Darryl Wilkinson

Remotely Possible
What’s a High-End Home Theater Doing in America’s Best Airport*?
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 23, 2017
You wouldn’t expect to see a high-end, 17-seat “microcinema” in the middle of an airport, but that’s exactly what I found at Oregon’s Portland International Airport (PDX) after I’d landed there in late July of this year. After being in the air for hours, scurrying through DFW to make a connection in a different terminal, and then spending more hours in the air, I was in no mood to explore anything other than the baggage claim carousel once I finally shuffled off the plane. So, despite glancing at the 30-feet wide, neon-emblazoned Hollywood Theatre marquee as the moving walkway carried me passed it, I remained blissfully ignorant as to the who, what, why, and how of the whole thing. (Even in my air travel-induced stupor, I was able to deduce the “where” part…)
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Remotely Possible
Pro Meets DIY in New Custom Install Trend
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 09, 2017
When it came to custom installation of home AV gear, automation systems, and security equipment, there used to be two ways of accomplishing it: you could hire a pro, or you could do it yourself. Today, there's a new middle ground option.
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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
Netgear IP Camera Is Wireless and Solar-Powered
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2017
At CEDIA 2017, NETGEAR introduced the Netgear FlexPower, ONVIF Compliant Wire-Free IP Camera System, what the company describes as “the industry’s first and only wire-free, battery-powered ONVIF-compliant camera.” The new NETGEAR security-camera system consists of two basic components...
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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
Hauk Let’s You Hide Your Satellite Dish in the Attic
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2017
Newcomer Hauk Technologies hawked the company’s Signal Transparent Surface technology at CEDIA 2017 with the promise of providing a way to eliminate “the days of ugly satellite receivers perched on the roof of your beautiful home.” In my case, I live in a very, very rural area—not far from the middle of the middle of nowhere—so the only sensibilities offended by the presence of the DISH satellite TV and satellite internet antennas on the roof of my house are those of the geese and ducks during migration season. Those of you who live in more populated areas, however (especially the ones who live under the heavy burden of Homeowners’ Association rules and restrictions about such unsightly things as antennas and satellite dishes on their homes), should pay attention to this interesting cloaking technology...
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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
Lutron System Makes Lighting Control More Affordable
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 09, 2017
Lutron Electronics announced an addition to the company’s lighting control systems, called RA2 Select. The new system incorporates select features from Lutron’s RadioRA 2 and Caseta Wireless systems, including Lutron’s Caseta Wireless that provides wireless communication capabilities for each system...

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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
NuBryte Adds Smart Switches and Distributed Audio To Its Home Automation Platform
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 09, 2017
I’ve written about NuBryte before because of the company’s unique and beautiful TouchPoint color touch-screen consoles that fit in single- or double-gang junction boxes, replacing existing light switches—and the company continues to be noteworthy...
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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
CUJO is a Smart Firewall That Learns and Obeys
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 09, 2017
Although not associated with Stephen King and his his horror novel of the same name, smart firewall maker, CUJO, says that there are over 20 billion internet connected devices worldwide as of 2017. These devices include internet-connected TVs, refrigerators, thermostats, security cameras, home automation systems, and even baby monitors. Surprisingly, most of these devices have little, if any, security measures built-in, a situation which is essentially equivalent to leaving all the doors and windows in your home wide open with a sign on the lawn saying, “Take what you want.” If you have children in your home, there’s the additional worry of dangerous, devious, and/or deviant web sites that are waiting to be discovered by the youngsters who have access to the internet through your home network.

CUJO is a friendly looking, tabletop device with LED status “eyelids” embedded on the front. CUJO uses artificial...

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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
Aura Smart Home Monitoring Senses Disturbances
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2017
Aura from Cognitive Systems is a dead simple home monitoring system that can be installed in minutes without tools. The system uses a small, rectangular Hub and from one to four identical-looking Beacons that plug into the AC outlets in a home or apartment. The Hub uses Wi-Fi to connect to the network’s router for internet access and creates a mesh network to communicate with the Beacons in the system.

Aura is an extremely unusual home monitoring system in that it...

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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
Triad One Amp Adds High-Res Sound Zones to Control4 Systems
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2017
Triad Speakers (a division of home automation and entertainment company, Control4) announced today the speaker company’s first foray into the amplifier market with the introduction of the Triad One Streaming Amplifier. The new Triad One is a single-zone, high-resolution, wired and wireless streaming amplifier with two channels of amplification of 100-watts each. Designed to function as a component within Control4 whole-house automation and entertainment system, offers a simple way to add an additional zone without having to pay for amplifier channels that won’t be used in a multichannel amp.

The company says that the Triad One is...

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CEDIA 2017Remotely Possible
Monoprice’s New Amber Series Speakers Are Affordable and Architectural
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2017
Online retailer Monoprice debuted seven new models in the company’s Amber series of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. The in-wall models feature...
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