Elan Home Systems Debuts New g! Software Version 5.4 With Across-The-Board Enhancements

ELAN® Home Systems today announced that the ELAN® g! Version 5.4 software is now available to dealers.  The new software adds increased iPad app functionality, KNX support, updates to the newest drivers and enhancements to the user interface.

According to Joe Lautner, ELAN Manager of Business Development & Product Management, “The new Version 5.4 software update is a great achievement resulting in the strongest and most reliable ELAN platform to date.  We listened to dealer and user feedback and made significant improvements to both the user interface and the dealer configurator to enhance both simple and complex installations.  We’ve made it even easier to manage a zone that has two separate source volume controls, control a zone with multiple displays, and added an innovative way to manage a bar or restaurant with multiple TVs.  With all of these improvements, we are giving dealers much more room for customization, all while making the system easier to operate for the end user.”

The ELAN g! Configurator is now more powerful than ever, allowing integrators to give users simple control of two zones of audio in the same room, such as a TV’s speakers and whole home speakers in the same room, and also control two TVs in the same room.  For homes with bar rooms featuring multiple displays, ELAN has developed a new screen in the g! interface that shows multiple displays, giving one touch control of the source, volume and on/off functions for each display.

ELAN is also introducing the new g! Reference Guide, a comprehensive collection of tips and explanations split into two sections. Section one includes tips and explanations for common applications including backing up a system, developing customized controls, running g! Connect on a Mac, setting up end-user manager lighting scenes, the new Configurator functions for multiple displays and home bars, and many more.  The second section provides a field-by-field description in the 5.4 Configurator.

The g! Version 5.4 software adds a significant number of features to the iPod Touch and iPhone g! apps and gives the iPad g! app identical functionality to the TS10 in-wall touch screen for security, climate, lighting and entertainment. The new software also allows for all supported systems to display in widescreen landscape mode and gives users the ability to remotely view recorded surveillance video with an enhanced DVR viewing feature on both the iPad and iPhone.  The new iPad App will be the most powerful and comprehensive home entertainment and control iPad app on the market.

The g! Version 5.4 software incorporates a number of third-party driver updates including LUTRON RadioRA 2 lighting and shade controls, and the new Lutron thermostats.  ELAN is also pleased to announce being one of the first integration partners for the Lutron HomeWorks QS International product line.  The Version 5.4 software also includes driver updates for the latest A/V receivers from Denon, Integra, Marantz and Yamaha. The new 5.4 software also add support for ELAN’s new S1616 audio matrix.

At the end of March, even more functionality will be added to the g! 5.4 software. A new g! Tools will consolidate many of the tools used to help dealers install and support systems including transferring files, managing firmware updates, keeping support documents organized and up-to-date, and a dashboard for managing multiple systems.  They will also release the irrigation and messaging apps for g!Mobile.

The ELAN g! Entertainment & Control System provides users with the most uniform and intuitive icon-based control from their favorite devices including TVs, touchscreens, touchpads, PCs, iPhones and iPads. The standardized interface works across platforms, so that the trendy g!Mobile app users love on the iPhone appears and works similarly on ELAN touchscreens, valets and handheld remotes as well as users' televisions and mobile devices. And the system's IP backbone makes it just as easy to control the system from across the room - or across the globe.

Individual "apps" for each subsystem allow the user to control security, climate, lighting, media, irrigation, pool/spa, messaging, video and photos with the flick of a finger. Access is fast and secure through any ELAN home interface or globally with mobile Internet enabled devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Netbooks and PC Tablets. Since the intuitive interface empowers users with personalized scheduling and detailed history views, high consumption subsystems like lighting and climate can be closely monitored and managed for a greener lifestyle - and substantial energy savings.

About ELAN Home Systems: Since 1990 ELAN® Home Systems has been an industry leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video systems. ELAN systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use "whole house" solution. ELAN systems and products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and more than 58 countries worldwide. ELAN Home Systems is part of The AVC Group.  To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.

About The AVC Group, LLC:
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, The AVC Group, LLC (www.theavcgroup.com) is a portfolio of pre-eminent manufacturers and marketers of state-of-the-art consumer and commercial audio, video, and control system solutions. The AVC Group is comprised of the following industry leading brands: NILES® Audio (www.nilesaudio.com), ELAN® Home Systems (www.elanhomesystems.com), Xantech® (www.xantech.com), ATON® (www.atonhome.com), and Sunfire® (www.sunfire.com). The AVC Group, LLC is a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc.'s (www.nortek-inc.com) Home Technology Group.