An RV Pet Monitor Can Help Keep Your Pets Safe on the Road

The topic of this post, RV pet monitors, is of critical importance to anyone who travels in an RV with pets. After all, one of the great benefits of traveling in an RV is the ability to bring along ALL family members, furry ones included. And although we don’t happen to travel with pets ourselves, we have many dear friends who do, and we care about their pets – and yours. That’s why we’ve often acknowledged the extraordinary importance of pet-safe travel on this blog.

While RV pet monitors are important for various reasons, the primary one is that the interior of an RV heats up dramatically in hot weather (and drops significantly in cold weather). Which means that dangerous temperature extremes can occur very quickly. So whether you’re running into a grocery store, having lunch in a restaurant, or catching a movie on a rainy day, it’s a good idea (and great peace of mind) to be able to monitor your pet’s activities and the internal temperature of your RV.

But, even if you swear you’d never leave your pet inside the RV alone for even half an hour, remember that there are sometimes unforeseen circumstances or emergencies that may demand exactly that. We know pet owners well enough to know that they like to be prepared because their pet’s safety is a priority. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a couple of RV pet monitors that offer various features and may fit different budgets.

What Is an RV Pet Monitor?

There are several types of RV pet safety monitors (and actually, a third type that’s simply a combination of the first two).

RV Pet Camera Monitor

A pet monitor with a camera gives you access to information related to the condition and activities of your pet when you’re away from your RV. Typically, an app allows you to connect to the camera in your RV to see what’s happening. Good cameras offer as much as 1080p (HD) resolution, as well as live streaming through a subscription via a cellular network or your RV’s WiFi network. This allows you to monitor your pet’s activities in real-time (if you want the video to also work in the dark, you’ll want a pet monitor that offers infrared vision).

Most pet camera monitors include a microphone, allowing you to hear if your pet is whining or barking. However, the microphone is also useful for hearing any alarms (such as smoke, propane, or carbon monoxide) and to help confirm whether your air conditioner is running. Some pet monitors even offer two-way audio, allowing you to communicate with your pets from your phone to calm them, if needed. Or, just to say you miss them!

There are even pet camera monitors that will toss your dog a treat!

However, in general, RVers tend to be most concerned about the temperature in the rig where their beloved pet is relaxing while they’re temporarily away from the RV. This is where pet temperature monitors come into play.

RV Pet Temperature Monitor

A temperature monitor allows you to keep an eye on the temperature (or even temperature and humidity levels) in your RV when you’re away from the rig. This is critical to the safety of your pet, particularly when the temperature and humidity levels rise (i.e., summer), regardless of whether you leave the air conditioner running.

Power outages happen. Weather happens. Unexpected things happen all the time, and there’s no guarantee that the comfortable temperature you left your beloved pet in will remain comfortable. This is why it’s so important for pet owners to have the ability to monitor the interior temperature of the RV whenever a pet is left without a human caregiver.

Why Would You Need an RV Pet Monitor?

There are many places where pets aren’t allowed or where it’s unsafe to bring them. In addition to unexpected emergencies (as we mentioned earlier), let’s examine some places and activities that may not be suitable for your pet.

Some State & National Parks

Many state parks and national parks don’t allow pets on hiking or nature trails, regardless of whether they’re leashed or not.

Locations & Events

Restaurants, movie theatres, museums, stores, visitor centers, tourist attractions, and many other businesses rarely allow pets unless the animal is a certified service dog.

Biking

If you’re a biker, unless you tow a pet trailer, you’re unlikely to bike with your pet, so your bike rides are a time when your pet may be left alone in your RV.

Downtown Areas

When you visit quaint villages and downtown areas, it can be challenging to walk your pet along with you, especially if it’s a very busy area or if you intend to pop in and out of shops as you go.

Beaches & Pools

Many beaches prohibit pets, as do swimming pools in RV parks, community centers, and other locations.

Can You Leave Your Dog in Your RV? (And Should You?)

All of the pet owners we know are extremely careful with their pets and value them as the beloved family members they are. Whether or not you should leave a pet in an RV is a personal decision, and the age, health, and personality of the pet are factors to consider. More importantly, though, the amount of time a pet owner intends to be away from the RV deserves very serious consideration, as does the weather.

Stanford University School of Medicine conducted a study measuring the rise of the temperature inside a parked car on a sunny day (temps on those days ranged from 72℉ to 96℉). Now, we do understand that an RV is different from a car. But hear us out:

If the ambient temperature on a sunny day is around 85℉, for example, the temperature in a car with the engine off and the windows cracked open can reach 102℉ in just 10 minutes. That’s not long enough to make a quick run into a grocery store before Fido is beginning to roast. But, after just 30 minutes, the temperature will reach 120℉. Not only will your pet be extremely uncomfortable, but at 110℉, pets are in danger of experiencing heat stroke.

And regardless of ambient temperatures, the interior of a car parked in the sun will rise more than 30 degrees per minute. This means that the temperature can become lethal in a very short period of time.

That’s right – regardless of ambient temperature, if the sun is shining, the interior temperature of a vehicle will rise dramatically. Not only that, but 80% of that rise in temperature will occur within the first half-hour.

This means that life-threatening temperatures can occur more quickly than you may think, even in an RV. In fact, due to what is essentially a greenhouse effect, the sun can warm a vehicle’s interior dramatically even on cool days. This is because the sun heats the air mass trapped under the glass. Although Stanford’s studies weren’t conducted using RVs in particular, we are all aware of how quickly an RV’s interior can heat up. Those of us who’ve been in our rigs, regardless of their size, understand the power of the sun to quickly heat the interior.

And this is why a device that monitors the temperature inside the rig and alerts you to changes is very important for many RVers.

