Petcube
If you're a helicopter parent of your dog or cat, you've probably thought about buying a pet camera so you can keep an eye on your blurry kids when you're away. However, pet cameras are expensive; Some cost up to $ 200, which is too much to watch your Beagle sleep on the couch all afternoon. Here's another angle: the brand new Petcube is a $ 40 pet camera, and right now I have an exclusive CNET deal for an additional 10% off. You can get it Petcube for just $ 36 if you use promo code 10CNETCAM at checkout.
I've been using the Petcube for a few weeks now, and it's different from most other indoor surveillance cameras - especially cameras designed to keep an eye on pets. For starters, it's crazy small and light, and super easy to assemble without drilling holes in anything. As the name suggests, it is a cube that measures a little over 2 inches on each side and comes with a USB-C power adapter for power. It sits on a rotatable U-bracket with a magnetic base. It stands on a shelf or table, or you can use the included metal washer and adhesive to magnetically attach it to a wall or hang it under a shelf.
Once set up, you can use the 1080p camera to check in at home from the mobile app. It has a wide 110 degree camera and night vision mode. The two-way audio allows you to zoom, record video and talk to your animal.
Everything that's pretty normal for a pet camera, but what I wasn't expecting was the built-in vet chat. If instead of running to the vet and paying $ 100 just to walk through the door in a cat carrier, instead of running to the vet and paying, you can speak to a real vet online to see if a doctor is available is required. They get a free consultation, but to use vet chat regularly, you need to pay $ 5 per month. Speaking of subscription, you can subscribe separately to the usual suite of video recordings, video history, and smart alerts (waiting for barks, meows, and human voices) from $ 4 per month.
Of course, keep in mind that this is a $ 40 pet camera. So you need to lower your expectations. I found that sometimes the video was slow to join and the HD video was good but not great. But the only other camera I can think of that makes it so cheap is this $ 25 Wyze Camand while it almost matches the capabilities of the Petcube, it doesn't include a vet chat option, animal-centric smart alerts, or advanced cloud recording.
If you're looking for a cheap way to keep in touch with your pet, I'd recommend Petcube - and the 10% discount code should work through October 6th.
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