Smart home & security
Smart home and security systems
Cameras, alarms, doorbells, security lighting, and smart devices for homes and businesses in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, set up by our own crew. Plenty of our electricians do low-voltage work.
What we do
- Design and install
- We walk the property with you, plan what goes where, and install it: cameras, recorder, alarm, lights, and the wiring behind them.
- Repairs
- Troubleshooting and fixes for a system that's acting up, even one we didn't put in.
- The power behind it
- We're electricians first. New circuits, outlets, transformers, and outdoor wiring are part of the same job.
One thing we don't do: monitoring. We install and fix the equipment. If you want someone watching your alarm around the clock, that's a separate monitoring company you sign up with.
Wired or wireless cameras?
Both have a place. A lot of systems end up with wired cameras on the house and a wireless one or two where a cable would be hard to run.
- Power
- Wired (PoE):One network cable carries power and video (called PoE). No batteries.
- Wireless:A battery, a small solar panel, or a plug nearby.
- Video
- Wired (PoE):Steady, because it doesn't depend on Wi-Fi.
- Wireless:Only as good as the Wi-Fi where the camera sits.
- Recording
- Wired (PoE):Usually to a recorder in the house, so it keeps recording when the internet is down.
- Wireless:Usually to the cloud, often with a monthly plan from the camera maker.
- In the cold
- Wired (PoE):Not an issue for the power side.
- Wireless:Batteries drain faster below freezing and need charging more often.
- Install
- Wired (PoE):Cable runs to each camera, which is where an electrician helps.
- Wireless:Quicker to put up, easier to move later.
Where cameras go
Front door
Faces at eye level and packages on the step. A video doorbell often covers it.
Driveway and garage
Cars and people coming and going, and the garage door.
Back and side doors
Where people go when they don't want to be seen from the street.
Gates, sheds, and outbuildings
Tools, sleds, four-wheelers, and anything else worth taking.
Mount them high enough that nobody can reach up and turn them, low enough to see a face. Keep them out of bright light shining straight in, and think about what they'll see at night.
Light is part of security
Long winter nights make outdoor lighting matter more here. A well-lit door or driveway is less inviting to someone looking around, and it gives your cameras a clear picture.
- Motion lights at doors and the garage
- Dusk-to-dawn lights on a sensor
- Floodlights for driveways and yards
- Lights for sheds and outbuildings
Doorbells, sensors, and smart devices
Video doorbells
A wired doorbell needs the right transformer to run it. If the old one is too weak, we swap it.
Alarm sensors
Door and window contacts, motion sensors, glass-break sensors, and the keypad.
Smart switches and dimmers
Most need a neutral wire in the box. Older homes don't always have one, and we can work that out.
Thermostats and hubs
Smart thermostats, and the hub that ties the devices together.
The network behind it
Cameras and smart devices are only as good as the network they sit on. Wired cameras run back to a network switch and a recorder, usually in a closet or utility room. We run the cable, label it, and keep it out of sight where we can.
If you already know your Wi-Fi drops out in the garage or the far bedroom, tell us. It's easier to plan around before the cameras go up.
For businesses
Video surveillance for the front door, the register, the loading door, and the parking lot, with a recorder you control. We also handle the security lighting outside and the power for all of it.
See our commercial services for the rest.
Already have a system?
If your cameras, alarm, or smart devices stopped working right, we can troubleshoot them and keep them maintained. You don't need to rip it out and start over.
Since we're electricians first, we can handle the wiring and power behind it too. See our residential services.
Common questions
- Do you offer alarm monitoring?
- No. We install and fix cameras, alarms, and smart devices. Monitoring is a separate service from a monitoring company.
- Do I need a monthly plan for cameras?
- Not always. Many wired systems record to a recorder in your house with no monthly fee. Many wireless cameras save to the cloud, which usually is a monthly plan from the camera maker.
- Will my video doorbell work with my old doorbell wiring?
- Often, but many video doorbells need more power than an old doorbell transformer gives. We check it and replace the transformer if needed.
- Do you work on businesses too?
- Yes. We set up and service systems for homes and businesses.
- Can you fix a system someone else installed?
- Yes. We troubleshoot and maintain existing systems.
- Do you give estimates?
- Yes, free, in person or over a video call, with the price up front.
“Highly recommend. Excellent and fair prices, quick service, courteous people, all while being open and transparent.”
Need a system set up or fixed?
Send a request and tell us what you have in mind, or give us a call.