River House
By 

AIC was presented with a unique challenge of salvaging an existing, nonetheless, barely functional system for a local builder with an even bigger task to regain the homeowner’s confidence towards their home automation system. The builder made many attempts to have the original A/V contractor repair the system, but due to poor design, installation, and programming, the system was a major failure to say the least. This was AIC’s chance to land a solid relationship, but we only had 5 days to get it done.

From the beginning, AIC determined that the system would need to be rebuilt from scratch, all the while being hindered by the initial challenges of not having any previous project information. Floor plans, as builds, wire labels and system documentation simply did not exist. The rack itself was a scene out of a nightmare that required countless hours of reverse engineering and new documentation.

As the project progressed, the existing Crestron integration system which controlled a 14 zone distributed Audio/Video system, a full Crestron Lighting system, HVAC, Pool/Spa Control, PTZ Cameras, automated shades and drapes, automated golf cart chargers, and the access control system was replaced with a Lutron Homework’s lighting system and a full blown Elan g’ Home Automation System.

AIC was warned that we may not want to take on this challenge, but we did, and the reward of gaining both the builder and customer’s confidence has been huge.

Project Scope
The scope of work on this project was to remove the existing systems entirely and start over fresh. The homeowner’s prime requirement was to ensure the new system would be intuitive, reliable, and user friendly, as the house is used primarily as a vacation home for friends and family. In the past, the homeowner required a service call to get the system up and running every time they arrived on vacation. Therefore, remote management was critical to ensure the house would be set properly before and after their arrival.

Here is what needed to be done to meet the needs of the homeowner:

Video – Share multiple video sources throughout the house using a HDMI Matrix switcher. Provide stand-alone universal remote controls that are simple to use and work all of the time.

Audio – Share multiple audio sources throughout 14 zones. The system had to be able to page and have doorbell alerts in any zone. Furthermore, the system needed to be modified through the user interface (DND, EQ, and Grouping). Required music sources and services were music from their iTunes account, AM/FM, SiriusXM, Cable Sources, Pandora, and their Karaoke machine could all be controlled through smart devices.

Lighting/Climate - The ability to dim all light zones and control them from easy to read keypads. The control of zones through time clocks. The ability to control the temperature remotely through smart devices.

Security - The ability to arm/disarm the house remotely. The homeowner also needed to be able to add/remove alarm codes for vendors, housekeepers, and guests.

Surveillance - The ability to view and control the PZT cameras remotely.

Pool/Spa Controls - The ability to control pool features remotely, primarily to modify the temperature of the spa.

Network/Phone - Clear telephone reception and a reliable network were a must.

Customer Needs
Being a Lutron and Elan dealer, we decided to replace all of the Crestron lighting and climate controls with a centralized Lutron QS lighting control system, and control the automation with an Elan g! gSC10 Home Controller.

The Lutron system replaced a centralized Crestron Panel. With the help of an electrician, we customized Crestron’s enclosure to house (13) Lutron Remote Power Modules and (2) Modular Interfaces. The panel was drilled and tapped to neatly reconfigure the din rails to ensure that the modules would have the proper ventilation. A new processor enclosure was also added. Using engraved and backlit Seetouch keypads, we were able to meet and exceed all the homeowner’s expectations.

The Elan processor was added to a newly configured rack. Using the Elan system we were able to provide local and remote access to the following systems:

• Lighting
• Temperature
• Surveillance
• Audio
• Security
• Pool/Spa

The drivers available through Elan provide reliable and quick control of all of these systems. The video tab allows the customer to use touchscreen devices to control all of the PZT functions on their surveillance cameras.

A lot of time was invested in reorganizing the rack and equipment layout. It was prudent to neatly organize the equipment and cabling for pure functionality. A UPS with a Bluebolt card was added to remotely manage the resetting of cable boxes and the network devices.

The URC remotes used for the video distribution are one of the most user friendly remotes. Bulletproof macros, an intuitive LED screen, and logical button layout make this remote self-explanatory.

The only requested feature that the Elan could not control was the ability to manage alarm entry codes. With the help of a local security company, we set up an Alarm.com account that took care of this requirement.

Testimonial
In the course of designing our dream home, we included extensive “smart home” features intended to make our home user friendly and easily manageable from afar. We quickly became extremely frustrated with the home automation system we selected and with the vendor who installed it.

We quickly and painfully learned that nothing seemed to work the way we wanted it to. Every time we and, worse yet, our guests, traveled to our vacation home, expecting to relax and enjoy our much needed time away from work, there would be several issues with the electronics system. The lighting controls would not work, automated shades would not respond, no functional televisions or internet. Simply put, it was a complete disaster.

Admittedly, when we consulted with AIC about the issues we were experiencing , I listened to their plan to make everything more user friendly and reliable, but didn’t have very high hopes given our previous experience with the prior A/V contractor.

I am happy to say that AIC has exceeded our expectations, in all areas, from their experienced and responsive staff to the quality of the system they selected to install. They had to completely remove all of the equipment and wiring from our old system and start from scratch. They did an amazing job.

We are now able to use all of our audio/video to its full potential and we can truly enjoy our home as we had always intended. We can now control our televisions, whole house audio, lighting, shades, pool and spa temperature, internet, etc. The system is user‐friendly and highly functional.

We would like to personally thank AIC for all of their exceptional efforts in ending our nightmare. It is such a pleasure to spend time in our home now.

Dawna Gray
dawna@bradawn.com
760.310.0135

Equipment Used
Home Controls: Elan Home Systems g! Controller - gSC10, Elan Communications Controller - C2
Lighting Controls: Lutron Homeworks QS - 52 lighting zones and control of third party draperies.
Multi-Room Distribution & Entertainment Systems: Elan S1616A Integrated Multi-Room Audio Controller/Amplifier (x2), Atlona HDBaseT 8x8 HDMI Matrix Switcher - AT-PRO2HD88M with 8 - AT-HDRX Receiver Baluns. Audio Sources - Sonos Connects (x3), Cable Box Audio, and existing Karaoke Machine
Flat Panel Displays: Sony Flat Screens (x9)
Front Projectors: NA
Projection Screens: NA
Main Theater Speakers: NA
In-Wall/In-Ceiling Speakers: KEF In-Ceiling Speakers (x24)
A/V Amps, Pre-Pros & Receivers: Elan Home Systems
Blu-Ray & DVD Players: Samsung Blu-Ray
Remote Controls: Video Controls - Universal Remote Control - MX980 (x8), MRF-350 (x3), MRF-260 (x2), RFX-250 (x2); Audio/Automation Controls - Ipad Mini (x4), Elan - VL10 - 10-inch Tabletop/Undercabinet Touch Screen
A/V Furniture: NA
Other: Network - Netgear - Nighthawk Router - R7000 (x2) - 1 Router and 1 configured as WAP, Netgear 24 port gigabit Switch - JGS500

Partner
Hilton Head Security
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina