Enabot ROLA PetPal review

No one likes having to be away from their pets, but occasionally humans need to leave the house. Whether you're spending a few hours at the office, or you've just nipped out for groceries, the new ROLA PetPal is a great way to keep tabs on your companions. The latest AI pet camera on the market, ROLA offers a combination of everything we love about remote interaction – a high-quality camera, automatic treat dispensing, two-way communication, night vision, and unique play features. 

If you're not familiar with some of the best pet cameras, they're a superb option for monitoring your pets (and children in some cases) while you're out of the house or working in a different room. At its most basic, a pet camera allows you to see what your furry friend is up to when home alone and will provide peace of mind that everything is as it should be. But as we've seen, pet cameras are becoming much more advanced lately with impressive features, and the new ROLA PetPal is a testament to this. 

For starters, the ROLA PetPal has an AI-enabled pet detection feature that can automatically snap a picture or record footage of your pet with daily video updates sent to your phone. It can even auto-edit the footage to create social media-worthy reels (subscription plan needed). Plus, it offers unique interactivity, unlike any other pet cam with toys attached to its compartment, such as balls and lasers, that are suitable for both cats and dogs. This can keep your pets entertained, and help them pass the time faster.

The treat dispensing feature is one of the most sought-after functions of a pet camera, and it can be used at any time (or whenever scheduled) to dish out some treats to your pet with just the tap of a button using the ROLA app. It disperses the treats from the bottom of the device, rather than shooting kibble at high speeds out of a hole like other Pet cameras do *cough Furbo cough* which is safer for your plant vases and delicate ornaments. 

To provide a bit of background, Enabot is a company that makes exceptional products, combining the latest quality camera technology with advanced robotics. While it might sound a little scary or invasive to have a robot patrol camera inside your home, you can rest assured that you have full control over your privacy and data when it comes to pet cameras. I've tested plenty of them by now, so I should know. 

The ROLA PetPal has an expandable modular design, meaning you can easily swap out the different modules and switch between storage, treat dispensing, or the PetPal Interactive Toys. These two modules are sold separately, whereas the storage option comes as standard with the ROLA PetPal which is priced at $229 / £209. The full package will cost you $299 / £269. 

On another note, most of the best AI-based features with ROLA are guarded by a subscription plan, which can cost anywhere between $6 p/mo to $32 per month depending on the resolution and video storage period that you require. I personally think it's wrong when companies charge subscription fees for extra features, but unfortunately, it's very common. There's a 7-day free trial included with the app for you to try out these features, but the ROLA PetPal functions perfectly fine without them. 

If you're interested in something a little more compact and budget-friendly, then Enabot just released the ROLA Mini Pet Monitor for $119 / £104. If however, you're after the most advanced, adorable, (and expensive), pet camera that money can buy – then take a look at my Enabot EBO X review. 

Looking for something more mid-range and under $300? Then keep reading as we dive into the features and functions of the ROLA PetPal.

Specifications

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ROLA PetPal: Design and Build

The modular design of the ROLA PetPal combined with gritted wheels and a subtle racing stripe on the top of the robot gives it a very unique look, almost resembling the form of a remote-controlled toy car. Its cousins on the Enabot EBO side of the family have distinct circular bodies, whereas this one is more rugged for sure.

I like that the Enabot ROLA PetPal comes included with an SD card for storing any captured media, or you can choose to have this sent directly to your smartphone gallery instead. The device is fully controlled via the ROLA app, and you can opt to have the robot perform tasks at scheduled times, or shut it down when you want privacy with a physical on/off switch at the bottom of the robot.

As for getting around the house, the ROLA PetPal has improved passability over other models, with a 15° climbing angle which means it can move easily across carpets and rugs. I found during testing that the ROLA could effortlessly glide between my laminate flooring and (admittedly quite thin) giving room rug.

The ROLA pet cam has whole-house mobility, although it can't climb stairs, so keep this in mind if you were hoping for a patrol robot to spy on every room. The larger wheelset and quieter brushed silent motor on the ROLA means it can navigate around the home very quietly which is great if you don't want to disturb any sleeping children or elderly family members.

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The more advanced EBO X robot from Enabot has a home mapping feature meaning it can avoid common obstacles that remain fixed in your home such as cupboards, table legs, and furniture. The ROLA model could greatly benefit from this feature, as I found that it would constantly bump into my chairs and get stuck under my record table frequently, despite having an automatic obstacle avoidance function. This also means that it cannot patrol along a designated route, unlike the EBO X.

