Fortunately, I recently received the chance to find out! Samsung sent me their Samsung WiFi IP Pet Cam to review. Now I get to spy on my dogs! We set it up and got right to work.
PROS:
The picture is very clear.
The camera gives you the ability to view your dogs from your smartphone, or through a website.
The night vision capability works great in low lighting.
There is a microphone so you can hear your dogs, and speak to them as well. (This only works when you're on wifi).
The camera is small and handy to set on a table or mount wherever you want.
Viewing is super easy from a computer or your smartphone while you're away!
A reasonable priced pet cam (retail: $149)
During the day, the view is in color. Here is an image of the night vision. Ike is comfy in the hall. I think Kelly was in her usual spot, by the foot of the stairs, but it's just out of view.
CONS:
The set up and installation was a bit complicated (but once we got it figured out it required no extra work.)
The camera can't be moved remotely, so that you can only see the one area where it is directed. If your dogs aren't there, you're out of luck. This could be solved by purchasing more cameras and putting them in different locations, however the cost of such would add up.
One note: When on not wifi, you are in Relay Mode, which doesn't give you the capability to hear or to use the microphone to talk to your dogs. You also may incur charges on your cell phone when in Relay Mode. I didn't check on how many charges I have incurred, but I have used the PetCam in relay mode quite often.
If you wanted, you could add up to 10 cameras in different locations throughout your house, and switch from one to another easily for monitoring.
The microphone is a cool feature. You can praise your dog, or correct him for jumping on the couch! When I used this feature, the dogs didn't react to my voice. It must have been a strange thing for them to hear this disembodied voice coming from the wall. Ike did turn and look toward the camera a few times when I talked, but Kelly ignored the whole thing! Still it is kind of fun to talk to them when I'm away.
I've had a wonderful time spying on Kelly and Ike, and it also gave me great peace of mind to see they were doing okay. What I've discovered, is most of the time they do just what I thought--sleep in front of the door. I did learn something new- sometimes when we leave, Ike runs upstairs. I'm going to guess that he probably sleeps on the bed. But unless I buy another camera, I may never know!
It's also fun to see at what point during our drive home the dogs hear the car. It's usually just before we get to the driveway. Then they both run to the door. Here's a short clip from the actual Pet Cam of the dogs as my husband leaves the house:
We are very impressed with the Samsung Pet Cam and happily recommend it for peace of mind when you are away from home.
Full Disclosure: I was provided with one Samsung Pet Cam for my honest review. This in no way affected my review. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
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