Building a home always starts with laying a strong foundation. The same can be said for any home control system, and that’s exactly what the ELAN g! System and more than 50 Niles speakers have done for one Pennsylvania homeowner.
Harrisburg, PA-based Momentum Sound and Media outfitted a home with the ELAN g! system.
“This client came to me asking for a simple way to control everything in their home from the TVs to the pool, but they didn’t know how to accomplish that,” said Keith Foltz, owner of Harrisburg, PA-based Momentum Sound and Media. “I told them that I could take care of everything, and that it would all tie together seamlessly through the ELAN g! system. All of the other components are intentionally behind the scenes, so the most important thing for them is an enjoyable user experience and reliability, which ELAN delivers in spades.”
Like most homeowners today, this family didn’t want to see wires hanging from TVs or clunky black boxes in every room. Foltz was able to eliminate all of that clutter by combining all the ELAN equipment plus every cable box, audio receiver, and subsystem control unit into two equipment racks located in the basement utility room. Then he designed a whole-home audio system using Niles in-ceiling speakers so every room has crystal-clear audio and no obtrusive speakers. These considerations keep the house free of mess and also make it easier to troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
“Putting all the electronics in one stack is the only way I would organize a system this large,” Foltz said. “That way if anything needs to be changed, replaced, or fixed, I don’t have to trace wires or open walls. It also makes the system cheaper, because all equipment like this should be connected to high-quality surge protectors, so I can install just a few of them for the whole rack instead of putting one in every room.”
The home’s back yard has its own music zones with two wall-mounted speakers, two planter speakers, two rock speakers, and a hidden in-ground subwoofer, all from Niles.Even the back yard has its own music zones with two wall-mounted speakers, two planter speakers, two rock speakers, and a hidden in-ground subwoofer, all from Niles. So what is it like to control nine TVs, 52 speakers in 21 zones, five zones of HVAC, the home’s lights, security, garage doors, irrigation, and pool from one device?
“The ease of operation and convenience of the iPhone/iPad app is best part of the system,” the homeowners said. “Control of the entire house is literally at our fingertips at home as well as when we’re away. With four children, it is amazing convenience to be able to turn off lights, TVs, and music from our phones rather than running through the house each time we leave.”
With a centrally-located seven-inch ELAN touchscreen, five two-inch wall-mounted touchscreens throughout the house and eight ELAN HR2 handheld remotes for the TVs, the family is always just a few button taps away from putting their favorite music or TV on in whichever rooms they choose. It’s just as easy to check that the security system is armed, the garage doors are closed and the lights are off, making it easy to come and go without walking around to make sure everything is set appropriately. And whether they are home or halfway around the world, the family can check in on the home’s surveillance cameras from their iPhones, iPads, or any computer. In the near future Foltz will install and integrate electronic locks on several of the home’s exterior doors and ELAN control for the driveway gate.
The home’s theater combines a backlit 122-inch Screen Innovation Black Diamond screen, a JVC 4K projector, three Sunfire CRM3 ribbon speakers in the front, six Niles HD8 speakers for surround, and a Sunfire in-wall SubRosa subwoofer with nine Salamander Designs theater seats.
The crown jewel of the home’s entertainment offerings is the luxury home theater. Combining a backlit 122-inch Screen Innovation Black Diamond screen, a JVC 4K projector, three Sunfire CRM3 ribbon speakers in the front, six Niles HD8 speakers for surround, and a Sunfire in-wall SubRosa subwoofer with nine Salamander Designs theater seats, the theater takes viewers away from the home and places them right in the movie.
“I love that the ELAN system is compatible with so many products from other top-name brands like ELK Security, Aprilaire, Pentair, Lutron, Access surveillance cameras, and more,” Foltz said. “It gives me a lot of flexibility when designing a control system, both in terms of functionality and price.”
