All pet owners know how worrying it can be to leave your pet alone in the house while you’re out at work or an event. You have no idea what they’re doing. They could be destroying your house, right? Well, technology has come to the rescue in the form of nanny cams but for pets. The Petcube Play is one of the best pet cameras available today and you’ll see why in this Petcube Play review.
If you are worried your pet will get bored and eat things it should when you’re out and you want to not only keep an eye on them but entertain them occasionally then this 3 inch cube may well be the best pet camera for you.
Pros
- 1080p HD video
- Night vision
- Speaker and mic
- Laser pointer
Cons
- Can only connect one camera to Petcube account
- Cloud storage service is a little expensive.
Petcube Play – Features
The Petcube Play features a 1080p camera with night vision and a 3x digital zoom. This is great but isn’t what makes this a really good pet cam. What makes it a great pet cam is the laser pointer built into the Petcube. You can control a laser pointer from your phone and watch your pet chase it around the room. You can even do this in the dark!
In the beginning this will be about as much fun for you as it will your pet. What it is really useful for is tiring out your pet if they’re getting a little restless when you aren’t in. This could be the feature that saves your furniture from being eaten, so it is well worth using.
Not only is there a laser pointer that you can use during the night and day but there is also a speaker and a microphone so you can communicate with your pet. This is so useful if your dog has decided it likes the taste of your new chair and you need to tell it to stop. If you have a slightly naughty pet then this feature will become a lifesaver and you won’t be able to do without it once you’ve used it.
A disappointing feature of the Petcube Play is that you can’t connect several together. This means you can only monitor one room and if your pets are in the other then there’s nothing you can do. If you need a set of cameras that connect together and you’re happy to sacrifice the laser pointer then consider buying the Nest Cam or Piper nv.
Petcube also offer to store your video in the cloud at a cost each month. They charge $10 a month for 10 days worth of video saved in a timeline and $30 for 30 days of video history.
Petcube Play – Camera
The wide-angle camera on the Petcube Play can record and livestream 1080p HD video to you with a view of 138 degrees so you can effectively see most of the room if you place it well in the corner. Not only is the camera HD but it also has night vision thanks to having an infrared emitter. You will no longer need to worry about what your pets do in the dark as you’ll be able to see them almost as clear as in the day with the night vision.
This is a big improvement over the previous model’s, the Petcube Camera, 720p video capabilities. While it make not seem much the step up from 720p to 1080p is quite large and will look so much better when you zoom in to see what your pet is doing the other side of the room using the 3x digital zoom.
Providing your internet connection is fairly stable and quick (1mb/s+) then you will be able to get a crispy clear live video of the room the camera is in. The quality is actually really good and would surprise a lot of people. Considering you’ll generally only watch it on your phone, it doesn’t pixelate too much when you’re zooming in. Overall the camera is impressive and should be more than enough for anyone’s needs.
Petcube Play – Design
As far as wireless cameras go, the Petcube Play is a really nice looking device. It’s sleek and modern looking 
and I think it would fit in perfectly in most homes sitting on a shelf keeping watch over the family dog or cat.
The Petcube Play comes in 3 different colours, rose gold, carbon black and matt silver. All are the same price and the same size (3x3x3 inches). It feels solid and well built considering its size. Make sure that your desired place for the Petcube is fairly near a plug socket so the cord can reach it but also so pets can’t reach it.
It’s a nice looking gadget that is pretty tiny and will probably go unnoticed by most people. It will look good sitting on a shelf watching over the family pet.
Petcube Play – App
The app is free from the app store and will be needed to set up your Petcube and then view it on your phone. Setting it up is pretty easy and shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes providing your Wi-Fi cooperates. The biggest downside of the app is that you can only connect one camera to it at the moment. Maybe in the future you’ll be able to add more but currently it isn’t possible. To workaround this at the moment, you can make several Petcube accounts. One for each camera.
Once you’re set up you can open the app and you’ll see if your Petcube is online. If it is then you will be able tap on the camera icon in the middle to get a live view of your Petcube and see what your pet is up to. Once you’re viewing the video feed, you can drag your finger across the screen and move the laser to play with your pet. This is so much fun when you first try it and your cat will agree too.
You can share your video feed with any friends or family you want so they can also see what is going on with your pet too. You can even do this with the general public if you wanted. With the sharing features you can decide whether people can talk to you pets and play with them using the laser or not too. One disadvantage of the sharing feature is that when you have shared it with family and friends, only one person can view the video feed at a time.
From the app you can record/screen shot anything your pet does and save it right to your phone if you don’t have the Petcube Care package.
Petcube Play – Is It Worth Buying?
Yes, although it is a bit on the expensive side it is definitely worth buying if you are a pet owner and want to not only keep an eye on your pet but also interact with them while you’re out of the house. It’s packed with great features and you can share the feed with family and friends so they can check on them occasionally too.
Overall this is a great product and you should definitely keep an eye out for Petcube’s latest products if you want more like this.
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