Best RV Pet Temperature Monitor (Hint: NOT Waggle)

One of the primary reasons I chose vanlife was to be able to travel with my dog (he’s too big for planes). However, it’s unavoidable that occasionally I have to leave him while I go grocery shopping, stop at a laundromat, find a place to shower, etc.

Pets are typically not allowed in these places, so it’s important to have an RV pet temperature monitor for your camper which can alert you to temperature changes that become too hot or too cold for your pets.

Even though I try really hard not to leave my dog for more than a few minutes, I live on the road full-time and sometimes it happens. I take many precautions, including using my RV temperature monitor to ensure he’s safe.

Originally, I used Waggle Pet Monitor. It was alright, but I found a better RV pet temperature monitor option that’s less expensive and provides even more security features – like alerting me to smoke or poisonous gas in my camper. I’m going to give you the details in this blog post!

In this article:

• My recommendation for the best RV pet monitor
• Comparison of RV temperature monitor options
• Waggle alternatives – SimpliSafe, Necto & MarCELL

RV Temperature Monitor Options: SimpliSafe And Waggle

Whether you’re traveling with a pet or not, an RV temperature monitor is a handy thing to have.

There are several options when it comes to the best RV temperature monitor – the best one for you will depend on how you plan to use it, but for most RVs or campers I recommend Simplisafe. (You can get 50% off your new SimpliSafe system at checkout with this link!)

While most people are familiar with Waggle (an RV pet monitor that sends alerts to your phone when the temperature in your camper exceeds your set safe range), SimpliSafe is a less talked about option for RV temperature monitors.

• Did you know SimpliSafe can do the same thing as Waggle Pet Monitor? And more.
• AND instead of paying $30/month for Waggle subscription, SimpliSafe is FREE!!! Or $10/month (depends on your camper wifi setup)
• AND the upfront cost is similar for the SimpliSafe system and Waggle Pet Monitor!!

You might be familiar with SimpliSafe as a home security system. However, it also operates as a fantastic RV temperature monitor (plus a dozen other things it monitors).

My SimpliSafe kit cost about the same as my Waggle Pet Monitor kit, but the SimpliSafe also includes additional features like a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, video cameras, glass break sensor and door/window alarms.

This makes it a superior RV temperature monitor system for keeping your pet safe because it’ll alert you to many more hazards besides the temperature.

My favorite components of the SimpliSafe security system are the optional temperature monitor and water leak monitors you can add. I’ve placed both of these in my van (along with all the other bells and whistles) so I get alerts from SimpliSafe directly to my cell phone whenever:

So, what’s the catch? The SimpliSafe system has to connect to a wifi system in order to work (without a paid monthly monitoring plan). If you already have Wifi in your van then this is the best RV pet temperature monitor.

If you do not have wifi in your van, then you have two options: pay $10 a month for service with SimpliSafe, or pay $30 a month for service with Waggle Pet Monitor.

Both paid services activate the SIM card in the device, which allows it to work over the cell network and without a wifi connection. Each one offers contract-free, month-to-month billing.

Want to know more about the SimpliSafe system I have in my van? Check out this comprehensive article outlining what is included in my system.

Additional Things To Consider When Picking The Best Pet Temperature Monitor For Your RV

There are two big things to consider when deciding which RV pet temperature monitor will be best for you.

The first is reliable cellular signal. All of the options for pet monitors require access to a cellular network or wifi (which often is created by access to a cellular network, unless you’re using Starlink and satellite connections).

If you are out of cellular range, none of the options for pet temperature monitors will be able to send alerts to you phone.

The second thing to consider is power outages. Many vans and campers have a battery bank that powers your appliances, so if the grid goes offline it won’t impact you.

However, if you’re relying on a shore power connection (like at an RV campground), and the grid goes down, your wifi connection will immediately disconnect.

If your pet temperature monitor only communicates to you via wifi, this will cause an outage in alerts. However, if your pet monitor communicates via the cell network, and has a backup battery (they all do!) then you’ll be able to receive alerts.

What does this mean for you? If you have a sizable battery bank, you can pick whatever pet monitoring solution you want – you won’t be impacted by power outages.

If you have an RV that runs on shore power connection, I recommend you consider Waggle ($30/month) or SimpliSafe with the $10/month monitoring plan (which activates the cellular network instead of relying on wifi only).

