ELAN 8/Integration with Amazon Echo

MSRP: The software update comes at no cost, but the hardware ranges from $800 - $2,445

Describe your product's design and / or technological innovation.

This new ELAN 8 software update comes with a new user interface, new integrations with Dish and the Denon Heos wireless sound system, and most notably, voice control of all system events via Amazon Echo.
Through the ELAN 8 software, custom installers can now work with Amazon Echo – and digital assistant “Alexa” – to access ELAN’s most common control functions. This functionality can be used to update existing systems as well as new installations.

Voice control through Alexa gives users one more intuitive way to interface with their ELAN system. The ELAN 8 Echo/Alexa integration brings the convenience of voice control to all aspects of home automation and control. Echo communicates with the ELAN Event Mapper – which is essentially a macro-builder for the entire control system – so there are no limits to what can be accomplished with voice control in this newest software update. ELAN is always focused on the user experience, so integrating meaningful voice control is a natural evolution for the brand.

Describe the benefits that your product provides to the integrator.

ELAN now works with Amazon Echo, including its digital assistant Alexa, to access common control functions, which is a huge selling point for integrators who have customers that own or are thinking about purchasing the Amazon Echo product.
Not only does ELAN 8 provide a user-friendly and extremely intuitive control platform to sell to customers, but it allows custom installers to integrate more devices than ever before. ELAN now integrates with Dish, the Denos Heos wireless sound system, and an OmniLogic driver that allows for the integration of Hayword spa and pool control functionality.

Additionally, the software update's new native 2-Way Dish driver fully integrates DISH’s satellite television which includes standard DISH controls, an integrated channel guide with program metadata, and an advanced search function which works across channel and recorded content. The new software adds support for Denon Heos, which leverages the new ELAN 8 streaming and zone grouping features to provide a powerful streaming and wireless zone expansion solution.

ELAN 8 also includes an all-new media tab and streaming interface, including a new “zone” sleep timer function, new slider controls, hundreds of new sub-system icons as well as a new custom tabs option being built into the platform. This update allows installers to quickly group zones 'on the fly', and toggle between standard zone view and grouping snapshot when needed. Integrators will also enjoy the software’s all new Auriel Streaming Access, which allows them to easily locate an LMS streamer on an Auriel audio chassis connected to an ELAN system.

Describe the benefits that your product provides to the end user.

ELAN 8 allows homeowners to control more aspects of their home on one intuitive platform, and voice control through Alexa gives users one more intuitive way to interface with their ELAN system.
In addition to this new voice control functionality, the ELAN 8 software update makes some significant enhancements to the already user-friendly interface for homeowners to enjoy. The update includes an all-new media tab and streaming interface (which includes a new “zone” sleep timer function), new slider controls, hundreds of new sub-system icons as well as a new custom tabs option being built into the platform. This update increases usability for the homeowner.

Further personalizing the ELAN experience for the homeowner, the ELAN 8 software includes a new calendar feature that enables the integration of Microsoft Outlook, Google Gmail and Apple iCal into the ELAN calendar module.

The updated ELAN software also includes enhanced security functionality with a new dynamic video transcoding feature that enables ELAN to pull high bitrate video from popular cameras and door stations, and dynamically transcode those videos in real-time. This ensures that the video footage delivered to the customer is of the highest quality, and that it’s reliably delivered to mobile clients and other touch points.