Smart home installation
for the South Sound

What goes in first: security or the network?

Security is the first system we design, and the network is the first thing we install, because every camera, keypad, speaker, shade and detector photo rides on it. Our residential platform is Ajax Systems: wireless intrusion detectors, MotionCam detectors that deliver the first photo of an alarm within 9 seconds, cameras with person and vehicle detection, water and smoke detectors, and Akuvox door intercoms.

The Hub 2 Plus keeps reporting over Ethernet, Wi-Fi and two cellular SIMs, and professional monitoring runs through Becklar, a UL-listed central station. You arm and disarm from the same keypads and app that run the lights. Start with residential security, read why we build on Ajax, or see the security hub for the business side.

Under it, the network. A weak network turns into service calls, so we size Wi-Fi by device count, not square footage, run Cat6 or Cat6A to fixed equipment, put PoE switches in a ventilated rack and label every cable. Camera streams and MotionCam photos cross the same network as your video calls, so we load-test it before the security hardware goes on. For the router we install the Island Router, a wired, subscription-free router, with Ruckus or Alta Labs access points on top. Read Wi-Fi and networking and the Island Router page.

What does Control4 add?

One control layer for every other system in the house. A Control4 controller sits on your network and runs lights, shades, audio, TVs, climate, locks and the alarm from one app, one remote and engraved wall keypads. Control4 runs in over 500,000 homes and works with 25,000+ third-party products, so the thermostat, garage door and streaming boxes you already own usually come along.

We are a Control4 Authorized Dealer, listed on Control4's integrator map. Scenes are the point: "Goodnight" locks the doors, arms Ajax, drops the shades and turns off the light you forgot in the garage. Add Josh.ai for voice control. Cost, the Ajax integration and the Crestron and Savant comparison are on the Control4 page.

How do lighting and shades work together?

They share one schedule and one keypad. Lighting control replaces banks of switches with keypads, dims every circuit and shifts color temperature through the day. Shades follow the same schedule: closed on west glass at 4 p.m. in July, open at sunrise in January. Most retrofits need no new wiring: wireless dimmers and rechargeable shade motors that run for months between charges make this practical in a finished home. New construction lets us place keypads and shade power where the plan needs them. See smart lighting and motorized shades.

What about audio, theater and the backyard?

Zones of music you can group, a theater that starts with one button, and outdoor sound that stays inside your fence line. Whole-home audio splits the house into zones, kitchen, deck, primary bath, that play together or apart from a phone, a keypad or a voice command. Dedicated theaters and media rooms get calibrated speakers, a projector or large display, and acoustic treatment. Outside, landscape speakers, an outdoor TV and permanent exterior lighting are specified for wet winters. We are a Cambridge Audio authorized retailer and a CEDIA member 2022 to 2026. Pages: home theater and audio and outdoor living.

What drives the cost?

Four things: how many rooms, how many systems, whether the walls are open, and how much equipment you already own. A single-discipline job, a security system, a lighting package for the main floor, a Wi-Fi rebuild, is scoped in a walk-through and quoted as a fixed price before work begins. A whole-home system with security, lighting, shades, audio and networking is quoted room by room so you can phase it over a year or two.

Wireless platforms keep retrofit labor down; open walls in new construction let us pull cable once instead of twice. Our published ranges and what each includes are on smart home installation cost, and the instant quote gives you a starting number in a few minutes, no visit required; the walk-through turns it into a fixed proposal.

How does the process work?

Walk-through, written design, install, then support from the same people. The walk-through is free within 20 miles of Kent: we look at the property with you, ask how you live in it, and send a fixed proposal you can read at the kitchen table.

On install day our own team pulls the cable, builds the rack, mounts and programs every device, then walks each room with you until the scenes feel right. After that you have a 90-day workmanship warranty, support at published rates, and the optional CURATOR remote care plan, which watches the network and fixes most issues before you call.

Where do we install smart homes?

South King County and Pierce County, from our office at 415 Railroad Ave S in Kent. Each city has its own page: Kent, Renton, Tukwila, Federal Way, Auburn, Covington and Maple Valley, Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake, Tehaleh, University Place and Gig Harbor. Olympic Peninsula by appointment. The service area page has the full list of city pages. Across the lake, Bellevue and Mercer Island have their own pages with the travel terms stated.

Why Rivas Technology Group?

Because every claim below can be checked on a page we do not control. WA electrical contractor license RIVASGL799DR, active, bonded and insured (L&I lookup). Control4 Authorized Dealer, listed on Control4's integrator map. Ajax Systems dealer, listed on ajax.systems for wireless intrusion protection, outdoor solutions and video surveillance. CEDIA member 2022 to 2026. Josh.ai dealer since 2023. Akuvox certified intercom installer (ACIA and ACII). BBB accredited, A+. 5.0 from 49 Google reviews. Founded in Kent in 2020. Ivan Rivas designs it and Nick Rhodes installs and programs it; both are on about us.