RV Pet Monitors: How Do I Monitor My Dog in an RV?

Let’s take a look at a variety of pet monitors and how they work to keep your pet safe in your RV.

Waggle RV Pet Monitor

Waggle’s pet monitor uses built-in 4G Verizon cellular data to monitor the interior temperature of your RV and alert you via the Waggle app, text message, or email about changing or unsafe conditions.

Waggle monitors your RV’s interior and offers real-time alerts on any changes in temperature and humidity, as well as power outages.

There are a couple of important things to understand about how Waggle works.

Does the Waggle RV pet monitor require WiFi?

No. Waggle doesn’t require WiFi to function. However…

Do you have to have Verizon to use the Waggle RV Pet Monitor?

Yes. This is very important to understand. In order to use Waggle’s RV pet monitor, you’ll need cell service provided by Verizon’s network. This means you’ll need a Verizon cellular plan. Without Verizon, the Waggle pet monitor won’t be able to communicate its data to you.

Waggle Pet Monitor Pro offers a bundle with the monitor and a camera:

Nimble RV Pet Monitor

All you need to know about Nimble is that it was purchased by Waggle in July of 2020. So, Nimble is now Waggle! (See above for details.)

RV Whisper Pet Monitor

The RV Whisper pet monitor supports up to 20 sensors and logs its sensor data every 5 minutes. In addition to protecting your pets, RV Whisper can monitor your RV’s battery, shore power, propane, fridge temperature, water bay in cold winter weather, and more. RV Whisper can also log data from other RV wireless devices such as the Hughes Power Watchdog Surge Protectors, Micro-Air EasyStart Breeze soft starters (with Bluetooth), and several other compatible devices.

This monitor comes with four sensors and the monitor station runs on the 12V power in your RV.

NOTE: A reliable WiFi connection is required for the RV Whisper pet monitor system to work. You’ll need to provide that network and ensure it has a reliable internet connection for the system to work as intended.

SensorPush HT.w Wireless Thermometer/Hygrometer for iPhone/Android

The SensorPush HT.w Wireless Thermometer/Hydrometer isn’t specifically an RV pet monitor but is meant to monitor conditions in any of a number of situations – from an RV, to a baby’s nursery, to a guitar case, to a refrigerator, to a greenhouse – you name it. The WiFi gateway uses Bluetooth sensors to monitor conditions.

You purchase the number of sensors you want according to what you want to monitor, as well as a WiFi gateway to transmit data and alerts to your Apple or Android cell phone (you can use the sensors alone and download data for 20 days, but in order to remotely monitor conditions in real-time to keep a pet safe, you must also purchase a WiFi gateway/hub). WiFi is required to use the SensorPush G1 Wireless Gateway  to monitor the conditions in your RV and access the data and alerts when you’re away from the rig.

Temp Stick Wireless Remote WiFi Temperature & Humidity Sensor

The Temp Stick wireless remote sensor system monitors temperature and humidity 24/7 and is capable of sending alerts to your Apple or Android phone via Temp Stick’s apps. The system requires a connection to a WiFi network and sends text messages and email alerts about important changes in temperature or humidity. It will also alert you if the WiFi connection is lost or when batteries are low. You can view and manage the system from any smartphone, tablet or PC.

The Temp Stick is battery operated (two AA batteries), and no gateway device or subscription to any service is necessary.

MarCELL Cellular Temperature, Humidity & Power Monitor (Verizon)

The MarCELL temperature, humidity, and power monitor operates on Verizon’s cellular network and requires a subscription plan, which is available through them (plans start at $8.25/month). MarCELL can be used wherever there’s a Verizon cellular signal and, thanks to its built-in lithium backup battery, will continue to operate in a power outage, sending you instant alerts via text, email, or cell phone call when temperature and humidity levels reach dangerous levels or when power is lost.

Once you register the MarCELL device, it can be plugged into a standard wall outlet to work. It then automatically connects to Verizon’s 4G cellular network and begins recording temperature and humidity. The system will alert you in real-time if an issue occurs.

Can I Leave My Pet in an RV Without Air Conditioning?

Never leave your pets alone in an RV without reliable climate control (and then only for short periods). If you’re camping with your pets in the summer and you’re right there, and your pet needs to get out of the sun, then the RV may be a good place for them, provided it’s equipped with cooling. You can run your roof vent fan(s) with an open window in the rear of the rig to keep air circulating.

Always provide your pet with plenty of fresh, cold water to drink.

Dipping paws in cool water or using your outdoor shower to wet down their paws and legs can also help keep dogs cool in the summer.

Frozen treats are another way to help keep dogs cool in the summer heat, as are fans and pet cooling beds.

Again, though, you should never leave your pet unattended in an RV that cannot keep your pet sufficiently cool (with air conditioning in summer) or sufficiently warm (with heat in winter).

If you leave a pet unattended with the benefit of climate control and an RV pet monitor system in place, please do so only for short periods of time.

PRO-TIP: Micro-Air EasyTouch Thermostat

Without realizing it, and without having pets ourselves, we now have a built-in pet monitoring system in our RV. We installed a Micro-Air EasyTouch thermostat (discount available below), which allows us to remotely view and control the temperature in our RV when we’re away from it. As long as our rig has internet connectivity, we can use the EasyTouch app on our smartphone to control the heating and air conditioning in our RV. Now, if we get a pet, we already have a pet monitor in place.

Please note that the EasyTouch thermostat and its partner app do NOT provide alerts if the temperature exceeds a specific level. you need to manually check the app to view the readings.

Have You Used a Pet Monitoring System in Your RV?

If you’ve ever used an RV pet monitor in your rig, we’d love to hear about it. We’re especially interested to know if you’ve found a particular system to work especially well, because our readers – and their pets – may benefit from the information you have to share.

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