Located outside the village of Montezuma in Costa Rica, Mickey Novak’s secluded 12,000sq-ft residence sits on the edge of an elevated cliff. With six bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and a separately housed gym and office, Mickey found himself needing a simple and centralised way to control all of his home’s technology. And, while traveling around the world for business, he wanted to be able to check in on his home security footage from anywhere, at any time.
The property already had a home automation system, however this had been badly damaged in a thunderstorm and rendered unusable. To repair the system and get back the functionality he required, he called upon Rolando Cordero of Costa Rican-based technology firm AudioCinema for his expertise.
“Instead of conducting a costly repair on the older system, I suggested that he replace the damaged system with a brand new ELAN entertainment and control system,” Rolando says. “That way, I could guarantee that he’d be able to control all of the technology on the property. After he agreed, we were able to completely revamp his stunning, 10-year-old home with top-of-the-line technology.”
With an all-new ELAN gSC2 System Controller and an ELAN S1616A Multi-Room Audio Controller, Mickey can now control the lighting, security and audio/video systems in the living room, dining room, master bedroom, terrace, pool bar and jacuzzi, plus the remote gym and office (which are located in different buildings), from anywhere in the world.
“I can access the system from the devices that I already own, which was a huge selling point for me,” Mickey notes. “When I’m back in the United States for business, I can very easily check in on the security camera feeds. And, when I’m in Costa Rica, I can adjust the lights and music. The new system is extremely convenient for my mobile lifestyle.”
Given the home’s remote location, Rolando had to first upgrade the Internet from a two Megabit ADSL service to a 10 Megabit Microwave service to ensure that the entire system would run smoothly. Apple’s Airport platform was selected because it could be implemented easily using the existing network wiring. “The Internet was often down because of the location of the home,” Rolando comments. “First and foremost, I had to make sure that the connection would remain steadfast for years to come. The new system I installed is now distributed using four Airport Extremes and six Airport Expresses; it’s ultra-reliable.”
Rolando used a Cat5e cable to connect the ELAN system within the main house to the separate office and gym buildings on the property. “The office and gym were tricky to integrate because of how far they are from the main house,” Rolando says. “But my team was able to utilise a Cat5e cable to extend the control to include the entire property.”
Rolando also had to work with an existing lighting system and integrate it in with the new control platform. “We also had to find a way to integrate the home’s existing Vantage Q-Series Light Control System to the new ELAN system,” Rolando explains. “We relied on a Xantech XLIP-232 Connecting Block to make sure that we were able to do so.”
Since security is a huge priority for Mickey, Rolando removed the home’s existing system, which was outdated, and replaced it with eight IP Linear cameras that integrated with the new ELAN system. “Checking into the security system remotely is one of my favourite features of this upgrade,” Mickey adds. “The new system works extremely well, no matter where I am. It’s a huge relief to know that I can pull up my security feeds with the touch of a button.”
Entertaining was also a huge consideration during the home’s new AV upgrade. Since Mickey often hosts guests, he wanted them to be able to control the music they were listening to, wherever they were in the house, from one of his tablets. To do so, Rolando installed an ELAN S1616A to serve as the multi-room audio controller. “There are nine zones of audio total and the outdoor jacuzzi and wet bar are divided into two separate zones,” Rolando says. “Regardless of where his guests are in the outdoor entertainment space, they can select the music of their choice and it will only play in that designated area.”
Overall, Mickey appreciates the simple and reliable functionality of his new ELAN smart home system. “I don’t have to worry about whether or not the system is going to work,” he says. “It’s a huge relief!”