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HAI (Home Automation, Inc.) was formed in 1985 to provide automation product
to the newly emerging automation and controls market. HAI's founders,
Tom Pickral, Brian Yokum, and Jay McLellan worked together in the commercial automation
industry and sought to apply this expertise to the home automation market.
The company's first Product, the Model 1503, was introduced in 1988 as the first system
on the market to offer complete burglary and fire protection, telephone access,
lighting and appliance control plus programmable automation in a single affordable product.
As sales increased, HAI's product line and customer list grew steadily.
The company reached profitability in 1993 and ever since has reinvested its
earnings in the product line.
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2008 |
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In January HAI expanded its HAI Lighting Control (HLC) product line with the introduction of
the UPB™ Lamp Module and a Table Top Scene Switch Cradle.
In February HAI announced that it was shipping enhanced controller boards for the Lumina, Lumina Pro,
Omni IIe, and OmniPro II home control systems. The new boards now include five serial ports and
flash memory for easy firmware updates. It also released firmware version 2.16 for its controllers and
released PC Access Version 2.16.
HAI started a corporate blog and created a facebook page.
 In March 2008 HAI started shipping the UPB™ Appliance Module, a new line of Surveillance
Products, Pronto-Link, HLC Load Control Module, and the RC-2000 Omnistat2 thermostat. Also, in March HAI released its
new OmniLink II protocol, which allows for developers to use TCP/IP to communicate with
an HAI controller.
At EHX Expo HAI and Russound announced that they have signed an agreement that will
allow the two companies to collaborate in a new program that will bring
an enhanced level of features, usability, and value to their installers and end-users.
Christened "EnCompass," the program will ultimately provide a new, comprehensive selection of integration solutions for custom installers who demand "Best of Breed" performance from all aspects of their systems.
Snap-Link Mobile was released to allow control of your home over any device running Windows® Mobile Version 5.0+.
HAI released improved versions of its wireless receiver and OmniTouch Touchscreen Hub. A Spanish version of the
OmniTouch 5.7 Touchscreen was also released.
In May HAI released the Omnistat2 RC-1000 thermostat, 4 Button Wireless Keypad, Hardwired Load Control
Module, and an improved version of the Touchscreen Hub.
Awards
OmniTouch 5.7 won a
Constructech Top Product of 2008 in the New Products category.
OmniTouch 5.7
and
Omnistat2 won 2008 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards.
At EHX Expo
Snap-Link was recognized as a Mark of Excellence Finalist in the Supplier - Best Human Interface Product category.
Lumina Pro with DSC integration was awarded as a Mark of Excellence Awards Winner in the Supplier - Best Security Product category.
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2007 |
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In January HAI released firmware version 2.14 for its controllers. The new firmware
added support for Hi-Fi by HAI and ViziaRF Z-Wave™.
In February a new release of
Snap-Link began offering an OmniTouch Touchscreen skin, which allows
this software to be loaded on an Ultra Mobile PC to have it act as a wireless Touchscreen.
In May HAI President & CEO, Jay McLellan, attended the successful CEA-sponsored Hometech Middle East Expo. Mr. McLellan was part of an invited delegation sponsored by CEA. Mr. McLellan was interviewed at the show by various local and international media, and visited a few sites in Dubai where HAI is currently being installed.
In June HAI released firmware version 2.15 for its controllers. The new firmware
added support for the CentraLite StarLite lighting system. It also added support for
audio systems from NuVo, Proficient Audio Systems, SpeakerCraft, and Xantech.
This firmware release also included a number of enhancements to the automation capabilities of all
of the Omni family and Lumina family controllers.
In August HAI released the OmniTouch 5.7 Touchscreen to replace its OmniTouch Touchscreen. Additionally,
HAI and DSC announced an integration of HAI's Lumina family of home control systems with DSC's PowerSeries
alarm panels.
Updates of
Home Control for Windows® Media Center and
Web-Link II were released that offered
more features and Windows® Vista compatibility.
In September HAI announced that its Scene Switches now incorporate an infrared sensor and that it was now
shipping a remote control for these switches. It was also announced that the HAI Wireless Receiver now was
shipping with Receiver Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), which allows installers to ensure
optimum placement and performance during installation.
In November HAI announced that all of its HAI Lighting Control (HLC) products were now shipping
with Generation II UPB™, which added features and enhanced its superior reliability. There were no
pricing changes to HLC products as a result of these enhancements.
Snap-Link Version 1.1.10 was released.
HAI closed its Mandeville office and moved its Engineering staff back into its New Orleans facility.
Awards
HAI’s Hi-Fi by HAI,
Lumina Pro, and
HAI Lighting Control with Remote
were named as Finalists in Electrical Contracting Products' 2007 Innovation Awards.
Snap-Link won a 2007 EXC!TE Award.
Hi-Fi by HAI
won the 2007 EHX Multi-Room Award.
Snap-Link won the 2007 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award.
Snap-Link won the 2007 Innovative Housing & Technology Award for Automation & Lighting Control.
Snap-Link was named by Electronic House as a Product of the Year for 2007.
Snap-Link won the 2007 Building Products Most Valuable Product Award.
