Pet Webcam....

Anyone out there ever used a pet webcam while away from your RV for a day trip?  What about a temperature monitor devise?  If so what brand would you recommend?

I have never heard of a pet cam nor can I imagine a use for one. Same thing with a temperature monitor. If you are talking about dogs then you need to be absolutely sure the RV is set up so the dog will be comfortable. If the power does go out you would have to be parked in direct sun in 100 degree heat before you would have a problem. If you are parked somewhere like that then you really should not be leaving a dog in an RV for an entire day.

Now if it is cats you are talking about you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Cats love a hot RV. I live in Florida with three cats. When it gets hot out I run the living room A/C. All three cats go into the bedroom where it is 15 degrees hotter.

Pet cams are used regularly at pet daycare/boarding facilities for you to watch your pet remotely while they are alone.  I have heard of many folks being accused of having barking dogs while away from their RV. We  want to make sure  our dogs are not annoying and on the flip side would like to prove that they aren't annoying.  As far as the temp goes...it really doesn't take much to warm up the inside of an RV and we have 2 senior dogs....we just want them to be safe. 

We boarded our dog at Wag Hotels in both West Sacramento and in San Francisco....when we'd go on our cross country motorcycle trips.  You are able to log in and watch your dog live. 

While I've not seen or heard of anybody doing it yet, I'd certainly not be surprised if somebody has their RV set up with a video camera to keep an eye on their dog(s) while away. 

As far as the temp thing.....I have a large dual digital thermometer. It displays the temp outside as well as the temp inside.  By the way, my Fox Mountain is built by Northwood Mfg. (so it has heavier insulation in the roof, walls and floor than many RVs) and it has the thermal pane windows (dark tint, dual pane).  Weekend before last I pulled it up to Columbia, Ca. in 103F weather and just really expected it to be like an oven when I opened it upon arriving at the campground.  While it was warm, I was very surprised that it wasn't near as hot as I was expecting....it wasn't even uncomfortable....just warm.  I think for an RV that has good insulation, built tight, thermal pane windows, it's mainly the opening and closing the door repeatedly that get them hot.  Just my experience. 

I'm sure there are folks out there who have petcams.  I know a few who have them in their houses, you know like a nannycam.  But I am sure we will use boarding places at time.  And if we plan right, we will always camp in moderate climates.  So much to learn!!

Yes, there is quite a community building for using pet cams in an RV.  I am active on another forum - Tiffin RV Forum, and there is a big discussion about different models, etc., and what experience different folks were having.  I could take some excerpts or you could join.  You don't have to be a Tiffin coach owner to be a member, and there is a lot of good advice over there.  It is http://WWW.TIFFINRVNETWORK.COM/forum and it is not part of Tiffin.  It is a private board.

Being a full-timer, I am always a little worried when we leave the house (coach) for a period of time.  I have an auto-start generator in case the campground power goes out, and I have a device I bought from RVNanny.com and they have a sister product called BoatNanny.com - it monitors a range of temperatures that you set, as well as monitoring loud noises.  If either happens, it sends a text and an email to whatever you set up.  You can also call the number and listen in.  It does not have a  speaker, so you can't yell "Be a good boy", well you could but he wouldn't hear you.  I do not have a pet cam, but I am considering one.

As for a temperature warning device, you can look in your favorite search engine using the terms "police k9 temperature."  You will find that most sensors are very police-specific, in that they will activate sirens, lightbars, or honk an SOS.  Some will even pop the door and release the K9.  I would probably want something a little more civilian like, but this should get you started on the right road.  I found several things that might interest you using these search terms: "dog temperature alarm." 

An ideal device would be one that transmits a signal to a device you carry.  If you find such a thing, I doubt you would want to set the alarm temperature too close to the thermostat setting, since it would go off every three minutes. 

Talking to your vet might also be a good source.

I have never heard of a pet cam nor can I imagine a use for one.

Click to expand...

It's funny you should ask that because I have a perfect use.  Last week we were parked next to an RV with two dogs.  They were great when their two-legged parents were there, but when they left for the day the dogs started barking.  Eventually they'd get tired but start up again later.  We were mainly inside that day and with dual-pane windows which were closed they weren't all that annoying to us.  But it occurred to me that they might really be annoying to someone with windows open or wanting to sit outside.  At that point I thought those owners should have a pet cam so they could see their furry kids' behavior.  If you have pets I think a pet cam would be perfect for finding out how your furry kids behave when you're gone.  Parents have them to monitor both their children and the childrens' caregivers and sometimes adult children use them to monitor their parents' caregivers.  So why shouldn't pet owners use them too?

ArdraF

We have 4 Dropcams that are absolutely fantastic. They plug in to 110 and work ASAP. You have to have a router as the cam sends the signal directly to the router and all motion is recorded and sent to the Cloud. The Cloud stores all video footage for one week. You can access real time or previous events on your iPhone or iPad or computer, Apple or PC. The graphics are superb, color, night vision, and you can talk from your phone to the webcam. So if the dog barks you can tell them to be quiet. The video is so perfect that I have seen a moth in the middle of the night and rain on the windows  and lightening bolts in the sky from 500 miles away. I watch my dogs go in and out and eat and bark at the neighbors, busted, totally busted. I love it.

