Rivas Technology Group
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Guides and notes

Journal.

Answers to the questions we get on walk-throughs, written by the people who do the installs.

Security

The back of a Kent Valley warehouse after rain, a closed loading dock and steel door under a wall light and camera, pallets and a box truck Kent crime fell again in 2025. Here is what still happens every week. Read A closed shop on a wet commercial street at night, with a dome camera above its steel door and a streetlight on the wet pavement Seattle stopped answering alarms two years ago. Here is what that means south of Seattle. Read A black Ajax FireProtect 2 detector on a bedroom ceiling with a green status light Monitored smoke, heat and CO detection: what Ajax FireProtect 2 adds to the alarms you already have Read An Ajax MultiTransmitter fitted into an existing wired alarm enclosure on a Tacoma job, so the old detectors report to Ajax Ajax and Control4: how the driver works and what it lets you automate Read A small white wireless motion detector high in the corner of a living room above a grey sofa, with evergreen trees outside the window Ajax Systems for homeowners: a plain-English guide Read A small white dome camera under a wooden eave, overlooking a grey bay and forested hills What does smart home security look like in a Gig Harbor home? Read A driveway gate with an intercom pedestal among tall firs on Mercer Island on an overcast day Can a gate callbox be modernized without trenching the driveway? Read Ajax door contacts fitted to a patio door frame on a Tacoma home we upgraded from a wired alarm Why are South Sound homeowners switching from traditional alarms? Read An old alarm panel enclosure full of colored wires on a workbench Wired or wireless security system: which one is better? Read A small touchscreen control panel on the wall beside an open front door, with a rainy front garden outside and shoes on the mat What can your home do when Control4 and Ajax are one system? Read A small white contact sensor on the frame of a glass patio door, with a wet deck and fir trees outside What are the benefits of an integrated home security system? Read A front porch with a video doorbell by the door, a small camera under the eave and a porch light Nine steps that make a Kent or Tacoma home harder to break into Read

Lighting and shades

An open living room and kitchen in the evening with rows of small recessed lights on and rain on the windows Whole-home PoE lighting: one Cat6 cable to every light. Read A bedroom early in the morning with lamps and recessed lights dimmed warm, grey bedding and evergreens outside Circadian lighting explained: light that follows your day Read A two-story house at dusk with a thin line of permanent lights along the eaves glowing warm white What is JellyFish permanent holiday lighting, and is it worth it in Bonney Lake? Read A Craftsman house in early evening with permanent lights along the roofline and porch, light snow on the lawn Permanent holiday lighting in Tacoma: is JellyFish worth it? Read A kitchen breakfast nook with honeycomb shades half lowered and rain on the window What do motorized shades do for a Puyallup home? Read A kitchen in the evening with warm under-cabinet lights and a soft colored light strip under the island How does Control4 lighting control with Colorbeam fixtures work? Read A living room in the evening with warm dimmed lamps, a leather armchair, a fireplace and a window onto the water What does smart lighting do in a Gig Harbor home? Read A great room with motorized shades partly lowered over tall windows and Mount Rainier in the distance What do motorized shades do for a Bonney Lake or Tehaleh home? Read White motorized roller shades half raised over two tall windows in a calm bedroom on an overcast morning, with evergreen trees outside Which Lutron shade style fits your windows? Read A den in the evening with dimmed recessed lights, wall sconces, a picture light over a painting and a reading lamp What is the right lighting design for each room? Read

Business security

A fenced equipment yard at night in the rain, with excavators and containers under a single work light Alarm or cameras for a construction site? The question is which one first. Read A muddy flagged lot under grey winter clouds with survey stakes and a temporary fence, no power on site How do you secure a site that has no power and no internet? Read A construction yard at night in the rain with a cut chain-link fence, stacked lumber, a generator and muddy tire tracks What actually gets stolen from a job site, and why you rarely get it back. Read A small LED wall pack lighting a wet driveway at night on a cedar wall, with a small camera beside it PoE security lighting: lights that respond to Ajax alarms and camera events Read

