Video: Elan Demos ‘G’ Home Control System at ISE 2010

The “G” home automation system from Elan Home Systems was up and running in Amsterdam at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), where the product made its first public appearance.

The company is still on schedule to release the new software – which is compatible with existing products from Elan and sister company HomeLogic – in April, along with a new and improved OLED touchpad fashioned after the original Ole.

The G product line will be offered at “very aggressive price points,” says Elan’s Joe Lautner, who comes from the HomeLogic side of the business.

For example, the OLED touchpad will retail for about $600 and a 7-inch touchscreen will go for about $1,500 – about 25-percent less than its predecessor.

The touchpad trumps the earlier versions because it offers two-way communications with third-party subsystems, not just Elan’s own A/V systems and select music servers.

At ISE, Elan demonstrated control of lights, thermostats and more from the diminutive screen.



The touchscreens, including the 7- and 10-inch models, support analog video, not just digital streaming devices.

“The 10-inch is nice for watching TV,” Lautner says.

Powering the system is a new line of G hubs, which include loop-through video for on-screen displays.

American dealers who are familiar with HomeLogic will recognize the G’s user interface, as the product incorporates some of HomeLogic’s core software – including multitouch technology.

But Europeans had not been exposed to HomeLogic before, so they got their first glimpse of the former company (the HomeLogic brand will cease to exist) at ISE 2010.

In related news, Elan has begun shipping lighting control systems based on Universal Powerline Bus (UPB). The products had been employed by HomeLogic in the past.

Missing at ISE was the new handheld remote, a two-way RF controller for the G system.


Elan G hub and OLED touchpad

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