As an elite athlete in a team sport, Greg Jennings knows a thing or two about coordination. The Super Bowl champion, two-time Pro Bowler and current starting wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings understands that not only does he have to perform perfectly to make a play work, but every player on the team has to work together and do exactly what they are supposed to. This mindset of perfect performance carried over into his home when he recently upgraded to an ELAN g! system, which he chose because of the system’s high reliability, simple user interface, wide third-party component support and future expandability.
“We knew the ELAN system would make life easier,” Jennings said, “and it puts a new spin on the idea of less is more. Now we have less electronic components in each room with less frustration to get everything working. We instead have more functionality and more enjoyment with our automation equipment. It wouldn’t have worked for our family if it were hard to use. Now that ELAN offers new features with the g! system, I knew I wanted it. I anticipate new features and functions of my home control system like other people get excited about a new iPhone.”
Local integration firm Automation Design + Entertainment installed a legacy ELAN system with house-wide audio through Niles speakers in Jennings’ home four years ago, and when ELAN g! was introduced, integrator Peter Cook knew that Jennings needed to see it.
“ELAN’s recent advancements in usability, component support, streaming music service support and the newer touch panels and remotes make it one of the best home control systems available,” Cook said. “Greg and his family loved their existing ELAN system, so it was natural to recommend he check out the new functions and the new control app. The mobile accessibility is a huge benefit, especially for someone who travels a lot, and the seamless integration with his HAI security system and HAI thermostats give him complete mobile control and accessibility. They no longer have to wonder if the house is okay, because they have eight cameras that they can check in on anytime, anywhere.”
Jennings agrees that the remote access is one of the most valuable aspects. “As a family that travels a lot and spends a good portion of the year away from this home, the remote access capabilities are very important to us. When I’m home, my favourite part of the system is the multi-room audio because my whole family loves their own music. Then when we’re away, it’s incredible to be able to check our cameras and security system no matter where we are. We love the peace of mind it offers.
“Automation Design + Entertainment installed the system when we built the house four years ago, and they provided such great service and support that I never thought of hiring anyone else,” Jennings added. “I stay in touch with them pretty regularly, so when they told me about some of the expanded features of the new ELAN g! system, I worked with them to install the equipment and touch panels I needed to bring my system up to speed. Now that it’s identical to use the system through the wall-mounted touch panels and our mobile devices, it’s easier than ever.”
As many parents know, having four kids under age 8 can be quite a handful, especially if you want to entertain guests. For Jennings, having many of his home’s subsystems integrated and controllable from an iPhone makes managing everything as simple as can be, so he has more time to focus on his family and guests. It also occasionally gives him an opportunity to have a bit of fun even if he isn’t in the room, as happened at a recent party.
“We entertain family and friends pretty often for Sunday dinners, and it’s so convenient to have control of everything from my iPhone,” he said. “That way if the music is too loud or the lights are too dim I can adjust it without leaving the room or interrupting a conversation. Recently I had everyone in the house laughing because I recorded a video at a previous party, and without telling anyone I started playing the audio from the video through every speaker in the house. So out of nowhere everyone started laughing inside, outside, everywhere! It was great and I couldn’t do fun things like that without the ELAN g! system.”
Multi-room audio is one of the biggest trend in home electronics, and Jennings’ system was designed to offer each member of family the best possible listening experience. The most important part of his audio system is that it’s also multi-source, so each room can play different music at the same time. And the system is so easy to operate that his 7-year-old can even choose her own music on an ipad!
“It’s so nice to have individual control over each room, even if it’s just so I don’t have to listen to the Frozen soundtrack for the hundredth time!” Jennings joked. “My kids love that movie so they can use their iPad to play in their rooms or outside, while I enjoy my music in whatever room I happen to be in.”
