Thermacell LIV 2.0 Review: Taking My Yard Back | WIREDSkip to main contentTHE WIRED APP IS HEREDOWNLOAD NOW »MenuWIREDSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSMenuWIREDAccountAccountNewslettersBest Android PhonesBest Robot VacuumsBest 2-in-1 LaptopsBest SoundbarsDeals DeliveredSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoLivestreamsWIRED StoreSearchSearchChristopher NullGearSep 20, 2026 7:07 AMReview: Thermacell LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System 2.0The best yard-scale defense against mosquitoes just got a little better.Courtesy of Thermacell$1,746 at ThermacellCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyRating:8/10Open rating explainerInformationWIREDImproved repeller design improves coverage and speeds startup time. More visible on/off indicator. Two cable ports on each hub dramatically improve installation flexibility.TIREDUpgrades are modest on the whole. More expensive than ever. Now requires professional installation.Four years ago, I moved back to Texas from California. After two weeks of living here, I realized we were going to have to do something about the mosquitoes. In the 25 years I’d been gone, they seemed to have grown larger, more intelligent, and much thirstier. My skin had become a bepoxed nightmare within days.I immediately embarked on a mission to do something, anything, about the problem, quickly resorting to paying a local company to send a guy with a pesticide-blasting cannon strapped to his back to the house once every three weeks. The cannon, used to blast all the foliage on the property, was expensive—four figures yearly—and very effective at warding off bugs … for a mere 48 to 72 hours after each spraying, after which it would wear off and the mosquitoes would return with bloodthirsty vengeance.It took two years for me to find something better, and I wrote about it extensively for WIRED. Thermacell is a leader in mosquito abatement, and its LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System is the company’s top-tier product. While it produces various small-scale repellers designed for personal use, LIV is a different animal that is installed semi-permanently around the area you want to protect. You fire it up when you need it, then shut it down when you’re safely inside.Now two years after that review, Thermacell has upgraded most of the LIV components (only the cabling remains the same) and dubbed the system LIV 2.0. The company recently provided me with all the new hardware so I could test whether and how the technology had improved.Similar Story, Updated LookConceptually, you won’t find any big twists in LIV 2.0. The brains of the system include one or more Wi-Fi-connected control hubs. These plug into wall power and connect via lengths of cable to multiple pesticide-emitting repellers laid out in a daisy chain, which you arrange in a perimeter around the area you’re trying to protect (in my case, the swimming pool). Repellers can be placed up to 20 feet apart from each other, and each contains a replaceable vial of the chemical metofluthrin, which mosquitoes detest (though, take note, it doesn’t typically kill them). With the original LIV, I used two hubs and five repellers to ring my pool. This year I added a sixth repeller to enhance coverage in one corner where I worried mosquitoes were sneaking through a hole in the vaporous fence.Photograph: Christopher NullThermacell LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System 2.0Rating: 8/10$1,746 at ThermacellThe v2 hubs look very much like the original ones, with a circular design that features only a single button on the front that can be used to power the unit on or off (handy in case Wi-Fi isn’t cooperating). A hub can now handle up to 10 repellers (up from 6) and now features two cable terminal posts, so repellers can branch out from the hub in two directions instead of just one. In other words, you no longer have to locate the hub at the beginning of a run, which can add some much-needed flexibility depending on where your power outlet is located. The only other major change of note is that the mounting bracket has been slightly redesigned, so you’ll need to drill at least one new screw into your wall if you are replacing the old system with the new one.The new repeller design is more exciting to talk about. While it maintains the overall cylindrical design of v1, the styling and operation have been updated. First, the LED status ring that indicates whether the unit is on (or warming up or cooling down) is much easier to see, so you can easily tell at a glance if the system is running, making it less likely to accidentally leave it running for hours when you don’t need it. The bigger news, however, relates to a new hatch on top of the repeller that flips open when it’s warmed up and operational. This new design allows the metofluthrin vapor to rise upward from the repeller instead of simply seeping out laterally, potentially improving airborne coverage of the chemical.Video: Christopher NullThe chemical repellent hasn’t changed—it’s still 5.5 percent metofluthrin—but Thermacell is now marketing it as effective against not just mosquitoes but also midges/no-see-ums, thanks to updated EPA guidance. Midges are the one plague we seem to avoid in my area, so I haven’t been able to test those claims specifically. Also, as I mentioned in the previous review: Make sure you wear gloves when handling the metofluthrin capsules, as it can create a lasting numbness upon contact with skin.Finally, there’s a new app to run all of this, and it’s a significant improvement over the original LIV mobile app. A scheduling system and timer are handy, and you can even use the app to change the color of the LEDs on the LIV repellers. The app can be a little finicky—it tends to take a few seconds for power state changes to be reflected—but in months of testing this summer, I’ve found that it works well most of the time. What’s missing? Despite promised Alexa support—which vanished abruptly over a year ago—the company says it is still in the works.Thermacell LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System 2.0Rating: 8/10$1,746 at ThermacellScreenshotScreenshot: Christopher NullScreenshotScreenshot: Christopher NullScreenshotScreenshot: Christopher NullBaby StepsUltimately, I think the overall effectiveness of the system has improved, though only slightly. A big part of that is that the new top-mounted repeller hatch helps the system warm up faster, not just creating a more effective barrier but doing it more quickly than the older system. With LIV 1.0 I often waited a half hour to see a significant drop in insect activity. With the new system, it seems safe to venture out within about 15 minutes. That said, tenacious bugs desperate for my delicious A-positive blood do still make it through the vapor shield from time to time. Perhaps they are just that hungry.Another wrinkle is that pricing has unfortunately gone up—now starting at $1,746 for one hub and three repellers—and perhaps more important, it’s no longer available as a DIY solution. Thermacell’s website now refers you to “find a pro” for installation, and in fact sent a professional crew to upgrade my repellers instead of having me do it myself, despite the simplicity of the job. Refill pricing, at $250 for a six-pack of 100-hour cartridges, remains unchanged (and still very pricey).All told, LIV 2.0 offers some advantages over the older system, but they’re incremental, and if you have a working LIV system already, there’s no overly compelling need to upgrade to this one. If, however, you are looking for a new and effective mosquito barrier system for your pool or yard, LIV is a highly worthwhile option that works better than almost anything I’ve tested to date. It ain’t cheap, but neither is treatment for encephalitis.Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.Thermacell LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System 2.0Rating: 8/10$1,746 at Thermacell$1,746 at ThermacellCommentsBack to topJoin the discussionCommentsBack to topTriangleChristopher Null, a longtime technology journalist, is a contributor to WIRED and the editor of Drinkhacker. Chris is among our lead laptop reviewers and leads WIRED's coverage of hearing aids. He was previously executive editor of PC Computing magazine and the founding editor in chief of Mobile magazine. ... Read MoreTopicshomesmart homemosquitoesShoppingBackyardWIRED is obsessed with what comes next. 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The Thermacell LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System 2.0 is presented as an upgraded yard-scale defense system, achieving an overall rating of 8 out of 10. The updates focus on improving the design, installation flexibility, operational experience, and chemical efficacy of the system, although the reviewer noted that the overall advancements were incremental.

The functional improvements in the LIV 2.0 system stem from redesigned components. The control hubs maintain a recognizable design but feature a single button for powering the unit, providing a simple interface, and can now manage up to ten repellers, an increase from the previous capacity of six. Furthermore, the hubs incorporate two cable terminal posts, which significantly enhance installation flexibility by allowing repellers to branch out in two directions, thereby eliminating the necessity of locating the hub at the initial point of the cable run. A redesigned mounting bracket necessitates drilling an additional screw into the wall when replacing an older system.

The repeller design itself has undergone modification to improve interaction with the environment. A notable change is the addition of a new hatch on top of the repeller that opens when the unit is operational, allowing the repellent vapor to rise upward rather than leaking laterally. This alteration is intended to improve the airborne coverage of the chemical agent. The LED status ring on the repellers has also been made more visible, offering a clearer, at-a-glance indication of the system's status.

Regarding the chemical agent, the system still utilizes 5.5 percent metofluthrin as the repellent, but Thermacell has updated its marketing to claim efficacy against midges and no-see-ums, citing updated EPA guidance. The reviewer advises caution regarding direct skin contact with the metofluthrin capsules, as they can cause lasting numbness.

The mobile application accompanying the system has also received substantial updates, incorporating a scheduling system and timers. While the application allows users to adjust LED colors on the repellers, the reviewer noted minor latency in reflecting power state changes. Although promised, support for Alexa remains an unresolved feature.

In terms of performance, the system demonstrates improved efficiency, particularly in startup time. The new design allows the system to reach effective coverage in approximately fifteen minutes, compared to the previous system where waiting half an hour for a significant drop in insect activity was often necessary. Despite these enhancements, the reviewer acknowledged that tenacious insects can still occasionally penetrate the vapor shield.

Economically, the LIV 2.0 system has incurred higher costs. The stated price for a hub and three repellers begins at $1,746. Moreover, the system is less accessible as a do-it-yourself solution; the company now directs users to professional installation services, and in one instance, professional crews performed the upgrade. The cost associated with refill cartridges remains high at $250 for a six-pack of one hundred-hour cartridges. Ultimately, while the LIV 2.0 offers measurable operational advantages over its predecessor, the benefits are incremental. For individuals seeking a new and effective mosquito barrier for swimming pools or yards, the system is considered a worthwhile option, despite its premium pricing.