Where do I start with home automation?

The network, then the control platform. Everything else, lighting, shades, security and audio, rides on those two, so getting them right first is cheaper than fixing them later.

Should I prewire a new build in Tehaleh?

Yes. Pulling cable for shades, speakers, cameras and access points before drywall costs a fraction of retrofitting it. Even if the devices come later, the wire should go in now.

Which control platform do you recommend?

Control4 for most homes, with Josh.ai for voice and AVA, Tyba or Rithum where a project wants a different interface. Control4 interoperates with 25,000+ third-party products, which is what lets one app run everything.

Do you install security too?

Yes. Ajax wireless detectors, cameras and intercoms, and the same team designs the automation, so the alarm and the house work together.

Home Automation in Bonney Lake and Tehaleh: 2026 Guide

What does a smart home in Bonney Lake or Tehaleh include?

Bonney Lake and Tehaleh are full of new construction, open floor plans and outdoor rooms. This guide lists the systems that make up a smart home there, the brands we build with, and the order we install them in.

A smart home in Bonney Lake or Tehaleh includes a control platform, a wired network, lighting control, motorized shades, Ajax security and multi-room audio. They are installed in that order so each system has what it depends on. Rivas Technology Group designs and installs all of them from Kent.

By Ivan Rivas, Owner and Sales Engineer · 2025-11-13 · Updated 2026-09-17

A lakeside home at evening on a calm lake with a dock and warm windows

What ties a smart home together?

A control platform. Every system in the house, lighting, shades, audio, video, climate, security, reports to one controller so it can be run from one app, one keypad and one voice. We build on Control4 for most homes; it runs in over 500,000 homes and interoperates with 25,000+ third-party products (Control4). Around it we add Josh.ai for natural voice control. We add AVA touch screens and remotes, Tyba Turn2 keypads and Muse streamers, or Rithum room controls where a client wants that interface. Whether you are building in Tehaleh or upgrading in Bonney Lake, the platform is chosen before any device.

What does the network need to be?

Wired, designed from a survey, and installed before anything else. The control system is the brain; the network is the nervous system. We deploy Alta Labs Wi-Fi access points and managed PoE switches for most homes, and Ruckus for large ones. Structured wiring comes from ICE Cable and Cleerline, with IFP Connect fiber to the jack in new construction. Cameras, speakers, TVs, lighting and shades all fail the same way when the network is weak, so it goes in first (Wi-Fi and networking).

What does lighting control change?

The way every room feels, at every hour. We install low-voltage tunable white and RGBW fixtures from Colorbeam, architectural linear and cove lighting from Pure Edge, and PoE lighting from PoEWit. They are controlled through Control4, Lutron or Pure Smart Lighting. Scenes replace switches: one press for cooking, one for a movie, one for the morning, and the exterior lights follow sunset on their own.

What do motorized shades do?

Privacy, glare control and lower cooling bills, on a schedule. We install PowerShades indoor and outdoor shades in wired, wireless and True PoE versions, integrated with Control4 and Josh.ai, with sunrise and sunset automation. Tehaleh's large windows and Bonney Lake's newer builds are where shades pay off most; the detail is in motorized shades in Bonney Lake and Tehaleh.

How is security handled?

With Ajax Systems, installed by the same team that designs the automation. Ajax covers motion, door, window and leak detection, outdoor perimeter protection, sirens and alerts to your phone. It runs on an encrypted radio with a range of up to 2,000 m in open space (Hub 2 manual). A MotionCam sends its first photo within 9 seconds (Ajax MotionCam). For cameras we deploy Ajax, IC Realtime and Synology Surveillance Station recording; for the gate and the front door, Akuvox and Akubela video intercoms. The residential offer is on the home security page.

What about audio?

Whatever fits the house, from invisible speakers to a theater. We install loudspeakers from Bowers & Wilkins, Phase Technology, Amina invisible speakers, TruAudio, Klipsch, Leon, SoundTube and Next Level Acoustics. They are driven by electronics from AudioControl, NAD, Bluesound, LEA, Integra and Cambridge Audio, with AV Pro Edge for whole-home video distribution. A condo and a large Tehaleh build get the same design process at different scales.

Why do Bonney Lake and Tehaleh homes suit automation?

New construction, open plans, outdoor rooms, multiple stories and growing families. Each of those is a reason a house needs better Wi-Fi, stronger security and lighting that changes with the day. The same reasons call for motorized shades, climate that follows occupancy and audio that reaches the deck. Automation solves those as a set. On a new build, prewiring before drywall is the single cheapest decision you will make.

How does the process work?

Design, build, deliver. We learn how you live and design the system around it. Our own team installs the wiring, network and hardware. Then we program the scenes with you and hand over one app. What drives the cost is the number of systems and rooms, whether the house is open or finished, and the hardware tier. The instant quote gives a range in minutes.

Need it installed?

Rivas Technology Group is a Control4 Authorized Dealer, listed on Control4's integrator map, an Ajax Systems dealer, and a Josh.ai dealer since 2023. We are based in Kent and work across south King County and Pierce County. See the smart home automation page, the Bonney Lake page and the Tehaleh page, or book a walk-through below.