Join Namerah Saud Fatmi as she explores the cool, quirky, and sometimes downright odd world of smartphone accessories, gadgets, and other nerdy toys every week.
Enabot never lets us down with its quirky smart robots. The brand's products are designed to be pet companions but also home security cameras at the same time. Combining several functions into one capable product makes a lot of sense and also maximizes value for money.
More than anything, though, Enabot's pet robot pals have a fun personality and that's what gives them life. It makes robots like the EBO Air and EBO X fun to use. The addition of wheels is what really sets these smart cameras apart from the overcrowded sea of smart home surveillance gear available. You can move your Enabot robot around the house from anywhere in the world, as long as your phone has internet connectivity.
Enabot has added a new member to its family, introducing the RolaPet PetPal to the brand's smart robot lineup earlier this year. What makes the newest member so different is that it is shaped more like a robot vacuum rather than the round Enabot pet pals of the past. Needless to say, I was intrigued and decided to go hands-on with the device.
Enabot launched the RolaPet PetPal on March 21, 2024, along with two modular extensions for the robot that can be bought separately, as well as a cloud subscription service. The Cloud+ Subscription service gives you access to 24/7 cloud playback, smart alerts, and daily pet vlogs. It doesn't take away much from the experience if you don't get the subscription since there's local storage and the option to store images and videos on your phone. But you definitely need the extensions to tap into the robot's full potential.
Setting up the RolaPet PetPal is extremely simple. It hardly took me ten minutes to set it up, including downloading and logging in to the RolaPet app. I don't know why Enabot creates a whole new app for every robot. At this point, I have three different Enabot apps on my phone.
The app itself is user-friendly and pretty straightforward. You can control two-way comms with it, make the RolaPet PetPal play tricks, toggle night mode, automatically play tag with your pet, set it to randomly shoot pictures, or do a host of other things. The "head" bit on top of the 2.5K QHD camera unit is also a big button, and every time your cat or dog taps it, they can give you a call on your phone.
I love, love, love the fact that Enabot brought back the cutesy sounds of the robot. Everything from it saying its own name, uttering "pew pew", or screaming "ouch" when it bumps into obstacles is hilarious. The playful moves that were missing on the EBO X are back, although there's no Alexa integration. I can live with that — Alexa speakers don't cost much anyway.
Each of the modular extensions for the RolaPet PetPal unlocks different options in-app. There are two extensions that you can swap out the basic storage unit with: a treat dispenser and interactive toys. By the way, switching the extensions takes just a few seconds of your time.
Enabot did a very good job with the RolaPet PetPal, and there's one extremely enticing feature about the smart home camera: the price. Following up after the thousand-dollar EBO X, this thing only costs about $230.
It would be an unbeatable bargain if it weren't for the add-ons that cost $50 apiece. That's darn expensive for modular extensions meant to do one or two functions each. Luckily, you can get a bundle deal with everything included for about $300. If you're interested in buying this robot, I'd suggest the bundle deal.
While I am very happy with the Enabot RolaPet PetPal, there are a few downgrades to consider. I won't compare it to the EBO X because they're just very different kinds of products. Looking at just the RolaPet PetPal on its own, it has room for improvement based on my testing.
Firstly, Enabot really needs to fix the robot's charging station positioning software. It took nearly an hour for the Enabot RolaPet PetPal to go back to its charging station. Actually, it never made it back a couple of times. Those times, I got tired of hearing it bumping and sighing and just ended up putting it back at its station manually.
Another big problem with the RolaPet PetPal is that its controls are not as smooth as some of Enabot's other smart cameras on wheels. Its movements are jerky and sometimes feel choppy when being controlled manually via the RolaPet app. I checked my internet connection just to make sure that wasn't the issue, and it wasn't it. Hopefully, a firmware update can fix these issues.
Lastly, I have a bone to pick with the basic Enabot RolaPet PetPal attachment that you get out of the box. It has no practical use at all. The compartment is basically a storage box with no functions or features. Why bother including it at all? Enabot could just give users the option to buy the RolaPet PetPal with a treat dispenser or toy add-on instead of the stupid storage extension. It feels like a shameless money grab.
Enabot has promised more modular extensions down the line and I'm excited to see what they deliver. The robot's self-charging function is essential for a camera-on-wheels and the feeding compartment is a game changer. You can literally chase your pets from outside the house and feed them at will. If you're into robots and leave your pets at home for extended periods, the Enabot RolaPet PetPal is a fun and useful smart camera to have.
