Review: Petcube Bites Treat Camera (Watch Your Pup In Real Time)
As pet-owners, most of us spare no expense to ensure our dogs, cats, and other animals are well fed, healthy, groomed, and even spoiled.
But most of us probably can’t even imagine, even in a world of an ever-growing market of product and gadget options offering solutions to problems we didn’t even know we had, that one such gadget exists in the form of a camera monitoring device that live streams to your phone and flings out treats to your dog and cat upon your (remote) request. Yes, this exists, and it’s quite popular to the point of “trending,” offering pet home monitoring options during all hours of the day and night using an app linked right to your phone. You can control when to dispense treats in real time or set the app to dispense them automatically. Then your furry companion on the other side of the video monitor receives a snack and perhaps some relief from separation anxiety. Two-way audio features enable you to talk to your pet at any time, and maybe hear a bark in return, and take it to mean “thank you.”
There’s an added benefit of a motion detector which sends alerts straight to your phone upon activation, providing the comfort of increased safety for your pet throughout the day when left unattended. With Alexa compatibility, the product offers hands-free options as well as an optional subscription service with additional features and perks (free for 30 days upon receiving the product). Some of these perks include cloud video recording and playback.
Using the AD Video camera, you can stream video from the pet camera straight to your mobile device, and this functions during the night as well with night vision options. The offering has some solid benefits to use as well as a great design aesthetic, but I wondered if the investment was smart from a practicality standpoint, as this seems to be a bit of a futuristic indulgence and doesn’t come cheap. But considering the overall expenses that come with owning any healthy pet, many of us won’t spare expenses for ensuring their happiness and maintaining personal solace regarding their comfort and safety throughout the day.
The safety element makes the purchase more justifiable, while flinging treats to your dog using a mobile phone is just plain fun. While this is certainly a luxury home good product, I found it easy to use and the benefits were great, on a day to day basis.
The Main Features
Using the Petcube App, you can fling treats at varying distances or schedule automatic treating for any sized dog or cat. The gadget is compatible with a variety of dry, crunchy dog and cat treats, and premium dog treats are included in the first purchase.
Petcube usually flings 1-5 treats at a time, and will do so anytime you push a button to request so via the app. With 2-way audio features, you can speak to your pet throughout the day in real time, which makes the device a great option for very anxious pets who may have separation anxiety. This also works with puppies or unruly dogs, who may require a “talking too” when up to no good around the house. The 1080p HD video recording camera streams anytime, day or night, with a wide video view and 3x zoom feature.
The Petcube app is free for download and Android/iOS compatible (5.1 and 9.3 or higher, respectively). The product is also quite easy to use and doesn’t require very savvy technical skill to set-up.
Positives and Negatives
With any product that’s in a very specific space or category, or seems niche in a broader space, there are positives and negatives. Most of the negatives with respect to this product seem to be regarding price and price objections, with the vast majority of users happy with the overall quality, function, design and applications for use. It’s certainly a very fun product and offers a sense of security, especially for dog-owners of unruly or young pets. Here are some of the key pros and cons you may want to consider prior to purchase.
Pros
- Two-way audio makes it possible to communicate with your dog or cat and talk to them throughout the day
- Your pet will receive treats throughout the day even when you aren’t home, which can be scheduled in advance or on-demand
- Alexa compatibility features
- Links to free Petbite app, which functions well and provides special features
- The ability to monitor your pet throughout the day and night
- Great quality of camera and video quality
- Special cloud video recording option can be used by subscribing to Petbite’s monthly service
- Suitable for both dogs and cats, as well as most dog treat brands and sizes
- Motion sensor will send alerts to your phone, making it easy to detect and view anything that may be going on within the home or in relation to your pet
- Suitable for use outdoors or indoors
Cons
- At $200, this product is certainly costly, but worth it for those looking for value and excellent quality and function
- Many users have reported issues with either app dysfunction or the product not working, however the company will refund and resolve issues in the event they do occur
Money-Back Guarantee
If there is any dissatisfaction with the purchase of the product, or the product is not in working condition or has any functional issues (related to the app or product itself), the manufacturer, Petbites, provides a full refund for the purchase price of the item, and may also offer a working product or exchange free of any additional charge. Anyone with trepidation about gadgets and luxury products may have some fears assuaged prior to purchasing by the general policy and commitment to making sure the scale is working and accurate.
The Final Verdict
While this is very fun product, prior to purchase it’s important to consider this is certainly a bit niche and luxury. But in an era where we will spare no expense to ensure quality of life for our pets, this makes a great gadget to have for any pet-safety concerns and to dispense treats throughout the day. The product is probably best for pet owners of unruly, young, or anxious pets who require more frequent human communication or feedings (only of treats). Overall, it’s extremely impressive to see such a futuristic-seeming product. We live in a unique era where we can now feed and talk to our pets using mobile devices, a fairly outrageous concept. The design of the product is quite sleek, it works well, the camera quality is very good, and it definitely works, with easy use.
While it is certainly an investment-type product, there’s definitely longevity to use. This is a product that will last for years. Additionally, the app is easy to use and highly functional, and many may opt to use the special service options for access to even more features.