PowerCloud Systems and Common Sense Media Partner to Launch webRover, a Family-Curated Web Experience for Young Internet Users
PALO ALTO and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – March 13, 2014 – PowerCloud Systems, makers of Skydog, a home networking solution designed for families, today announced another milestone in its partnership with Common Sense Media, the largest non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world filled with media and technology. PowerCloud has introduced webRoverä, an industry-first feature for Skydog that delivers an easy way for families to manage the connected experience of young children by leveraging Common Sense Media’s independent, age-based ratings and reviews of online media. Managed from a Web interface as part of the Skydog platform, webRover is curated by parents to include sites that have been recommended by Common Sense Media, as well as their own selections, creating a “safe zone” for the individual child. Ideal for toddlers and children up to age eight, webRover can be used on any device connected to the home network and gives parents confidence that their younger kids are having a safe and productive Internet experience while at home. “With children as young as two and three beginning to explore the many connected devices in today’s home, it’s incredibly difficult to manage access to appropriate content,” said Amy Guggenheim Shenkan, president and COO of Common Sense Media. “This new integration of Common Sense Media’s recommended sites in Skydog’s webRover interface functions like a baby pool for the youngest kids to play in safely before venturing into the vast ocean of the Internet.”
“Skydog is the only home networking solution that allows parents to shape the Internet experience of each household member,” said Jeff Abramowitz, founder and CEO of PowerCloud Systems. “The cloud-based platform underlying Skydog enables us to partner with respected third parties, like Common Sense Media, to bring compelling new features to our users that will enhance the connected lives of everyone in their home.”
Available today, webRover is included as a standard Skydog feature at no extra cost. Parents can create individual accounts for as many children as they like. Families can pick and choose different sites recommended by Common Sense Media in order to build different webRover portals for individual children of different ages. In addition to Common Sense Media’s recommendations, families can also add in other sites that they’ve reviewed themselves.
webRover represents just one of the many features of Skydog, the revolutionary home networking solution used by thousands of families to manage their connected lives by providing unprecedented visibility into, and management over, their home networks. Skydog is a combination smart Wi-Fi router and Web application that helps families manage access to Internet media and cope with an overload of devices and Internet applications. By grouping devices by user and then setting each child’s watchlist, Internet access policies and schedule, Skydog lets parents easily monitor and manage their family’s Internet use and help their kids make smart choices online. Skydog also prioritizes bandwidth for movies and games, protects home and guest Wi-Fi networks and is easily managed from any internet connected device.
The end result is that Skydog delivers an entirely new way of managing the home network that is powerful, simple, and affordable. Since its launch, Skydog has received accolades from tech reviewers and consumers alike. PC Magazine gave Skydog a rating of, “Excellent,” and designated it an “Editors’ Choice,” calling it “the ultimate family-friendly router” – http://bit.ly/HXJETz. Skydog users have made Skydog the highest-rated dual-band router on Amazon – http://amzn.to/HhYpkj.
Pricing and Availability
Individual purchases of Skydog can be made through www.skydog.com and at Amazon.com for $149.00. This price includes one year of subscription cloud service. For a limited time, Skydog is offering two additional years of Skydog subscription service free with every purchase (a $60 value). Information on community group sales can be found at http://skydog.com/groups.php.
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About PowerCloud Systems
PowerCloud® Systems is a leader and industry pioneer in cloud-powered wireless networking. The technology underpinning Skydog and the company’s award-winning CloudCommand® platform was invented at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and makes deploying and monitoring Wi-Fi networks and services easy for consumers and businesses. PowerCloud Systems products are deployed worldwide in homes, hotels, schools, retail chains and other businesses seeking truly affordable, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi. Investors include PARC, Qualcomm Ventures, Javelin Venture Partners and Walden Venture Capital. More information can be found at www.powercloudsystems.com.
About Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our kids are growing up in a culture that profoundly impacts their physical, social, and emotional well-being. We provide families with the advice and media reviews they need to make the best choices for their children. Through our education programs and policy efforts, Common Sense Media empowers parents, educators, and young people to become knowledgeable and responsible digital citizens. For more information, go to: www.commonsense.org.
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Media Contacts
Andrew Karl
TriplePoint PR for PowerCloud Systems
akarl@triplepointpr.com
415-955-8500
Amber Whiteside
Common Sense Media
awhiteside@commonsense.org
415-269-8127