It’s difficult for any dog lover to leave home. Whether you’re running out for a quick trip to the grocery store or a full day at work, our furry friends generally don’t like it when we walk out the front door. Separation anxiety is a real issue with pups of all sizes and ages, and you may be looking for a way to decrease their angst, while giving yourself a little peace of mind.
Furbo Dog Camera is a solid pet camera made especially for our canine friends. It offers many of the features of traditional home security cameras, but this one is created just for dogs. In this Furbo Dog Camera review, you’ll learn about some of the dog-friendly features that come with your purchase, and whether it’s a good bet for your home.
Furbo was created from one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in history. The company behind Furbo is called Tomofun, a startup completely focused on innovative technology for pets. Headquartered in Taipei, Tomofun has no signs of slowing down now that Furbo has millions of users in over 100 countries.
The ideal customer for the Furbo Dog Camera is obviously a dog parent who needs to feel connected with their pooch all day long. With amazing features like a doggie selfie, treat dispenser and even a bark detector, this is no regular security camera. It’s one that will specifically make dog owners feel more comfortable leaving their best friend at home.
Pros
- Treat dispenser: Who doesn’t want to praise their pup all day long? If you want to drop in on your best friend and toss treats their way, Furbo allows you to not only dispense a treat at the click of a button on your smartphone, but also use the two-way communication to chat with and see your dog. This treat tossing feature is what initially made the camera a massive hit, and a huge seller on Amazon.
- Dog Alerts: If you’re at work, (we hope) you’re not checking in on your dog every couple of minutes. And there’s no need to with the doggie alerts you can get through Furbo, including barking, howling, even crying alerts.
- Person Alerts: Obviously, Furbo has it covered with the canine alerts. But Furbo takes your doggie security camera to the next level with a person alert. It’s smart enough to tell the difference between a dog and a person, and will let you know if it sees a person in your home.
Cons
- Big dogs may knock it over: If your dog is a larger breed that may have a ton of energy, it’s possible he or she can get excited and knock the camera over. Although Furbo has added an adhesive on the bottom for those types of energetic doggos, it may not be enough for a mischievous mutt!
- Price: While staying connected with your best friend all day long may be priceless, the $200 price tag may be too steep for some pet owners.
The Furbo Dog Camera was named one of our top picks for the best pet cameras
Furbo Dog Camera Features
- HD Video: Each Furbo dog camera has 1080 HD video quality, giving you a clear, wide-angle view of your pets, no matter the time of day. Night vision also makes it easy to see your dog when the lights are out.
- Two-way audio: Of course it’s great to see your dog while you’re away, but the best part about Furbo is the two-way communication. You can see your pet, and they can hear you. Whether you want to praise him for being a good boy, or tell him to stop chewing your shoe, it’s a great feature to have.
- Treat dispenser: If you’re on your lunch hour and you have a few minutes, why not check in on your pup to let him know you’re thinking of him? Furbo holds up to 100 small treats that can be tossed right to your dog.
- Dog alerts: Furbo has a wide variety of alerts you can choose from, especially if you choose the Nanny Cam Bundle, which we’ll talk about later. The barking sensor will tell you if your dog is barking, howling, crying, and more. It even sends you a shot of your dog called a “dog selfie” if Fido happens to stare into the camera!
- Voice control: If you’re an Alexa fan, you’re in luck. You can use the assistant to schedule treat tosses.
- Cloud recording: When your dog moves, you have the option of the camera recording 15-second snippets to see what they’re up to. This feature is only available with the Nanny Cam Bundle.
- Doggie diary: If you had a busy day and you didn’t have time to check in on your puppy, Furbo’s got you covered with the Doggie Diary feature. It records a snapshot of your dog’s activity for you to watch at the end of the day.
- Lifetime warranty: Furbo has a lifetime warranty, which makes it easier for those dog moms who may have a rambunctious dog who just can’t be trusted. We think this makes the camera a huge value, especially for dog owners who know the unexpected can happen.
- 24-hour support: If you purchase the monthly monitoring bundle, you’ll receive 24-hour support.
- Emergency alerts: Furbo will not only alert you about what your dog is up to, but you can also hook it up with your carbon monoxide or smoke detector to get real time alerts for environmental hazards while you’re not home.
What to know before you buy
- Installation: Setting up Furbo is relatively easy. You simply download the Furbo app and turn on your phone’s Bluetooth. Plug the Furbo in, and wait for a green light. Create a Furbo account, and set it up with your home’s Wi-Fi. It’s a step-by-step process through the app, which eventually will lead you to naming your Furbo. After that, it’s time to get your dog used to interacting with Furbo with an onboarding experience.
- Price: You can purchase Furbo for $199.00 and add the Nanny Cam Bundle for $6.99 per month if you purchase it up front.
- Subscription plan: The Nanny Cam Bundle is worth it if you want the full Furbo Experience. Without the plan, you’ll get HD video, 2-way communication, treat toss and a barking alert. Add the bundle, and receive dog crying, howling and continuous barking alerts, home emergency monitoring, dog activity and selfie alerts, along with cloud recordings and a doggie diary feature, all for $9.99 a month.
- Smart home compatibility: Furbo works with the Amazon Alexa, which means you can schedule treat tosses with Alexa at certain times of the day.
- App ratings: The ratings for the Furbo app are a little bit better in the Google Play store as opposed to Apple. The biggest complaint seems to be when there are updates, they tend to cause some snags within the app. This seems to impact the iOS version more than the Android version.
Wrapping up
The Furbo Dog Camera is a great security camera for any dog lover, and even more so for those of us who can’t stand leaving our best friends home alone. Aside from feeling connected to your furry friend all day long and spoiling him with treats, Furbo also brings some great security features to your home, including environmental alerts and person detection.
Whether your pet hangs around on the couch all day, or can’t seem to help himself chewing your shoes, the camera gives you a bird’s eye view into your dog’s day while also providing an extra layer of security to your home.
- FULL HD CAMERA & NIGHT VISION - The Furbo Dog Camera gives you HD video quality day & night. Stunning 1080p live view lets you easily check...
- 2-WAY AUDIO - Know what’s going on at home and talk to calm them down via the app.
- FUN TREAT TOSSING - Toss a treat to your dog through your Furbo dog treat dispenser camera via the free Furbo iOS/Android app. Fill your...
- BARKING SENSOR ALERT - Furbo’s unique BARKING SENSOR detects when your dog is barking. It sends push notifications to your smartphone when...
- EASY SETUP, SECURE CONNECTION: 1) Plug in the power cord. 2) Place the Furbo within 5 ft of your WiFi router. 3) Download the Furbo app 4)...
This article has been reviewed and approved by Officer Banta.
Officer Banta is the official SecurityNerd home security and safety expert. A member of the Biloxi Police Department for over 24 years, Officer Banta reviews all articles before lending his stamp of approval. Click here for more information on Officer Banta and the rest of our team.
