If you're the kind of parent that wants to know when your kids get home and you're still out, then the Netatmo Welcome might be the gadget for the paranoid you.

Launched at CES in Las Vegas, the home monitoring camera is designed to sit on your hallway table (there is no mounting option at the moment) and not only secretly record everyone that walks past it, but alert you who they are if you've given it facial details of your family.

Using state of the art face recognition software the Welcome then pings an Android or iPhone app to tell you what's happening and when certain people are at home. You can also access the camera at any time via the app if you fancy seeing what is going on.

If that wasn't enough to sway you, the camera also notifies users when it detects an unknown face and lets you see a historical timeline of all the movement it has recorded.

Those worried about online privacy shouldn't be, claims the company.

A spokesman for Netamo told Pocket-lint that all data is stored locally on a microSD in the back of the device rather than in the Cloud. On top of that, users can set privacy settings themselves, deciding whether or not Welcome should send notifications or store footage it records - handy if you have a worried babysitter for example.

Due out sometime in the summer, it should help you allay fears that your kids are home, but suspect it might lead to more arguments especially if you are a night owl yourself. No word on pricing.