The Best RV Pet Temperature Monitor: SimpliSafe

Personally, I have found that SimpliSafe is the best RV pet temperature monitor! There are several reasons why I migrated from Waggle Pet Temperature to SimpliSafe to keep my pet safe while traveling.

✓ Upfront costs are about the same as Waggle (use this link to get a discount on SimpliSafe!).

✓ Ongoing SimpliSafe monthly costs are less than Waggle Pet Monitor.

✓ SimpliSafe offers far more features than Waggle Pet Monitor – like the ability to sense smoke, dangerous CO2 gas, water leaks, intruder alerts … all in addition to RV temperature monitoring.

✓ SimpliSafe sends alerts straight to your phone, and can be set up to run on wifi or cellular. Waggle Pet Monitor only runs on cellular.

SimpliSafe Has More Features – RV Pet Monitor + More

You get a LOT more with the SimpliSafe system than you do with the Waggle Pet Monitor.

You can include things like glass break sensors and door alarms (in case of break-ins), plus smoke and CO2 alarms that let you know if there’s a fire or gas leak in your camper.

I also added a water leak alarm to my plumbing cabinet to alert me if there’s ever a problem with my water system.

The plumbing cabinet isn’t one I look in often, so a small leak would become a big problem before I even know it exists. Now, once water is detected on the SimpliSafe sensor I get notified immediately.

And of course, SimpliSafe offers temperature sensors. The system is modular, so you can add as many devices as you’d like.

I have two temperature sensors in my SimpliSafe system so I’m able to monitor the temperature in the van (for my dog), as well as in my battery cabinet (to keep an eye on optimal charging).

My entire system cost about $150 to purchase… which is comparable to the cost of Waggle Pet Monitor.

While Waggle Pet Monitor gets the job done, it only senses temperature, humidity and power outages. Additionally, it’s a much more expensive ongoing subscription cost – let’s discuss…

SimpliSafe Has Lower Monthly RV Pet Monitor Costs Than Waggle

There are two options for RV temperature monitoring alerts with SimpliSafe.

The first way to receive alerts is to use the WiFi network in your van, which allows you to use the FREE SimpliSafe monthly monitoring plan.

Yup – that means if you already have WiFi in your van, then you don’t have to pay monthly to keep your pet safe. This is how my RV pet temperature monitor is set up.

The second option (if you don’t have WiFi, or your WiFi isn’t on all the time) is SimpliSafe’s $10/month plan.

This plan activates the SIM card in the base station which creates its own connection to the cellular network. With an active SIM card your system doesn’t need WiFi to send alerts to your phone.

Both SimpliSafe and Waggle offer month-to-month billing without a contract.

Compared to the cost of Waggle (which is around $30/month) the SimpliSafe system is the better option from a monthly cost perspective.

From a value perspective, you’re also get a lot more functionality with SimpliSafe than with Waggle Pet Monitor – all while paying less.

What’s The Catch? Electricity

There is one catch, however. Waggle is a plug-and-play solution, meaning it’s ready to use out of the box. SimpliSafe requires a little bit of setup.

Waggle Pet Monitor comes with a rechargeable battery. The convenience with this is that it can plug directly into your existing 12v electrical system – you don’t need to have your inverter on to power it because it’s not operating on 110V household electricity.

While the battery life of the Waggle Pet Monitor is awful (I was getting 2-3 days between charges if I was lucky, typically I had to charge it daily), it’s really convenient to be able to use the existing 12v electrical system in my camper without having to run my inverter.

Install time for Waggle Pet Monitor took me less than 10 minutes.

Out of the box, SimpliSafe runs on 110v household outlets. This means unless you modify it, you’ll have to run your inverter to power the base station (the brains of the whole system).

SimpliSafe has a rechargeable battery in the base station, too. This means that as long as you’re turning your inverter on for a few minutes each day, the base station will stay powered.

You don’t have to modify the SimpliSafe system – if your inverter is something you power up every day you’ll be just fine as is.

However, if you don’t tend to use your inverter often (like me – I hardly ever turn mine on), you may want to tweak the system so it can use 12v.

The good news is it’s a very simple modification. With about $10 in parts, a pair of wire cutters and crimpers, and 15 minutes of time you can plug the base station into your existing 12v system and never worry about it again.

Install time for my SimpliSafe RV pet temperature monitoring system took me 30 minutes (with modifications).

Read my step-by-step instructions (with photos!) to see how I converted my SimpliSafe system to run off my 12v batteries – no inverter needed!

