into a buyer’s guide for anyone looking to head out and find their own.
There’s also a healthy range of budget prices pet cameras too, so look out for those.
If there’s anything that’s not covered here, please mail or post in the comments!
The top recommended pet monitoring UK camera products we recommend are:
- Furbo Dog Camera
- Petcube Bites Wi-Fi Pet Camera
- Skymee Dog Camera Treat Dispenser
- Kamtron Security Camera 1080P Pet Camera
- Pawbo Life Wi-Fi Pet Camera
- Eerain WiFi Camera Pet Camera
#1 – Furbo Dog Camera
What’s the ‘top dog’ (apologies) when it comes to all-singing, all-dancing pet monitoring cameras in the UK? One of the most popular cameras is the Furbo dog cam.
This doggy cam lets you see and hear your pet, whether you’re at the office, work or out for the day. The app has a little treat icon you can press and it ‘tosses’ out a treat for your dog!
Aside from that, you’re getting top-quality 1080p video, with the ability to take pictures or make clips any time. It comes with night vision and you can even zoom in to get a closer look at your pet. This is a fantastic dog monitoring camera for anyone who wants to be able to interact with their pet!
Pet Monitor Features
- 1080p video with night vision
- 160 degree viewing with 4x zoom
- 2-way talk over smartphone
- Toss 100 treats for your dog
- Take photos and videos easily
See more at Amazon
#2 – Petcube Bites Wi-Fi Pet Camera
Another really good treat-dispensing pet monitor is the Petcube Bites camera. You get a full 1080p video which has a handy feature of uploading to the ‘cloud’ – internet based storage – for convenience. You can both hear your pet as well as talk to them. And with a 2lb storage of treats, you can spoil them as much as you want. Motion detection and sound alerts can also be set so you don’t have to sit and watch the live feed for trouble. This is a fantastic pet camera that does everything you could need!
Pet Monitor Features
- 1080p video with 3 x digital zoom
- 130-degree viewing angle
- Dispenses yummy treats
- Talk to and hear your dog
- Free cloud storage of your videos
See more at Amazon
#3 – Skymee Dog Camera Treat Dispenser
Controlling the Skymee Dog Monitor camera is really easy to do. You get a button for ‘feed’ (dog treats), one for hear speak, see and a handy button on the app to snap pics. You can use the free app on any phone or tablet (Android and Apple). The video quality is a lovely crisp 1080p and night vision lets you see your furry baby even in the darkest conditions.
Pet Monitor Features
- View your dog on your smartphone
- Feed treats from anywhere
- 2-way voice chat
- 1080p camera
- Easy controls
See more at Amazon
#4 – Kamtron Security Camera 1080P Pet Camera
If you’re not bothered too much about a treat dispenser, then the Kamtron home pet camera might be the perfect monitor for you. It’s a fantastic budget-priced camera with loads of handy features to keep you informed about your pet. The 1080p video offers sharp image quality live video to your smartphone. And there’s no place a dog can hide from the 360-degree motion and up / down panning. Surprisingly at this price point, there’s also motion detection and 2-way chat!
Pet Monitor Features
- Budget-priced home dog camera
- 1080p video with night vision
- Motion detection
- 2-way audio
- Rotate or tilt up and down
See more at Amazon
#5 – Pawbo Life Wi-Fi Pet Camera
If you’re a cat lover then this might be a good pet cam for you. One of the unique features of this camera is the built-in pet laser. The joypad on the app lets you move a laser pointer around the floor to keep your pet entertained. Or you can fire out one of their favourite treats as a reward for being good. There’s high-quality video here and also 2-way audio to comfort and talk to your beloved furball.
Pet Monitor Features
- Lazer toy
- Treat dispenser
- 2-way communication
- Easy recording
- 4x digital zoom
See more at Amazon
#6 – Eerain Wifi Camera Pet Camera
Speaking of cat monitors, if you’re a cat lover then here’s the purrrfect cat monitor for your home. With a cheeky cat design, this camera offers HD video recording of your home or viewing on your smartphone. So you can always check and see that your pet is OK. 2-way audio lets you talk to your dog (or cat!) and the camera uses advanced motion tracking that will alert you when something happens. It also has an internal battery that will work even if your home power is off, and lasts 210 days!
Pet Monitor Features
- Intelligent motion tracking
- 2 million pixel camera
- 210 hours of battery life
- Night vision mode
- 2-way pet talk
See more at Amazon
Pet monitoring camera UK Buyer’s Guide
Video quality
A huge part of your new pet monitor camera will be watching your pet and seeing what they are doing. So the quality of the video is definitely important. Most modern monitors will be in glorious HD – either 1080p (the best quality), or 720p – not-as-good-as 1080p but still very ‘crisp’. Have a quick check of what ‘p’ number each camera has and weigh up this in your decision.
Night vision
Not something you might think about when choosing the perfect pet monitoring cam, but something that you might need in the future. If you’re at work and will need to see what your dog is doing in low light, this could be an important feature. Similarly, it will let you monitor what your pooch is up to downstairs on a night when you’re in bed. Night vision might be important so check out whether the camera you’re thinking about comes with it.
Treat dispensers
A simply brilliant use of modern technology is the ability to be able to give your dog a treat ‘remotely’ from wherever you are in the world. To do this, you’ll need to buy a WiFi pet monitor that has a treat dispenser built-in. You can’t upgrade non-dispensing cameras so it’s worth thinking about if this is a feature you’ll want in the future. They do cost a bit more, but your dog might just thank you for it!
2 way chat
If you want to interact with your pet as well as spy on them, you’ll need to get a camera that has 2-way audio. This has a built-in mic and speaker that’s good for if you’re at work and you want to comfort your dog. Combined with this you might want to check if a dog monitor cam has a ‘bark’ detector. Not all do, but it’s an awesome feature that will alert you if your dog is kicking up a fuss and could use some calming down.
Viewing angle and ZOOM!
Each camera will have a fixed angle that it’s able to view. The bigger the viewing angle, the more of your room (and the more of the action) you’ll be able to view on your pet monitoring camera. 140° upwards is ideal and 90° is probably a bit on the narrow side.
Another nifty camera feature you’ll want to think about and check up on is the ZOOM. Not all dog monitors do zoom in and out (usually the more expensive ones have this feature) but it’s well worth thinking about as it will let you get a good look at your dog and also grab some cute snaps without them even knowing.
Let me know in the comments down below how your smart home is coming along. Did you use any of these security products? Which UK pet monitoring camera are you using that you think our readers will love?
