The family wanted to integrate nearly every possible system in the new home, so integrator, Interactive Interiors' Brian Berg, told them about the NSC Flagship Program that includes a significant warranty extension on vital components – five years - as long as the project includes certain specific Nortek Security & Control products.

Now, the Elan system provides control of the whole home’s lighting, 20 zones of multi-room audio, multiple TVs with distributed video over IP, electronic door locks, garage doors, pool and hot tubs, motorised window shades, irrigation, surveillance cameras, intercoms and even the home’s generator.

“Once we talked about what could be controlled from a smartphone or touch panel, they were saying ‘yes, yes, yes’ at every step,” Berg added. “That’s a dream client.”

One of the owner’s top concerns was that the home become extremely secure, and they went above and beyond standard protection by installing a panic room with one-button access through the Elan system. Berg installed several hidden buttons the family can press to activate the secret door to the panic room. Simultaneously the Elan system notifies their security monitoring service and local authorities. Before long, this next-level security was put to the test.

“One night while the parents were out to dinner, an apparently inebriated man banged on the front door, frightening the children who were home alone,” Berg said. “While no harm was done, the system worked exactly as expected—the older child activated the panic button, the parents got an instant alert on their phones and left the restaurant, and police arrived within minutes to diffuse the situation. Afterward, the husband and wife said, ‘this alone is worth what we spent on the whole home system.”

It’s usually the media and automation features that excite clients, Berg said, but in this case, providing ultimate peace of mind was the number one benefit. Multiple outdoor surveillance cameras can be viewed instantly on any TV in the home and through the Elan mobile app on the owners’ mobile phones, making them accessible from anywhere in the world.

“In the basement there’s a video wall with three large TVs” Berg added, “The owner asked me to set it up so that he can turn on all TVs with a single button, and one of them automatically shows live surveillance camera feeds. By combining instant surveillance access with scheduled automation for events such as the irrigation system and notifications when the electronic door locks are activated, the family always knows what is going on at their home.”

Also, integrating a full complement of NSC components means there is little visible technology in the home – no more cable boxes in every room, no hanging wires, and even the speakers are almost invisible.

The family can access and control the system through several Elan HR2 handheld remotes or five Elan wall-mounted touch panels in main living areas or use the Elan app on their mobile devices from anywhere in the world.