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Your Guide to Smart Generators: What to Expect Before You Buy

When storms hit, the last thing you want to worry about is losing power. A smart generator keeps your home running smoothly during outages, but what does it really take to get one installed, and what should you expect in terms of cost, timeline, and capabilities? We sat down with David Hicks, one of our experts

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Review: Monitor Audio C3M Creator Series In-Ceiling Speakers

Architectural audio is a fairly mature category. New speakers come out all the time, but the fundamentals of producing sound through in-wall circles and rectangles have stayed pretty much the same for a few decades. I wouldn’t call myself jaded, but I don’t go out of my way to solicit reviews for these products because it’s

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A Hands-On Review of Control4 X4

Control4 has been around since 2003 and its user experience has been long overdue for a ‘glow up’ since the launch of OS3 over 5 years ago. They sent me a new CORE 1 controller and an 8-inch T8 wireless touch screen to test drive in concert the new X4 user experience. I was really excited

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July Newsletter – Control4 X4 Is Here: Smarter, Faster, More Powerful

Next-level automation designed to simplify your life This month, we spoke with Kenny Kim, Vice President of Product Management at Snap One. Kenny shared insights on the exciting new X4 platform upgrade and how it is transforming smart home automation, helping Livewire deliver even smarter home experiences. What’s new with Control4? Control4 is shaking things up.

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Hands on with EVO by Coastal Source

  Outdoor lighting is a fun category. The feeling I get pulling up to my house in the evening is magical. Thanks to a review I wrote a few years ago about Coastal Source, every tree and pathway are perfectly lit with fixtures built to withstand a nuclear blast (and, incidentally, the weather). Five years in

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Does the Jabra PanaCast 50 Perform as Well as It Looks?

  I love the latest generation of integrated camera/speaker bars. They’ve made remote meetings much more bearable and lifelike since the onset of COVID-19. If we can thank the pandemic for anything, it has to be what NYU professor Scott Galloway calls, “10 years’ worth of innovation in three months” during the Spring of 2020. It’s

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June Newsletter – Your One-Stop Smart Tech Partner

Avoid costly mistakes, bring your tech partner in from day one This month, we spoke with Will Dixon, the new Executive Director of Sports Backers. Will shared his vision for advancing community fitness and how Livewire’s smart technology solutions helped create dynamic, engaging spaces that support Sports Backers’ mission. Block Party Moments, Captured For You Thanks

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Reviewing the Integra DTM 7.4 Network Stereo Receiver

  If you’d told me 20 years ago that I’d be writing a review for a 2-channel AV receiver, I wouldn’t have believed it. The year 2024 would surely be about a million channels, complexity, and a world without big, boxy AV receivers! Or maybe not. Maybe the world’s a little over all the channels and

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May Newsletter – This Isn’t 2003, Upgrade Your Screen Game

We sat down with Tim Stevens from Just Video Walls to talk about why “entertainment centers” aren’t cutting it. This month, Tim Stevens, Director of Business Development at Just Video Walls, highlights the newest AV breakthroughs and reveals how video walls are swiftly overtaking the old‑school box TV as the ultimate sleek, modern display. 5 Signs

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The Art of Simplicity and the AVA Cinema Remote

I’ve been frustrated in recent years with the lack of innovation in the handheld remote category. It’s as if consumer electronics manufacturers think we’re all perfectly happy using our smartphones and a bunch of button-riddled plastic candy bars to negotiate the endless audio and video options at our fingertips. If anything, 2024 should be a renaissance

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