The iDogCam integration lets your customers (pet parents, owners, clients) watch their pet live on your iDogCam webcams from the KennelBooker customer portal and the KennelBooker pet parent app, while their boarding booking is checked in. You connect your iDogCam account once under Settings > iDogCam, link each camera to its run (room, kennel, unit, pen or suite), and KennelBooker shows each owner the camera for their pet's run, plus any shared cameras such as a play yard. You choose whether camera access is free or a paid extra.
Where to find the iDogCam settings
The iDogCam integration is on Settings > iDogCam, in the settings menu next to QuickBooks, Xero and Mail Chimp. You need a staff login with access to Settings to open it.
To use the iDogCam integration you need your own iDogCam account with your cameras already set up and working in iDogCam. iDogCam gives you two codes for KennelBooker: your iDogCam ID (iDogCam may also call it your Kennel ID) and an ERP code. Ask iDogCam for these if you don't have them. KennelBooker doesn't sell cameras or iDogCam accounts.
What the iDogCam integration does
Loads your camera list from your iDogCam account into KennelBooker.
Links one iDogCam camera to each run, using a Camera option when you add or edit a run. One camera can cover several runs.
Lets you mark shared areas, such as a play yard or paddock, as group cameras that every checked-in boarding customer can watch.
Shows checked-in boarding customers a Watch live button on their booking and a Live now card on their portal home page.
Lets you make camera access free for every checked-in boarding booking, or only for bookings that have a paid additional service such as "Camera access".
Adds a [webcam_link] tag you can put in boarding emails, texts and push messages.
Adds a Camera button for staff next to the run on the boarding booking page.
How to connect iDogCam to KennelBooker
Go to Settings > iDogCam.
In the Connection section, switch on Show iDogCam cameras to customers.
Enter your iDogCam ID and your ERP code.
In the Who can watch section, choose who sees the cameras under Cameras are shown to (see "How to charge for iDogCam camera access" below). Leave it on Everyone with a checked-in boarding booking to include the cameras with every stay.
Click Save. You'll see "Settings saved".
In the Cameras section, click Load cameras from iDogCam. KennelBooker shows a message such as "Loaded 4 cameras from iDogCam: 4 new, 0 updated, 0 no longer in iDogCam." and lists your cameras with their iDogCam names and numbers.
For each camera that covers a shared area, tick Group camera. Untick Show for any camera you don't want customers to see. Change Order to set the order customers see the cameras in.
Click Save cameras. You'll see "Cameras saved".
Click Test next to a camera to open it in a new tab, the way a customer would see it.
The Load cameras from iDogCam button only works once your iDogCam ID and ERP code are saved. Until then the page says "Save your iDogCam ID and ERP code first."
How to link an iDogCam camera to a run
Go to Settings > Runs. (Your business may call runs rooms, kennels, suites or units. The page uses your own name for them.)
Add a new run, or edit an existing one.
In the Camera dropdown, choose the iDogCam camera for this run. Group cameras show "(group)" after their name. Choose -- No camera -- to remove a camera from the run.
Click Save.
The Camera dropdown only appears once the iDogCam integration is switched on with both codes saved, or when the run already has a camera. The Linked runs column on Settings > iDogCam shows which runs each camera is linked to.
How to charge for iDogCam camera access
Create an additional service, for example "Camera access", under Settings > Additional Services, with the price you want to charge.
Go to Settings > iDogCam. Under Who can watch, set Cameras are shown to to Only bookings with: Camera access (your service's name).
Click Save.
Customers then only see the iDogCam cameras when that additional service is on their boarding booking, whether your staff added it or the customer chose it when booking online. Without the service on the booking, the customer sees no cameras at all, including group cameras.
What customers see with the iDogCam integration
Portal home page: a Live now card lists every camera the customer can watch right now, with the booking number and the run name, or "Group camera" for shared cameras. Each camera has a Watch button.
Booking page: a Watch live button on the checked-in boarding booking.
Watching: the camera opens in a window over the page. If the customer can watch more than one camera, there's a button for each camera at the top so they can switch. Closing the window stops the video.
This works the same in the customer portal and the KennelBooker pet parent app.
When the booking is checked out, the Live now card and the Watch live button disappear.
Customers are not sent anything automatically when cameras are switched on. To tell them, add the [webcam_link] tag to your messages.
How to send customers the iDogCam camera link
The [webcam_link] tag adds a link to the live camera to your messages. You'll find it in the tag lists on the email, SMS and push message settings pages.
