THE TOTAL PACKAGE
Former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl fullback and three-time Super Bowl champion Daryl Johnston and his wife Diane knew when they purchased their 1950s-built North Dallas home that there were many renovations to be made. From expanding the facade — now the gateway to an impressive 5,500 square feet of living space — to incorporating a top-of-the-line home integration system from AMX, the Johnstons spared no expense in making their new investment the home of their dreams.
Although they had chosen their "plan of attack," the home's construction prevented incorporating the system into the Johnston home for more than a year. The fact that the home was being renovated did have its advantages, however. The gutting of the original property proved advantageous for pre-wiring.
In a structure already completed, installation would require drilling into walls and crawling into tight spaces in the attic to run wire and connect the necessary pieces of equipment. The renovations taking place in the Johnston's home allowed the integrator to "prep" the house seamlessly without working around or disturbing a finished interior.
The home integration system — specifically the choice of touch panels — set a benchmark for AMX as well. When AMX introduced its Modero® ViewPoint (MVP) touch panels, these exciting new user interfaces were immediately brought into the system design for a greater level of end user simplicity and system capabilities.
"The Modero panels are great," Johnston said.
"MAX"imum Audio
The Johnstons also needed a way to access, control and distribute their extensive music library. They chose the MAX Digital Media system to do just that, allowing them to upload and play any CD in their collection with just the push of a button on the touch panel.
With one MAX server and three Audio Video Modules (AVM) located in the great room, main A/V closet and an outdoor pool area, the user can control a total of sixteen different zones to play a selection of choice.
These distinct zones include:
• exercise room
• weight room
• two private offices
• master suite
• formal living room
• kitchen
• dining room
• sitting area
• pool area
• yard area
Each uses a keypad to select the desired audio content from the MAX server.
"We like to entertain," Mrs. Johnston explained. "With the MAX server, we can make party tracks for adult parties or a track of children-appropriate songs for the kid's parties."
Wire-Free Experience
Strategically placed throughout specific areas of the home are AMX's 802.11g Wireless Access Points (WAPs).
The WAP signals, which communicate with the MVPs, coincide with the Johnston's desire for reliability and convenience, creating uninterrupted wireless capabilities.
"Simply" the Best Choice
"Simplicity was probably the number one thing we considered when we looked at the AMX system," Mr. Johnston explained. "I think the simplicity of the system is very good. We've had a number of people visit who may be intimidated by technology yet they feel comfortable with the AMX system."
"The AMX system is cutting edge and still simple to use, so we were very attracted to that," Mrs. Johnston added.
