Smart home services

For small projects you mostly need labor: someone to swap switches, mount cameras, and get devices onto the network. For larger projects you are buying design and integration — deciding what talks to what, how scenes behave, and what happens when the internet is down. That is the part that separates a system people use from one they turn off.

Understand who is doing what. Line-voltage work — switches, outlets, hardwired fixtures — is electrician work and is subject to your local permitting and licensing rules. Low-voltage cabling, network configuration and programming may be handled by an integrator who is not an electrician. Ask directly which trades are on your job.

The most under-asked question is support. Who fixes it in two years, what it costs, and whether you can administer the system yourself. Insist on owning the admin accounts on every platform. Systems configured entirely under an installer's account become unmaintainable the moment the relationship ends.

How to choose

Insist on owning your accounts

Hubs, cameras, router and ecosystem accounts should be in your name with your credentials. This is non-negotiable.

Ask which licensed trades are involved

Line-voltage work should be done by a licensed electrician under any required permit. Verify the license with the state board.

Get a written device list

Exact models, quantities and locations. It is your reference for warranty claims and future service.

Ask what happens offline

Have the installer demonstrate which automations survive an internet outage before final payment.

Clarify support terms up front

Response times, hourly rates after the warranty period, and whether remote support requires an ongoing fee.

Request documentation at handover

Network diagram, device inventory, account list and a plain-language guide for whoever lives in the house.