Home Automation Control Systems

What Home Automation Control Systems does

Home Automation Control Systems (HACS) was a hardware-focused home automation company that designed microprocessor-driven control systems, audio management devices, IR relay and repeater modules, and motorized curtain automation for residential and industrial use. Founded in 1997 under the digital brand HACS.com by Raymond A. Newman through his prior entity Micro Designs, the company built user-configurable modular smart systems that were supplied as OEM designs to international brands including Xantech, ELAN Home Systems, and ATON. Manufacturing was conducted in Thailand, where over 30,000 audio control units were produced for major brands.

The company's technology foundation rests on microprocessor-driven control architectures developed in the 1980s and 1990s, with U.S. Patent #7,664,273 (granted 2010) covering an audio signal control system for home and industrial applications. The product portfolio centered on audio signal routing, room and window climate control, IR-controlled device management, and motorized curtain systems, with Newman's prior work including one of the first digital sampling keyboards at Moog Music in 1973.

The current operating posture is one of divestiture rather than active commerce. The HACS.com domain and the Home Automation Control Systems business identity are being offered for sale by the founder as a package containing the domain, brand name, and full rights to the business identity and usage history, explicitly with no physical assets or liabilities included. No current revenue, headcount, pricing structure, or active customer relationships are disclosed, indicating the underlying operating business has effectively ceased and what remains for transaction is legacy brand equity.

Name

Home Automation Control Systems

Legal name

Home Automation Control Systems

Website

https://hacs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Home Automation Control Systems (HACS) was a hardware-focused home automation company that designed microprocessor-driven audio, IR, and room control systems for OEM brands like Xantech and ELAN. The operating business has wound down and the domain and brand identity are now for sale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Home Automation Control Systems (HACS) historically designed and produced hardware and software for home and industrial automation, including patented audio signal control systems, microprocessor-driven room and window control units, infrared (IR) relay and IR repeater modules, and motorized curtain automation systems. The HACS.com domain and the underlying business identity are presently being offered for sale as a package, including full rights to the brand, reputation, and usage history with no physical assets or liabilities.

Product overview

Home Automation Control Systems (HACS) is a hardware-focused home automation company established in 1997. The company offers a portfolio of modular, user-configurable smart systems centered around audio management, IR-controlled devices, room/window climate control, and motorized curtain automation. The core product line includes audio signal control systems (with U.S. Patent #7,664,273), microprocessor-driven room and window control units, IR relay and IR repeater modules, and motorized curtain systems — all designed for integration into homes and industrial environments worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audio Signal Control System Patented audio signal control system (U.S. Patent #7,664,273) for managing and controlling audio signals in residential and industrial automation environments; designed for integration into home and industrial audio/automation product lines by international brands.
• Microprocessor-Driven Room and Window Control Systems Advanced microprocessor-based control modules for automating room and window functions, designed for residential and industrial environments and integrated into OEM product lines during the 1980s–1990s.
• IR Relay and IR Repeater Systems Pioneered infrared (IR) relay and IR repeater modules that extend the reach of remote-control IR signals throughout homes and industrial settings, designed for integration into OEM home automation product lines.
• Motorized Curtain Automation Systems Automated motorized curtain systems enabling programmatic or remote operation of window coverings, designed for residential and industrial environments and integrated into OEM home automation product lines.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Savant Systems: Savant delivers premium smart-home automation platforms with strong audio/video control and lighting/window-treatment integration sold through dealers. It is a direct competitor to HACS in whole-home control and audio signal management for high-end residential installations.
• Control4 (Snap One): Control4 provides smart-home automation systems sold through authorized dealers, covering audio, video, lighting, climate, and security control. It is a direct peer to HACS in the professionally-installed home automation category, with overlapping audio signal routing and room-control functionality.
• ELAN Home Systems: ELAN Home Systems delivers whole-home control systems including audio distribution, climate, and lighting, distributed through AV installers. It is listed as a historical customer of HACS designs and is a direct competitor in the dealer-channel home automation market.
• Universal Remote Control (URC): URC builds whole-home automation controllers, remote controls, and AV integration systems sold through professional installers. It directly parallels HACS's heritage in IR control and dealer-channel home automation, including overlapping audio and room-control product categories.
• Lutron Electronics: Lutron specializes in lighting control, motorized shades, and window treatments for residential and commercial spaces. It is a direct peer to HACS specifically in the microprocessor-driven room/window control and motorized curtain categories where HACS holds foundational technology heritage.
• Xantech: Xantech is a long-standing manufacturer of IR repeaters, IR relays, and AV control accessories — the exact product categories HACS pioneered. Xantech is listed as one of the brands for which HACS designs were produced, making it both a historical customer and a direct product-overlap peer.
• Crestron Electronics: Crestron is a leading manufacturer of integrated home automation and AV control systems for residential and commercial environments. It directly competes with HACS in whole-home control, audio distribution, and motorized window treatments, and represents the dominant incumbent in the professional installer channel where HACS historically operated.

Broad incumbents

• Sonos: Sonos is a major consumer wireless multi-room audio platform. While not a direct installer-channel competitor, it overlaps with HACS's audio signal control heritage at the consumer end of the market and represents the broader audio-routing category in which HACS holds a patent.
• Amazon (Alexa / Ring / Smart Home): Amazon's Alexa, Ring, and broader smart-home portfolio dominate consumer home automation through voice control, cameras, and ecosystem partnerships. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same end-customer that any revived HACS consumer product would target.
• Legrand (Lutron/Wattstopper): Legrand owns Lutron and other building-control brands and operates broadly across lighting, shading, and AV control in residential and commercial markets. It is a broad incumbent in the same control-systems category where HACS's microprocessor-driven room/window control heritage sits.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/home-automation-control-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Home Automation Control Systems