Skydog Is Dead, and Comcast Killed It
Last month PowerCloud Systems, maker of the Skydog Smart Family Wi-Fi Router, was acquired by Comcast for an undisclosed sum.
After being alerted by a Yahoo Tech reader that Skydog’s Facebook and Amazon pages had disappeared, I made inquiries as to the status of the company without obtaining a response. Late last week, a notice appeared on the Skydog home page stating that PowerCloud had been sold, but without naming the buyer.
On Monday, Comcast confirmed that it had acquired PowerCloud and that it will no longer be selling Skydog Smart Family Wi-Fi Routers. Current owners of the routers will continue to receive support for three years, though whether the software will continue to receive updates was unknown.
At press time, Skydog customers had not been officially notified of the change in ownership beyond the announcement on the site’s home page.
The Kickstarter-funded PowerCloud was popular among technology-savvy parents for its innovative interface that offered total control over their Internet experience, including the ability to allocate bandwidth and filter Web content for each family member.
In a conversation last March, founder and CEO Jeff Abramowitz indicated a road map for PowerCloud that included child-friendly Web portals and controls for home automation systems and the Internet of Things.
A Comcast spokesperson said customers of Comcast’s XFINITY Internet services would likely see the PowerCloud technology integrated into future products and services, but the company did not have a timetable for that.
Questions, complaints, kudos? Email Dan Tynan at ModFamily1@yahoo.com.
