Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale

Bottom line

The Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale is accurate, and users s transmits readings to a smartphone or computer, allowing users to track thay it works well and adds an extra layer of motivation with its advanced technology. This scale wirelesslyeir weight and body fat easily. The most common issue is inaccurate body-fat readings, common for most home-use body-fat scales. But because readings are consistent, it's a useful tool for tracking progress over time.

Performance

A high-tech, yet accurate performer: No ordinary scale, the Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale is exactly what it sounds like -- a high-tech bathroom scale that can track your weight and body mass index (BMI) by sending measurements wirelessly to your computer or iPhone. From there, you can view graphs and tracking information and use Withings' software to get more health information.

One owner who posts a review to Amazon.com comments, "The auto-Wi-Fi uploading and Google Health integration is awesome. I think it has some real geek appeal and has the potential to make weight loss feel more like a game." The biggest complaint is that the body-fat readings are inaccurate, which is a problem common to almost all home body-fat measurement scales. Professional reviews, such as those at CrunchGear.com, say the big question is whether or not a consumer actually needs a Wi-Fi-enabled bathroom scale. The general consensus among owner-written reviews is that the technology is great and makes managing a healthy diet and fitness program much simpler than paper-and-pencil tracking methods.

Among hundreds of owner-written reviews on Amazon.com, we did find some complaints that the scale offers unreliable and inaccurate readings, even when used on a hard, flat surface. However, the majority of owners say that even if the readouts are off by a pound or two, it's still useful for tracking your weight and body-fat loss over time.

Ease of use

Confusing setup, but easy to use thereafter: To set it up on your wireless network, you'll need to find your router's security settings, but once you have that information, owners say it's easy to set up. From there, you can access your data from a computer, iPhone or iPad. Optionally, you can link your scale to other programs like Google Health. The scale can track multiple users, sending their data to a different account, and each account can be password protected so other users cannot view the data. Lastly, you can choose to post your weight and BMI on Twitter.

Some users posting feedback to Amazon.com say the software isn't all that intuitive to use. However, most agree that once setup is complete, it's workable and convenient to have all your weight and body composition statistics tracked and synched to your smartphone or computer.

Durability

Spotty customer service: Withings offers a 30-day return policy and a one-year, limited warranty, although some owners indicate that customer service is slow or completely non-responsive to emails and phone calls.

Battery life is also reported to be an issue for some users, but like the scale's accuracy, opinions are split. One consumer review says, "The Withings website even allows the user to see the estimated battery charge remaining in the scale. After 6 months: 73% remaining. Not too shabby for using the scale, on average, of twice a week."

Appearance

Sleek, modern and shiny look appeals to users: Reviewers agree that the Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale is attractive, with a sleek glass surface. One user notes the Withings is "the only scale I've ever seen that's not hideous." Its shiny black appearance looks modern, in accordance with its technical functionality, and won't detract from any room's décor.