Dropcams are fantastic!    I'm a beginner, so I apologize if this is a silly question.    If I'm dry camping - would my battery be able to support the use of one or two dropcams - assuming I figure out a way to have a wireless access point (also needing power, now that I think of it).    The idea being, if I go for a hike when I'm boondocking - would I be able to power my devices to monitor my pets without using a generator?

Thank you!

Tom

tfirma said:

...if I go for a hike when I'm boondocking - would I be able to power my devices to monitor my pets without using a generator?

Click to expand...

No problem.  Cameras use very little current.

I think the inverter would be fine for the dropcam. The problem would be having a router that works and that means having an internet signal to the router.  I think satellite internet signal would work or maybe verizon to your computer that could also run on it's battery or an inverter powered plug. Dropcam has good customer support.

I just joined this forum a few minutes ago because I was searching for other RV related info but being a parent of a VERY spoiled furry kid I was instantly drawn to this section.  I had similar concerns about monitoring my dog when we started traveling with him in hotels.  I wanted to keep an eye and ear out for him to make sure he was OK and not making noise when we left him in the room.  What I found that works great is an iPad/iPhone app called "Presence by People Power". You run the app on one phone point it at the dog (he stays in a kennel) and then you can use your other phone or iPad to view it on demand.  It also has motion detection and emails you a 15 second clip if it detects motion.  It's not bullet proof but does a pretty good job.  You can use a spare iPhone as the webcam and either connect it to a wifi or keep it active with your carrier and use cell data.  I use an inactive iPhone but connect it to a home or hotel wifi or us my Verizon wifi hotspot if there is no local wifi access.

It might not be a solution for everyone but for some this might do the trick.  We also use it at home when we leave him alone.

I'm thinking about buying an RV and I'm also thinking I'd like to monitor the dog and the temp anytime we leave him.

Hi all,
Try nimble RV Pet Temperature monitor. It can alert when the temperature inside the RV increases or decreases. You can get SMS, email alerts. And best you can track your RV where it is parked right from your mobile phone.

rvpetsafety.com

I bought a webcam with temp and audio ( Wansview $74 on Amazon). It needs a wireless connection which is not always good at campgrounds and nonexistent while dry-camping. I purchased a wi-fi repeater so while at campgrounds, I use the camp's wi-fi. When there is no wi-fi, I leave one mobile phone home and use its hotspot to connect the device. It's nice to know our fur babies are comfortable while we are away. The Wansview webcam was a little tricky at first to set up (directions are horrible) but by reading the reviews on Amazon, I found out there is a QR code at the bottom of the device I can scan and it sets everything up in seconds. I can hear if the air is running and know the temp of the interior. I can see them roam around in the living room area and I can talk to them if need be.  Now if I can only train them to answer, it would be great!!!

Woodgal said:

I bought a webcam with temp and audio ( Wansview $74 on Amazon). It needs a wireless connection which is not always good at campgrounds and nonexistent while dry-camping. I purchased a wi-fi repeater so while at campgrounds, I use the camp's wi-fi. When there is no wi-fi, I leave one mobile phone home and use its hotspot to connect the device. It's nice to know our fur babies are comfortable while we are away. The Wansview webcam was a little tricky at first to set up (directions are horrible) but by reading the reviews on Amazon, I found out there is a QR code at the bottom of the device I can scan and it sets everything up in seconds. I can hear if the air is running and know the temp of the interior. I can see them roam around in the living room area and I can talk to them if need be.  Now if I can only train them to answer, it would be great!!!

Click to expand...

Do you have issues traveling and connecting to different wifi's? How do you tell the camera it is on a new network with a new IP when you relocate? Do you recall the model number of your device? This seems like a perfect solution to leaving the pups unattended while we go play.

Woodgal said:

I bought a webcam with temp and audio ( Wansview $74 on Amazon). It needs a wireless connection which is not always good at campgrounds and nonexistent while dry-camping. I purchased a wi-fi repeater so while at campgrounds, I use the camp's wi-fi. When there is no wi-fi, I leave one mobile phone home and use its hotspot to connect the device.

Click to expand...

Very interesting, and smart idea using the hotspot but re that, is the hotspot burning bandwidth streaming the webcam the entire time it's connected or only when you view the webcam from another source? I could see data charges piling up.

I just left Walmart with the Motorola Hubble FOCUS66-B. It was $79.99. It is working perfectly - Connected to local wifi and streams the video virtually live (2-3sec delay) with sound and a temperature overlay. It sends alerts to phone for temp, motion, and sound changes if you choose. 2-way audio if you choose also. Seems absolutely perfect. It will have to be re-programmed at each campsite or area-of-use. So excited for the pups this weekend. I also tried it via my phones hotspot. Was more delayed (im on 3g) and i assume it would devour your data plan.

Thanks! Brand new 1st time RV'rs, waiting on Financing approval Tuesday!
Matt

We were  concerned with heat, and if they'd bark non-stop annoying everyone when we were leaving our dogs in the coach.
We ended up using a Canary All-in-One Home Security Device with a wireless hotspot.  It sends temperature, humidity & air quality alerts to your phone if one of the settings you set is exceeded.  It also gives us the look-in live if we want via the HD camera.  It uses very little data on your plan... unless you use the video option a lot.  I bought a pre-paid hotspot at Walmart for $50, and have not gone through 4GB of data in 2 months... WITH my wife checking the video frequently.
As an added benefit it's a security system as well when we're not on board.