The South Sound's security-first integrator
Smart home installation
in Gig Harbor
Ajax security, Control4 automation, wired Wi-Fi that reaches the dock, motorized shades against western glare, and audio engineered for open great rooms. For Gig Harbor homes from the downtown waterfront to Canterwood, Fox Island and the Key Peninsula. Designed and installed by our own team from Kent.
Rivas Technology Group installs smart homes in Gig Harbor, WA. That starts with Ajax security built for houses that sit empty for weeks. Then Control4 automation, wired Wi-Fi across the house, garage and dock, motorized shades and audio for open-plan rooms. Based in Kent, about 40 minutes away by I-5 and SR-16.
- Drive time
- About 45 minutes from 415 Railroad Ave S, Kent via I-5 and SR-16
- Property
- Waterfront, detached garages, docks, outbuildings; Canterwood, Harbor Hill, Artondale, Fox Island, Key Peninsula
- License
- WA electrical contractor RIVASGL799DR, bonded and insured
- Dealers
- Control4 Authorized Dealer; Ajax Systems dealer
What goes in first in a Gig Harbor home?
Security built for a house that sits empty for weeks at a time. That starts with an Ajax hub, door and window sensors and MotionCam detectors, which capture a photo of the trigger and deliver it within 9 seconds1. Then outdoor detectors on the shop and the dock, flood sensors under the water heater, and cameras that flag people and vehicles and ignore the deer.
Ajax rates the Jeweller radio at up to 2,000 m in open space in the Hub 2 manual2. That is how a boathouse sensor reaches the same hub with nothing trenched. While you are away Control4 runs the lights and shades on a presence schedule. Monitoring is by Becklar, a UL-listed central station, month to month. The house, shop and dock design is laid out on the Gig Harbor security page.
Where in Gig Harbor do we install?
From the downtown waterfront and Old Town through Uptown, Canterwood, Harbor Hill and Artondale, out to Fox Island, Purdy and the Key Peninsula. All of it is about 45 minutes from 415 Railroad Ave S in Kent by I-5 and SR-16. No two of these properties are laid out alike, so every design starts from the lot.
The waterfront and Fox Island bring the multi-structure jobs: main house, detached garage or shop, a dock, and a driveway through the trees to the road. Those get a site walk before any Wi-Fi or security plan is drawn. Canterwood and Harbor Hill are larger, newer homes, often pre-wired already, whose owners have done the reading and want a theater and a documented rack. Artondale and the Key Peninsula are rural lots where covering the whole property matters more than any one room.
What does Control4 add to a Gig Harbor home?
One app, one remote and engraved keypads across every structure on the property: lights, shades, audio, TV, climate, locks and the alarm. Our first AVA Cinema Remote to Control4 bridge was built for a Gig Harbor theater, so the theater remote can fire house scenes. It is now part of every theater we install. Over 500,000 homes run Control4, which works with 25,000+ third-party products3. Rivas Technology Group is a Control4 Authorized Dealer, listed on Control4's integrator map. Josh.ai voice control is processed in the house. Cost drivers are listed on the Control4 page.
Why does the network come first?
Because a waterfront lot with a detached garage and a dock is beyond any mesh kit, and every camera, keypad, speaker and shade on the property depends on the network. So we walk the site, then run Cat6A to a wired access point on each level and in each structure, or tie the outbuildings in with a point-to-point link. Ruckus or Alta Labs access points go on top of the Island Router, which is wired and subscription-free4. Before we leave, coverage is tested standing on the dock. More on Wi-Fi and networking, and on estate technology for properties with several buildings.
Shades, theater and audio
Western exposure is the Gig Harbor problem: the view is why you bought the house, and the glare and heat gain come along with it. Shades on a sun schedule handle that with the lights and never close the view when it matters. High ceilings and open plans echo and lose bass, so in-ceiling speakers are placed for the room geometry and calibrated zone by zone. A theater starts with one button. Pages: motorized shades, home theater and audio, smart lighting and outdoor living.
What drives the cost?
Buildings first, then rooms, cable distance and what you already own. Each extra structure adds detectors, an access point and either a cable run or a wireless bridge; a theater adds a calibrated room. A single system is a fixed price once we have walked the property, and whole-home Control4 is quoted room by room so it can be phased. Package prices are not published here; the smart home installation cost page lays out what moves the number, and the instant quote gives you a starting one.
Where we work
Gig Harbor sits across the Narrows from Tacoma and University Place; the rest of our Pierce County coverage is Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake and Tehaleh. South King County, where the office is: Kent, Federal Way, Auburn, Tukwila, Renton and Covington and Maple Valley. Olympic Peninsula projects are by appointment, and the residential hub describes everything we do in homes.
Why Rivas Technology Group
Rivas Technology Group is a Control4 Authorized Dealer, listed on Control4's integrator map, and an Ajax Systems dealer, listed on ajax.systems for wireless intrusion protection, outdoor solutions and video surveillance. Our license, WA electrical contractor RIVASGL799DR, is active, bonded and insured5, and the crew that wired the dock is the crew that answers later, with the optional CURATOR plan. CEDIA, the BBB A+ rating and the team are on the about page, and the walk-through booking is below or through contact us.
Questions we hear
Can one system cover the house, the shop and the dock?
Usually, yes. The Ajax Hub 2 manual rates the Jeweller radio at up to 2,000 m in open space, and a range extender handles trees. Wi-Fi reaches the outbuildings on Cat6A or a point-to-point bridge, with a wired access point in each structure.
How do you manage the western glare?
Motorized shades on a sun schedule that follows the afternoon across the glass, integrated with lighting scenes so screens stay readable and the view stays. Rechargeable motors in retrofits, wired power in new builds.
Why does a soundbar sound wrong in a Gig Harbor great room?
High ceilings and open plans echo and lose bass. We place in-ceiling and architectural speakers for the room geometry and calibrate each zone, which is how open rooms get clear dialogue without visible boxes.
What happens when the house is empty for a month?
The Ajax hub reports every detector's health and battery, cameras alert on people and vehicles, and flood sensors catch a burst pipe. Control4 runs lights and shades on a presence schedule so the house looks lived in.
How far is Gig Harbor from your office?
About 45 minutes from 415 Railroad Ave S in Kent by I-5 and SR-16 across the Narrows. We group Gig Harbor site visits and service calls, so a Tuesday request is usually seen that week.
How much does smart home installation cost in Gig Harbor?
It depends on rooms, buildings, systems and what you already own. Gig Harbor projects lean toward whole-home scope with theater, shading and outbuildings, quoted room by room so you can phase them. The instant quote gives a starting number.
Start with a walk-through in Gig Harbor.
Tell us about the property, including the outbuildings and the dock. We come out from Kent, walk it with you, and send a fixed proposal. We call or text back within one business day.