Island Router Review: Is It Worth It for Smart Homes in Tacoma?



If you’re building or upgrading a smart home in Tacoma or the surrounding cities we serve (Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake, Puyallup, University Place, Tehaleh), your network isn’t just “Wi-Fi.”

It’s the foundation that keeps everything working:

• Control4 or AVA control
• lighting control
• security and surveillance
• whole-home audio
• home theater streaming
• outdoor tech
• work-from-home and gaming
• dozens (sometimes hundreds) of connected devices

That brings us to the question we’re getting more often lately:

“Is the Island Router actually good for a smart home?”
And

“Do I need the Island Router Pro?”

At Rivas Technology Group, we’ve deployed Island Router systems in real-world homes, and this is our honest breakdown — no fluff, just what matters for South Sound homeowners who want reliability.

What the Island Router Is

The Island Router is designed specifically for modern connected homes where stability matters more than marketing buzz.

Instead of acting like a basic consumer router, it functions like the brain of a managed home network, meaning:

• your network stays stable even as devices grow
• traffic is prioritized correctly (video calls, cameras, streaming, control)
• troubleshooting is faster and cleaner
• remote support is built in for pros

Think of it like the difference between:

• a hardware-store drill
  vs
• a professional-grade tool that’s built to last through real work

If you have a smart home, the Island Router is built for your reality, not the average apartment.

Why Smart Homes in Tacoma Need More Than “Good Wi-Fi”

Most Tacoma-area homes we walk into have this pattern:

1. A decent ISP modem/router
2. Maybe a mesh kit
3. Devices that work “most of the time”
4. Random failures you can’t explain
5. A growing pile of apps and frustrated family members

The problem isn’t usually your internet speed.
It’s network design + stability under load.

In real smart homes, networks fail because:

• too many devices share one radio or one switch
• control systems fight with streaming and cameras for bandwidth
• cheap routers choke on constant traffic
• Wi-Fi is shoved into a bad location
• there’s no clean way to manage or monitor performance

That’s exactly what the Island Router is meant to solve.

Island Router Performance: What We See in Real Homes

Here’s what stands out once it’s installed properly in a Tacoma-area home:

Stability stays high as devices scale

A consumer router might be fine at 15–30 devices.
A smart home isn’t 15–30 devices. It’s 60–200.

Island Router handles growth without the slow decline most homeowners accept as “normal.”

Traffic prioritization just works

Smart homes are mixed traffic environments:

• cameras uploading constantly
• whole-home audio streaming
• TVs pulling 4K video
• phones and laptops roaming
• Control4/AVA running automation continuously

Island Router handles this without the “why did the movie buffer when the doorbell rang?” problem.

Remote support = faster fixes

This is a big deal.


Because we can monitor and service Island Router networks remotely, issues get solved faster — often before homeowners even notice a problem.

That’s what “professionally managed networking” looks like.

Island Router vs Island Router Pro (Which One Should You Choose?)

Let’s keep this simple.

Choose Island Router if:

• your home is under ~4,000 sq ft
• you have a standard smart home setup
• you want a stable, pro-grade router without overbuilding
• you’re running Control4 or AVA with typical subsystems
  (lighting, shades, security, audio, streaming)

Choose Island Router Pro if:

• your home is larger, multi-structure, or multi-level
• you have heavy camera loads or large surveillance systems
• you stream 4K/8K in multiple zones at the same time
• you want maximum headroom for future expansion
• you have a dedicated rack and full managed switching/Wi-Fi

In short:

Island Router is excellent for most smart homes.
Island Router Pro is for big, high-demand homes where you do not want a network ceiling later.

If you’re not sure, Rivas Technology Group will spec it based on:

• layout
• device count now and future
• how you use your home tech
• whether you’re adding outdoor systems or a theater

Pros of the Island Router (What We Like)

✅ Built for smart home reliability

Not just “fast in a speed test.”
Reliable day-to-day.

✅ Great fit with pro Wi-Fi ecosystems

We pair Island Router with Alta Labs or Ruckus Wi-Fi and properly placed access points. That combo is rock-solid.

✅ Cleaner service and troubleshooting

Remote management + pro tooling means fewer headaches for homeowners.



✅ Future-proof foundation

Smart homes grow. The Island Router expects that.

Cons / Limitations (Honest Take)

⚠️ It’s not meant to be DIY-installed

The router itself is great — but performance depends on:

• access point placement
• switching
• VLAN/traffic setup where needed
• rack/wiring organization

A pro design makes or breaks it.

⚠️ Not a magic fix if the rest of the network is sloppy



If you’ve got:

• bad wiring
• cheap unmanaged switches
• random mesh nodes
• poor equipment placement

…the router alone can’t solve all of that.

It works best inside a properly designed system.

Who the Island Router Is Perfect For

If you are any of these homeowners, Island Router is a strong yes:



• You’re installing Control4 or AVA and want the system to feel smooth
• You’re tired of Wi-Fi “mostly working”
• You’ve got multiple streams, cameras, and automation running daily
• You’re building or remodeling and want the network done correctly once
• You want local pro support instead of “call your ISP”

Our Recommended Network Stack (RTG Standard)

For Tacoma-area smart homes, our standard approach looks like:

1. Island Router / Island Router Pro
2. Alta Labs or Ruckus Wi-Fi access points (correctly placed)
3. Managed switching sized to your home’s needs
4. Fiber-to-the-jack wiring where it makes sense for reliability
5. Full integration into your Control4/AVA ecosystem



This is how you get a home that doesn’t just look smart —
it stays smart over time.

The Bottom Line: Is Island Router Worth It?

Yes — if you want a smart home that works consistently.

Island Router is one of the few routers we’ve seen that’s truly aligned with:

• smart home traffic demands
• pro management
• real long-term reliability



If you’re investing in Control4, AVA, lighting control, security, or whole-home audio, it doesn’t make sense to trust the backbone to a consumer router.

Want Us to Spec the Right Island Router for Your Home?

We’ll take a look at your layout, device count, and tech goals and recommend the right model (standard or Pro) — and more importantly, design the whole network so it performs the way it should.