What is the single most effective step?

Locking the doors. Most intruders use a door or window that was never locked rather than force. Smart locks that lock themselves after a set time remove the chance to forget.

Do cameras deter burglars?

Visible cameras deter some and record the rest. The value is in footage you can reach from your phone and alerts that tell you a person, not a cat, is in the yard.

Making an empty house look lived in. Lights and shades move on a varied schedule while you travel, so the house does not sit dark and shut for two weeks.

Do I need professional monitoring?

If you want someone to dispatch when you cannot be reached, yes. Self-monitoring through the app costs nothing and still sends you the alerts and photos.

9 Steps to a Safer South Sound Home | Rivas Technology Group

Nine steps that make a Kent or Tacoma home harder to break into

Most burglaries in Kent, Tacoma and the South Sound are opportunity: a door left open, a dark side yard, a house that looks empty. These nine steps close those openings, from free habits to a monitored alarm.

Lock the doors, light the yard, put cameras where they see faces, make an empty house look lived in and answer the door from your phone. Most burglaries in Kent and Tacoma are opportunity, and these nine steps remove it. Rivas Technology Group adds an Ajax alarm when you want someone to act.

By Ivan Rivas, Owner and Sales Engineer · 2023-06-28 · Updated 2026-09-17

A front porch at dusk with a video doorbell and a small camera under the eave and a warm porch light

1. Put cameras where they can see faces

A camera that records a face and a license plate is worth more than one that records a shape. Modern cameras store footage you can reach from a phone or tablet anywhere, and send an alert when they see a person rather than every time a branch moves. Ajax cameras classify people and vehicles on the camera itself, so the alerts are worth reading. Cover the front door, the driveway and the side yard first; on a Tacoma corner lot, the alley side too. Camera options for the South Sound are on the Tacoma home security page.

2. Make the lights work for you

Well-lit areas are where intruders do not go. Set the lighting so that when the garage door opens after dark, the path to the door comes on. When motion is detected in the side yard, the floodlight comes on. A lighting system that responds to events is a deterrent that costs nothing to run once it is programmed. In a Kent or Puyallup cul-de-sac it is the difference between a dark side yard and a lit one. See smart lighting.

3. Lock the house when the movie starts

A good theater takes all of your attention, and the front door is the last thing on anyone's mind. Automation can lock the front and back doors when the Movie scene starts and arm the perimeter, so the two hours you are absorbed are covered. The same scene can dim the lights and lower the shades, which is why people use it.

4. Give an empty house a lived-in look

Mockupancy is the term: a house that looks occupied while you are away. A dark house with closed blinds for two weeks tells the street you are gone. Program lights to turn on and off on a varied schedule, and set the motorized shades to open in the morning and close at night. The house then looks like someone is home through a two-week trip from SeaTac.

5. Know who is at the door before you open it

A video doorbell or intercom shows the visitor on your phone or a screen, which matters most in a house with children. An automation system can take it further. It can pause the movie, put the door camera on the nearest screen, and bring the porch light from 20 percent to 75 percent after dark. A door that is answered from a phone is a door that does not have to be opened.

6. Clear the hiding places and light the yard

An overgrown yard gives an intruder cover. Trim shrubs and hedges below window height, keep trees clear of the roofline, and light the dark corners of the lot. Outdoor lighting on a sunset schedule, with motion-triggered floods on the sides, removes the places someone would wait.

7. Let the locks lock themselves

Most break-ins are not break-ins: they are a door nobody locked. A smart lock that relocks after a set number of minutes removes the mistake. A personal code for each family member, cleaner or dog walker tells you who came in and when. The code is revoked from the app instead of by a locksmith.

8. Tell the neighbors

A neighbor who knows you are away will notice the van in your driveway. Tell them the dates and ask them to pull your trash can out and back on collection day, since a can that never appears is a signal. Offer the same in return. It costs nothing and it works.

9. Do not advertise the new TV

The box on the curb tells everyone what is on your wall. Cut it up and put it in the recycling bin, keep it for storage, or take it to the transfer station. The same goes for the box from the new laptop or the game console.

What does an alarm add to the nine?

Someone who acts when you cannot. The steps above make the house harder to enter; an Ajax system tells you when someone tries. A MotionCam detector sends its first photo within 9 seconds of tripping (Ajax MotionCam). The hub reports over Ethernet, Wi-Fi and two cellular SIM channels (Hub 2 Plus). With professional monitoring a UL-listed central station verifies the photo and dispatches. Self-monitoring through the app has no fee.

What drives the cost is the number of openings and rooms covered, how many detectors take photos, and whether cameras are included; the instant quote gives a range in minutes.

Need it installed?

Rivas Technology Group is an Ajax Systems dealer, listed on ajax.systems for wireless intrusion protection, outdoor solutions and video surveillance, installing from Kent across south King County and Pierce County. Take a vacation without worrying about the house. Start on the home security page, see the Kent and Tacoma pages, check the Ajax alarm system cost, or book a walk-through below.