ELAN Intercom – Software is the Solution
As a software-based solution, ELAN Intercom delivers some robust benefits. We caught up with Core Brands’ Control Product Manager, Robert Ridenour, to learn why this is not your parents’ intercom.
Can we start with some background?
ELAN pioneered front door communication and whole house paging in the 90’s. The first product was the TD system, which allowed customers to intercom with one or more door stations and use the speakers in the ceiling to page from standard analog phones in the home. Today, most family members have cell phones and many homes have forsaken the analog phone altogether. Yet for security and convenience, customers still want to communicate with the front door and still need to page throughout the house. ELAN Intercom embraces the transition to a mobile device-based society and maximizes its potential by treating your mobile device just like a wall mounted touch panel. Plus, it does that whether your customer is at home or away – across town or around the world.
What are the key features of ELAN Intercom?
ELAN Intercom provides one-to-one, one-to-many and one-to-page communications using wall mounted touch panels, hand held mobile devices, SIP door stations and most audio systems. It is completely configurable by the end-user to establish preferred stations and custom group stations by activity. It provides advanced source management that allows anything from a standard surround sound receiver to most advanced multi-zone audio systems to be used for paging whether they include a dedicated page/doorbell connection or not.
Communicating with the front porch is important for security reasons. How does ELAN Intercom do this better?
Historically when someone rings your doorbell you must be home to communicate with them. With ELAN Intercom you can set custom dial plans that allow the door station to communicate with the interior home stations and selected or all mobile devices in a way that meets your customers’ needs. If they want the interior stations to ring first, then after a few rings to announce to the mobile devices they can do that. Once a mobile device is contacted, the ELAN g!Mobile enables voice or video communication with the front door as if from an interior station at home.
What components are required to install an ELAN Intercom system?
ELAN Intercom is a software feature included on all three ELAN “g” series controllers. There is no software licensing or extra costs to activate the feature. ELAN Intercom is compatible with ELAN’s three wall-mounted touch panels and with Android and iOS mobile devices. Adding a g1 controller to the system provides an analog audio output for connection to a music distribution system and the g1 can also be used with an external camera/mic and a TV to create a really big intercom station. For the door stations, ELAN Intercom supports a variety of 3rd party SIP stations which allows dealers to select the one that best fits the aesthetic and physical needs of their project.
Can existing ELAN communication systems be upgraded to ELAN Intercom?
Absolutely! The installation must have one of the ELAN “g” series controllers added. Depending on the components of the existing system and the customer’s performance requirements, other equipment may be required.
What is your favorite feature of ELAN Intercom?
One of the few frustrating things about the move away from analog phone lines to an all mobile device society is the fact that I can never get a hold of my wife. Her cell phone is always off, or in the other room, or has the ringer turned down. When we had analog phones there were extensions all over the house and there was nowhere you couldn’t hear it ring. Now, with ELAN Intercom, I can initiate a whole house page from my mobile device and ask her to call me back. Nicely of course!
Learn more about ELAN Intercom at elanhomesystems.com/intercom.
