Petcube Play vs. Bites (v2) | Review

When deciding between the Petcube Play vs. Bites, it can be difficult to figure out what makes for the perfect device for keeping your pet engaged, safe, and entertained while you’re away from home. With the Petcube Play 2, you can keep an eye on your friend and even play with them through the built-in laser. The Petcube Bites 2, as the name suggests, allows you to reward your cat or dog with a treat — and it even lets you toss it across the room for your pet to fetch!

Both pet cameras are excellent products, but let’s dive into the differences to help you decide which is the better buy for your specific situation.

Petcube Play vs. Bites (v2) — Differences

Petcube Bites

Difference #1: Built-in Laser Toy – When you can’t be there yourself and want to keep your cat or dog engaged and having fun, the built-in laser toy is the second best option. The Petcube Play allows you to control a pet-safe laser at will to let you interact and play with your pet while giving them some valuable exercise. If you don’t think you’ll be able to make the time to play with them yourself, take advantage of the automatic mode in order to keep your cat entertained with little effort on your end.

Bites does not include a built-in laser toy, and your options to play with your pet using the product are pretty limited when compared to the Play model.

Difference #2: Treat Dispenser – Every dog or cat loves a good treat, and the Petcube Bites allows you to give them a little snack while you’re at work or on vacation. This remote treat camera for pets holds up to 100 treats and can actually fling treats to various distances up to 6 feet away. This is a little more engaging and fun for your pet, and allows them to fetch their reward rather than sitting and waiting at the Petcube itself.

The Play model does not have the treat functionality, focusing instead on engaging with your pet and keeping them entertained.

Difference #3: Design – The two products differ significantly in design as well. The Petcube Play measures 3.6 x 3.2 x 3.6 inches, and weighs just over 1 pound. The Bites smart device is significantly larger since it needs to hold treats, and comes in at 5.7 x 3 x 10.6 inches and weighing over 3 pounds. If space is limited and you’re not attached to the treats feature, the Play may be the better option. If you’d like to reward your pet with a snack, however, you may have to find space for a device that’s a little more substantial.


Petcube Play vs. Bites (v2) — Things in Common

Petcube Bites

Amazon Alexa Built-in – Both Petcube Play 2 and Petcube Bites 2 come with Amazon Alexa already built-in. So you can easily access more than 80,000 Alexa skills. Just activate Alexa via the Petcube’s app and voila! Play music, set alarms, control smart home devices, check the weather, etc. With the new Petcube you really don’t need a separate Amazon Echo device.

Video Quality – When monitoring your furry friends, it’s important that the video feed is as high quality as possible. With a 1080p HD video feed and a field of view of 160 degrees, you’ll be able to keep your pet in the frame and see them play in full HD excellence.

Two-Way Audio – Audio is an important part of playing with your pet through these smart products. Being able to hear your pet’s reactions may add some peace of mind while away from home, and being able to speak to them makes the Petcube Play and Bites nearly as good as being there yourself.

Night Vision – Chances are that your lights are off if you find yourself away from home. With full automatic night vision support, the Petcube Play and Bites allow you to keep an eye on your pet even in poorly lit conditions. Being able to check-in at will at pretty much any time is one of the big benefits towards investing in one of these smart pet products.

Connectivity – Both the Petcube Play and Bites gen 2 support 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi connections, unlike the previous gen Petcubes that only support 2.4GHz. With the 5GHz you’ll get higher bandwidth which provides much faster data connections than 2.4 GHz.

Smart Sound & Motion Alerts – Sound and motion alerts allow you to check on your pet when there is some sort of commotion. Tuning in to the video feed isn’t very exciting if your pet is taking a nap, and having these alerts makes it easier to play with your companion while ensuring that they’re as comfortable and safe as can be.

Also, you can use smart filters to organize all your videos. This way you can easily go through hundreds of videos to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Color – As of now, both the Petcube Play and Bites gen 2 are available in Matte Silver color only. However, we’re looking forward to seeing more color selection in the future, just like they had with their gen 1 line of Petcube Bites and Play. For more details about Petcube generation differences please refer to these two articles:


Petcube Play vs. Bites (v2) — FAQs

Petcube Play

Is there free cloud storage?
No, unfortunately, you need to pay extra for cloud storage. There are subscription plans available for the Petcube Play and Bites which we’ll discuss in detail below.

What is Petcube Care?
While the Petcubes on their own have a number of useful features, the Petcube Care subscription plans take the functionality to the next level. They also include some discounts on pet products around the web that may make the additional expense save you money overall.

Listed below are the three plans offered through Petcube Care and the benefits you’ll get should you choose to subscribe.

BASIC
The basic plan doesn’t really offer much.

  • Free
  • No Video History
  • Live video streaming
  • 1-year warranty

OPTIMAL
As the middle-tier plan, the Optimal bundle offers a good middle ground — combining a large number of features with a relatively affordable subscription.

