Security cameras
that know a person from a headlight.

What cameras do we install?

Ajax Systems cameras and NVRs for most homes and small businesses, and a dedicated video platform where the job outgrows them. Rivas Technology Group is an Ajax Systems dealer, listed on ajax.systems for video surveillance. Ajax BulletCam and TurretCam are wired IP cameras with AI object detection for people, pets and vehicles, True WDR and IR illumination to 164 ft1. They record at 8 MP, 5 MP, 4 MP or lower, and join the same app as the Ajax alarm.

The Ajax Superior NVR records 8, 16 or 32 channels and gives basic third-party cameras the same people, pet and vehicle recognition2. Where a site needs 64 channels, license-plate capture, point-of-sale overlay or a Control4-native recorder, we install Luma, IC Realtime, Milesight or TVT.

Luma cameras run 2 MP to 8 MP with human and vehicle detection and are NDAA-compliant3. IC Realtime recorders scale to 64 channels and 128 TB4. Milesight NVRs add license-plate management and point-of-sale integration5. TVT cameras carry line-crossing and region analytics with human and vehicle classification6. We install and support every brand on this page.

How is video recorded and kept?

It depends on the size of the system. A small Ajax-only system records its Video DoorBell and IndoorCam to Ajax Cloud. Any site with more than four cameras runs on the video platform Rivas Technology Group built and operates. That means event-based cloud recording by default, continuous as an option, and every plan plays back at 4MP.

Event-based recording captures a person at the door or a vehicle in the lot and skips the empty hours, which keeps retention costs down. Continuous recording suits a register, a kitchen line or a lobby where you may need any minute of the day.

An on-site Ajax NVR is available where local recording is required. It holds two hot-swappable drives of up to 24 TB each, with 4K HDMI output and AI detection on every channel2. Ajax cameras also take a microSD card up to 256 GB as a fallback7. Each camera's recording mode is set per storage: on detection or scenario, continuous, or never, and when armed or always8. You decide who sees footage. The owner, a manager and any named staff each get their own login, and each login can be revoked.

What does AI detection change?

It replaces motion alerts with alerts about people and vehicles. Ajax cameras classify people, pets and vehicles on the camera and support line-crossing rules9. A branch in the wind or headlights on wet pavement do not page you. The Superior NVR applies the same analysis to up to 12 third-party channels, so an older ONVIF camera you keep gets smarter2.

At Clyde's Southern Wood Fired BBQ in Tacoma, the old cameras could not say who was there. Ajax AI bullet cameras placed on the real risk areas alerted on people and vehicles, and the losses stopped. Search works the same way: filter a week of footage to people at the back door after close.

Where do cameras go in the Pacific Northwest?

Under an eave, angled away from the sky, with the lens chosen for rain, dark winters and glare off wet surfaces. Three local conditions shape every placement:

• Rain. Precipitation of 0.01 inch or more falls on about 150 days a year in the Puget Sound lowland10. A camera under an eave keeps drops off the lens; a camera on an open wall shows streaks by November. Ajax BulletCam HL is rated IP66 and IK08 and runs from -22 °F to 140 °F11.
• Low winter light. The shortest day at Sea-Tac is 8 hours 27 minutes, with sunset at 4:18 p.m. in mid-December12. Most events happen in the dark. IR illumination to 164 ft and a 120 dB True WDR sensor keep a face readable at the door1. Hybrid-illumination models add white LED to 82 ft where you want color at night9.
• Glare. Wet asphalt and glass throw headlights back into the lens. We mount high enough to look down at the lot rather than across it. We also use the DORI figures on the spec sheet: identification at 29 ft and recognition at 59 ft for a 2.8 mm BulletCam1. A camera that must read a face goes closer than the brochure photo suggests.

Placement is drawn on your floor plan before anything is mounted: entry, driveway, register, back door, dumpster corral, gate.

Who runs the cable?

We do, on PoE, under WA electrical contractor license RIVASGL799DR, active, bonded and insured (L&I lookup). Washington treats remote-controlled cameras and their integration as security systems that must be installed by licensed electrical contractors and certified electricians13. One Cat6 cable carries power and video up to 100 meters, or 328 feet, under the IEEE 802.3af, 802.3at and 802.3bt standards14.

