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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.

Why Smart Home Upgrades Require More Than Clicking "Update"

Your iPhone prompts you to update iOS; you tap "Install," and fifteen minutes later (or so), you're running the latest software. A Control4 upgrade doesn't quite work that way. Smart home systems are fundamentally different—they manage hardware across multiple rooms, communicate with dozens of devices, and rely on network infrastructure that can vary widely from home to home in Utah. Now that Control4 has released OS 4, many homeowners might assume that it’s a “click” to update. The reality is more nuanced. Hardware compatibility, network capacity, and even timing all factor into whether upgrading makes sense for your specific system. Show and Tell approaches these transitions methodically, because a successful upgrade isn't about just having the latest version in your Bountiful home—it's about ensuring your system actually works better afterward.

Energy Efficiency Meets Luxury

Most homeowners think they face a choice between beautiful home technology and lower energy bills. Wrong. Lutron lighting and shading systems prove you can make a significant dent in energy consumption while getting more responsive, intuitive control than you'd ever achieve manually. Mountain homes face particularly challenging climate conditions—intense high-altitude sun that strains cooling systems and severe winters that demand robust heating. The solution isn't sacrificing or remembering to flip switches and adjust shades all day; it's intelligent automation handling thousands of micro-adjustments that nobody bothers making manually. Two systems working together deliver the results: smart lighting that dims and schedules itself, and motorized shading that blocks heat before your HVAC even notices. Luxury and efficiency aren't diametrically opposed with Lutron.