Smart Home & Smart Business
A gate that opens from your phone. A thermostat you can check from the road. A sensor that tells you the wine room is getting warm. We help work out what makes sense for your property, install it properly, and connect it to a network that can carry it.
Connected Property
Most smart home and smart business projects start with a small, practical annoyance. You are handing out keys to a cleaner and a contractor and losing track of who has one. The gate is a long walk from the house. The server closet gets hot on summer afternoons and nobody notices until something fails. The lights in the tasting room are on a switch that someone forgets at closing. The devices that fix these things are widely available, and plenty of them end up in a drawer because they did not quite work.
The usual reason is the network underneath. A lock at the far end of a driveway needs WiFi that reaches it. A thermostat in a guest cottage needs a connection between buildings. Remote access needs a router set up to allow it and an internet connection that stays up. We come at these projects from the network side: we help choose devices that will work in your property, install and connect them properly, and support them afterward.
What We Help With
Access, comfort, and knowing what is going on at the property when you are not there. Each one leans on the same thing: a network that reaches the device and a connection you can count on.
Smart locks, keypads, readers, and gate controls that open with a code, a phone, or a fob instead of a key. Codes can be given out and taken back without changing a lock, and depending on the equipment you can see who came in and when.
Connected thermostats, lighting, and shades that you can check and adjust from anywhere, plus simple automations that save steps: lights that come on at dusk, a thermostat that settles down after closing, a porch that lights up when the gate opens.
Small sensors that watch temperature, humidity, water, and power in the places that matter, and let you know when something drifts: a wine room, a server closet, a walk-in cooler, a barn, a pump house, or a crawl space.
A contractor arrives while you are across the county. With the right access device and a solid connection, you can see the request, open the door or gate from your phone, and lock it again when they leave.
A video intercom or doorbell at the driveway or front entrance so you can talk with a visitor before you open anything. Where it makes sense, we tie it in with your camera system so the entrance is recorded too.
Devices on a separate network from your computers and phones, WiFi that reaches where the devices are, and a router set up so remote access works reliably. This is the part most smart projects skip, and the part we care about most.
The Part That Gets Skipped
A smart lock that goes offline is a lock you have to walk to. A thermostat that drops off WiFi is a thermostat you cannot check. A sensor that cannot reach the internet cannot send the alert. When a device is flaky, the device usually gets blamed, and most of the time it is the WiFi signal at that spot, a crowded network, or a router that was not set up for remote access.
Because we design and support networks for homes and businesses across Marin, Sonoma, and Napa, we start every smart project by looking at the network first. Sometimes the fix is a WiFi access point near the gate. Sometimes it is a separate network for the devices. Sometimes the network is fine and the project is quick. Either way, you find out before anything is bought.
A gate at the end of the driveway, a thermostat in a back hallway, a sensor in a detached barn: if the WiFi does not reach that spot with a steady signal, the device will drop off and on. Coverage is planned around where the devices live, not just where people sit.
A lock, a light switch, and a thermostat do not need to share a network with your laptop and your accounting software. A separate network for connected devices keeps them organized, easier to troubleshoot, and apart from the devices that hold your personal or business data.
Opening a gate from your phone or checking a wine room from a hotel only works if the internet at the property is up and the router is set up to allow it. We look at the connection as part of the project, whether it comes from us or from another provider.
Who This Is For
A few of the situations we plan for across the North Bay. Yours does not have to match one of these exactly.
Keyless entry, a thermostat you can check from the road, lights on a schedule, and a leak sensor under the sink.
Guest codes that expire, a heating schedule that matches the calendar, and alerts if the house gets too cold or a pipe lets go while nobody is there.
Staff badging in with a phone or fob, a conference room that is comfortable at 9 AM, and a server closet that tells you before it overheats.
Opening and closing routines for lighting and climate, a back door on a code instead of a key, and cooler temperatures watched overnight.
A driveway gate you can open for a delivery from the house, a pump house or barn with a sensor in it, and connections that reach past the main building.
One set of controls across a main house, a guest cottage, a workshop, and an office, tied into a network that connects the buildings.
How It Works
You do not need to know the equipment or the terms. Tell us what you want to be able to do, and we will ask the right questions from there.
Describe what you want to be able to do: let a contractor in, keep an eye on a wine room, stop handing out keys. You do not need to know the devices or the brands.
We look at the property: doors and gates, where the devices would go, WiFi coverage in those spots, the existing network, power at each device, and the internet connection.
We explain what makes sense, which devices work together, what the network needs, and what is out of scope, in plain terms and before any work starts.
We install the devices in the approved project, connect them to the right network, set up the apps and remote access, and test each one with you before we leave.
Where ongoing support is part of the agreement, we stay available to add a device, change a code, or troubleshoot when something stops responding.
Good To Know
Clear scope before work starts is part of the job. These are the lines we draw on every smart home and smart business project.
Common Questions
No. Start with what you want to be able to do, such as letting a contractor in remotely or knowing when the wine room gets warm. We will suggest devices that fit the property, work together, and can be supported.
Often, yes. We will review what you have, whether it can be connected properly, and whether it fits with what you want to add. Some devices are closed to outside setup or are not a good fit, and we will tell you if that is the case.
No. We help with these projects even when another company provides the internet connection. Remote access does depend on a reliable connection at the property, so we look at the connection as part of the site survey.
With the right access device and a steady connection, yes. You can give a temporary code, open a door or gate from your phone, and see when it was used. What is possible depends on the device and how it is set up, and we will be specific about that for your project.
It depends on the device. Most locks and keypads still open with a code or key locally, and many thermostats keep running on their last schedule. Remote access and alerts need the connection, so they pause until it is back. We will explain what each device does without internet before you decide.
No. We design, install, and support access devices, sensors, and the network behind them. We do not watch feeds, receive alarms, or dispatch anyone. If you want monitored alarm service, that comes from a separate provider and can sit alongside what we install.
We do not do electrical work. If a device needs new power run to it or a new circuit, that is work for a licensed electrician. We will tell you what the device needs so that work and ours line up.
Related Services
A gate intercom pairs with a camera. A device network is a networking job. One local team can plan them together.
Coverage planned around where people and devices are.
Learn MoreGates, entrances, and remote viewing of your property.
Learn MoreBusiness phones managed by the team that runs the network.
Learn MoreRouters, switches, cabling, and separate networks for devices.
Learn MoreGates and equipment where power and network are hard to reach.
Learn MoreRemote access starts with a reliable connection at the property. WebPerception also provides the connection itself across Marin, Sonoma, and Napa.
See internet serviceTalk to a local person
Checking office hours
Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific
Or call us, 24/7(415) 892-7711Describe the door, the gate, the room, or the chore, and we will help work out what makes sense and what it takes to make it work.
Phone support and network monitoring are available 24/7/365. Office and sales hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific.