One thing that the ROLA PetPal does well is autonomously returning to its charging station when within close range. This automatic recharging feature is handy so you never have to worry about ROLA's battery dying whilst you're away at the office and can't check in on your pets. When the battery gets low, ROLA will navigate itself back to the included charging dock and put itself to sleep with ease. This may take a few attempts, and it might not get it right on the first try, but I found that it was around 90% successful at doing this.

If you purchase the treat dispenser module (sold separately) for the Enabot ROLA PetPal, you'll be able to supply treats remotely to your pet using the ROLA app. The module is near enough identical to the standard storage container that comes with the ROLA PetPal, but with a mechanism to dispense and drop food onto the floor for your pet at scheduled times.

 It has a heavy-duty seal to keep treats fresh, and it supports smaller-sized kibble as well as freeze-dried treats that are less than 12mm in size. It's not a good idea to use any type of wet food with the module, though it can be disassembled separately for cleaning regularly.

ROLA PetPal: Performance

Let's talk camera specs. The ROLA PetPal has a 2.5K UHD high-resolution camera that can automatically detect your pet using AI, and proceed to capture, edit, and send precious videos and updates to your smartphone on a daily basis (subscription required for auto-editing). ROLA connects to your smartphone via the ROLA app, so you can access the camera at any time, no matter where you are, with options to remotely control the device and drive it around your home should you choose. 

Night vision activates automatically when it's dark, and the image quality is super clear and really impressive (see image gallery below). I didn't use this feature very much, but it's great to know that if there's ever a loud noise coming from downstairs I can instantly see what's going on using the ROLA app on my phone. The app should also alert you and detect any disturbances if you're subscribed to the Cloud+ Subscription plan. 

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The ROLA PetPal also offers two-way voice communication, which allows you to not only see a live video stream of your pets at home but also talk to them and offer some comfort or reassurance. However, be cautious that hearing your voice could confuse or upset your furry friends and cause them to go looking for you (this happened with Tilly). But only you know your pet's typical behavior. These pet-specific features are what make pet cameras great alternatives to indoor security cameras, although they share plenty of the same features.

Other standout features of PetPal include pre-recorded voice commands, where ROLA will remind you to walk the dog, feed your cat at scheduled times, or drink water and stay hydrated every hour. There are also 7 sound effects that can provide round-the-clock entertainment for your pets bored at home, and there's even a pet-initiated chat, whereby your pet can call you via pushing the built-in call button on the top of ROLA's head. Interactive toys with PetPal include a play stick and laser game (for cats), plus two rolling balls which are also mainly for cats but my dog still liked to paw at them too. 

ROLA PetPal: Sample video

ROLA PetPal: Final Verdict

Overall, I found that the ROLA PetPal was a perfectly capable pet cam with some really fun and engaging features to help you interact with your pet. Is there room for improvement? Definitely. But I think it does a lot of things really well including the control features to navigate the camera around your home with ease, and I found no fault with the general performance of the ROLA. The image quality was always superb, as long as you can live with the purple tint it provides. 

At this price point ($229 / £208), I was expecting a little more for money in terms of what you can do with the ROLA PetPal – for starters, features such as smart alerts and daily pet updates should be a standard service, as opposed to hidden behind a subscription paywall. When you strip away the subscription extras, the PetPal is still a great pet camera and you won't suffer from any FOMO, so why bother charging extra for these features? 

In an ideal world, I also think customers should be able to choose between either the feeder or play modules when purchasing the pet camera, and not have to settle for the basic storage module as standard,  needing to purchase the other modules for an increased price. If you're marketing something as a pet camera, customers shouldn't need to pay for the accessories and software features that make it a pet camera. This is my only gripe with the ROLA PetPal however, and if you can justify the price, then it really is an excellent patrol camera-slash-robot. 

Alternatives

The Enabot EBO X pet camera is another robotic pet camera made by the same company that brought us ROLA, although the EBO X is the ultimate upgrade with features including built-in quality sound speakers, Alexa and Google integration, state-of-the-art smart home monitoring, and it's absolutely adorable with glowing eyes. Although, it doesn't offer treat dispensing and will set you back $999. So keep that in mind.  

The Furbo 360 Dog Camera has many of the same features and benefits as the ROLA PetPal, including treat dispensing and two-way audio communication. However, it's pretty stationary, so you won't get the fun of a remote-controlled robot to drive around the house with this option. 

The SpotCam Mibo pet camera is the best choice if you're looking for a fly on the wall. This camera can be kept high up and out of reach for pets who might want to chew it up, and offers great camera quality and features (though at an additional subscription price).