REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – iControl, provider of a leading cloud-based security and interactive home automation platform, has acquired Blacksumac, maker of the Piper DIY surveillance and control system launched last year via Indiegogo.
Piper packs cloud-enabled security, Z-Wave home automation, a unique panoramic video camera, and multiple sensors into a standalone DIY device, making it “way smarter” than Canary (as I wrote last year on SSI‘s sister site CEPro.com), a similarly hyped product that also launched through crowdfunding last year.
The acquisition puts iControl into the hardware business, a departure from its software-centric focus.
The press release announcing the acquisition suggests Piper will become a “platform” within iControl’s existing SaaS portfolio that includes:
iControl Converge (OpenHome), used by Xfinity/Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox and other cable companies and telcos, featuring a ZigBee-centric ecosystem and a self-contained touchscreen controller; acquired from uControl in 2010.
iControl Connect, used by ADT Pulse and emerging solutions from other security-centric providers.
iControl Touchstone, a DIY platform recently deployed by Xfinity/Comcast
Stay tuned to SSI for more insights into the acquisition.
The press release follows.