IC Real Tech Allie Home review: This VR security camera has a baffling lack of security features

Let's start with this -- I can't recommend IC Real Tech's $599, £419, AU$845 Allie Home camera to anyone who's considering using it as a DIY security device. (At least, not as it is right now.)

5.0

IC Real Tech Allie Home

The Good

IC Real Tech's Allie Home camera live streams, records and photographs in 360 degrees, so you can see everything that's happening in a room all at once. You can also use a VR headset to make the camera's 360-degree view even more immersive.

The Bad

The Allie Home costs $599 and has fewer security features than the $70 Ezviz Mini. That means no motion or sound detection, no alerts, no rules or scheduling, no Arm/Disarm modes, no...nothing.

The Bottom Line

Yes, IC Real Tech's expensive Allie Home has neat specs, but that doesn't translate to impressive security performance -- don't get it.

I know that people don't often agree about home security, particularly what sort of set up is best, or at the very least adequate.

A comprehensive multi-device system, installed and managed by a professional firm like ADT is right for some. Others are content with a single security camera placed in a particularly vulnerable spot. And there are still plenty of folks who don't use any sort of security tech in their homes at all.

My grandfather, for instance, used to balance an upside-down glass Coca-Cola bottle on top of the front doorknob. If he woke up to glass shattering, he was ready to rumble with an intruder. (And yes, home security gadgets were a thing by then. He just preferred his more badass method.)

Nowadays, though, there are more home security options than ever before. That doesn't mean a Coke bottle won't cut it, just that there are a lot of products out there that are specifically designed to alert you when a potential problem takes place -- whether you're home or not.

We've reviewed a lot of them, but I've never been quite so stumped by a security product as I am with the very pricey DIY Allie Home camera.

Yes, the camera is neat. It's decked out with two, 180-degree fisheye lenses so you can live stream and record or take photos in a 360-degree environment. (You have to pay extra for the cloud recording/storage feature -- it starts at $6.95 per month for 24 hours.)

This is definitely a unique design among DIY security cameras. Sure, some traditional pan-and-tilt models can rotate 360 degrees, but you aren't ever able to see all 360 degrees at the same time. So compared to models like the D-Link Pan & Tilt Day/Night Network Camera, Foscam's FI9826P Plug and Play Wireless IP Camera or even the newer Zmodo Pivot, the Allie Home's 360-degree live stream is a serious security asset. Of course, you can stick a wide-angle camera, like the 180-degree Icontrol Piper NV in the corner of a room and see pretty much everything with ease.

The problem is that this camera has no additional security features as of today (aside from two-way talk and night vision, both of which worked fine). It doesn't have an Arm/Disarm function, it doesn't pick up on motion or sound activity and shoot you a push or email notification with a clip of the action. There's no built-in siren, geofencing capability, suite of environmental sensors to track ambient temperature or humidity -- there's just...nothing else beyond it's ability to see the whole room.

See more with the 360-degree Allie Home camera (pictures)

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See all photos

The flip side of this 360-degree camera's disappointing "Security" mode is an Event mode that also helps speak to its dual nature. Toggle the app setting from "Security" to "Event" and you can record important events, like birthdays or wedding. You can even tack on any smartphone-friendly VR headset to see whatever the Allie Home sees in an even more immersive way. (The VR function is neat, to be sure, but it doesn't add anything in terms of security features.)

And I'm just as confused by Event mode as Security mode, given that Allie Home isn't battery-powered. You know all of those birthdays and weddings you're supposed to record at remote locations? You'll have to make sure you can find a power outlet, which makes it impossible for the camera to be in the middle of the action, the way IC Real Tech wants. That is, unless you bring a long extension cord with you. Wherever the Allie Home goes, its power adapter goes too.

Overall, I'm struggling to think of a reasonable use case for this specific product. IC Real Tech did debut a battery-powered version called the Allie Go at CES earlier this year and the untethered Go model would likely be a lot better for recording events.

Back to the Allie Home -- unless IC Real Tech injects a lot more security functionality into its cool, but limited two-sided camera, I can't think of any reason why someone should spend $599 for it.

Note: The team does plan to give Allie Home motion-sensing capabilities in the future, so check back for updates on that front.