A lazy day for our two chubby frenchies.
Today, we look at our pet camera setup, and why you need a pet camera for your french bulldog. A dedicated dog camera is the earmark of a truly concerned fur parent. In our house, we have 8 cameras and two of them are dedicated specifically to watching our french bulldogs while we’re away at work. A handful of friends expressed interest in getting their own dog cameras for their homes. However, they were afraid they wouldn’t even know where to begin when looking for a good camera that was easy to setup. Fortunately for my friends (and all of you!), I am a lifelong computer programmer, hardware enthusiast, and overall geek. So, I decided to write this quick post about user-friendly wireless internet cameras that make good dog cameras for when you’re away. Think “nanny cams for dogs.” That’s essentially what we’re setting up here.
Why You Need a Pet Camera
- Peace of mind
- Protection for your frenchie and home
- Added safety and security for your french bulldog
- Ability to monitor your french bulldog if they’re sick
- Because frenchies are prone to a litany of medical issues, a pet camera will allow you to react quickly if you see your frenchie in distress
We have a total of 8 cameras throughout our house. It’s really convenient to be able to check in on our frenchies while we’re not at home.
What to Look for in a Pet Camera
A good dog camera will have three qualities: good audio so you can hear what your dog is barking at, good video resolution so you can get a nice crisp picture of your frenchie on your phone or computer, the ability to see during nighttime hours, and optionally, the ability to pan/tilt the camera so you can examine your frenchie’s surroundings.
Do I Need a Pet Camera with Pan and Tilt?
It depends. Note that the DCS-933L is a stationary camera, i.e., it cannot be controlled remotely by the iOS/Android application. The DCS-934L has a decently wide angle of view, but you will need to place/mount it in a high position in a corner to get the full view of a room. The DCS-934L will make a good pet camera if your french bulldog is confined to one room while you are away from home.
If you leave your french bulldog in a large room, or give your french bulldog mostly free range of a specific part of your home, then we highly recommend the dLink DCS-5029L. The 5029L is an HD camera with built-in Pan & Tilt to allow you to move the camera back and forth from the mobile app on your phone. This will allow you to leave your french bulldog out of a kennel but still have the ability to scan the entire width of a room to see what your frenchie is doing while you are away.
The Best Pet Camera Option
The absolute best option for a wireless pet camera is the dLink DCS-5029L. This camera has built-in Pan & Tilt that will allow you to maneuver the camera from the DLink Mobile Application. This camera is also HD and has a much clearer picture than the cheaper DCS-933L. We have two of these cameras, one in our living room and one in the bedroom where our french bulldogs stay while we are out of the house. The price is a little steep, so prepare for some sticker shocker, but you really can’t beat the quality and convenience of being able to move the camera remotely. The mobile app can also be configured to handle up to 16 individual cameras, so we can see all your cameras at once.
A Cheaper Pet Camera Option
The DCS-934L is a much cheaper option than the above HD camera, but it has its own limitations. Namely, the camera cannot be remotely controlled to move left, right, up and down. It is totally stationary. We have 6 of these throughout the house and use them to monitor the whole house. I also have 4 more of these mounted outside my house that I use for security. This is a great entry level option and they’re cheaper enough to pickup a couple and not feel the burn on your wallet. You’ll really appreciate the peace of mind. Being able to check on our french bulldogs while we’re out is indispensable. Looking back, I wouldn’t go back on this purchase at all.
That’s our shtick! If you want to get a pet camera to monitor your french bulldogs while you’re away from you’re away from home, these are your definite recommendations. Both are solid options and we’ll stand behind either of them. If you have any questions or want to know more about how we have our cameras setup to monitor our frenchies, let us know in the comments below!
I’m sure you probably wonder whether all your time and effort on this site make a difference. The answer is a resounding “yes”. My boy Walter is so naughty, I can’t even begin to tell you, so at nearly two-years-old, I was still crating him during the day, mostly because I was worried he’d chew up the furniture…or the cat. Because of your gentle crate-shaming, I took the plunge, bought the $4o Dlink camera, and left him out last week. Woo hoo! Walter did great, mostly sleeping on the sofa and staring out the living room window all day. I did get nervous when he wasn’t in range, so I moved that camera to the back of the house, and Amazon just delivered the 5222L. I positioned it so that with both cameras I can see 90% of his usable space while I’m at work. After a couple of days, he’ll stop barking at the camera, and then we should be all set. You have saved me so much worry and guilt, and I am sincerely grateful for that and all you do!
Hey Carrie,
I am so humbled to hear from you. I’m ecstatic to hear that you and Walter are sorting it out together and that you’re seeing results. This website is every bit worth hearing from other French Bulldog owners like yourself. I hope you can now have a little peace of mind at work about your home and about Walter. Please feel free to reach out any time and I will do whatever I can to help you!