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Piper: Smart, elegant, security and home automation

Piper is a complete home security system, a home automation hub, and the eyes and ears of your home

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Piper: Smart, elegant, security and home automation

Piper: Smart, elegant, security and home automation

Piper: Smart, elegant, security and home automation

Piper: Smart, elegant, security and home automation

Piper: Smart, elegant, security and home automation

Piper is a complete home security system, a home automation hub, and the eyes and ears of your home

Piper is a complete home security system, a home automation hub, and the eyes and ears of your home

Piper is a complete home security system, a home automation hub, and the eyes and ears of your home

Piper is a complete home security system, a home automation hub, and the eyes and ears of your home

Blacksumac
Blacksumac
Blacksumac
Blacksumac
1 Campaign |
Ottawa, Canada
$309,119 USD 1,344 backers
309% of $100,000 Fixed Goal Fixed Goal

Order Piper now at getpiper.com!

Piper in the News

TechCrunch | Engadget | SlashGear | Digital Trends | CE Pro | Android Police | Gadget Review | Geeky Gadgets | Desire This | Hack Things | Ottawa Citizen | Techvibes | Geekster Labs | Macgasm | Automated Home


Technology

Piper is a small, brilliant piece of technology that's packed with sensors. It works seamlessly with Android and iOS smartphones and tablets and can be paired with smart home accessories to keep you safe and in control.


Combining security, high quality video, and home automation just makes sense. You can’t get real peace of mind without actually seeing what’s happening at home, and the possibilities for making your home more secure and interactive really open up when you add automation to the equation.



Security redefined

It’s a troubling reality that most people in rental homes can't expect landlords to agree to a security installation and in the rare case the landlords give permission, it is just too expensive to contemplate.

Piper changes this equation and provides millions of people the opportunity of a real solution and for the first time, one that is simple but powerful. And not just apartments, but any type of home or small business can benefit from the simplicity and power of Piper.

Home, away and vacation security modes are created and monitored by simple to use rules. Record video, sound the siren or keep the system in stealth mode so you can quietly monitor the intruder.

Motion and sound detection - Piper will record a video and notify you if motion is detected or a loud sound occurs. It can even tell you when a smoke or fire alarm goes off.

Piper extends the performance of its security system by adding Z-Wave sensors or switches to security rules. Monitor doors and windows and turn lights on if an intruder enters your home.



Build your trusted circle of friends and family to share notifications when you are out of reach.

Piper adjusts its detection capabilities if you have a pet, ensuring that a real intruder is detected instead of just Arthur chasing his ball.



Smart home automation made easy

Piper is a hugely extendable home automation hub.

It works with hundreds of Z-Wave add-on accessories. By sensing your home's environment it can automatically turn on or off lights, heaters, and air conditioners or run them on a schedule.

Get notified when your kids get home from school, or when someone is calling your home phone. Piper will even warn you of an approaching storm when a window has been left open.


Eyes and ears of your home

For eyes, Piper has a 180° fisheye camera. This unique HD camera has a 180° field of view both horizontally and vertically. Use Piper’s electronic pan-tilt-zoom to see what’s happening in your home, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, in real time on your phone or tablet.

The camera offers three ways to view your space: Pan-tllt-zoom, Quad view, and Panorama.


While watching live video, interact with family, pets, or even unwanted guests at home with two way audio.

Interact with lighting controls directly from the camera view; adjust the mood of your home before you return.


Perks

All perks including a Piper have no monthly fees and free shipping to Canada and US!


Piper's design

Careful thought was put into designing an elegant product that will fit into your home's interior in a way that is discreet and appealing.

Piper has a stunning, compact, two-toned form with brushed aluminum legs.

It can be mounted on your wall or placed on any surface at home - your desk, shelf, table, mantle place, window sill, counter, etc.

Piper’s base color is glossy white with grey accents. There is also a special all-black Piper edition which is one of the pledge levels.


How does Piper work?

Piper itself is an embedded Linux system running on an ARM processor. Since it uses Wi-Fi to connect with your home network, you are free to place it anywhere in your home to obtain the best possible video coverage. The Piper app connects directly back to Piper for most of its communication, whether you are on your home Wi-Fi, your work’s Wi-Fi or even a cellular connection.

Security and automation rules, settings and live video connections are all made directly to Piper itself, so your private data is not stored on our servers.This makes Piper smart since all rules are executed locally without reliance on your internet being active. That means that if you want the siren to go off when motion is detected, it will work regardless of internet connectivity.

The same is true for Z-Wave integration. Piper is a Z-Wave hub. Up to 232 Z-Wave devices can be paired to Piper and rules can be based off of these external devices. Piper supports many of the mainstream Z-wave devices, and based on interest and support we will expand this list to include more esoteric devices as a stretch objective.

