Ever wondered what your dogs get up to when you’re out at work all day? So did I, until I bought a little security camera from Amazon and was able to watch their daily endeavours from my mobile phone.
Thankfully, I’ve never caught them shredding sofa cushions or chewing the TV remote - but it does give me invaluable peace of mind to know that they’re safe, happy and usually snoozing.
The camera I have used is the Tapo TP-Link, which has been reduced ahead of Amazon Prime Day from £29.99 to £19.99, making it even cheaper than Amazon’s own brand Blink camera, which remains at just under £30. Amazon Prime Day is set to fall on July 11 and 12, and is set to see major price drops across a range of categories - but you can still bag a bargain before the big day.
READ MORE: Amazon sales explained: How to find best prices, lightning deals and discounted warehouse page
The little camera stands no more than four inches high and slots neatly into the TV cabinet by the dog's bed. Set up is incredibly simple with no hub required as it works off any Wi-Fi router and then links up with the Tapo app on your phone.
The camera records pets - or generally, the home - with 1080p HD on a live stream, with night vision that comes on automatically when it’s dark. What’s more is that it’s built in with a microphone and speaker for two-way audio, meaning I can tell my dogs to get off the sofa, and they can bark back at ‘the voice of God’ telling them to do so.
The device doesn’t require any additional subscription plan unless you wanted to upgrade to Tapo Care and benefit from additional Cloud storage, but the camera has a micro SD card slot where you can save videos up to 128GB if you so wish.
Dog owners who bought the device have loved being able to check in on their pets while they’re out, with the device racking up around 10,000 five star reviews.
One read: “This was recommended to me as a great solution for when I’m away from my dog, to check in on her. The price made it super affordable, but I was more surprised at the great quality of the footage and the ease of the app. Takes minutes to set up, usually I find these things a bit of a faff but this was fool proof. I highly recommend it not just as a dog cam but as a really good interior security camera.”
Another wrote: “Very impressed I bought to keep a check on the dog when out. Love the fact I can talk to him while I am out,” while a third added: “Brought to keep an eye on my dog whelping and now used to keep an eye on pups. such good quality for little price.”
However, some who wanted to use the camera’s night-mode function to view outside have had issues with it reflecting the glass, commenting: “It's ok during the day but night vision is garbage, if u intend to use it to view outside through glass at night time don't buy you can't see nothing except a reflection.” Another added: “I have a day vision only Tapo that is good. This Tapo with night vision is exactly like the other.”
We’ve personally never had issues with the night mode, but can imagine it’s frustrating if you have bought it specifically to use through a window. We use our night mode to check on the dogs through the night if we hear any bangs, or if one of them barks, to see what it was all about without having to get out of bed. It’s super handy.
The Tapo camera is one of the cheapest pet monitors we’ve been able to find on Amazon ahead of July’s big two-day Prime Day event, although some more expensive models have been reduced, too.
The Furbo camera, which has a rotating 360 degree view, two way audio and throws treats to your dog is now £169, down from £199. Meanwhile, the Arlo Essential Compact Indoor Plug-in Smart Security Camera is down 25 per cent to £89.49.
If you're looking for a way to keep an eye on your beloved pets while you're out, or are hoping to add extra security to your home, you can shop the Tapo TP-Link camera on Amazon for under £20 here.
