Honest Waggle Review (+2 Better RV Pet Monitors)

The Waggle Pet Monitor is a popular RV temperature monitor, but is it worth the hype or do they just invest heavily in marketing? In my experience, it’s not the best product on the market. In my Waggle RV pet monitor review I’m sharing my honest experience and why I no longer use Waggle to keep my dog safe, and what I’ve replaced it with.

In this article:

• My RV pet monitor Waggle review – the good & bad
• Alternative options for RV temperature monitors

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.

I was excited to try Waggle while traveling full-time with my dog, Oscar. While I do everything I can to avoid leaving him unattended, the reality of RV travel is that sometimes you need to pop into the grocery store, throw a load of laundry in at the laundromat, or see a doctor.

In those scenarios, knowing that my dog is safe and comfortable while he’s alone for a few minutes is absolutely crucial to me. For that reason, a reliable RV pet monitor is non-negotiable.

Ultimately, my Waggle RV pet monitor review is that it’s not a reliable way to keep my dog safe, and it did not live up to the hype.

If you want all the details, read on! If you’re looking for an alternative to Waggle, I recommend Necto or a more robust setup with SimpliSafe.

You can read more details about all of the best RV temperature monitors for pets here.

NOTE: In addition to monitoring the temperature in your camper, I also recommend added precautions to keep it cool: cover the windows, turn on your 12v fans, and keep the roof vent fan open.

What Is The Waggle Pet Monitor?

NOTE: You do not need to be an existing Verizon customer to use this RV pet monitor. It sends you text alerts, just like how friends who have different cell carriers can text or call you.

Waggle Subscription Cost

After you purchase Waggle, you’ll also need to activate a monthly subscription in order to receive real-time alerts.

The Waggle subscription cost is what activates the internal SIM card so alerts can be deployed over the cellular network – just like when you activate a phone line with your cell carrier so you can receive phone calls. You need both the device and the monthly subscription.

Waggle subscription costs vary depending on length of service.

NOTE: The only option for prepaid subscriptions is AUTO RENEWAL, which means you’ll need to keep an eye on your renewal date and cancel it if you don’t want to be automatically billed for another term. Worse, you’ll only receive a prorated refund if you cancel with 7 days of it auto-renewing, but if you are more than 7 days late you’ll receive no refund at all.

Waggle RV Pet Monitor Review: The Good Stuff

There’s a few things that Waggle does well:

✅ Has an integrated mobile app
✅ Quick, easy installation
✅ Backup battery for power outages
✅ Portable for versatile use
✅ Alerts multiple users
✅ No contract monthly subscription option

Waggle App

I like that Waggle has an app, so it’s easy to monitor the temperature in my camper from my phone.

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.

Easy Set-up & Installation

It’s also incredibly easy to set-up. In total, it took me about 10 minutes to install and activate my Waggle pet monitor.

The unit comes with a wall mount and double-sided tape, so it’s easy to fix to a wall. It also comes with a 12v or 110v outlet adapter, so no hard-wiring to electricity is required.

Backup Battery For Power Outages

While I like that the unit has a backup battery in case of a power outage, I was incredibly disappointed to realize that the backup battery only lasts (at most) 2 days, vs the 4-8 they advertise.

Portable

Waggle is portable, like Necto, so you can easily move it between vehicles.

This is a nice option if you’re taking a day trip, or want to relocate the device within your camper.

You can read my full comparison of Waggle vs Necto here.

Alert Up To 5 People

I like that Waggle has the option to send alerts to up to 5 people. However, this isn’t a feature that’s exclusive to Waggle – Necto also can send alerts to 5 contacts.

No Contract

Lastly, I like that Waggle has a contract-free option for monthly subscription billing.

While this is 2x the cost compared to prepaying for 2 years, it’s ideal if you won’t need an active subscription year-round.

Waggle RV Pet Monitor Review: The Bad Stuff

While there are a few positives in my Waggle RV pet monitor review, they get some very crucial things wrong. For these reasons, I would not recommend Waggle to keep your pets safe in your RV or van.

❌ Expensive ongoing cost
❌ Short battery life (1-2 days)
❌ Unit failures
❌ Poor customer service
❌ No WiFi connection

It’s Too Expensive

It’s expensive. Full retail for Waggle Lite is $200 and Waggle Pro is $300.

