Tyler Reed

Director, Digital & International Marketing

What I do: I focus on the customer experience and helping people find what they want, when they want it.
Why I do what I do: I'm a geek at heart and working at Control4 really brings that out of me.
If I didn’t do what I do, I’d do this instead: I would spend half my time biking in the mountains, half my time playing basketball, half my time SCUBA diving and half my time laying on a beach somewhere. Not sure if that math all adds up but I'd find a way to squeeze it all in.
What makes me tick: Food. I really, really, really like food.
What makes me “talk”: Pretty much all things sports. I'm almost ashamed to admit the amount of time I spend watching, listening to and reading about my favorite teams.
I geek out about: Well I've definitely been accused of being an Apple fanboy.
I want the world to know: That Duck Tales was the greatest cartoon of all time and it's not even debatable.

Posts By Tyler Reed

Control4 Audio/Video Solutions Just Got a Whole Lot Better.: audio/video, control4 partners, media distribution,

Control4 Audio/Video Solutions Just Got a Whole Lot Better.

February 6, 2015

This week Control4 announced the acquisition of Leaf, a distributed audio/video product developer. Leaf has been at the forefront of audio/video distribution technology and with this acquisition Control4 will continue to lead the home automation category in media distribution. This influx of talent into Control4’s engineering team will provide speed and precision towards delivering scalable, high-fidelity media distribution products.

Cloudy with a Chance of Frustration: Reliable Home Automation Is Key

December 10, 2014

The cloud: it’s just such a fun term to use, isn’t it? I can’t think of a more overused tech “buzzword” right now and the meaning seems to have become incredibly vague. Oftentimes, when someone doesn’t understand exactly how something in technology works they’ll tell you it’s done in the cloud.

Sony X and W Series TV Lineup Now Control4 “Automation-Ready”

September 11, 2014

This week, Sony announced their entire 2014 lineup of X and W Series HD and Ultra HD (4K) TVs will ship with Control4 Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP) technology built-in. This integration means that Sony X and W Series TV’s will be automation-ready right out of the box. Sony has always been a leader in television innovation, and recently has been one of the manufacturers leading the charge in Ultra HD adoption. This addition of Control4 SDDP technology shows that Sony is continuing the trend of innovation with a focus on the smart and connected home.

Home Theater. Simplified.

August 28, 2014

Many homeowners desire the simplification that home automation can bring to their lives but either worry about the potential cost associated with it or they simply just don’t know where to begin. A common starting point for home automation revolves around A/V entertainment...

Top 10 High End Garage Doors

August 15, 2014

The garage door isn’t often thought of as the centerpiece of a home, but it can really make a house shine. Here are 10 of the best options for high end garage doors, each with customizable options to really make your garage door the perfect complement to your home’s design.

What Does a Dad Really Want On Father's Day? Extra Time in the Man Cave!

June 13, 2014

Father’s Day can be such a great day. It provides us with an excuse to spend some extra time with the family and celebrate all the wonderful fathers out there. But it also provides dads with an excuse to spend a little bit of extra time relaxing and hanging out in the man cave. Man cave is a phrase that is thrown around quite a bit to represent a space that a man (or men) can go to enjoy whatever activities they like to enjoy during their down time. This obviously means different things to different people. One father might be a sports nut while another father loves to play video games. This Father’s Day let’s celebrate the three most popular types of man caves.

Our 5 Favorite Products from 2013

April 8, 2014

2013 was a great year for technology innovation. Here are our five favorite gadgets and gizmos that whizzed and banged in all the best ways last year.

That's One Hot Rack!

March 26, 2014

Several months ago, a colleague of mine wrote a blog post about the benefits of housing all of your AV and networking gear in a rack. Recently, I had started to have some issues with the AV equipment in my home overheating, but I still hadn’t really ever considered purchasing a rack. That is, until I read his blog post. I realized that putting a rack in my home would likely be the solution to my equipment overheating.

