Necto Pet Monitor Review – A Better Waggle Alternative

I travel with my dog a lot and, unfortunately, not every pit stop is dog-friendly – which means occasionally leaving my dog alone in my vehicle.

Previously, I used Waggle to monitor the temperature and get alerts if it became too hot for him. However, after being deeply disappointed with the reliability of Waggle I switched to the Necto pet monitor.

Not only is Necto more reliable at sending safety alerts, it’s also a lot cheaper than Waggle.

The device and first year of service with Waggle is almost $300, whereas with Necto you’ll only pay $130. All subsequent years are $199 with Waggle and just $84 with Necto.

Overall, my Necto review is a full 5-stars.

In this article:

• My honest Necto review
• Pros and cons of the Necto pet monitor
• Necto vs Waggle and MarCELL
• Necto pet monitor discount code – use EVERYWHERE for 10% off!

This article is based on my own unsponsored personal experience using my Necto temperature monitor.

Disclaimer: This article features some affiliate links. I only endorse things I’ve personally used or that come highly recommended by trusted peers. If you purchase anything I mention using my referral links from Amazon, REI or other retailers I may receive a small commission. However, there is never extra cost to you. You can read more here. Thank you for your support.

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NOTE: Even with a pet temperature monitor, I still will not leave my dog unattended on a hot day. A temperature monitor can help alert you to unsafe conditions, but reasonable judgement is still necessary when deciding if it’s safe to leave your pet unattended. Read more RV pet safety tips here.

Necto Pet Monitor

Before I get into my Necto pet monitor review, let me quickly cover what it is and how it works!

Necto is a cellular temperature monitor. It routinely takes temperature and humidity readings, and if it has an unsafe reading (or if the power goes out) it uses an internal SIM card to send you an alert via a connection to cellular towers.

As is the case with all cellular monitors, a monthly subscription is necessary to activate the internal SIM and receive alerts.

The Necto SIM card can automatically connect to 3 different cellular networks (AT&T, T-Mobile and CellularOne) in order to find the strongest signal.

Because Necto uses cellular networks, it does not require WiFi or Bluetooth to work. With its backup battery, you will still receive alerts even if there’s a WiFi or power outage.

Alerts can be sent to up to 5 people, and you can receive notifications through the app, text alerts or via email.

NOTE: Your Necto pet monitor will work regardless of who your current cell phone provider is. They’re completely independent systems from each other.

Necto Temperature Monitor Review

Recently, I took a road trip across 8 different states, including 5 National Parks, and a variety of urban and extremely rural areas.

Why is this important? Because Necto uses cellular connection to send alerts, so testing it’s reliability in a variety of areas is a great way to pressure test how reliable it really is!

The outcome? Necto had superior connectivity compared to my Waggle pet monitor. It only temporarily lost connection once! (in a mountain pass, where there was no cell service)

Overall, I rank Necto as one of the best RV pet temperature monitors.

Necto Review – What I Love

After traveling with my dog and testing multiple pet temperature monitors, I’ve found Necto is the best one on the market. Naturally, the list of things I love about Necto is fairly extensive.

Reliable Alerts

Even in remote areas with limited cell coverage, I’ve found that Necto stays connected better than other monitors.

Necto updates the app display with temperature readings every 10 minutes. However, if the temperature exceeds your set range in between updates it automatically pushes an alert to you. It doesn’t wait a full 10 minutes to let you know there’s a problem.

In addition to receiving automated alerts, I can also open my app and check the current temperature manually whenever I want.

No Wifi Or Bluetooth Needed

Because Necto is a cellular connected pet monitor you do not need a wifi or bluetooth connection. This gives me so much more flexibility to use Necto just about anywhere!

It also means I can easily move my Necto pet monitor to different vehicles or locations depending on my needs. It’s extremely versatile.

Lastly, because it uses cell connection, it stays connected even when you’re driving.

Necto Pet Monitor Discount

While the Necto pet monitor may seem like a more expensive option upfront, the fact that they include free service drastically offsets the overall cost.

→ Necto with 1-year of service – $117 with discount code.
→ Necto with 2-years of service – $180 with discount code.

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Any way you look at it, Necto is definitely a better deal than Waggle. While the Waggle pet monitor sells for only $99, they will hold you hostage with a $39/month subscription fee. That’s highway robbery! (pun intended)

The Waggle pet monitor and one month of service costs $138. With Necto you get the device and an entire year of service for less. No brainer, right?

Longer Battery Life & Low Power Consumption

In my personal experience, Necto has a longer battery life than Waggle. I can consistently get 3-5 days on a fully charged battery with Necto. My Waggle almost always died within 2 days.

I think the largest factor for longer battery life is that Necto can connect to multiple cellular networks, so it spends less time in “search” mode which wears down the battery (just like when your cell phone battery dies more quickly while in low-service areas.)

Best of all, it uses a very small amount of electricity so you can leave it plugged in without worrying about draining your camper battery. I frequently leave mine plugged in 24/7.

Easy Installation & App Set Up

Other Things I Like About My Necto Pet Monitor

• Customizable alerts – you pick the temperature range, which items you want alerts for (temp, humidity or power outages) and how you want to receive alerts (notification, text, email)
• US based customer service accessible by phone or email
• Necto works internationally in Canada and Mexico

Necto Review – Room For Improvement

There are a few things I’d like to see changed or improved with Necto. This is a much shorter list, but they’re still worth mentioning.

LED Display With Temperature

While you can check your app to get real-time temperature and humidity readings at any time, Necto pet monitor does not come with a built-in display.

The Necto pet monitor has two indicator lights: one for power status and one for cellular connectivity. It’s handy to check the connection quickly, but a display showing the current temperature would be nice.

Backup WiFi Connection

Currently, there aren’t any cellular pet temperature monitors that offer a backup WiFi connection. Necto, Waggle nor MarCELL have this feature.

Now that Starlink makes it much easier to have a WiFi connection in the most remote areas, it’d be a handy option to use WiFi as a backup when there aren’t any cellular networks in range.

Waggle Vs Necto Pet Monitor Vs MarCELL

Here’s a quick comparison of Waggle vs Necto vs MarCELL monitors:

For more detailed information check out my Waggle Review, MarCELL Review, or my Waggle Vs Necto Comparison articles.

Necto Pet Monitor Review – Is It Worth It?

My Necto review gets a full 5-stars. It’s been a great, reliable, and affordable pet temperature monitor. In fact, Necto outperforms Waggle in every single category.

Necto offers great customer service. Each time I’ve interacted with the folks at Necto I get a quick response and the impression they genuinely care about providing a safe and reliable RV temperature monitor for pets.

You can purchase your Necto pet monitor here.

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