There are so many home security gadgets out there right now
that it can be hard to choose one over the other. Most allow you to stream
video over the internet to your phone, so you can keep a watchful eye over all
your precious stuff. Others include home automation features to control your
lights and plug sockets, but do any hep to keep you and your family healthy?
That is the thinking behind the Withings Home.
No strangers to Withings product range of smart fitness kit,
we were keen to see how an IP streaming camera could be improved to also monitor
our health. With the Home, Withings have managed to fit an excellent camera and
speaker, along with a tonne of unique features, into a unit which also contains
an air quality monitor - and it was this element of the design that interested
us the most. 
As air pollution can be stronger indoors than out on the
street, the Withings Home monitors the quality of your home's air, watching out
for Volatile Organic Compounds. Should the amounts reach unhealthy levels, it
will send you an alert direct to your phone or tablet, allowing you to take
action by opening a few windows or switching on air conditioning. We loved that
it did this, and think that this feature alone is enough to justify the
purchase, especially if you have children with breathing conditions.
Before mentioning the actual video and audio streaming
features, we need to get something out of the way. The Withings Home only (for
the time being, at least) works with iOS, meaning that Android users are out of
luck for a while. Why Withings have released only the iOS version of the
required app, we can't guess, but in doing so they have severely affected their
potential audience (with Android being the most popular OS worldwide). This is
something very important to know before buying a Home, but let's just hope they
get the Android app out soon.
So, the camera itself. The Withings Home features a 5MP CMOS
sensor which boasts an impressive 135 degree viewing width. Because of this the
Home can be position to cover a lot of ground, even several rooms or areas in
the house if positioned correctly. Streamed video was always very clear,
regardless of whether it was coming over WiFi of mobile internet, and seemed to
have a lag time of just a second. The Withings app allows you to view the feed
in real time, watch over 'events' from the day that were triggered by motion or
noise, or see a recap of the whole day in a dazzling timelapse - which we
really loved (so long as something actually happened that day - if you were out
at work you're only to see your living room get steadily darker).
The zoom facility is actually worth noting on the app,
allowing you to zoom into live footage with impressive clarity - thanks in no
small part to that camera lens. Also impressive was the two-way audio chat
capabilities, and the Withings Home's two-watt speaker helped a lot there. Add
all that to a tidy package that is surprisingly small and features changeable
covers, and you have a winner of a home gadget.
£140