We’ve covered a lot of corporate and institutional AV installations here in Pro Systems which, by and large, are always impressive given the gravitas of most these organisations. But one forgets that there’s a whole other market out there for AV and automation systems in what has become known as “smart homes’: up-market, modern and sophisticated dwellings that make most of what we live in look like mere shacks.

Of course, much of the same components you’ll find in a corporate AV installation are found in smart homes, too: projectors, screens, control systems, advanced networks, tablet and PC control, touch panels, and remote system management, etc. The list goes on; the only difference being that these installations are almost always more aesthetically pleasing because homes are meant to be lived in and enjoyed when you’re trying to forget about the boardroom!

Mod “n Sound based in Umhlanga Ridge, KZN has been doing this sort of work for about 30 years, specialising in such areas as high end stereo systems, home theatres, distributed audio, AV systems, control and automation. In fact, they have over 100 years’ experience in those areas collectively. I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with Andre Hoareau, owner of Mod “n Sound, to show me around a recent installation they performed in a home at the Hawaan Forest Estate, a seaside lifestyle complex of homes on KZN’s North Coast. Let’s take a gander.

The brief from the customer was to design, supply and install a state of the art automation system for a new domestic residence in the up-market Hawaan Forest Estate in Umhlanga. To this end Mod “n Sound chose the Elan G system for control and AV distribution. For the lighting and switch gear the new QS Lutron din rail mount products were the preferred choice and speaker systems spec’d were Bose and Paradigm. The home was to be fully automated and had to include the following:

Security: The ability to view individual CCTV cameras from anywhere in the world, open doors, open and close curtains and blinds was required along with arming and disarming the alarm system from mobile devices, nine colour touch screens and three wireless hand held colour touch screen remotes.

Lighting: All in all 66 circuits including exterior, pool, wall, vanity and general lighting (both incandescent and florescent) and the installation of an optic-fibre ’star light’ ceiling system for the kids’ bedroom. All lighting was to be controlled from backlit keypads, colour touch screens and mobile devices.

Water features: Three water features with lighting and pool pump control.

Climate: Multi-zone Dakin VRV with independent control of temp and fan speed in all zones.

Blinds and curtains: Independent and global control.

Audio & video: 12 independent zones of audio and video were spec’d including a complete 7.1 home theater system with automated screen and projector lift with the inclusion of music and video servers with the ability for the customer to access their entire music and video collection with cover art from TV screen or remote controls, iPhone, iPad or Android devices. Ability to control all media from mobile devices, nine colour touch screens and three wireless handheld colour touch screen remotes was required.

Fireplaces: Control of two gas fireplaces.

Intercom: The ability to page the entire house from any phone. The ability to view the intercom door station hi-resolution camera from hand held remotes and mobile devices. The client can phone the system and leave messages to be retrieved from the main lounge touch panel by anyone in the house. The entire house falls under the control of one Elan G system. The project took about 12 months to complete, from in house CAD drawings to final installation and programming and due to the complexity of the project, Mod “n Sound had to project-manage and liaise with all the relevant subcontractors.

As I walked into the home, hosted by Mr. Hoareau, I was immediately impressed by its clean lines and slick, modern look and subsequently the high tech installation. This is a dream home for most. The architectural design was performed by Patrick Ferguson of Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects.

Mr. Hoareau proceeded to give me a demonstration of some of the automation features of the home and I was taken aback at how simple and intuitive each component was. Quite simply put, EVERYTHING is under control in this home. From the projector that descends via from a cavity in the ceiling, to the water features, to the lighting, to the fireplaces, to the aircon and fans, to security; the entire house is covered through the Elan G system and its peripherals. What amazed me the most is that every single automation and control feature of the house can be controlled remotely via iPhone, iPad or Android.

Mr. Hoareau comments as he demonstrates the audio system: “Now, you could be in China doing what I’m doing now. It’s irrelevant where you are because it’s all done over the internet. So if he’s in China and someone comes to the door, he can pick up and they might think he’s in the house.’

This has obvious security advantages because along with CCTV surveillance being available over the internet, the owner can monitor the house at all times and give the impression he’s not away.

The audio system in the home has 16 independent zones. This enables the dwellers to listen to different music in any area mutually exclusive of the others. Now the kids can listen to Justin Beiber upstairs while mom and dad listen to Buble downstairs.

The kit

LIGHTING

8 x LUTRON LQSE-4A-D DIN-RAIL adaptive power module
9 x LUTRON LQSE=-4510D DIN-RAIL relay module
1 x LUTRON Ethernet/RS232 interface
1 x LUTRON HW1-CC1input/output devices
1 x LUTRON HPS-CE processor
13 x LUTRON FT-6BRL-W keypads
150m x LUTRON CSPCREST cable

AIRCON

1 x COOLMASTER 1000 aircon interface
1 x LUTRON RS-232/485 converter

AUDIO & VIDEO & CONTROL

1 x ELAN HC12 system controller
3 x ELAN GPASL licenses
1 x ELAN DT22 dual Fm tuner
2 x ELAN S86a zone controller/amplifiers
1 x ELAN C2 communications controller
2 x ELAN DSF3 door stations with Hi-Rez camera
8 x ELAN TS2 wall-mount colour touch screens
1 x ELAN TS10 wall-mount colour touch screen
3 x ELAN HR2 wireless colour touch screen remote controls

1 x INTEGRA DTR 40.4 home theatre receiver
1 x INTEGRA DBS 30.3 Blu Ray player

3 x PARADIGM AMS150R-30 in ceiling speakers
4 x PARADIGM CS60 ceiling mount speakers
14 x PARADIGM CS80 ceiling mount speakers
2 x PARADIGM CS60 SM stereo in ceiling speakers
2 x PARADIGM DSP3100 subwoofers
2 x BOSE AM5 speaker systems

76m PLANETWAVES cable
100 x PLANETWAVES RCA interconnects
1200m CAT6 data cable
1600m TITAN 14 gauge speaker cable
400m RG179 video cable
200m MYLAR cable

1 x AXIS 24IQ composite to IP convertor
1 x PANASONIC PT-AE100E High Def projector
1 x MOTORISED SCREEN 2500 x 1400
1 x MEDE8ER 500x media server
1 x 19-inch 46u equipment rack
1 x 1KVA online UPS
1 x CLEARLINE surge protector

Mod “n Sound obviously knows what they’re doing in the world of home automation and AV systems. The smart home shown to me at the Hawaan Forest Estate was masterfully installed with all the bells and whistles – to use an old adage – that one could ever want or imagine and sets the bar high in terms of what is available and what is doable in smart home technology today.