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2006 |
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In January HAI released the
Omni IIe home control system to replace its Omni II product.
This mid-range home control system now offers an Ethernet port for connectivity. Also, at the
end of January 2006 HAI released an upgraded Version of its award-winning Web-Link II software,
used to access and control home functions remotely, including via the Internet.
In March HAI started shipping
1000W, 1500W,
and 2400W switches as part of an expansion
of its HAI Lighting Control (HLC) product line.
 In March 2006, HAI started shipping the
Lumina family of home control systems, which
consists of the
Lumina and
Lumina Pro home control systems.
Lumina is a sophisticated lighting control system that is affordable and easy to install
into new or existing homes. Numerous options and accessories from HAI allow Lumina-family
home control systems to grow into complete home automation systems.
In April HAI moved its Production and Repair offices back into its 4330
Michoud Blvd. building after a complete renovation.
The Executive offices moved back into the production plant in June 2006.
| In July 2006, HAI introduced Snap-Link. Snap-Link is sold on an USB key that plugs into any computer to monitor and control lights, security, temperatures, and webcams over the Internet. |
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Also in July HAI introduced the 15A Relay Switch, the first UPB™ Relay Switch on the market.
In July and August HAI expanded its wireless product offerings with the Recessed Door; Mini Door/Window Wireless Transmitters; and Wireless Glassbreak Detector.
Also, in August HAI introduced Lumina PC Access Software.
In October HAI announced the release of the Spanish Version of the OmniPro II, as well as announced CP-01 compliance for all Omni Family controllers.
In December HAI introduced and started shipping its
Hi-Fi by HAI products. Hi-Fi by HAI is an affordable high fidelity Central Controller Distributed Audio System that powers speakers through digital amplification. |
Awards
HAI's
OmniTouch With Video won the 2006 CEA Mark of Excellence Award in the
Best Human Interface category.
HAI's President, Jay McLellan, won the
Frost & Sullivan Award for 2006 Building Technologies CEO of the Year.
HAI received the Constructech Residential HOT Company award for 2006.
Hi-Fi by HAI was named by Electronic House as a Product of the Year for 2006.
Lumina and Snap-Link were announced to be Electrical Contracting Products' 2006 Innovation Awards Finalists.
HAI was awarded the Silver Award for Innovator of the Year by New Orleans CityBusiness.
HAI received the Growth Company of the Year award, presented by the Louisiana Technology Council and the Greater New Orleans Inc. Regional Economic Alliance.
Snap-Link was awarded a CHIP (CePro High Impact Product) by the readers of CePro magazine.
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2005 |
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In January 2005 HAI purchased a 51,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility
on 8 acres of land in eastern New Orleans. This expansion provides additional
resources for engineering, on-site training, testing and product development
facilities, marketing and technical support, as well as additional warehouse space.
HAI's new facility was damaged during Hurricane Katrina; however, HAI recovered
from this event by relocating into multiple temporary offices and quickly restoring product
manufacturing and shipping. Our renovated facility reopened in April 2006.
Products released in 2005 include
HLC (HAI Lighting Control),
OmniPro II support for Nuvo and Russound Multi-Room Audio,
HAI Wireless, an
Access Control Keypad, and the
OmniTouch for Video Touchscreen.
In December 2005 Jay McLellan, HAI President,
was elected Chair of the TechHome Division of the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA).
He will be on the Executive Board of the CEA in 2006.
In December 2005 HAI promoted Ron Gumina to the position of Vice-President of Product Development and
David Hatty to the position of Vice-President of Manufacturing.
Awards
In January 2005 HAI's
Home Control for WMC was named an Innovations 2005 Design
and Engineering Showcase honoree by the CEA. HAI's new
HAI Lighting Control (HLC)
product line was named a Top Product for 2004 by Electrical Products & Solutions magazine
and won the Innovative Housing Technology Award from the National Association
of Home Builders Research Center and EH Publishing. In May 2005 the
OmniPro II was selected as 2004 High Impact Product of the Year by the readers
of TecHome Builder magazine.
In October 2005 HAI won the
CABA Chairman's Pinnacle Award for Outstanding Company.
HAI Lighting Control (HLC) was named to TechLiving's
2005 Hot List of products that will simplify your life in its November/December 2005 issue.
HAI Lighting Control (HLC) was named as one of the
Top Products of 2005 by Electronic House magazine.
Finally, HAI was named Innovator of the Year by the editors of CE Pro in its December 2005 issue.
HAI was recognized for the introduction of its Russound/Nuvo interface, Home Control for Windows Media Center, and HAI Lighting
Control (HLC) products.
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2004 |
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During 2004 HAI introduced several new products, including new “cool blue” backlit
consoles and
Omnistat Thermostats, support for UPB (Universal Powerline Bus) lighting control
in all Omni-family controllers, and the introduction of
HAI Home Control for
Windows Media Centers (WMC). This
software for Windows
Media Centers allows control of all HAI Omni-family controller features from the
comfort of an easy chair using a single media center remote.
HAI doubled
its US Distribution in 2004 by adding ADI, the largest low-voltage security
distributor in North America.
