Quick Summary
The NETVUE Birdfy smart bird feeder has some really good features - like 8X magnification and color night vision, and most people who own it, love it. But so many report problems with charging that you might have to exchange it to get one that works.
We Liked
We Didn't Like
Conclusion:
The NETVUE Birdfy has some nice features and a few raving fans, but the Birdfy app is notably bad at identifying birds. This might not be a problem if you're familiar with most of the birds around you. But solar charging costs extra and has problems, and the Birdfy AI (artificial intelligence) bird recognition is not only bad, it stops working at often and at random intervals. As the Birdfy is one of the higher priced smart bird feeders I looked at, I think it's very poor value for the money.
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NETVUE Birdfy smart bird feeder review
Nighttime image from the NETVUE Birdfy camera.
It seems like the folks at NETVUE put a lot of thought into designing this bird feeder shell. It has all kinds of nifty features, which we'll get to in a moment.
Unfortunately, the electronic side of things leaves a lot to be desired.
The actual camera produces a good quality 1080p image, with excellent color night vision. It also has an 8X zoom feature that's good for picking out tiny little details.
The batteries though, take 14 hours to charge. Quite a few people who bought the NETVUE Birdfy smart bird feeder report that the camera charges find that it charges well the first time, but then won't recharge.
You'd think that buying the solar panel would solve the power problem but instead, it creates others.
It doesn't charge the camera reliably and has the potential to interfere with your WiFi signal.
Some owners even have had to unplug the solar panel whenever they want to connect to their Birdfy via WiFi!
A few have resorted to using a third party solar panel, which gave them better results.
We don't recommend this unless you are very familiar with solar panel compatibility: if you get the wrong wattage you could overfill the batteries and start a fire!
Feeder design
It's a real shame that the NETVUE Birdfy's electronics are so dodgy, because whoever designed this feeder included some nice features:
- You can tilt the camera for better focus on the birds.
- The perch is extra large so large birds like cardinals and dover can feed comfortably.
- You can get accessories for offering a suet ball, fruit and water, and there's even an attachment for feeding hummingbirds.
- There are several different ways to mount the feeder, including an attachment for using it on a tripod.
See also:
10 tips for choosing the best smart bird feeder
Who is this product for?
I personally don't believe this product is suitable for anyone. Although quite a few people report a good experience with the NETVUE Birdfy, there are far too many who have had nothing but problems.
The NETVUE company doesn't provide in-person customer support and responds slowly (several days) to question in their online forum.
You might wonder why I posted this review at all. Here's the reason:
I've seen so many positive reviews posted by bloggers who obviously didn't didn't do their research that I thought readers like you should have access to the whole picture.
The NETVUE Birdfy is a great product if you get one that works, but it's one of the most expensive smart bird feeders.
There are much better smart bird feeders available!
Overview of features
The NETVUE Birdfy weighs about 3 pounds (1.5 kg) and holds about 5 cups (1.5 Liters) of food.
Dimensions | 14" x 11" x 7.5" |
Videos | 1080p |
Photos | 2 MP |
Camera view | unknown |
Night Vision | Yes - Color |
Solar power | Optional |
Time To Charge Battery | 14 hours |
Photo/Video Storage | cloud or SD card |
Mike & Speaker | Yes |
Accessories available | Yes |
Subscription required | Yes for bird recognition |
Add extra viewers | 5+ additional |
What people who own the NETVUE Birdfy say
Positives
Negatives
Alternative to this product
The SOLIOM BF08 is an excellent product and the one that I bought for myself. However, it's less affordable than most.
The Cuckoo smart bird feeder is another good option at a lower price point.
Conclusion
The NETVUE Birdfy smart bird feeder has some great features, but it has so many quality problems that I really can't recommend it. Please buy something else!
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