SEPTEMBER 2025 UPDATE: Waggle has dropped their device costs substantially, while simultaneously increasing their ongoing monthly subscription costs. Devices have been fluctuating significantly recently, but are currently listed for $99-$149.

It seems like they mark up the cost of their devices just so they can put them on sale.

In fact, Waggle seems to run a new 50% off sale every week. For example, they ran a 50% off sale for Amazon Prime Day, and the following week ran 60% off on their website.

Even “on sale” the product is still pricy considering its limitations – usually $70 for Waggle Lite and $130 for Waggle Pro. That’s before the $25 $30 monthly subscription.

For comparison, Necto typically retails for $220 and includes 2 years of free service. They also offer a $99 device without service included ($15/mo without a contract add-on).

Monthly Subscription Fees

Buying the Waggle pet monitor device is only the beginning, though. You’ll also need to fork over $25/month $30/month to keep the subscription active.

$30 a month for Waggle which only sends temperature, humidity and power outage alerts seems excessive to me… especially when you consider Necto charges half that and runs on 3 cellular networks for optimal connection.

Battery Life Not As Advertised

As someone who spends most of my time boondocking and relying on solar power, I was really drawn to the advertised 4-8 day battery life. That would mean I could conserve my power, and only recharge the device 1 or 2 times per week.

The reality is that I had to recharge my Waggle pet monitor almost daily. Actual battery life was only 1-2 days, not 4-8.

After reading many other Waggle RV pet monitor reviews it appears that this is common problem.

Unit Failures & Poor Customer Service

There are many Waggle RV pet monitor reviews indicating that their unit stopped working. Either it no longer connected to service, or the temperature readings were inaccurate – sometimes by as much as 20 or 30°F!

In addition, there aren’t many positive reviews about customer service. Most people indicate that it takes weeks to get a proper response or solution.

In my experience, I’ve had to follow up multiple times over several weeks in order to get a response from the team at Waggle.

If a pet temperature monitor is not reliable 100% of the time, it’s not worth the risk to me. This is the primary reason I changed how I monitor the temperature in my camper and replaced my Waggle with a Necto.

No WiFi Option

Waggle only supports connection via the Verizon cellular network.

If you’re somewhere with strong Verizon signal this is great. But, if you’re somewhere that doesn’t have a reliable Verizon signal then your device won’t work.

There is no option to connect to WiFi, which is a huge miss. With Starlink becoming more popular, more people are venturing farther away from cell connection.

If Waggle had the ability to connect to WiFi, you’d be able to monitor temperatures in your camper even when you’re off-grid by using your Starlink connection.

In my experience, most of the places I camp are outside of cell range, so this is a big disadvantage for the Waggle pet monitor.

Alternatives For Waggle Pet Monitor

There are two primary alternatives for Waggle I recommend, depending on how you plan to use it.

Necto Pet Monitor

Necto runs on TMobile, AT&T, Cellular One networks – and it’ll seamlessly switch between providers depending on who has the strongest signal.

Just like Waggle, Necto will send mobile alerts to 5 people for temperature, humidity and power loss, and they have a mobile app as well.

I’ve been far happier with Necto than Waggle, and recommend it as the best pet monitor. You can read my full Necto pet monitor review here.

SimpliSafe For RV Temperature Monitoring

Not only does SimpliSafe send you temperature alerts, but you can also integrate features like smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and intruder alarms so you’re covered for far more risk events than a basic RV pet monitor provides.

While one huge benefit of SimpliSafe is its ability to alert you to more than just temperature changes, the major downside is that the automated temperature updates are only done once per hour. You can manually refresh the app to get current readings at any point, but you won’t get push notifications in shorter intervals than 60 minutes.

SimpliSafe is roughly the same upfront cost – depending on which devices you want to include in your system you can spend around $150-$250.

NOTE: You can get 50% off your SimpliSafe system with this link. Discounts are applied at checkout.

If you have reliable 24/7 WiFi in your camper, you don’t need a monitoring plan. Instead, your system connects to WiFi and sends alerts to your phone for free.

If you don’t have constant wifi, you can get their basic monitoring plan for $10/month which activates the SIM in your unit and sends alerts over the cellular network.

TIP: SimpliSafe uses a Verizon SIM by default, but you can request an AT&T unit when you purchase, instead.

If you’re curious about my SimpliSafe system, you can check out my post on van security systems here.

Leave a comment if you have questions, or to share your experience with RV pet monitors so others can benefit too!