Waggle Pet Monitor For RV & Campers

Waggle pet monitor for RV and campervans is temperature monitor system that tracks temperature, humidity and power loss.

Alerts are sent to your phone in real-time when one of these risk events happens.

Get 50% off your Waggle with code claire50

How Does Waggle Work?

The Waggle pet monitoring system works by communicating over the Verizon cellular network. Don’t worry – it doesn’t matter which cell provider you have, the Waggle system works regardless. An app on your phone connects to the Waggle pet temperature monitor installed in your van or RV.

Once the pet temperature monitor system detects the temperature or humidity is out of your safe range, or if it detects a power or service outage, it immediately sends an alert to your phone.

If you need to check-in on the temperature you can open your app to see real-time temperature, humidity and heat index inside your van or RV.

If the temperature range exceeds the safe range then an alert is immediately sent to your phone, letting you know which risk event happened – temperature, humidity or power loss.

If you have the Waggle Pro you can also configure alerts for geo-fencing. Once enabled, you determine a radius of .5 miles to 10 miles. If your RV or van moves outside of that range you’ll receive an alert on your phone!

Waggle Pet Temperature Monitor Price

The Waggle pet monitor for RV and campers comes in two models: Waggle Pro and Waggle Lite.

Waggle Lite has fewer features, and is about $100 cheaper than Waggle Pro.

Waggle Lite Vs Waggle Pro

Waggle Pet Monitor Lite comes with pet temperature monitoring, power loss monitoring, heat and humidity index reporting and a rechargeable battery.

It does not include GPS tracking, geofencing or a digital display.

Waggle Lite costs $250 for the device, plus monthly subscription costs.

Waggle Pet Monitor Pro comes with everything the Lite version comes with (temperature and power loss monitoring, heat and humidity index report and a rechargeable battery).

In addition, it also includes GPS tracking, geofence alerts and a digital display.

Waggle Pro costs $349 for the device, plus monthly subscription costs.

Waggle Subscription Cost

The subscription cost for a Waggle pet temperature monitor ranges from $14/month to $29/month, depending on how far in advance you prepay.

The subscription cost is the same whether you have Waggle Lite or Waggle Pro.

For month-to-month billing the plan costs $29/month.

If you pay for two years in advance then the cost works out to be $14 per month. The caveat is you must prepay the full amount, and you cannot pause or suspend your service.

Other payment terms offered are prepaid for 6 months at $25 a month, and prepaid for one year at $21 a month. Again, these are paid in full upfront. The longer you prepay for, the better value you get.

Note: Waggle subscriptions cannot be paused, so only prepay if you’ll need to use your RV pet temperature monitor for consecutive months.

Or, if you use SimpliSafe as your RV temperature monitor, you can turn your monthly subscription on and off as needed.

Get 50% off your Waggle with code claire50

My Waggle Pet Monitor Review

I traveled with my dog and the Waggle Pro pet temperature monitor last summer. It gave me great peace of mind to know that my dog is safe while I run quick errands.

For example, I needed to shower at a local gym and the only opening times available were during the heat of the day.

I took all my typical precautions to keep the van cool (windows covered, 12v fans on, roof vent fan open) and then left my dog and headed into shower.

It gave me so much peace of mind knowing I could constantly check the temperature in the van from my phone app and get back to my dog in seconds if anything went wrong.

Without having an RV pet temperature monitor I would not take risks like these, so my ability to run errands would be extremely limited.

Waggle Pet Monitor Areas For Improvement

Waggle Pet Monitor gets the job done. However, I have three primary complaints:

• $30 per month is an expensive subscription, especially considering the limited functionality
• Waggle battery life is awful, you basically have to leave it plugged in. I had to recharge my device almost every day, and I often forgot to plug it in. For a device that costs hundreds, you should be able to expect more from a battery.
• It only monitors temperature, humidity, and power. I don’t get alerts for other hazards, like smoke, poisonous gas or intruders.

Ultimately, I chose to switch from Waggle Pet Monitor to the SimpliSafe security system for my van. It does more and costs less.

Waggle Pet Monitor Review – Installation

Installation of my Waggle Pet Monitor was quick and easy. It took me about 10 minutes to stick the device to the wall of my van (it comes with double-sided tape), plug the device in to charge (a USB charger and wall plug is provided) and download the Waggle app on my phone.

Waggle Pet Monitor Review – Battery Life

Waggle has a built-in battery, so no hard wiring to your electrical system is needed! It can be charged with a USB or 120V household outlet.

