It's here! The annual Tour of Homes kicked off on Thursday, September 13th! With extended dates this year, you have four days to visit the homes on display. You won't want to miss out; these homes are some of the Valley's finest. Take some time this weekend to visit at least a few if not all of the 13 homes!

Genext was chosen yet again this year as a preferred vendor for multiple Tour Homes. We've been busy these last few weeks making sure all of the technology and systems are ready for display. And let's just say you'll be impressed! If you are thinking of incorporating the latest in home technology into your new or existing home you'll want to see these systems perform, it's the best way to find out what you want and need in your home.

Genext is featured in SLD Companies, Inc. home in Wenatchee, off Woodridge Street and this year winner of the Best Use of Technology Award and the Sitmac Construction home in East Wenatchee, amidst the construction taking place on Columbia Avenue. We'll be there all weekend so if you are interested in speaking with a Sales Representative now is a great opportunity!

• Thursday, September 13th: 3 pm to 7 pm
• Friday, September 14th: 11 am to 7 pm
• Saturday September 15th: 11 am to 7 pm
• Sunday, September 16th: 11 am to 4 pm

Tickets are valid for all four days and cost $11 for Adults and $5 for Children 2-12, Children under 2 are free.

Want another reason to take off your shoes and explore the luxurious high-end homes in the Valley? If so, head up to Chelan on September 22nd for the annual Lake Chelan Community Hospital Guild B Home Tour. This one-day only event is on Saturday, September 22nd from 11 am to 5 pm.

Genext was chosen as the technology vendor for the Marquis home in Manson. This amazing home is protected and secure with a Genext Security System and a vibrant entertainment system can be heard throughout the home, all easily controlled with a first class universal remote.

In addition to the Home Tour there will also be an art sale at Tsillian Cellars from 10 am to 6 pm. All proceeds will be donated to the hospital to assist with the purchase of a surgical monitor scanner and a computerized emergency room gurney.

After over four years of occupying our building in East Wenatchee, it's time for a little TLC. Saturday, September 22nd we will begin with new vinyl in the kitchen and bathroom areas. On Tuesday evening, September 25th we will be closing our front offices in preparation for new carpet throughout. This monumental undertaking requires all furniture, equipment and materials to be removed from our offices, stored and then replaced within one week. It sure is going to be a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

Staff will be monitoring our network 24/7 as usual and will be available on a limited basis for customer service and support. During the time the office is closed, key support personnel will be working remotely, fielding phone calls and returning messages. Field Technicians and Installation Personnel will continue to operate from the warehouse location. Our administrative staff will be returning urgent calls during the closure and following up on all other calls on Tuesday, October 2nd.

We have taken every step to make this as seamless as possible; however, we will only be able to offer limited support services Tuesday the 25th thru Tuesday the 2nd of October. If you require assistance, please be patient. We will be monitoring all voice and email boxes and returning messages as promptly as possible. Network Technicians will keep the Genext Voicemail system updated with any system outages (none are expected).

If you have any questions, comments or concerns or you will require service during the office closure please don't hesitate to contact our customer service team. We will do our best to make special arrangements for you.

After six months of planning and preparation, Genext Engineers are preparing for the most significant improvement to our data networks ever. As our company has grown to service thousands of broadband, hosting and data clients throughout the region so has the need to expand and improve the quality and reliability of our services.

On October 9th, 2007, Genext Staff together with Engineers from vendors and manufacturers will embark on a monumental undertaking. Starting at 11pm PST we will be switching over to an entirely new broadband Network. There will be an eight-hour maintenance window between 11pm and 7am, during which time the network will be transferred, tested and verified. We expect the outage will be minimal; however we are planning for the worst and expecting for the best.

The new network includes a substantial edge router that will connect to multiple upstream providers at one time. In addition, we will be re-addressing all servers, network equipment and customer IP addresses to the newly acquired Genext IP Range.

The net effect of the upgrade is that we will now be using IP addresses that are registered directly to Genext. We will no longer be tied to our upstream providers. In fact, if one of our providers goes down, our network will automatically switch to an alternate provider with no down time.

The equipment list includes a Redback SE400 BGP Router, Cisco Catalyst 3750 Routers, Multiple Dell PowerEdge Servers, CPI Network Monitoring and Remote Administration Tools plus all new Power Distribution, Remote Control Gear and Redundant Power supplies. In all, the total cost for this phase of the project exceeds over $100,000. In the coming months, additional upgrades and enhanced services will be layered atop this solid platform.

Genext has added another high definition channel to the lineup with the launch of The History Channel HD on September 1st. The addition of The History Channel brings Genext's HD offerings up to 22! As part of the HD Basic package, The History Channel HD joins six other FREE high definition channels. Including MHD (MTV HD), A&E HD and the local Seattle broadcast channels in HD. This new HD programming is now available on channel 121.

The History Channel HD will give our history fanatics an unparalleled view of history with stunning clarity and rich perspective that they will find nowhere else on the television landscape. The lineup is a simulcast of the regular channel, which includes documentaries, non-fiction series and exciting specials. The History Channel HD features a diverse range of programming including new hit series such as Ice Road Truckers, Human Weapon and The Universe and highly-rated favorites including Cities of the Underworld, Dogfights, Lost Worlds, and Digging for the Truth.

And more HD is coming soon! As always Genext is leading the industry in bringing our subscribers HD content. Expect the launch of VERSUS/Golf HD, Sleuth HD, Food Network HD, HGTV HD and Fox Sports Northwest HD in the coming weeks. Along with twenty-six more HBO channels all broadcast in HD.

Aside from high definition we are excited to offer more Spanish-language programming to our subscribers. V-me is a new national Spanish-language television network bringing an innovative kind of quality entertainment to Latino viewers, featuring the best qualities of public television and Spanish-language broadcasting. The 24-hour digital broadcast network will be presented by public television stations and carried on our Expanded Basic tier of programming, channel number 76. We're working on the last minute details and expect to have V-Me up and running by Monday, September 17th.

Have you noticed? Wenatchee is booming and so are other communities in NCW. Areas that are supporting job growth through innovation such as Wenatchee and other nearby towns such as Quincy, and Moses Lake are benefiting from technology centers and more people moving to the area.

Construction noise can be heard at all hours and traffic is plagued with more cars, all-clamoring to get home during the 5 o'clock rush. While other areas across the country are facing rising foreclosures and financing rates, residents of Wenatchee are benefiting from the growth! The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight reported that homes in the Wenatchee area appreciated 23.5 percent between April and June of this year, compared to the same time frame in 2006. It's the second consecutive quarter Wenatchee has topped the federal list of national metro areas.

Also encouraging growth is the recent recognition from National Geographic Adventure magazine's September issue. Wenatchee was selected as one of 50 top adventure towns in the United States. More specifically, Wenatchee was featured as one of the best mountain towns. This recent national identification is sure to bring others to our thriving towns!