Emails: the tag works in boarding confirmation, reminder, receipt and unpaid booking emails, where it becomes a "Watch live camera" link.
SMS and push: the tag works in the boarding check-in and booked messages, where it becomes the web address written out.
The link opens the customer's booking in the portal with the camera ready to play. If the pet isn't checked in yet, the customer sees "Live camera viewing opens once your pet is checked in."
The tag is left blank when iDogCam is switched off, when you have no cameras showing, or when you charge for camera access and the booking doesn't have the service. So you can add it to your templates without it showing to customers who haven't paid.
The tag is always left blank in messages where it doesn't apply, such as check-out messages, quotes, waitlist messages, invoices and marketing emails.
The iDogCam Camera button for staff
On the boarding booking page, a Camera button appears next to the run for any run with an iDogCam camera. It opens that camera in a new tab, so staff can check the view, for example while talking to an owner on the phone. Staff can only open their own business's cameras.
What happens after you set up the iDogCam integration
Nothing changes on your bookings, calendar, invoices or reports. The iDogCam integration only decides which customers see which camera.
Customers see their cameras as soon as their boarding booking is checked in, and lose them as soon as it's checked out.
The customer sees the cameras for the runs allocated to their booking. If you move the pet to another run, they see the new run's camera. If the stay is split over more than one run, they see the camera for each of those runs.
The video itself comes from iDogCam. Your iDogCam account, including any viewing hours set in iDogCam, still applies.
Customers aren't emailed, texted or sent a push message just because cameras are switched on. They only get a camera link if you add the [webcam_link] tag to your templates.
What the iDogCam integration doesn't do
The iDogCam integration only works with iDogCam. Other webcam systems can't be connected.
The iDogCam integration doesn't show cameras for daycare, grooming, training or any other service. Only boarding bookings that are checked in.
It doesn't show cameras before check-in or after check-out.
A camera access service bought as part of a package doesn't count. The service must be added to the booking itself.
It doesn't add or change cameras in iDogCam. Add, rename or remove cameras in your iDogCam account, then click Load cameras from iDogCam again.
It doesn't record video or keep any footage in KennelBooker.
It doesn't create iDogCam passwords or logins for your customers. Customers watch through KennelBooker.
The Runs list doesn't show which runs have a camera. Use the Linked runs column on Settings > iDogCam.
The customer-facing camera wording is in English only for now.
Settings that affect the iDogCam integration
Show iDogCam cameras to customers (Settings > iDogCam > Connection): when on, checked-in boarding customers see their cameras. When off, every camera is hidden from customers straight away and the [webcam_link] tag is left blank. Your camera list and run links are kept.
iDogCam ID and ERP code (Settings > iDogCam > Connection): both are needed to load cameras and to show them. If either is empty, customers see no cameras.
Cameras are shown to (Settings > iDogCam > Who can watch): Everyone with a checked-in boarding booking, or Only bookings with: one of your additional services.
Group camera, Show and Order (Settings > iDogCam > Cameras): which cameras are shared, which are hidden, and the order customers see them in. Click Save cameras after changing them.
Camera (Settings > Runs, edit a run): the camera for that run.
Troubleshooting the iDogCam integration
"Enter your iDogCam ID and ERP code to switch the cameras on."
You switched on Show iDogCam cameras to customers without filling in both codes. Enter your iDogCam ID and ERP code from iDogCam and click Save.
"iDogCam didn't return any cameras. Check your iDogCam ID and ERP code with iDogCam."
iDogCam sent back an empty camera list. This usually means the iDogCam ID or ERP code is wrong, or the ERP code hasn't been set up for KennelBooker yet. Check both codes with iDogCam. Nothing in your camera list is changed when this happens.
"We couldn't reach iDogCam. Please try again later." or "iDogCam returned an error"
iDogCam didn't answer, or answered with an error. Wait a few minutes and click Load cameras from iDogCam again. Your existing cameras and run links aren't affected. If it keeps happening, contact our support team.
I can't see the Camera option when I edit a run
The Camera dropdown only appears once Show iDogCam cameras to customers is switched on and both codes are saved on Settings > iDogCam. Turn it on, save, load your cameras, then edit the run again.
A customer says they can't see the Watch live button
Check each of these: the booking is a boarding booking; it's checked in; Show iDogCam cameras to customers is on; the pet's run has a camera, or you have at least one group camera; the camera has Show ticked; and, if you charge for camera access, the booking has your camera access service added directly (not as part of a package). The customer must also be signed in to the portal or app with the account the booking is under.
