Furbo Dog Camera Product Review

Who doesn't love the idea of being able to monitor your pet while you're away from home? How many of us have wondered what they get up to during the day? Well now, with this neat piece of technology, all of your questions can be answered, and your dog can even send you a selfie! Powered with a dog recognition technology, there's no stopping the Furbo!

After having used the Furbo for well over a year now, I feel as though I can give a complete and honest review on how it performs based on my experience.

Continue reading for a full Furbo dog camera product review:

Product Description

"Furbo is a smart dog camera that lets you see, talk, and even toss treats to your dog." Enabling you to see and speak to your dog when you are not home, Furbo gives you the peace of mind you need when away.

Product Specifications

Size: 5.91x4.72x8.86 inches (15x12x22.5cm)

Weight: 1.6kg (3.5lbs)

Camera: 1080p HD, 160° wide-angle lens, 4x digital zoom, automatic night vision.

Audio: Built-in speaker, high-quality microphone

Treat capacity: 30 pieces

Recommended treat: Round shaped treats with a diameter around
0.4 inches; (1cm)

Power: 100-240V, 5V2A

Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

Inside The Box

Warranty

Furbo comes with a 1 year original manufacturer's limited warranty.

30-day money back guarantee.

Customer Service

What I love about the Furbo app is how effectively they've integrated their customer service into it. Often times you'll have to look up customer service numbers, or scroll through the company website in hopes of finding an email address or contact number. Furbo is one step ahead of everyone else. 

There are two ways of locating customer support, both options are offered in the app itself as well as on their website. Refer to the images below for in-app customer service guidance. Note that this is the updated app for the newer Furbo model.

The first method of contact for faq/in-app message is to click the chat icon in the top right corner of the main page. 

This will direct you to the help section where you can look up your issue. If you can't find the help you require within the frequently asked questions, simply click the "contact us" button. This will take you into a new window where you can start a direct in-app chat by clicking "New."

The second method for contacting customer support is by clicking the 3 lines in the top left corner of the main page, in your app. A side column column will appear. In the below list, click "contact us" at the bottom.

This will open the contact us page where you have the option to message the Furbo team via Facebook, In-App Message, or by email.

This is by far the most accessible customer support I have ever seen. For my experience with the support team read the 'update' section below, under 'overall opinion'.  

Pros:

Two-Way Audio

With Furbo, you can listen to what's going on at home but are also able to communicate back. If your dog is up to no good, you can stop him via two-way audio and if your dog is behaving, you can send praises. 

Clear Image

The image quality is great! Especially when the wifi connection is strong. Furbo offers clear 1080p HD video. Looks great on all screens. You can also zoom the camera up to 4x.

Ability To Record Video/Take Still Shots

When you're checking in on your dog, you have the option to capture a still image or video record. The video/picture will save to your phone's photo album. If the lighting is low, you can adjust the camera to night vision.

Furbo App

Real Time Smart Alerts

Furbo uses a dog recognition technology that will send you real-time smart alerts for dog activity, dog selfie, and person alerts. Should your dog be facing the camera, it will recognize this, capture an adorable selfie, and store it to the cloud. You will be notified in all of these instances, but should the notifications be too much, you can turn on/off each alert depending on your needs.

The Design

Talk about durable! Rocky must have knocked the Furbo around at least 100 times trying to get at the treats, and I hate to admit it, but I've also accidently dropped it once or twice. It took a beating that's for sure, and it's still perfectly intact! Not to mention that the lid stayed on the entire time!

Reinforced with a strong plastic grip, the lid stays locked on tight. You also have the ability to stick the camera to whichever surface you choose via the 3M adhesive tape that comes attached to the bottom of the Furbo. 

Barking Alerts

Treat Dispensing

A great feature to have, especially if your dog is home alone and being obedient! It's also an excellent way to get them back into the eyeline of the camera if they happen to be elsewhere. It's pretty funny to see them running into the frame when they hear the dispensing noise. Mind you, if your dog is a little guy with a big personality like Rocky, he may start demanding Furbo give him treats after a while... Rocky will typically stand in front of the camera barking, causing my barking alert to pop-up, only to be asking for a treat.

The Furbo holds up to 100 treat pieces, depending on size.

Night Vision Camera

Social Media Sharing

With on click of the button you can share your captured pictures and videos directly to social media from the Furbo app! 

Device Compatibility

The Furbo is now compatible for use with an Apple watch and Alexa. 