Going Mad for March [INFOGRAPHIC]

March 14, 2014

...This will be the first year that I won’t have to go to a sports bar to get the ultimate watching experience that I crave, which consists of all live games playing simultaneously during that first weekend. The Control4 HDMI Matrix Switch I installed in my home several months ago will allow me to take all satellite sources and put them on my video wall so that I can enjoy that unique sports bar experience in the comfort of my home. No need to change out of my sweatpants to watch the games...

Step Inside Our Virtual Smart Home

February 21, 2014

Home automation is fun! It really is. It’s exciting to be able to control all of your devices from one interface and be able to program “scenes” that allow you to turn on your TV, lights, and adjust the temperature, all from the push of a single button. But in order to really understand just how cool home automation is, you really must experience it, not just read about it...

Winter Olympics—Facts & Video Wall [INFOGRAPHIC]

February 12, 2014

The Winter Olympics are upon us. I love the Olympics and I’ve discovered there is just no point in watching the Olympics casually. Sure I could watch NBC’s nightly recaps, even though Twitter has already announced all the winners and there seems to be more commercials than actual competition. But there are only a few sporting events per year that give us the chance to truly take advantage of a full video wall, allowing you to watch every event as they happen...

The “Internet of Things” and Home Automation

January 21, 2014

...The rapid expansion of these connected devices, or “Internet of Things” technology as it is often called, is very exciting. By connecting these devices, we are gaining more control than we have ever had before. We can adjust the thermostat from the office, check the security cameras from the movie theater, or turn the lights off or close the garage door from just about anywhere—whether you’re next door or across the world.

The Five Coolest Products I Saw at CES 2014

January 15, 2014

This year’s CES showcased a lot of new and enticing technology products. I had the opportunity to spend some time walking the show floor and here are the top five products that caught my eye. 1. Panasonic AX800 4K LCD TV Panasonic has always had a reputation for producing some of the best plasma TVs on the market. However, just a couple of months ago they announced the discontinuation of their plasma product line due to declining profits, leaving TV picture quality enthusiasts (myself included) to wonder how they could ever replace those amazing black levels and smooth motion with an LCD display. Enter the AX800 4K LCD TV.

2014 International CES Preview

January 4, 2014

The 2014 International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is upon us. Leading up to this year’s show I’ve been paying close attention to the rumors about new products and technology, and here is what I’m expecting we’ll see or hear buzz about at 2014 CES...

Christmas Traditions and Control4 Automation

December 24, 2013

Unlike most parents who hope to just sleep in as long as possible on Christmas morning until their kids come to wake them up to open presents, we have the opposite problem. Our 2 and a half-year-old son loves to sleep late and we actually have to wake him up on Christmas morning so that we have enough time to open presents before we head out to an annual family Christmas breakfast that starts at 9am. Way too early, in my opinion, but that’s our family tradition. In my opinion we should have moved on to family brunch some time ago, but I’ve been outvoted so we start our mornings earlier than most. Luckily, our Control4 automation system has allowed us to have a little bit of fun while waking up and helps us all remember that this day is a little more special than every other day of the year.

How Does a Control4 HDMI Matrix Switch Work? [INFOGRAPHIC]

November 14, 2013

Control4 recently launched a new HDMI Matrix Switch to distribute video throughout your home or business. We wrote about how video distribution can really benefit you but always wanted to provide an image to explain how it works. Take a look!

Start Small, Dream Big. Is it Really That Easy?

November 9, 2013

We often use the phrase "Start small, dream big" to explain that one of the best things about a Control4 home automation system is that you really can start off with just a small piece of the entire puzzle and then build on it from there. For example, you can start off with just a universal remote solution and then in time add lighting and a smart thermostat so that you can control all of that with your initial remote. Or you can start with a security system integration and then down the road add in whole home audio so you can enjoy music in any room of your home.