  • $5.99 / month OR $47.88 / year
  • 3 days of video history
  • Live video streaming
  • 30-second video clips
  • Smart alerts
  • Web Interface
  • 30+ pet care perks
  • 1-year warranty
  • 10 video downloads
  • Smart filters

PREMIUM
For pet parents who want the best of the best, there’s a Petcube Care plan that has some extremely useful features for those who are willing to shell out a relatively expensive subscription fee.

  • $14.99 / month OR $99 / year
  • 90 days of video history
  • Live video streaming
  • 30-second video clips
  • Smart alerts
  • Web Interface
  • 30+ pet care perks
  • 2-year warranty
  • Unlimited video downloads
  • Smart filters
  • Unlimited cameras covered

Do the treats for Petcube Bite have to be any certain shape or size?
According to the manufacturer, the Petcube Bites works with a variety of treats and you don’t need to purchase any particular brand. They did recommend, however, that the treats be spherical, dry, hard, as well as greater than 0.3 inches and less than 1 inch in size for optimal treat flinging.

Is the laser pointer safe for pets and humans?
While playing with a laser pointer may be fun for both owner and pet alike, it’s understandable that you may have concerns over whether the laser is safe for play. The built-in 5mW 3R safe laser is certified safe both humans and pets. When you’re playing with your pet through the app, you are in complete control over the laser and direct it to various areas through taps on your smartphone screen.

They do recommend, however, that you avoid pointing the laser towards your cat or dog’s eyes. While the laser is certified for play, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Sale Petcube Bites 2 Wi-Fi Pet Camera with Treat Dispenser & Alexa Built-in, for Dogs and Cats. 1080p HD Video, 160 Full-Room View, 2-Way Audio, Sound/Motion Alerts, Night Vision, Pet Monitor

Petcube Play vs. Bites (v2) — Comparison Chart

Petcube Play 2Petcube Bites 2
Video Resolution1080p HD1080p HD
Field-of-view160° ultra wide-angle lens160° ultra wide-angle lens
Zoom4x digital zoom4x digital zoom
Video streamingOne-wayOne-way
Has soundTwo-wayTwo-way
Alexa Built-InYesYes
Night Visionautomatic night visionautomatic night vision
Wi-Fi2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi
Built-in Laser ToyYesNo
Treat DispenserNoYes
Sound AlertsYesYes
Motion AlertsYesYes
Smart Dog Alertsw/ Subscriptionw/ Subscription
Free Cloud RecordingUp to 4 hours (10-second video clips)more w/ subscriptionUp to 4 hours (10-second video clips)more w/ subscription
Triggered Video RecordingsYesYes
Monthly feesOptionalOptional
Works with Amazon AlexaAlexa Built-InAlexa Built-In
Designed forDogs/CatsDogs/Cats
Dimensions3.6 x 3.2 x 3.6 inches(9 x 8.1 x 9 cm)5.7 x 3 x 10.6 inches(14.4 x 7.6 x 26.9 cm)
ColorMatte SilverMatte Silver

Petcube Play and Bites (v2) Integration

Petcube Bites 2

Both Petcube Bites 2 and Petcube Play 2 come with Amazon Alexa built-in.

Alexa is the voice-activated assistant that can answer queries, control smart devices, and even play music. Although, Petcube’s speaker might not be the best option for music playing, nevertheless you can still use it to ask questions and play games, etc.

There’s one thing worth noting, Petcube Bites and Play don’t support ESP (Echo Spatial Perception). The ESP is designed for situations when you have more than one Amazon Alexa enabled device in one room. With ESP support, only the closest Alexa device will answer you.

So, if you have other Alexa enabled devices like Amazon Echo, or Sonos One , or , you might experience issues having two devices answering you at the same time.


Petcube Play and Bites (v2) Accessories

Petcube Bites

For the Petcube Bites 2, you’ll obviously need some treats. Any treats that meet the criteria listed above will work just fine. However, we recommend the Wellness Natural Grain Free Puppy Training Treats or the Wellness Petite Treats Small Breed Grain Free Dog Treats if you aren’t sure of which treats you’d like to load into your new pet camera.


Petcube Play vs. Bites (v2) — Our Thoughts

Petcube Play

Both the Petcube Play and Bites are an excellent way to stay connected with your pets when you’re away from home. Either product is an excellent buy, but we’d recommend the Petcube Play 2 for cats due to the built in laser for play, and the Petcube Bites 2 to reward your dog after a play session or for good behavior.

With that said, either product will work just fine for either cats or dogs. Which you decide on will depend on how you’d like to interact with your animal companions when checking in.

Sale Petcube Bites 2 Wi-Fi Pet Camera with Treat Dispenser & Alexa Built-in, for Dogs and Cats. 1080p HD Video, 160 Full-Room View, 2-Way Audio, Sound/Motion Alerts, Night Vision, Pet Monitor

Last update on 2024-03-28 at 09:02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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