Smart Locks & Cameras

Lock the door, watch the porch, own the footage.

Smart deadbolts, video doorbells, PoE cameras and local NVRs. Schlage, Yale, August, Ring, Google Nest, UniFi Protect, Reolink. Cabling and transformer work by the same C-10 crew that installs the gear — no two-vendor finger-pointing.

Request a Walk-Through (650) 550-0719
Smart deadbolt with fingerprint reader installed on a wooden door

What This Is

Security that survives a Wi-Fi outage.

A cloud-only camera system that loses its footage when your internet drops is not security — it is a subscription. We design for local-first: PoE cameras to a local NVR (UniFi Protect, Reolink, Frigate) recording on-premises, with cloud as optional backup. Smart locks stay programmed in the lock itself, not on a server you cannot reach.

Doorbells are the exception — Ring Pro 2 and Google Nest Doorbell are good products, and they live in the cloud by design. We install them honestly: with the transformer upgraded to 16VAC / 10VA, the chime box wired correctly, and an upfront written summary of subscription costs over five years so there are no surprises.

Ring video doorbell mounted on a Bay Area home — real YKCA install

Ring Pro 2 — real YKCA install with upgraded transformer.

Scope

What is included in a locks & cameras install.

Hardware, cabling, NVR, integrations and access management — single bid, single accountable contractor.

Smart Lock Install

Full deadbolt replacement (Schlage Encode, Yale Assure 2, August Pro 4th Gen, Kwikset Halo) or interior retrofit (August Smart Lock, Level Bolt). Door alignment and strike adjustment included.

PoE Camera Cabling

Cat6 / Cat6A drops from each camera location back to a central PoE switch. Outdoor runs in UV-rated conduit. Camera positioning per coverage map agreed with homeowner.

NVR & Local Storage

UniFi Protect Cloud Key + NVR, Reolink NVR, Synology Surveillance Station, or Home Assistant Frigate. Storage sized to retention (7 / 30 / 90 day options).

Doorbell + Transformer Upgrade

Ring or Google Nest doorbell, with chime-box transformer upgrade to 16VAC / 10VA when existing supply is undervoltage.

Access Sharing & Codes

Per-user codes for cleaners, dog walkers, family. Auto-lock schedules, geofence unlock, vacation mode. Audit log accessible from owner phone.

Integration with Automation

"Goodbye" routine arms cameras + locks the door + sets thermostat back. "Welcome" disarms, unlocks via geofence, kicks the lights on.

Wall-mounted security camera on a Bay Area home

Equipment We Install

Real brands, honestly compared.

Subscription camera systems and local-NVR camera systems both have their place. We will install the brand you ask for; we will also tell you when a different choice fits your priorities (privacy, cost, reliability, AI features) better.

Schlage Encode

Smart deadbolt, Wi-Fi, keypad

Yale Assure Lock 2

Smart deadbolt, Matter / Wi-Fi options

August Smart Lock 4th Gen

Interior retrofit, Wi-Fi via bridge

Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2

Hardwired, head-to-toe HDR, radar motion

Google Nest Doorbell (wired)

Hardwired, 24/7 with Nest Aware Plus

UniFi Protect G5 cameras + NVR

PoE, local NVR, no subscription

Reolink RLC-820A / RLC-1212A

PoE 4K + person detection, local NVR

Home Assistant Frigate

Self-hosted, local AI object detection

FAQ

Locks & cameras questions, straight answers.

PoE (Power over Ethernet) almost always wins for fixed cameras: one Cat6 cable carries both power and video, no separate outlet, more reliable bandwidth, supports higher resolutions cleanly, and the NVR (network video recorder) keeps recording locally even if internet drops. Wi-Fi cameras are right for short-term renters, retrofits where pulling cable is impractical, or one-off doorbell positions. For a new install in a Bay Area home we recommend PoE on a UniFi Protect or Reolink NVR system, with Ring or Nest reserved for the doorbell where battery / Wi-Fi is acceptable.

Smart deadbolt = full replacement of the deadbolt (Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, August Pro, Kwikset Halo). Smart lock retrofit = motor that mounts over the existing interior deadbolt thumbturn (August Smart Lock 4th Gen, Level Bolt). Retrofit is renter-friendly and reversible; full replacement looks cleaner and supports more reader types (keypad, fingerprint, NFC). We install both — pick based on whether you own the door and how clean you want the exterior look.

Often yes. Most Ring and Nest video doorbells need 16 VAC at 10 VA minimum. Older homes with 8 VA / 10 VAC transformers will undervolt the doorbell — symptoms are dropped connections, dim night vision, and "battery low" messages on a hardwired device. We swap the transformer at the chime box, verify with a voltmeter under load, and document the install for warranty. About one in three Ring service calls in our portfolio is a transformer issue, not a doorbell defect.

Ring Protect Basic ($4.99/mo per device or $10/mo unlimited), Nest Aware ($8-15/mo), and Google Home Premium all charge for cloud video history. Local-storage NVR systems — UniFi Protect, Reolink, Synology Surveillance Station, Frigate / Home Assistant — are subscription-free but require an in-home recorder. We tell you the per-year carrying cost up front and recommend local storage when the camera count makes subscriptions silly.

Each camera gets one Cat6 (or Cat6A for 4K cameras with long runs) from the camera location back to a central switch or NVR. The switch provides both data and PoE power (15-30W per port depending on PoE standard). For typical Bay Area residential installs we drop 4-12 cameras to a 16-port or 24-port PoE switch in a networking closet. Outdoor runs use UV-rated cable in conduit; attic / wall runs use plenum or riser as required by location.

Ring (Amazon), Nest (Google), and Wyze upload to vendor cloud by default. UniFi Protect, Reolink NVRs, Synology Surveillance Station and Home Assistant Frigate keep video local — no cloud upload unless you turn it on. We will spec local-first systems for households that care about data residency, including a written summary of where each device sends its footage and what is retained.

Ready to walk the perimeter?

Plan the coverage map together.

$200 on-site walk-through. Camera positions, cable routing, NVR sizing, lock list, fixed quote within 5 business days — applied to project total if you proceed.

Request a Walk-Through (650) 550-0719
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