Ramping Up the Security in Your Smart Home

October 21, 2013

A truly great home automation system is able to control all of the devices in your home, including your home theater, whole house audio, video, lighting, smart thermostat and, of course, your security system. Our dealers tell us that one of the biggest requests from customers is to integrate their security system into their home automation system. That makes sense. When a security system is integrated with home automation, additional security features can also be automated and controlled, such as door locks, smart lighting, IP cameras, motion sensors, contact sensors and other controllable devices to really give you peace of mind.

The Benefits of Distributed Video

September 6, 2013

When I was a kid and my dad would take me to the local electronics store, I would normally head straight to the TV section. I loved staring at a wall of TVs that were all playing the exact same thing—typically either a sporting event or a movie. I would ask my dad how they were able to accomplish such a magical task because I wanted to do the same thing with the TVs in my house (all two of them). Neither of us knew it back then but this is what the industry pros refer to as distributed video.

Access...Denied.

August 6, 2013

I love the Control4 Touch Screens that are placed throughout my home; however, I realized I had a slight problem on my hands when my toddler figured out that by pressing some of the pretty little pictures on my portable touch screen, the lights would turn on and off and the TV channel would change. Enter the Control4 Access Agent.

Gadget Guy: iOS 7 Review

July 20, 2013

I’ve been beta testing iOS 7 on my iPhone 5 since it was first announced in June. It has been great to be a beta tester, and overall, I’ve been very impressed with the new operating system. There are a few things I think Apple still needs to tweak or improve upon—like the background color of folders on the home screen—but for the most part, this is the best version of iOS ever released and it is certainly a dramatic change from the previous iterations. I’ve already adjusted to the new iOS. My wife is still on iOS 6 and whenever I need to use her iPhone for something it definitely feels like taking a step backwards.

Control4 Smart Lighting Is Now Better Than Ever

July 10, 2013

Lighting is such an important aspect of a home, yet it often goes unnoticed. Lighting enhances aesthetic appeal while also managing energy consumption and providing comfort. A well-lit kitchen provides us with an opportunity to gather and share stories over a meal. Lighting in the theater room lets us enjoy a cinema-like experience from the comfort of our couch. And a brightly lit exterior enhances the look and feel of a home while also providing added security.

Control4 Launches a New Website Experience!

June 25, 2013

Last week, Control4 launched a complete overhaul of the www.control4.com website. This endeavor was several months in the making and the finished product is designed to deliver an exciting and visually stunning experience to those interested in automation.

Sports Bar Spotlight for March Madness!

March 21, 2013

For a sports fan, today is truly one of the best days of the year. The third Thursday in March represents so much more than just another springtime Thursday, it's the beginning of March MADNESS! One of the most entertaining sporting events of the year beg

802.11ac: The Next Generation of Wireless Technology

March 14, 2013

Internet technology has come a long way since the days of the ol' dial-up modem. The speed of wireless technology has improved significantly over the years, mainly in an effort to keep up with the demands of video and audio streaming through mobile device

LOVE it or HATE it, DST is Coming.

March 7, 2013

For those who weren't aware, Daylight Saving Time begins in the United States at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 10. That means everybody in the US has to remember to set their clocks ahead an hour before they go to bed Saturday night ... assuming they have so

Control4 Plus TuneIn: The Greatest Combination Since PB&J

February 7, 2013

Last week Control4 announced that-starting at the end of March-every home controller that ships will have TuneIn natively built into the Controller. In addition, anyone that upgrades their current controller to OS 2.4 will enjoy the same benefit. This is

The Coolest New Products at CES - Part 2

January 14, 2013

Here is the second part to the coolest new products I was able to see as I walked the show floor of CES. If you missed the first part about the latest-and-greatest in AV gear, you can read it here. This post will focus a bit more on the coolest mobile tec

The Coolest New Products at CES - Part 1

January 11, 2013

I spent the entire day Wednesday walking the MASSIVE show floor of CES and let me tell you, I felt like a kid in a candy store the whole day. The sheer size of the CES show floor is overwhelmingly impressive. While I wasn't able see every single product s

Holiday Traditions

December 23, 2012

During this holiday season we would like to share with you a few traditions that members of our Marketing department enjoy most during this time of year.

