It’s a familiar story among high-end homeowners: past experiences with expensive, complicated home automation systems leave a bad taste in their mouths. When they move into a new home, they are reluctant to try the capabilities of newer, simpler, more reliable systems. That’s where easy and intuitive ELAN control comes in.
As Mark van den Broek, owner of Sarasota, Florida-based SmartHouse Integration tells it, ELAN is so much simpler, more effective and more affordable than older systems that it can make even the most skeptical homeowner quickly fall in love with the convenience and comfort of home automation.
Front of Home
Kitchen TV
Dining Room TV
Pool Area
Security System
“The ease of use, reliable operation and reasonable cost have converted our clients from home automation skeptics into some of our biggest home automation advocates,” van den Broek said. “With automated lighting and window shades that rise and fall with the sunrise and sunset, simple access to a multitude of video and audio sources on any TV or speaker, an advanced security system with water-approach email alerts and photos, this system is leaps and bounds above and beyond what they previously imagined home control could do, and it has changed their perspectives dramatically.”
[Control and Automation Puts the Lux in Luxury Coaches]
Motorized window shades are programmed to extend for dinner each night, and retract for sunrise. As the sun sets, interior lights ramp up to predetermined levels and blue lights illuminate the freeform pool in the back. If it is too warm or cool inside, all it takes is a few taps on the ELAN mobile app, an ELAN HR200 remote, or a 7-inch wall-mounted ELAN gTP7 touchscreen, to change the temperature setting for any of the home’s five climate zones.
With three satellite dishes, three cable boxes and three Apple TVs centrally located and accessible on each of the home’s nine TVs, the homeowners can enjoy entertainment how they want, where they want, when they want. That extends to the home’s 20 audio zones with a surround system made up of invisible Niles and SpeakerCraft in-ceiling speakers, 53 lighting zones, and five climate zones.
As individuals with high-profile careers, one of their top needs was a robust, foolproof security system that would give them peace of mind. The homeowners’ security concerns led SmartHouse Integration to build a 35-zone security system with IP call stations, 12 IP cameras recording to a 4 terabyte hard drive, driveway gate controls, and even infrared sensors on the seawall that trigger outdoor lights to turn on and sends alerts to the both owner’s mobile devices in case of any boat or person approaching from the water.
“One of their favorite channels is the ‘Camera’ channel, where they can view any or all of the security camera feeds on any mobile device, PC or TV in the home, or anywhere in the world,” van den Broek continued. “Remote accessibility through the ELAN mobile app is a big deal too, giving them the same peace of mind even if they are halfway around the world. They have full control of the system, so they can check if any lights or TVs are on, view the camera feeds and make any adjustments they desire.”
This type of whole home system also helps minimize the aesthetic impact of technology by eliminating the need for any visible wires or components and centralizing much of the infrastructure in an equipment rack with top-shelf Panamax BlueBOLT surge protection and power backup. Each TV also has its own Panamax surge protector, ensuring a lifetime of carefree operation and protection from power surges or outages.
With the initial phase of this SmartHouse Integration project completed, the owners are excited to expand the system to include additional features such as irrigation control and electronic door locks, and possibly add more zones and scheduled automation.
“Once a homeowner is comfortable and trusts ELAN to simplify their home lifestyle, the sky’s the limit,” van den Broek emphasized. “Turning skeptics into advocates requires overwhelmingly positive experiences, and that’s why we are unabashed promoters of the ELAN control system. It just works.”
