Blog Archives

Logitech Harmony Ultimate: a fantastic remote

I had an old Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote for years and absolutely loved it until it met an untimely end (don’t ask!). In 2013 Logitech decided to sell the Harmony line (doing an about-face shortly after), and ultimately discontinued

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 30

Multi-bulb scene control via an Insteon KeypadLinc

Now that we’ve changed the wiring in our switch to leave the power to our ceiling lights always-on, we need a way to actually operate them. Because you’ve invested in these relatively expensive lights, you probably don’t just want all

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 22

Insteon can lights make for easy scenes not previously possible

A relatively new device added to the Insteon stable is the LED Bulb for Recessed Lights: They’re great additions in larger rooms with multiple lights where you would like individual lights to turn on for different reasons – something not

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 18

Why Amazon is Awesome (and Dell Sucks)

Last year I wrote a gushing review of Amazon’s support, fully disclosing that this site is supported by any purchases you, dear reader, make after following a link from this site. In that post I alluded to why Amazon is

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 16

First look at Universal Device’s ISY Portal

Back in June, Universal Devices announced a new service called ISYPortal, which looks like a stellar addition to an already great product. In a nutshell, it will allow users to access their ISY994i devices from anywhere in the world, without

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 12

Get rid of unneeded wall plugs with some drywall patches

When I relocated my media center for a cleaner look and one less piece of furniture in my family room, I was left with a plethora (it’s a word – look it up!) of outlets and wall plates under my

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 9

Relocate your media center for a cleaner look

It dawned on me about a year ago that now that I had the ability to run ethernet between floors, send HDMI signals long distances, install ceiling speakers, and cleanly connect everything together, the media center taking up space in

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 6
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