Pet Monitoring Camera

November 1, 2022 11:43 AM

Looking for a way to set up a pet camera without having to use a subscription model. No storage necessary. I want a live view and sound, and to be able to check from my phone. Does this exist?
posted by kittensofthenight to Pets & Animals (24 answers total)

i use wyze for this. pretty cheap and you don't have to pay for their storage etc if you don't want to. i have an older version of this one.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:52 AM on November 1, 2022 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Can you check the feed remotely without a subscription?
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:58 AM on November 1, 2022

We use a Eufy camera for this. No subscription needed.
posted by shesbookish at 11:59 AM on November 1, 2022 [7 favorites]

I did this with an old iPad and Presence app set to open up a two-way video chat on demand. Cat never really cared about seeing my face on the screen though.
posted by brownpau at 12:01 PM on November 1, 2022 [2 favorites]

I use a wired nest camera without a subscription. I think I get 3 hours of history which works for my needs. I use the app on my phone and can see a live feed, sound and mic.
posted by ljesse at 12:05 PM on November 1, 2022

we use a $45 reolink for pet and elderly monitoring - the single app supports more than one camera, it has motion notifications, night vision, you can move the camera via the app, etc. My wife paid for them, and I don't think the subscription is required, but if it is, it wasn't much.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:16 PM on November 1, 2022

Wyze cams don't need a sub to just view. (The subscription they offer ranges from "some cloud storage and better object detection" to "full on home security monitoring" and you can totally skip out of it entirely if you want. Note that "Web view" on that page means a separate web app they set up recently so you can view your cam without the app at all; it doesn't affect viewing the cameras normally through the Wyze app.)
posted by mrg at 12:18 PM on November 1, 2022

I use two phones (an old one in the house as the camera ) and DogMonitor app, works fine
posted by tardigrade at 12:20 PM on November 1, 2022

I have several Blink cameras that I got in a bundle at Costco. They've never touched Amazon, I've never set them up on any external account, and I've never clicked through for any subscription plan. I can set up motion detect record to a USB drive, watch live, talk back and forth live, and all I've ever paid for is the dollar cost of the cameras. It suits me just fine.
posted by phunniemee at 12:24 PM on November 1, 2022

Best answer: WYZE-I use that, with no problems.
posted by LOOKING at 12:37 PM on November 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Another vote for Wyze. There's a live feed (accessible from your phone only, there's no web view unless you have a sub), and you can get 12 second clips recorded to the cloud when there's motion.

I've also used Blink cameras in the past (before they were bought by Amazon), and they do an equivalent job, but I much prefer Wyze overall.
posted by cgg at 12:48 PM on November 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

Another Wyze user, works well for what you describe.

If you’re not already trying this, you might get more options by searching more generally for in home cameras, unless you also need something specific to a pet like dispensing treats or whatever.
posted by jameaterblues at 1:05 PM on November 1, 2022

I suggest Wyze as well. The first camera I got from them was for this purpose. The rest of the stuff I've gotten since was because it's so damn cheap comparatively, and it all works well.
posted by deezil at 1:37 PM on November 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

Another person using a Blink camera not connected to Amazon. Cheap and easy.
posted by assenav at 1:40 PM on November 1, 2022

We are using TP-LINK Tapo cameras as baby monitors.
posted by freethefeet at 1:49 PM on November 1, 2022

Best answer: I also use Wyze and am happy with it. Alternatively, if you have a spare tablet/phone that you'd like to use as a camera instead, I've been very happy with the Dog Monitor app as well (paid app, but no ongoing subscription - available on ios, android, mac).
posted by mosst at 1:57 PM on November 1, 2022

Best answer: Nthing a Wyze camera. Cheap and simple.
posted by scrubjay at 2:33 PM on November 1, 2022

I'd like to second Eufy! It's the cheapest, you can put in a SD card for free recording too, and the app works great. It all works seamlessly with cloud access to your SD card if you want.
posted by bbqturtle at 4:15 PM on November 1, 2022

I do this with a few Geeni cameras. After we set them up I had a few questions that Ask helped me out with, in case that comes for you :)
posted by Tandem Affinity at 9:35 PM on November 1, 2022

For Wyze, even if you don't pay you get Cam Plus Lite (with pay what you want) which gives you 12 second cloud clips and person detection. But there are limits, like a 5 minute delay before it will detect another event. If you want a little more, there's Cam Plus (usually $1.99 / month with unlimited video record length and back to back recordings, plus a few more things like package detection, vehicle, detection, and so on...) They also have a cam plus Pro, and full home monitoring as upgrades.
posted by kschang at 10:12 PM on November 1, 2022

Wyze or Reolink. I play around with cameras a lot and I have not found many that require payment to view the feed. Usually that comes with saved videos for things like motion detecting. Reolink has a free tier that is quite generous for that sort of thing, but most will let you just open an app on your phone to view the live stream for free.
posted by terrapin at 7:58 AM on November 2, 2022

We are using TP-LINK Tapo cameras as baby monitors.

We use one of these as a cat monitor (mostly when we ARE home to make sure the cats aren't going on the kitchen counter, which is next to but out of sight of our living room) and you can watch it from anywhere, no subscription needed. It's great.
posted by urbanlenny at 10:24 AM on November 2, 2022

Thirding Eufy. We've had ours for several years and they work great. Ours are rechargeable so we can literally put them anywhere as long as it's within wifi range.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 1:15 PM on November 2, 2022

Response by poster: We were going to try the old tablet with an app set up, but seeing the Wyze was inexpensive and I was wrong about the subscription we're going with that. Thanks all!
posted by kittensofthenight at 1:10 PM on November 3, 2022