Cons:

Voice Recording For Treat Dispensing Is Not Clear

A really cool feature that Furbo offers is the ability to record your own voice to play right before the treat is fired out. The only downside to this feature is the loud mechanical-like noise you hear as your pre-recorded voice plays. it drowns out the recording. Having a volume button for your recording playback would be ideal.

Dependent On Wifi 

To use Furbo, you will need a wifi connection at home. If you don't have a strong wifi connection while home or away, your video quality and playback functionality will suffer. You will need a minimum connection of at least 0.8 Mbps.

Specific Treat Size For Optimal Dispensing

Furbo was designed with a specific treat size in mind, which is why they include a bag of treats with purchase. Round shaped treats with a diameter of 0.4 in/1cm work best. If you use your own treats or kibble, Furbo may eject 1-3 pieces at a time depending on size. Rocky is only able to have a specific type of treat for his diet, and it just so happens to be a tad smaller than the recommended size. However, he doesn't seem to mind when three pieces come flying out at the same time.

Loud Dispensing Noise

On the original Furbo, when a treat is ejected, it made a loud, unflattering, mechanical type sound. More than likely, this occurs so your dog can hear the noise from a far to receive their treat. It would be ideal if that sound were to be eliminated and replaced with a beep, or simply just your personal recording. ** Note that in the new version of Furbo, the noise has been substantially reduced and a tiny dog bark plays over the dispensing sound. This has been a huge improvement!

Using The Furbo App

The Display Screen:

Once connected, you have access to dispense treats, switch from camera to picture mode, record, and to speak to your pet. This screen will display a full size live feed of what the camera sees. You will find the date and time stamped in the top left corner, and to the left of the date stamp there will be an arrow to bring you back to the main page. The video/picture buttons are located at the bottom right of the screen, the treat dispensing button at the bottom middle, and the microphone at the bottom right.

As you can see from the below image, it's a great set up that's very straight forward. 

Overall Opinion

Overall, I love the Furbo. I initially bought with hesitation due to price and worry over the product quality. But it turns out, you pay for what you get, and the Furbo exceeded all of my expectations. I use it so often that I actually can't imagine what I would do without it. 

Offers Peace Of Mind

I'm the type of pet mom who always worries about what my little guy is doing while I'm not at home. And Rocky being a Yorkie-poo with a small bladder and an insistent need to chew, he needs to be monitored. Not to mention his plethora of health conditions; I have peace of mind knowing I can check in on him whenever I choose. Being able to keep an eye on him throughout the day is important to me, and although there are many types of cameras on the market, Furbo has the most to offer based on my needs.

Is It Really A Cons List?

As you can see from the pros and cons listed above, the cons are merely just suggestions as to which features I think could be improved, they would not deter me from purchasing the camera. In fact, I purchased mine in 2017 when the camera was only 720p HD and the cloud service didn't exist. So needless to say, the Furbo keeps improving.

Purchase Hesitation?

Furbo offers a 30-day money back guarantee, so if you are hesitant to purchase, the return policy should offer piece of mind. You can test out the product to make sure it suits your needs before fully committing. However, I don't think you'll be inclined to return it once you give it a shot.

Visit their Amazon store via the link below to purchase/for more information and genuine customer reviews. Prime members will benefit with free one day delivery. 

* December 2018 Update *

I purchased my Furbo nearly two years prior to this update, it was the first model ever produced. Just over a week ago I had reached out to the support team via the in-app message feature. I was experiencing a red light on my Furbo and poor wifi connectivity. I had asked them what the read light indicated and how I would go about fixing these issues. The support team replied immediately and when the issue couldn't be resolved, they offered me a new Furbo. Within a week of reaching out, I had a new Furbo delivered to my door. This surprised me because my warranty was well expired.

I can't speak highly enough of the support team. The representative I dealt with was on the ball. He replied quickly, messaged me to check in when my reply back was delayed, did everything he could to fix the problem, and sent me a new Furbo without question - all costs on them. Not to mention, he has since checked in to see how I'm liking the new model. Oh yeah, that. He replaced my outdated Furbo with the new model!  And I have to say, it's amazing. A product I already loved got so much better. The camera clarity is remarkable, and the nanny features are beyond impressive. A feature I will definity subscribe to after my free 90 day trial expires. The new Furbo detects humans and even records 10 second clips of any human that crosses the lense. There is so much peace of mind with this feature. But let's talk about dog selfies, they melt my heart. 

Rocky moves a million miles a minute, I'm shocked Furbo was able to catch a still frame. There are countless added features, and I'm loving them. If you haven't already bought a Furbo...What are you waiting for?! 

You can also visit their website directly for purchase/more information by clicking the link below:

FURBO COUPON:

Sources: Furbo