Blacksumac Launches General Availability of Smart Home Device Piper in North America

OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - Jan 21, 2014) - Ottawa-based startup Blacksumac today announced general availability in North America for its flagship product, Piper, the Wi-Fi-enabled all-in-one home automation and security device. Piper, which debuted its successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in August 2013, is the first home security and automation device that combines panoramic video, Z-Wave home automation and environmental sensors into a single elegant product that users interact with on their smartphones or tablets. The free Piper iOS application is also available in the App Store, and the Android application is slated to launch in mid-February.

On the heels of a successful 2014 International CES in Las Vegas in early January, the award-winning Piper is a leader in the smart and connected home market, which is estimated to hit $10 billion USD in 2014 according to wireless industry group GSMA. Originally conceived for renters, Piper has been embraced by condo and apartment dwellers, homeowners, pet owners and parents alike for its simple and intuitive use and comprehensive capabilities, as well as for its no-contracts, no-additional-fees policy. Piper is compatible with Z-Wave home automation accessories and allows for multiple automation and security rules, which enable users to fully customize their experience.

"Today's consumers are constantly connected, communicating with family and friends, making purchases and gathering the latest news and information on the go. Until now, they had little opportunity to engage with their homes in the same fashion. Piper not only makes it simple to secure and monitor the home but also to interact with it while on vacation, at the office or just down the street," said Russell Ure, co-founder of Blacksumac, Inc.

Piper features include:

• Security - 3 customizable security modes, motion detector and piercing siren
• Automation - Integrate Z-Wave accessories into Piper's security modes, control them remotely, on a schedule, or using environmental data
• HD Panoramic camera - 180° fisheye lens, electronic pan, tilt, and zoom, 1080p camera sensor
• Customized alerts - Phone call, text message, email, and push notifications to users and their trusted circle when security rules are triggered
• Environmental sensors - Monitor and control home temperature, humidity, ambient light and sound
• Elegant design - Simple, intuitive app. Compact, two-toned form with brushed metal legs.
• Smart hardware - ARM processor, battery backup, internal memory for video storage, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.
• Android & iOS - Available on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets
• Free cloud storage - Cloud infrastructure provides Piper a place to store event videos, send various types of notifications and perform additional login/connection negotiation

Blacksumac's Piper can now be purchased at http://store.getpiper.com/ by itself for $239 USD, in packs of three for $649 USD or bundled with Z-Wave home automation accessories such as smart switches and door/window sensors that allow consumers to control their homes remotely, ranging from $359 to $849 USD. Up to 1,000 snippets of recorded events are stored in the cloud at no additional charge. Piper is poised to launch in the European market in April 2014.

About Blacksumac
Blacksumac is the creator of Piper and was founded in 2012 by Russell Ure and John Criswick. Blacksumac is an Ottawa startup engaged in engineering design and technology development. The company's product focus is remote presence-based smart home and business technology. For more information, please visit the company page at www.blacksumac.com and Piper product page at www.getpiper.com. Follow and like Piper on Facebook and Twitter.