In my experience, the battery life is not fantastic. Actually, it’s pretty awful.

In areas where my cell signal is poor (meaning the battery is working harder) I have to recharge every 1-3 days.

For this reason, I relocated my waggle so that it’s close enough to my wall plug that I can leave it permanently plugged in.

Waggle App Review

To get alerts on your phone just download the Waggle app, scan the QR code on your device and activate! This process is documented well in the instructions provided with the device.

Within the Waggle app you’re able to choose which types of alerts you want to receive (temperature, humidity, power) and the frequency of reminder notifications.

In total, it took me less than 5 minutes to get the Waggle app downloaded and my account set up.

While I didn’t find the Waggle app to be extremely intuitive to start with (it’s not obvious which buttons to click to see specific features like temperature), there are only a few buttons on the interface so it’s easy to figure it out quickly.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Waggle RV Pet Temperature Monitor

Overall, I think Waggle Pet Monitor gets a few things right, and a few things need improvement.

When it comes to RV temperature monitors that work over cellular networks, there are a few options: Waggle, MarCELL and Necto.

MarCELL Vs Waggle

MarCELL is another popular pet safety monitoring device for RVs and campers. Like Waggle, it can send real-time alerts to you phone.

Both MarCELL and Waggle send alerts to your phone via a cellular network, so being in service is required in order to receive notifications.

They both have approximately the same battery life. Waggle markets a 4-8 day battery life, but my real life experience is that the Waggle battery needs to be recharged every other day. MarCELL battery lasts around 48 hours, too.

With MarCELL, you can set your notifications to go to multiple devices – effectively alerting several people at the same time. That’s a nice feature Waggle has not introduced yet.

MarCELL costs about $200 and can be bought on Amazon.

Waggle costs between $259 and $349, but you can use my code “claire50” for 50% off.

Ongoing monthly subscription fees are slightly less expensive with MarCELL – just $25 per month, compared to Waggle subscription fees of $30 per month.

Necto Vs Waggle

Necto is a great pet temperature monitor alternative for Waggle.

The device costs approximately $180 (you can buy it on amazon), making it comparable to the cost of the Waggle device.

The big difference between Necto vs Waggle is that Necto includes two years of service in the cost of the device, whereas Waggle will charge you about $30/month (which is $720 in fees over 2 years!!).

After the first two years, Necto costs $29.99 per year.

The other thing I really like about Necto is that it operates on the T-Mobile and AT&T cellular networks. In my experience, T-Mobile and AT&T are the more reliable networks when you get out of big cities (which is typically where you want to be when you’re camping). This is because of the bands they operate on, and having better “range” for long distance cellular signal.

Waggle operates on the Verizon network. This might explain why Waggle is the more expensive monthly subscription. While Verizon is a great cell network for a majority of cities and larger towns, it’s not as strong in remote areas.

Like MarCELL, Necto also allows you to program multiple recipients for alerts.

Just like Waggle, Necto sends alerts (email or text) for out of range temperature or humidity, as well as power outages.

However, Waggle has a mobile app, so you can also get alerts via the app interface. Necto does not have an app, instead you use a browser to configure your notifications and check real-time conditions.

Best RV Pet Monitor Conclusion

If you plan to travel with your pets, an RV temperature monitor is a necessity. You only need to be alerted about a risk event once to see the value in a pet temperature monitoring device.

If you already have a wifi network in your van, then I highly recommend using the SimpliSafe security system with an add-on temperature sensor device. You get all the same great features included with Waggle – but without the $30 monthly subscription fee.

Or, if you don’t have reliable wifi, you can upgrade to a monitored plan with SimpliSafe ($10+/month) which activates the cellular SIM in the base station, giving you access to SimpliSafe’s functionality without a wifi connection.

Alternatively, Waggle is a great option with super easy set-up. The upfront cost for hardware is comparable to SimpliSafe, but the monthly subscription fee is around $30 (or less, if you’re willing to prepay).

If you’re just looking for an easy pet monitoring device that can be easily installed and easily moved between cars then Waggle is the best option. This is the better choice for SUV and car camping setups with limited electrical systems.

For a more detailed overview of my SimpliSafe security system for my van, check out this article.

Discount Links:

• Save 50% on SimpliSafe with this link (sometimes it also includes a free indoor camera!)
• Get 50% off your Waggle device with this link (or use code “claire50” at checkout)