SmartPaws UK

The best pet cameras for watching from work

A pet camera answers the question every owner has at 2pm: what are they doing right now? Dedicated pet cameras add treat tossing and bark alerts. A cheap home camera covers the basics for a fraction of the price.

Updated October 20264 picksUK prices and availability

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links. It never changes the price you pay or the picks we make. How we choose.

At a glance

Quick picks

ProductBest forPriceSubscriptionLink
Furbo 360° Dog CameraBest for dogs£££Plan optionalCheck price
Petcube Bites 2 LiteBest treat camera for less££Plan optionalCheck price
TP-Link Tapo C210Best value, and great for cats£Plan optionalCheck price
Enabot EBO Air 2Best roaming camera£££Plan optionalCheck price

Comparing a cheaper gadget with a plan against a pricier one without? Work out the real cost over 1–3 years.

Best for dogsTop pick

Furbo 360° Dog Camera

Furbo is the camera that made treat tossing popular, and the 360° version rotates to follow your dog around the room. With the optional plan you get bark alerts and recorded clips, which helps if you are working on separation anxiety.

Good

  • Rotating lens covers a whole room
  • Treat tossing that dogs quickly learn to love
  • Bark alerts help you spot separation anxiety

Watch out for

  • The best features need the paid plan
  • Only works with small, round treats
Best treat camera for less

Petcube Bites 2 Lite

The Bites 2 Lite flings treats across the room instead of dropping them, which turns a camera into a game. The wide-angle lens covers most rooms without needing to rotate, and it costs less than a Furbo.

Good

  • Treat flinging makes it a play session
  • Wide view with no moving parts
  • Cheaper than most treat cameras

Watch out for

  • Needs a clear patch of floor to fling into
  • Smart features sit behind a plan
Best value, and great for cats

TP-Link Tapo C210

Most cats ignore treat cameras, so a good home camera often makes more sense. The Tapo C210 pans and tilts to cover a whole room, records to a microSD card for free, and costs about the same as a bag of premium treats.

Good

  • Very low price
  • Records locally, so no subscription is needed
  • Pan and tilt covers a whole room

Watch out for

  • Not made for pets, so there are no treats or bark alerts
  • Keep the cable out of reach of chewers
Best roaming camera

Enabot EBO Air 2

Instead of watching one room, the EBO drives around the house. You can find a hiding cat, play chase or check that the back door is shut. It is a treat for gadget lovers rather than a must-have.

Good

  • Covers the whole floor, not just one room
  • Playful, and many cats chase it
  • Docks itself to charge

Watch out for

  • Expensive for what it does
  • Struggles with thick rugs and stairs
Buying advice

How to choose

Decide whether you want treats

Treat tossing is great for dogs and for training. For most cats, a plain wide-angle or pan-and-tilt camera is better value.

Check what the plan unlocks

Many pet cameras only send smart alerts or keep recordings if you pay monthly. If you just want to check in live, you rarely need the plan.

Place it high and cable-safe

Put the camera on a shelf at your pet's eye level or above, and run the cable where it cannot be chewed.

FAQ

Common questions

Do I need a subscription for a pet camera?

Live viewing and talking work for free on all our picks. Plans add recorded clips, cloud storage and smart alerts such as bark detection.

Are pet cameras secure?

Use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor sign-in if the app offers it. Keep the camera's firmware updated, and point it away from areas where you want privacy.

Will a pet camera help with separation anxiety?

It can show you how your pet behaves when you leave, which is useful information for a vet or a qualified behaviourist. On its own it isn't a treatment.

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