CONCLUSION

   The Piper is amongst the very first devices to feature that many components inside such a small housing and so that alone results in several limitations. First of all the 2MP 720p HD camera may indeed have a horizontal and vertical viewing angle of 180 degrees and it does have a very convenient digital zoom/pan/tilt function but as clearly showcased in the previous page it produces average video/image quality (at best sometimes) even in places with plenty of light. The lack of a night vision mode is also very important to us so we were quite skeptical as to why we received the previous version of the Piper since iControl Networks just released the Piper NV (Night Vision) model. We will do our best to also get that over here to test the night vision mode but at least for the standalone version this certainly reduces the units overall score. The microphone was quite satisfactory although for some weird reason we were unable to use the speaker function (once we clicked on the icon the live view application would exit to the main tab). Fortunately we didn't experience trouble during testing although the Piper did lose the WiFi signal a couple of times during setup (also showcased in the previous page) but reacquired it automatically soon afterwards. Build quality is also very good when it comes to both the Piper and its desk base especially since it's made out of aluminum something which i have to admit we didn't expect (however the wall mount is plastic).

   IControl Networks makes it very easy for anyone to get the Piper from their online store for a price of USD199/199Euros and that is a feel the main problem with this device. I'm not about to say that iControl Networks asks for much since i know that the components inside the Piper are state of the art but people really don't care much about that, they care about the result. Unfortunately although the concept is very promising the average camera lens/CMOS combination and the lack of IR LEDs are two reasons as to why the Piper is only suitable for people who are not really after image quality. What i mean by that is that if you want to keep watch on your nanny, your kid or your pet then the Piper is a very good choice, however anything more than that and i just don't see how anyone would choose it over let’s say a regular IP camera. That being said it seems that iControl Networks has already started resolving these issues and the first thing they did was add IR LEDs to their Piper NV model so my guess is that a better camera model is not far away. Overall the Piper is an innovative device that certainly has its uses and so it comes highly recommended by us especially for people who just want something easy to install and use and don't care much about the average image quality and lack of IR LEDs. 

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Innovation
- 180 Degrees Fisheye Camera with Zoom/Pan/Tilt Functionality
- Two Way Audio
- Integrated WiFi 802.11 b/g/n Transmitter & Z-Wave Controller
- Piper Mobile App
- Alarm (Siren)
- Sensors (motion/ temperature/ humidity/ passive infra-red motion sensor/ 3-axis accelerometer)
- Desk & Wall Mount

CONS

- Average Image Quality
- Lacks Night Vision
- Price (For Some)