The cloud infrastructure provides Piper a place to store event videos, send various types of notifications and perform additional login/connection negotiation. When an event occurs, the video will be uploaded into our cloud system so that if something happens to Piper, you will still have access to it. Backups of your configuration are also stored in the cloud to allow easy migration to a new device, or restoring after a reset.


Encryption

Piper only communicates with the mobile app and the cloud over SSL. This means your video, audio, and security data are secure and encrypted at all times. Furthermore, user access is authenticated.


Our team


Blacksumac's partners

Celestica is one of the largest Electronics Contract Manufacturers in the world. Blacksumac's hardware design team has been working with Celestica since 2012, producing and testing Piper prototypes and limited production runs. Celestica will also be producing Piper's mass production run soon.

Gibson Product Design has won design awards for the last 7 years at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Blacksumac and Gibson collaborated on Piper's enclosure design and manufacturing process.

Blacksumac is part of the Z-Wave alliance along with hundreds of companies who work together to make automation easy and accessible.


Where are we in development?

Piper has been tested in users trials with prototypes since April 2013. We have just completed manufacturing our first 100 boards in preparation for our beta test program.

We’ve entered into formal compliance testing, developed the hardware test suite, and designed the test mount.

Piper’s enclosure mould designs are finished and are being shipped from China in preparation for the full production run in Toronto. The long lead components for this run have already been ordered.

We’ve completed the main feature development on both iOS and Android mobile platforms, and are currently engaged in the bug fixing cycle.


Why we need your support

We have developed a visionary product that is ready to go into full production. To do so, we need your help.

Your support will allow us to move into full production and manufacturing so we can make Piper available to you and others who never imagined that it would be possible to combine so much usefulness into such a small and beautiful package.

We will also begin development of a cellular version of Piper. We have already provisioned for this in our hardware design, and your support will allow us to accelerate final development and beta testing of this next version.


FAQ

Q: How do I set up Piper?

A: Step 1: Open the box and set Piper down of a flat surface or mount it on a wall. Step 2: Download the Piper app on your smartphone or tablet. Step 3: provide Piper your home Wi-Fi network details and Piper will do the rest!


Q: What if I have a bigger house or multiple spaces, can I use more than one Piper?

A: The app can support up to five different Pipers so you can set them up anywhere to always have visibility and control over your different spaces. Note: this will be available January 2014.


Q: Can I use the Piper app on more than one mobile device?

A: Yes, you will be creating a account with a username and password which will allow you to sign in on any iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. 


Q: Does Piper work if I have a pet?

A: Yes, Piper was created with pets in mind by allowing users to lower the sensitivity of motion sensor using a setting in the app. This reduces the risk of false alarms created by pets walking around while still allowing for security and peace of mind.


Q: What if there is a Power Outage?

A: Piper is equipped with batteries and will continue to operate as a security system, even if it has lost contact with your home internet connection due to power loss. Our service will automatically send you an alert to tell you that your Piper has lost its connection. Recorded videos created will be available as soon as power and connection is restored.


Q: What if I don’t have Wi-Fi?

A: While the first round of Pipers are all Wi-Fi enabled, we are also working on a dual cellular/Wi-Fi version of Piper that will allow users more freedom, security and complete mobility in their use of Piper - whether it's at a camp, cottage, car, garage or any space where there is no Wi-Fi available. Like cellular radio tablets, users will have to purchase a data plan from a third party provider.


Q: What is the difference between the EU and the North American version?

A: Wireless and safety certification process, RoHS compliance (lead-free), Z-wave operating frequency and certification, power requirements.


Q: What are the monthly fees?

A: There will be no monthly fees for Indiegogo backers. We are discussing an optional monthly service plan for future users who want to store larger amounts of video.


Q: Where is recorded video stored?

A: The video is stored on our secure cloud infrastructure and streamed to the mobile app. Live video is accessed directly from Piper by the mobile app.


Q: Is there a DC wall adapter?

A: Piper gets its non-battery power from a 7.5W AC/DC wall adaptor.


Q: Does Piper save to online storage services?

A: Piper stores event videos in its secure cloud infrastructure and streams them to the app. Stretch objectives may include investigation of other popular online storage services, based on peoples' feedback. All live video is served directly from Piper to the mobile app. Piper has internal storage for video in case it disconnects from the internet and needs to queue video events for later upload. 


Q: Which cellular data networks will be supported in Cellular version of Piper?

A: Our objective is to support LTE where available, and 3G otherwise.


Q: What’s the effective range on the infrared motion sensor?

A: We've tested the motion sensor's sensitivity up to 20 feet, but we've yet to test beyond that distance.


Q: Does Piper have night vision?

A: Piper's camera has excellent low-light performance. For pitch-black situations, we've been using Z-Wave plug-in modules to turn the lights on.


Automation

Q: Does the base Piper unit come with Z-Wave accessories?

