Indiegogo staffers are putting crowdfunded products to the test in our new series of honest reviews. In this edition, Kitty, our Senior Finance Manager, tried out SiiPet – The World’s First Pet Behavior Analysis Camera. Did it meet her expectations? Read on to find out more.
I already own a pet camera, but I was curious to see what the SiiPet Smart Pet Camera offers. My dog, Chester, has free range of the house, so I was excited to test this camera. Many pet parents, including myself, value the ability to check in on our pets, especially when we are not home.
Unboxing and first impressions
The SiiPet was delivered in a small shipping box with padding to protect the box the SiiPet camera was in. Upon opening the SiiPet camera box, I was pleasantly surprised with the packaging. It comes with pop-up artwork, which I thought was such a cute touch! Beneath it, the camera, USB-C cable, and power adapter was nicely tucked in their own compartments. The items are well packaged and protected.
Upon first impressions, the camera was very compact and cute. It was a lot smaller than the other pet camera I have, and I like the color it comes in. The white matches my furniture easily and the small size fits easily on my tv stand.
Setup
There were no step-by-step instructions, but it was self-explanatory. It came with a very simple information booklet that includes an overview of the product, camera status indicator, and safety information. Simply plug in the camera to a power source and download their app to set up the SiiPet camera. During the setup, the app will also ask you to input information on your pet, including to “scan” your pet (which is simply a 360 video of your pet). You also have the option to add multiple pets. Setup was simple and took less than 10 minutes!
What I enjoyed
After the SiiPet camera was ready to be used, I was immediately impressed by its ability to track and follow Chester. As mentioned in their Indiegogo campaign, “anywhere you go, I will follow up”; and it did! Wherever Chester went, the camera followed. I even purposely walked in front of the camera while Chester was sniffing around the room to see if it would track me by mistake, but it stayed on my dog. My other pet camera would sometimes focus on the human’s movement instead of the dog’s, so it was amusing to see how quickly the SiiPet camera was able to detect my pet. If the auto-tracking feature is kept on, any time Chester leaves the room, the SiiPet camera would scan the entire room for him and would not stop until it finds him. I also like the option of being able to turn on and off this feature. I do not have multiple pets to test the multi-pet tracking, but this feature overall is a highlight of this camera.
Another feature I enjoyed was the ability to turn on and off the camera without having to unplug its power source. There is even an option to schedule the camera to turn on and off (currently in beta so I was not able to test this yet), which is great for privacy when necessary. The camera also offers alerts of abnormal pet behaviors. During my usage of the camera so far, Chester has not done anything out of the ordinary, so I have not yet seen that alert. However, I feel safe knowing that the SiiPet camera tracks these abnormal behaviors.
Lastly, the compact and modern design of the camera is definitely a plus. It’s simple and not an eyesore. Because of its size, it is very easy to fit it anywhere in your home.
What I wish it had
Unlike most pet cameras, SiiPet does not have a built-in treat dispenser. There is an option to add the treat tossing module to the camera, but that will come with an additional cost. It’s not really a deal breaker for me, but it is nice to have.
Final Thoughts
This little camera is filled with many features that pet parents would love to have. I have used it for two weeks now and have enjoyed this device so far. There are some features, such as the ability to schedule the camera to turn on and off and inviting family to view the camera, that have not been released in the app yet, but those are some useful features to have. I’m excited to experience the fully built app once it is released. The SiiPet camera could be a great candidate for anyone in the market for a new pet camera or is looking to upgrade their current one.
