Blackwire Designs announced that it will demonstrate its latest set of control system drivers and design assistance services at CEDIA 2023 in booth 4304. Blackwire says its Blacklight Design Tool is designed to empower any dealer to visually design an entire linear lighting system with a few clicks.

Blackwire claims the Blacklight Design Tool streamlines the linear lighting design process from start to finish. Users begin by importing the floor plan of the installation site and draw out each fixture. The tool lays out, configures, prices and generates a purchase order for the custom lighting system design. Blackwire says the software calculates all required equipment, from tape LED strips, extrusions and lens covers to wiring, controls, mounting hardware and accessories. It also manages electrical calculations for wattage, tape length, voltage drop, supply wiring gauge, power supply amounts and load capacity for connected control devices. With built-in error correction, Blacklight “minimizes costly miscalculations and ensures accuracy.”

Blackwire’s Network Design Assistance and Predictive WiFi Heatmap gives dealers enterprise-grade installments without spending time and effort on the design itself. By taking the guesswork out of providing great network coverage to residential and commercial spaces, dealers no longer need to repeat the project multiple times before they get it right, making the service extremely cost-effective, according to Blackwire.

After purchasing the service, the integrator submits blueprints and specifics to Blackwire’s design assistance team. Then, Blackwire designs the project for the best network quality and coverage, choosing the right products based on the predicted signal strength and suggested access points. This includes the best routers, switches, models and the number of access point locations that best fit the installer’s project.

Blackwire will demonstrate two new Control4 drivers, Multiviewer Pro and Videowall Pro, that provide an interface for Just Add Power, AVPro Edge and Snap AV MOIP systems that use video walls or tilers. The drivers integrate natively into the Control4 UI on T4 touch screens and mobile devices, allowing an end user to take control of these complex systems.

Historically, dealers have used custom programming and sent custom commands to an AV-over-IP video system to control them effectively. However, such interfaces almost always involve non-traditional workarounds that differ based on how each installer chooses to complete the system, forcing end users to switch through rooms or use custom buttons to perform basic operations. Blackwire says Multiviewer and Videowall Pro drivers simplify the programming process for dealers and pass on that ease of use to the homeowner.

By integrating with the Flair API, Blackwire has created a Control4 driver that enables two-way feedback from Flair devices and native control over each zone configured within a Flair system. On central HVAC systems, Flair Puck acts as a room’s thermostat while the Flair Smart Vents control the flow of the air in that room. To solve the challenge of uneven room temperatures, Blackwire says the Flair system eliminates bothersome hot and cold spots throughout the house by tailoring airflow to the room’s specific needs. Installers can replace as few or as many vents as needed to ensure that each room is comfortable. The Flair Puck can also be configured to be a standalone thermostat for mini-split and other IR-controlled HVAC systems to create additional automated zones within a home. When the Flair system is paired with an Ecobee Smart Thermostat and Ecobee Remote Sensors, installers need one Puck to bridge Ecobee with a home’s entire Flair system, thereby offering further integration and convenience.

Blackwire’s Yamaha MTX Universal Driver allows installers to utilize both the Yamaha MTX3 and MTX5-D audio processors with Control4 systems. The  driver controls an MTX processor like any other audio matrix, but Blackwire claims it is the only solution that includes a customizable mixer interface that enables end users to control the level and mix of each input across multiple zone outputs. By taking the complexity out of large installations, the MTX Universal Driver focuses on the experience and ease of operation for the end user, who can now mix the audio, trigger custom programming and adjust the zone and group levels without leaving the native Control4 interface.