A standard camera draws under 15.4 W; a heated or PTZ camera may need 30 W PoE+15. Every run is labeled at both ends and tested. Larger buildings get their camera cabling with the rest of the structured cabling, and the cameras sit on their own VLAN so an upload never stalls the office.

How do cameras work with the Ajax alarm and Control4?

Cameras and the alarm share one hub and one app, and Control4 shows the same cameras on the TV. When an Ajax detector trips, a video scenario tells the chosen camera to record and sends the clip to the app within moments16. The MotionCam photo still arrives within 9 seconds of motion17, so the alarm has its own picture even where there is no camera.

In a Control4 home, cameras appear on touchscreens, the app and the TV under Security, with up to 18 cameras on a TV screen18. The Ajax hub joins Control4 through a driver published by Chowmain Software; arming and status cross over, photo verification stays in the Ajax app19. Details are on the Ajax and Control4 driver page. Luma recorders also carry a Control4 driver, which is why we use them where the recorder must live inside the automation3.

Who watches the cameras?

You do, from your phone, and a central station can if you want one. Live view and search run from the app on any phone or browser at no monthly fee. Professional monitoring through Becklar, a UL-listed central station, is an option: Becklar holds UL and TMA Five Diamond listings20. With monitoring, an operator sees the alarm photos and video, calls your contacts and dispatches police with a description of what the camera saw. Monitoring is month to month; you own every camera and recorder from day one.

What are the rules on cameras and audio in Washington?

Video of your own property is allowed; audio of private conversations needs everyone's consent; private spaces are off limits. Three rules matter:

1. Audio. RCW 9.73.030 makes it unlawful to record a private conversation without the consent of all parties21. Consent counts when one party announces the recording and the announcement itself is recorded. Federal law needs one party's consent under 18 U.S.C. § 2511, but Washington's stricter rule governs here22. Ajax cameras carry a microphone; we leave audio recording off unless you post notice and accept the rule.
2. Private spaces. RCW 9A.44.115 makes it a felony to film a person where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy23. No cameras in restrooms, changing rooms or a rental's bedrooms.
3. Registration. Kent's camera registry is voluntary, and the police department states it will not have remote access24. Tacoma's alarm rules cover the alarm, not the cameras; we handle any filing.

This is what the statutes say, not legal advice. Ask your attorney about a workplace or tenant situation.

What drives the cost?

Camera count, cable runs, the recording plan, mounting height and whether a recorder is in scope. Two cameras on a house with attic access is a morning. Twelve cameras on a warehouse with hard-lid ceilings, conduit outside and a lift is a multi-day job with a permit and licensed trade partners.

Cloud plans cost more with continuous recording and longer retention; an NVR adds hardware and drives but no monthly fee. A working ONVIF camera you already own is taken over rather than replaced. A walk-through produces a written scope, or the instant estimate gives a first range in four questions.

What about a site with no power?

A solar security tower or a solar surveillance trailer. The tower is a ground unit with three 4K AI cameras, a 113 dB siren and strobe, and a cellular link. It runs 14 or more hours on battery and is live about 90 minutes after it arrives. The trailer lifts cameras on a 22 ft mast and tows to a large yard, an event or a site that moves. Construction sites, equipment yards, farms and overflow lots use them, and the permanent cameras on this page take over when the building is done.

Where do we work?

From 415 Railroad Ave S, Kent, WA 98032, across south King County and Pierce County. Cities: Kent, Renton, Tukwila, Federal Way, Auburn, Covington, Maple Valley, Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake, Tehaleh, University Place and Gig Harbor. Olympic Peninsula by appointment. Rivas Group, LLC dba Rivas Technology Group holds WA electrical contractor license RIVASGL799DR, active, bonded and insured (L&I lookup). We are BBB accredited with an A+ rating (BBB profile) and rated 5.0 from 49 Google reviews. Businesses start at business security; homes at Ajax home security; the security hub covers both; and about us has the people.