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What to Know About Planning New Home Technology

Most builders treat technology like plumbing—a functional necessity handled by whoever pulls the cables. The problem? Their "low-voltage wiring plan" sounds comprehensive until you discover speakers terminated in ceiling centers instead of optimal listening positions, network jacks placed where furniture will block them, and that thermostat wired directly to your HVAC, sitting dead-center on the wall you envisioned for artwork. New home technology requires the same thoughtful planning as your kitchen layout or lighting design. Whether building in Bountiful's growing neighborhoods or undertaking major renovation, early tech planning separates exceptional Utah homes from merely functional ones.

Professional Monitoring Without Monthly Fees or Foreign Security Risks

Many home surveillance systems create more problems than they solve. Constant false alerts train you to ignore notifications. Monthly cloud fees add up forever. Worse, many popular cameras pose genuine security risks that most homeowners never consider. After installing Luma systems across Bountiful, we've taken an approach that transforms surveillance from frustrating to functional. Luma solves the core problems through AI-powered intelligence that distinguishes actual threats from passing shadows, NDAA-compliant hardware that keeps your data secure, and network video recorders that eliminate cloud dependency.

Recent Headlines Reveal Consumer Tech Vulnerabilities—Here's What to Do About It

In case you missed it, December 23, 2025, marked a critical deadline: new DJI drones will no longer receive FCC licensing for flight, effectively banning them from U.S. markets. Why? Because hackers might exploit them due to software backdoors. Meanwhile, TP-Link routers—controlling some 65% of American home networks—face similar scrutiny after Microsoft discovered thousands had been compromised into a massive botnet used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers for password attacks. 

Both cases shared a troubling pattern: affordable consumer products with exploitable vulnerabilities are being leveraged as a means of infrastructure for sophisticated cyberattacks. Assuming you don't own a DJI drone or TP-Link router, then how might this affect you? If a drone or router can be weaponized, what about the cameras, smart lighting, and entertainment systems all connected through that same vulnerable network? This is why we say professional-grade network security isn’t really optional.

What It Is, What It Does, and If You Need It

You're already paying annual fees for various technologies—Apple iCloud storage, Google services, Netflix, and Spotify. So it shouldn't surprise you that home automation has joined the subscription economy. Control4 previously offered connectivity plans under names like 4Sight, and recently transitioned everything to a new service called Control4 Connect. If you've heard these terms floating around and aren't quite sure what changed or whether you need to do anything, this is the explanation without the sales pitch. Show and Tell will review your Control4 system and recommend the subscription—if any—that makes the most sense for your system's usage.

Understanding the Process Behind Professional Smart Home Improvements

Upgrading a home automation system isn't like swapping out a thermostat or buying a new TV. Whether you're migrating from another platform to Control4 or modernizing your existing infrastructure, the process requires a thorough evaluation—not guesswork. Show and Tell's approach begins with understanding what you have, what you want, and whether an upgrade is genuinely necessary for your situation. Sometimes the answer is "keep what you have." Sometimes it's "let's phase this over six months." And occasionally, it's "your system just needs reprogramming, not replacement." Here's what the process typically looks like, from the initial call to the final walkthrough.