Awards
Jay McLellan, HAI's President, was recognized by the editors of CE Pro magazine as one of the 10
Most Influential Industry Leaders of the past 10 years.
In 2004, HAI's
OmniTouch won the ADEX award for Design Excellence from
Design Journal magazine and the Innovative Housing Technology Award from the
National Association of Home Builders Research Center and EH Publishing.
Additionally, HAI's
OmniPro II was named as a 2004 Most Valuable Product by
Building Products magazine.
Home Control for WMC
was chosen by Electronic House magazine
as one of its Products of the Year, was named one of the Top Products of 2004
by Electrical Products & Solutions magazine, and a must-have for TechLiving
magazine's 2004 HOT LIST.
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2003 |
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Introduced in 2003, the
OmniTouch is an economical, color touchscreen
interface for the award-wining Omni-family of home control systems. It won the CES Innovations
2003 Award, was named one of the Top Products of the Year by Home Automation magazine,
won SIA's Product Achievement Award for Home Automation, and was named
one of CE Pro Magazine's High Impact Products of the Year.
HAI was named one of Technology's Hottest Companies by Constructech magazine, and
OmniPro II was selected by
Electronic House magazine
as one of its Products of the Year.
CompUSA, one of the nation's largest retailers and resellers of technology,
signed an agreement to include HAI products as part of its Digital Living initiative,
and HAI products were chosen by Cisco Learning Institute's Home Technology Integrator
(HTI) Training Program to teach students the applications of various technologies
that comprise a home network. The HTI program is a 40-60 hour semester course offered
at community colleges and private technology schools throughout the US to prepare
students for CompTIA's HTI+ certification.
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2002 |
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In 2002 HAI introduced the
OmniPro II, a sixth generation controller, to replace the OmniPro
home control system.
Video Recording
capabilities were added to
Web-Link II,
and the Omni-family of accessories was expanded by the introduction of
various new sensors and structured wiring enclosure mounting plates
and controllers.
The
OmniPro II features enhanced capabilities
and power, including an Ethernet port. It was named as one of the Top Products
of 2002 by Electronic House magazine, won the 2002 CES Innovations Award,
garnered the Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice Award, and was named by
CE Pro magazine as one of its High-Impact Products of the Year.
Web-Link II was named one of
the Top 25 Products of the year by Electrical Contracting & Engineering News
and was selected as one of the Top 50 Products of the Year by Home Automation
magazine.
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2001 |
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In early 2001 HAI introduced
Web-Link II. This software adds video capabilities via Microsoft's streaming
Windows Media technology (the first product of its kind to employ
this technology), offers wireless access and control via hand held PDAs
and Internet cell phones, and can e-mail homeowners based on programmed events.
In late 2001 HAI introduced the
Omni II home control system to replace its
Omni home control system. Also, in 2001 HAI doubled the size of its
warehouse facilities and expanded its sales force.
Web-Link II received honors from SIA
with the Home Automation Product Achievement and Security Industry's Finest awards,
the ADEX Gold Award in the Software & Technology category, and was chosen as one
of the top products of the year by Electronic House magazine.
The
Omni LT and the line of
Omnistat Thermostats were also both named as HANA 2001 Mark of
Excellence finalists. Additionally, the
Omni LT was named one of the Top 100
Products of 2001 by Building Products magazine and was chosen as one
of the top products of the year by Home Automation magazine.
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2000 |
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In 2000 HAI introduced the
Omni LT home control system for smaller homes, townhouses,
apartments and European markets.
The line of
Omnistat Thermostats was one of only six products selected to
receive a PATHCorp grant by HUD and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
as part of a national government study for the advancement of housing technology.
Omni LT was selected as on of the
Security Industry Association's (SIA) Finest at the New Product Showcase at the
ISC Expo/New York 2000. At this same show it was honored with the Judge's Choice
Award, which was the SIA's highest honor for new residential products.
Web-Link received the Consumer Electronic Show's Innovations 2000 Award for
Design and Engineering. Also,
Web-Link received the Home Automation Associations's 2000 Mark of Excellence Award. |
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1994-1999 |
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During this period HAI introduced the
Omni home control system (1995),
Omnistat line of Communicating Thermostats (1996),
OmniPro home control system
(1997), and
Web-Link (2000). HAI created open protocol connectivity products
Omni-Link and Pro-Link, allowing comprehensive connectivity with strategic products.
Also, a Windows version of
PC Access was released.
The
Omni home control system brought twice the performance at half the cost; accordingly,
it was an instant success for HAI and its customers.
The line of
Omnistat Thermostats was the first EPA EnergyStar programmable communicating thermostat
product line.
The
OmniPro home control system provided homeowners with expanded features
for large homes.
Web-Link allowed Internet control of home systems.
PC Access is HAI's programming software for remote maintenance
by installers and PC-based programming for users.
HAI and its President, Jay McLellan received the 1999 Home Automation Leadership
Award, the highest industry honor for exceptional contribution and leadership.
HAI received the HANA Mark of Excellence award in 1998 for Dealer Support. Also,
in 1997 the
Omnistat RC-80 Thermostat was recognized with a top ranking for performance and
value by Home Theater magazine.
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