Smart home

A black Ajax LifeQuality monitor on a wall beside a row of equipment racks CO2, temperature and humidity monitoring for tight new homes and ADUs Read A living room with two small round speaker grilles in the white ceiling, a grey sofa and windows onto evergreen trees Why is the best smart home design the one you stop noticing? Read An open kitchen drawer crammed with TV remotes, chargers and tangled cables Why do smart devices need one control system? Read A small white sensor mounted beside an older electrical panel on a garage wall Can you add AI to the house you already live in? Read A long hallway with linear ceiling lights on low, a polished concrete floor and a bench with shoes Smart home or AI home: what is the difference? Read A shingled house with a package on the front step, a small camera under the eave and an SUV in the wet driveway Which AI features are already running in South Sound homes? Read A round ceiling microphone in the drop ceiling of a small conference room above a table with a laptop, a coffee mug and a notepad The claims smart home brands make about AI, checked against what ships Read A kitchen counter cluttered with smart plugs, a smart speaker, a doorbell box and a tangle of cables and adapters DIY or professional smart home installation in Gig Harbor: what do you get for the difference? Read A bright living room with beamed ceiling, cream sofas and a wall TV showing a Control4 home menu above a linear fireplace Which smart home mistakes do Tacoma homeowners regret? Read A bright kitchen on an overcast morning with a view of water through fir trees What does home automation do for a University Place home? Read A lakeside home on Lake Tapps with a dock and boat lift on an overcast afternoon What does a smart home in Bonney Lake or Tehaleh include? Read A covered backyard patio on a rainy afternoon with an outdoor TV, a sectional and a fire table What does an automated outdoor living space in Bonney Lake include? Read Handheld remote for a Control4 home theater installed by Rivas Technology Group How does the AVA Cinema Remote work with Control4? Read A historic Tacoma porch in early evening with a stained glass door, a lit lantern and a keypad deadbolt How do you retrofit a smart home into an older Tacoma house? Read An empty trade show hall with exhibit booths, wall-mounted TVs and hanging signs under steel trusses What did we bring home from CEDIA Expo 2024? Read A finished equipment rack in a closet with network gear, controllers, amplifiers and a power conditioner How do you design a smart home that fits the way you live? Read A tidy bedroom set up for aging in place, with a grab bar by the bed, a low night light and a clear path to the bathroom How does smart home automation help someone age in place? Read A plain white thermostat on a hallway wall beside a light switch How do you get the most out of a smart climate control system? Read A smartphone on a grey sofa showing a blurred grid of control tiles, with a mug and a rainy window nearby Can one app run the whole house with Josh.ai and Control4? Read An accessible kitchen with a lowered counter section, open knee space, a lever faucet and a small smart speaker on the counter How does a smart home give a disabled user more independence? Read

Network

A home office desk with a laptop, a notebook and a coffee mug by a window Island Pro Mini preview: where it fits between Island and Island Pro Read A cardboard box on a garage floor full of old routers and modems with tangled cables The FCC put foreign-made routers on its Covered List. What that means for your house. Read A locked black wall rack closed inside white built-in shelving in a Tacoma home, holding the router and switch Island Router review: is it worth it for a smart home in Tacoma? Read A black wall-mount network rack swung open with neatly looped purple cable bundles and switches, drywall still unfinished Why does your home network matter more than ever, and how do you build one to last? Read A covered deck above a lake on a rainy day, with a patio table and chairs on wet decking How do you get reliable Wi-Fi outdoors in Bonney Lake? Read A backyard with a fire pit, Adirondack chairs, string lights on a pergola and small landscape speakers among the plants Can an outdoor access point match a dark exterior without losing signal? Read An Ethernet wall plate with two cables plugged in beside a home office desk in a Craftsman house Why wire a Tacoma home with fiber to the jack? Read A white Wi-Fi access point on the hallway ceiling of a lived-in home, with framed family photos along the wall Mesh Wi-Fi or wired access points: which one fits your home or business? Read Commercial network rack and cabling installed by Rivas Technology Group When should your network run on fiber instead of copper? Read

Business

A control room with a tiled video wall showing maps and camera feeds above desks with monitors How much does a video wall cost in Tacoma and the South Sound? Read A new two-story wood-sided home with a curved driveway and young landscaping in a South Sound subdivision Why are South Sound builders specifying AI-ready systems in 2026? Read

Theater and audio

A dark home theater seen from the back row: two rows of leather recliners facing a large projection screen on the front wall How do you build a home theater in Gig Harbor that works? Read A family kitchen with two round speaker grilles flush in the ceiling, wood cabinets and a French press on the island What does whole-home audio look like in a University Place home? Read Dedicated home theater installed by Rivas Technology Group What does a well-designed home theater in University Place include? Read Home theater remote and display installed by Rivas Technology Group What does a custom home theater in Puyallup include? Read Dedicated home theater with acoustic treatment installed by Rivas Technology Group What makes a Tacoma home theater professional grade? Read A flush in-wall speaker with a plain grille in a dark green wall beside a record shelf and turntable Why do Phase Technology's flat-piston speakers outperform cones? Read Free-standing AV rack with amplifiers installed by Rivas Technology Group Outgrown Sonos? What VSSL does differently for whole-home audio. Read A family media room in the evening: a gray sectional facing a wall-mounted TV, popcorn and remotes on the ottoman Which home theater trends are worth building for? Read

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