A camera says "No longer in iDogCam"
That camera wasn't in your iDogCam account the last time you clicked Load cameras from iDogCam. Customers no longer see it. If you deleted or renamed it in iDogCam, link the run to the right camera under Settings > Runs.
The camera window opens but says the camera isn't available
The customer sees "This camera isn't available right now. Cameras can be watched while your pet is checked in." when the booking is no longer checked in, or the camera was hidden or removed since the page opened. If the pet is checked in, refresh the page. If it says "Please sign in again to watch this camera.", the customer needs to sign in to the portal again.
The camera window opens but the video doesn't play
The video comes from iDogCam. Check the camera with the Test link on Settings > iDogCam and in your iDogCam account, including any viewing hours set in iDogCam. If it doesn't play there either, contact iDogCam.
The [webcam_link] tag is blank in my email
The tag is left blank when iDogCam is switched off, when no camera has Show ticked, when you charge for camera access and the booking doesn't have the service, or when the message isn't one the tag works in. It works in boarding confirmation, reminder, receipt and unpaid booking emails, and in the boarding check-in and booked SMS and push messages.
iDogCam live cameras: frequently asked questions
Can my customers watch their dog on a webcam in KennelBooker?
Yes, if you use iDogCam. Once you connect iDogCam under Settings > iDogCam and link cameras to your runs, customers with a checked-in boarding booking can watch their pet live from the KennelBooker customer portal and pet parent app.
Which webcam systems does KennelBooker work with?
KennelBooker's live camera feature works with iDogCam only. Other webcam or CCTV systems can't be connected.
Do I need an iDogCam account?
Yes. The cameras and the video stream come from iDogCam. You need your own iDogCam account and your iDogCam ID and ERP code, which iDogCam gives you.
Can I charge customers to watch the cameras?
Yes. Create an additional service such as "Camera access" under Settings > Additional Services, then choose it under Who can watch on Settings > iDogCam. Customers only see the iDogCam cameras when that service is on their boarding booking.
Can customers buy camera access when they book online?
Yes, if your camera access additional service is available to customers when they book online. Once it's on the booking, the cameras show when the booking is checked in. You can also add it to the booking yourself.
Can customers watch the cameras before their pet arrives or after it goes home?
No. iDogCam cameras only show while the boarding booking is checked in. Before check-in, the camera link shows "Live camera viewing opens once your pet is checked in." After check-out, the cameras disappear.
Can daycare customers watch the play yard camera?
No, not yet. The iDogCam integration only shows cameras for checked-in boarding bookings. Daycare, grooming and other services don't show cameras.
Will customers see other people's runs?
Each customer is shown the camera for the run their own pet is in, plus your group cameras. They aren't shown the cameras for other runs. Be aware that a camera can show any pet in its view, so think about where shared cameras point.
What is a group camera?
A group camera is an iDogCam camera for a shared area, such as a play yard. Every customer with a checked-in boarding booking can watch it (and, if you charge, every booking with the camera access service). Tick Group camera next to the camera on Settings > iDogCam and click Save cameras.
Can one camera cover more than one run?
Yes. Choose the same camera in the Camera dropdown for each run it covers. Customers with pets in any of those runs see that camera.
What happens if I move a pet to a different run?
The customer sees the camera for the run the pet is now allocated to on the booking. There's nothing else to change. If the stay is split over more than one run, the customer sees the camera for each of those runs.
Does it work in the KennelBooker app?
Yes. The Live now card and the Watch live button work the same in the KennelBooker pet parent app and the customer portal.
Do customers get told when cameras are available?
Not automatically. Add the [webcam_link] tag to your boarding confirmation or reminder email, or to your check-in SMS or push message, to send them a link to the live camera.
I added a new camera in iDogCam. Why can't I see it in KennelBooker?
KennelBooker only picks up camera changes when you click Load cameras from iDogCam on Settings > iDogCam. Click it again, then link the new camera to its run.
How do I turn the cameras off quickly?
Switch off Show iDogCam cameras to customers on Settings > iDogCam and click Save. Every camera is hidden from customers straight away. To hide one camera only, untick Show next to it and click Save cameras.
Does KennelBooker record or store the camera video?
No. The video plays straight from iDogCam. KennelBooker stores your camera list and which run each camera is linked to, not any footage.
Are the iDogCam cameras password protected?
KennelBooker only shows the cameras to customers whose checked-in booking qualifies, and nobody has to share a password. How iDogCam secures its own camera pages is set by iDogCam, so ask iDogCam about access controls on their side.
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