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Withings Smart Body Analyzer WiFi Scale Setup & Review

After my last medical checkup, it was finally clear to me that I would have to eat healthier, and it would be a good idea to lose some weight at the same time. Before starting my search for a scale, I knew I wanted one that would connect via WiFi so that I wouldn’t have to keep records on paper.

After looking at some options, I decided on the Withings Smart Body Analyzer Scale. Not only does it have WiFi, it also measures your heart rate, body fat percentage, and even air quality. Although this unit is on the Best Buy website, it was not available at their store so I decided to order it from the manufacturer (MSRP $149.95).

As you can see above, it’s a very sexy looking scale with a somewhat boring black and white LCD readout at the top. Because the top surface is glass, you will get tons of footprints on it. If you are anal about stuff like that, you may not want to get this scale. Personally, I don’t think you’ll find a sexier looking scale, WiFi connected or not.

To get started, you have to download an app for your iOS or Android smartphone. To do this, just search for “Withings” in the respective app stores. Although you can use the scale without WiFi and connecting to your phone directly via Bluetooth, there are more features via WiFi. Actually, you can even use the scale via WiFi without a smartphone.

Next, find a good place for the scale where there is a very flat surface. Although the instructions tell you that you can install the carpet feet that come with the unit, and use it on carpet, after testing this out, I would highly discourage you from using the unit on carpet. The readings on carpet were not accurate, to put it kindly.

Take the tab out of the battery compartment on the bottom, as per the instructions, to power on the scale. Next, hold the pairing button (on the left below) for 2 seconds to put the scale in Bluetooth pairing mode.

withingsback

When I first tried setting up using my Samsung Android phone, the firmware uploading did not work properly. This problem may have been fixed by the time you read this but I solved this problem by using my iPad instead for the setup. While the scale is in pairing mode, you will have to use your smartphone’s setup to pair your phone with the scale. Once you establish your Bluetooth connection, your phone will force the scale into updating the firmware as shown below.

Notice that you don’t have to do any manual setup of the WiFi information on your scale. Once the Bluetooth connection is established, the scale automatically connects to the WiFi by getting the information from your smartphone. This may seem trivial but there are a lot of other gadgets that I’ve had to go through tons of setup to get the WiFi working. I wish they all did it this way.

withingsupdating

Meanwhile, on the mobile device, you will see a similar message to the one below, which is from my iPad and will look different on an Android device, if it even works at all.

withingsupgrade

Once the firmware upgrade is finished, you are ready to use your scale and app. In fact, the scale will tell you what to do as shown below.

withingssetup

One of the first things you should do is simply step on the scale and balance yourself. If you move around, it will wait for you to regain your balance. Once you stop moving, the scale will display your weight. Once you have completely finished setting things up, the scale will try to recognize who the weight belongs to and flash their initials in the upper left corner of the screen. If you have 2 family members that weigh the same, this might not work properly.

withingslb

Go to the settings are of the app and enter your name, gender, date of birth, and if you are an athlete or Japanese. Apparently, the calculations they make are different if you are one or more of those things. You can also setup other members of your family in the same area of the app, as well as the language and measurement units to use.

Once you have everything setup, whenever you weigh yourself, you will first see your weight, then your body fat, heart rate, and air quality. The scale actually measures your body fat and heart rate through your feet. The air quality is measured by how much CO2 is in the air every 30 minutes, as shown below. You can see that it also measures the ambient temperature. If the air quality measurement goes above the dotted line, you should probably open your windows and let some clean air into your house.

withingsco2

You can see some samples of what you will see on your app from your measurements. On the left is a dashboard view showing the different latest measurements. You can change the order of the items by touching and holding until a menu comes up at the top.

By touching the weight display, you will get the full graph shown on the right. You can see the progress or lack thereof, by looking at your chart. You can also create a weight goal and the app will tell you how you are doing trying to keep up with your goal. It’s a good idea not to make crazy goals that you cannot adhere to or you may give up on it. Create a weekly goal that’s reasonable and when you reach it, you will feel like you accomplished something.

withingsstats

Besides the smartphone app, there is also a website located at my.withings.com that will show you important information about your scale as well as your data. As you can see below, you can install new scales and change settings from here. You can also see the battery level of the scale.

 

withingssettings

There are other options that you can change as shown below.

withingsoptions

If you area the type of person that likes to share their information with others, there are settings for that as well.

withingsshare

You can also use your data with other partner services as shown below.

withingsapps

Although it may be overlooked, I think the air quality measuring feature is fantastic as well. I wish my smartphone had that built in so I could see what the air quality was in my office or other places that I go to.

All in all, I highly recommend this scale to any gadget lover who wants to get healthier by losing some weight. The scale looks great in your home, allowing for multiple users, is easy to setup, and accurate.

Review Overview

Design
User Interface
Features
Setup

Sexy & accurate

The scale looks great in your home, allowing for multiple users, is easy to setup, and accurate.

User Rating: 3.03 ( 2 votes)

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