Top Tech Gifts For Christmas 2012

December 14, 2012

Whether you're looking for the perfect gift for that tech savvy individual in your life or you're just looking to treat yourself this Christmas, here are the top five cool and unique tech gifts we've come across.

Sony Announces The First Delivery Mechanism For 4K Ultra HD Content

November 30, 2012

Some of you might recall that I wrote a blog post a couple of months ago about 4K Ultra HD televisions. Other than the cost of entry ($25k!), the main barrier to 4K Ultra HD technology adoption is the content delivery (or lack thereof). Movie studios have

Selecting The Right Screen For Your Home Theater

November 14, 2012

Often times, when considering a theater room in a home, there is one important piece of equipment that gets ignored and yet directly impacts the experience: The Screen. A lot of money is spent on the projector, the receiver, the speakers, the media player

Home Automation Technology - Speaking Geek

November 1, 2012

In the world of automation, we like to say that the purpose of automation is to get all of your devices "talking" to each other. What a novel idea! On the surface that's exactly what happens. However, the technology that allows this magic to happen is obv

4K TV Resolution: Is it the New "3D" or Something More?

October 8, 2012

I recently read a blog post from Electronic House explaining that the most recent 4K resolution trend that is just being introduced to the market is more important than 3D. They even claim that, down the road, it will be more widely accepted than 3D as we

Project Spotlight: How Sports Bar Restaurant Technology Can Improve Business

September 28, 2012

It's football season! And while there are several ways to enjoy a good football game (or games) one of the best is to find a great sports bar that provides several viewing angles and great food. We've found exactly that at a local sports bar in Norwood, M

iPhone 5 - Why Should I Upgrade?

September 19, 2012

The iPhone 5 will be released to the masses on Friday and as an admitted Apple fanboy I'm pretty excited for this release. I'm currently still using an iPhone 4 so I will definitely be upgrading to the iPhone 5. I'll have to wait until I can actually get

It's Awards Season ...

September 8, 2012

And Control4 is cleaning up. 2012 has been a wonderful year for us. We've launched several new products including two blazing fast controllers - our new flagship HC-800 and the HC-250. New Touch Screens - both In-Wall and Portable - and a Door Station. Th

Are OLED TVs the Next Big Thing in the TV Space?

August 17, 2012

There has been quite a buzz since CES last January about a new TV technology called OLED. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diodes and they claim to be brighter, more efficient, thinner and feature better refresh rates than LCD or Plasma. So what mak

Enjoying the Summer Olympics

August 3, 2012

I'm what some might refer to as a "sports fanatic" so naturally I really enjoy the Summer Olympics. Once every four years we get the opportunity to fill the sports void that exists every year in the Summer with a handful of mainstream sports plus a whole

Shavy Jones

July 20, 2012

It's that time of year again. The annual convergence of hot weather, empty schoolyards, busy water parks and snow cone stands-also known as summer. Working at Control4 comes with several benefits. Yes I have the opportunity to "get my geek on" with all of

Control4 is Men's Journal Approved

June 23, 2012

The editors of MensJournal.com have selected Control4 as MJ Approved. That's pretty cool!

Does Dad Really Need Another Neck Tie?

June 15, 2012

Every year we rack our brains to find the perfect gift for Dad but how many times can we give him a neck tie or a gift card before it becomes old and boring? Here are some great gift ideas for you to get for your Dad this Father's Day:

Welcome to the Control4 Blog!

June 14, 2012

In this blog we will strive to provide knowledgeable but fun and light hearted opinions and stories about technical products, smart homes, electronics industry news, as well as our company and culture. We welcome all comments and feedback. Enjoy!

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