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iControl Network Piper review

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Piper
Piper

Home security is always a concern for people. But all too often the price of security can be prohibitively expensive for most households.

Piper has a security system that offers a camera, motion detector, noise detection and alarm. It promises to be compatible with a range of home automation sensors and switches.

The unit is small and reasonably inconspicuous, measuring in at 140mm high and 89mm wide.

As it is a camera, it has to be positioned somewhere it can useful. It can be mounted on a wall or, using the stand, can be placed in a flat surface. It needs to be plugged in so has to be near a power socket (although there is a battery backup – 3xAA – in case of a power failure).

Installation requires the user to swith the device on and wait for the LED to turn blue. You also have to download an app for iOS or Android, create an account and connect the device to a home wireless network. After that, we were good to go.

The app allows you to set rules for different things. It has four separate modes: Off, Away, Vacation, and a setting called Stay. Different rules can be applied to these pre-sets, such as recording video when a loud noise is detected or to sound an alarm when a motion is detected in Vacation mode.

The camera’s super wide lens allows the device to take in a large area, eliminating the need for multiple cameras in a given room. Piper can automatically record 25 seconds of video (five seconds before the event, and 20 seconds after) which uploads to the cloud, with each account able to store 1,000 of these clips before deletion.

There is also a microphone that enables the user to remotely talk to whoever is in the room.

The device also works well with Z-Wave sensors and switches. Home automation companies to enable their products work with each other using Z-Wave. Our review kit came with a door sensor that can work with the camera to alert the user each time it is opened or closed.

Overall, the ease of installation and price makes this a worthwhile consideration.

Price: €199 – http://eu-store.getpiper.com/