A: All Piper's support Zwave accessories, these  accessories can be purchased separately from many third party home automation companies or other retailers such as Amazon. Special for Indiegogo backers there is a Perk level which contains a Piper and a Z-Wave accessory pack - including two door and window sensors as well as a plug-in module.


Q: What Z-Wave automation products does Piper support?

A: Piper supports many of the mainstream Z-wave devices, and based on interest and support we will expand this list to include more esoteric devices as a stretch objective.


Security and Privacy

Q: What grade SSL encryption do you use?

A: Our design goal is to use 256-bit SSL encryption for all communications, be they from Piper to your mobile device or between Piper and the cloud infrastructure, all while maintaining a solid balance between performance and security.


Q: Can anybody else see my video?

A: Absolutely not! The information sent from Piper to your mobile device and the cloud is encrypted and secured using SSL. Only a user with the correct credentials will have access to view what is happening.


Q: What if someone steals or smashes my Piper?

A: As soon as there is physical movement of Piper, you will be sent an alert that Piper has been tampered with, and will immediately have access to recorded video of the event. For greater protection the siren can be activated if Piper is picked up.


Buying and shipping

Q: What are the shipping costs?

All shipping in the US and Canada are free of charge. There is additional cost for international shipping. Shipment does not include extra fees from customs, or additional costs associated with your country. Also, there is no guarantee that this will work in your country (e.g. unknown power & connectivity issues) – there are many hurdles we need to go over until we have a complete picture on the international market. If it turns out that shipment to your country proves impossible, we will reimburse your order.

Q: When is the soonest I can get a Piper connected in my home?

Estimated shipping dates for the first devices begin in November 2013 in Canada and the US. 



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Choose your Perk

SUPPORT PIPER

$5 USD
Love Piper? Support us during our journey to launch, and receive exclusive updates on our progress. This really means a lot to us!
Estimated Shipping
November 2013
29 claimed

Z-Wave Add-on Pack

$70 USD
Create your own Z-Wave pack by combining two Z-Wave accessories of your choice to your Piper order. Options are door/window sensor and plug-in module. You must have already pre-ordered a Piper to get this perk. Available internationally. They will be delivered in the same box as your Piper.
Estimated Shipping
November 2013
197 claimed

PIPER WHITE (EARLY ADOPTER)

$209 USD
Missed your shot on the early bird? No worries, get your Piper for much less than it will retail for. No monthly fees. US and Canada only.
Estimated Shipping
November 2013
411 claimed

PIPER BLACK

$219 USD
Want Piper to match your other appliances or you prefer a different style? Get it in all Black. No monthly fees. US and Canada Only.
Estimated Shipping
November 2013
125 claimed

EURO PIPER EARLY BIRD

$249 USD
EU friends, we haven't forgotten about you! Get your hands on the European Certified Piper in April 2014, before anyone else. It's worth the wait since this will assure you that Piper will work at its full potential in your space. No monthly fees. Available only in EU countries, includes shipping.
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
107 claimed

CELLULAR PIPER EARLY BIRD

$249 USD
Want complete mobility in your use of Piper? Get dibs on the first dual radio Cellular/Wi-Fi version of Piper with extended battery life. Note: Users will be responsible for their cell plan. US and Canada only.
Estimated Shipping
June 2014
9 out of 400 of claimed

INTERNATIONAL PIPER EARLY BIRD

$249 USD
Want Piper in your country outside EU and North America? Here it is! Get International Certified Piper in June 2014, before anyone else. It's worth the wait since this will assure you that Piper will work at its full potential in your space. No monthly fees. Choose white or black. Please see FAQ for info on shipping costs.
Estimated Shipping
June 2014
36 out of 400 of claimed

PIPER WITH Z-WAVE PACK

$299 USD
Get your Piper and our Z-Wave accessory pack to automate your home. The Z-Wave accessory pack includes 2 door/window sensors and a plug-in module. No monthly fees. US and Canada only.
Estimated Shipping
November 2013
221 claimed

PIPER HOUSE KIT

$599 USD
Do you have a bigger space to cover? The house kit comes with 3 Pipers you can set up anywhere in your house to get complete coverage with the optimized Piper network app. No monthly fees. US and Canada only.
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
67 claimed

EURO PIPER HOUSE KIT

$599 USD
Do you have a bigger space to cover? The house kit comes with 3 Pipers you can set up anywhere in your house to get complete coverage with the optimized Piper network app. No monthly fees. For EU only, please see FAQ for info on shipping costs.
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
20 claimed

EARLY ACCESS TO PIPER'S API

$1,500 USD
Have great ideas on how we can extend the Piper platform? Work with our team as we are building the API. This is your chance to directly influence its development. The 20 backers will each receive a Piper and will be provided direct access to development team and relevant documentation. US and Canada only.
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
3 out of 20 of claimed

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