Skydog is a new router and mobile app allowing you to optimize Internet performance and monitor how your family is spending time online.

Want to take back control of your family’s Internet usage? Check out the successfully-funded Kickstarter project Skydog.

Skydog is a new router and moblie app from PowerCloud Systems that allows you to see who is using the Internet and how. By using the mobile app, you can set up an alerts system, which is perfect for parents who want to ensure that their kids aren’t spending too much time online. Skydog can also help you analyze Internet performance so you can better handle problems as they arise.

Here are just a few of the things you can do with Skydog:

• Set time limits for social media, gaming, and other activies
• Block content that is inappropriate for your kids
• Schedule time for educational Internet use and time for entertainment use
• Optimize performance for gaming
• View the sites your kids are visiting
• Receive alerts if someone new connects to your Internet

You can set up Skydog so it doesn’t just alert you, but it can also alert other members of your family as well. So, if your child hits his or her gaming limit, you can have Skydog send them a warning to stop playing on Facebook and start studying.

Because lots of kids, especially teens, now have their own smartphones and tablets, it’s nice to see exactly what sites they’re surfing when you might otherwise not even know they are connected to the Internet. Exactly what is your 15-year-old looking at from his iPhone at 2 AM?

I like the idea of Skydog from a security standpoint as well. Because you can see exactly who is connected to your Internet, it’s easy to see if there are any unauthorized users and give them the boot.

Also, I find it pretty great that you can optimize your Internet for the most important activities. I work from home and it can be frustrating if someone else is watching a movie on Netflix while I’m trying to upload something for work and I’m slowed down. With Skydog, I can schedule time when the Internet is optimized for me, so I can get work done faster even if others are also connected. The Skydog community is also a great place to ask questions if you’re a not familiar with optimizing your Internet.

Skydog was successfully funded in mid-May via Kickstarter and will be available later this year. Will you be looking into this option for your home?

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Allison Boyer is the Online Education Coordinator for NMX University, where you can learn more about blogging, podcasting, web TV, and social business. She also runs the food blog The PinterTest Kitchen with her mom and sister.