I work customer service in a highly technical field. I repair high end luxury vehicles. It's…read morealways in my mind that I'm handling the first or second most expensive item most folks own. Second only to their homes. I'm well aware of the exacting standards needed. The self discipline needed and the attention to detail and care for details needed to restore someone's prized luxury vehicle. Those same standards apply to working in or on someone's home. My previous reviews explain how I met Jake at Barker Tech. This is a new review with new perspective. It's been over two years since I paid Jake and shook his hand. In those two years Jake has reached out 3 times to check on my home and his work. It just seems to be how he is. In those two years I've reached out with some admittedly stupid questions and each time he's addressed my concerns without any snark or down talk that some techie guys use when speaking to plebes. I needed additional home tech stuff and naturally I reached out to Jake. His response was timely given his work load and he immediately offered elegant solutions to an inelegant problem. (Someone in my neighborhood is actively using my gravel yard as a dog pit stop and leaving me nasty surprises ). Jake offered some very clever options up to and including an outdoor speaker paired with my existing camera system (that he installed ) to politely ask the offending dog owner to remove their dog waste. Ultimately my wife vetoed the idea of me having the ability to leave audio messages for bad neighbors. But Jake's suggestion of an upgraded new camera with AI facial recognition and a wider field of view was perfect. Within a week Jake personally came back and upgraded the camera thus negating the one small blind spot the offender had been using. He kept his word. He sent me tutorials and worked with me not even being home to ensure that I was 100% satisfied with my upgraded surveillance view before leaving. Setting standards and holding yourself to them are key to excellence. Keeping your word and delivering what you promise are key to excellence. But. Excellence isn't derived from robot like adherence to guidelines. It's a combination of many intangible things. It's rare these days to encounter true excellence in almost any field. Jake at Barker Tech is an excellent example of excellence in action. Trustworthy. Reliable. Professional. Meticulous. Passionate. Informed and informative. Personable and Diligent. I'm a client for life.

Jake was fantastic. He is incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and calm, cool, and collected,…read morewhich was especially appreciated after we had been dealing with so many frustrating AV and internet issues in our house. He quickly figured out what was wrong with our existing setup, moved us over to fiber optic, and simplified the entire system so it is easy for us to use. The difference has been huge. Our internet is now incredibly fast in every room of the house, and everything finally works the way it should. Jake went above and beyond throughout the entire process. I cannot recommend him highly enough for anything AV-related in your home.

Very knowledgeable and trustworthy! They helped me tremendously, revamping our AV system. They…read moresimplified everything and didn't try to sell additional components. Alex is awesome! Callie is helpful too.

If I could give Alex and his team six stars I would! They were all fantastic. We installed a…read morefour-camera Ring video system at my elderly mother's house. They listened carefully to our requirements, promptly recommended a solution and then came over within a few days to do the installation. They were extremely patient in explaining everything about the system to my mother and said that whatever she needed they would be there if she had questions. The kind of service that Alex and Bay Area Smart Home offer was above and beyond anything I expected. I can't recommend them enough.

We have a big complicated AV system we asked if they could take over and help us fix as the…read moreinternet was not working. They came by and looked and told us it was a bigger problem they could not fix and would send us a quote. The quote included several pieces of equipment that were priced 2-5x retail. FSTG-DREAM-PRO 10G Cloud Gateway with 100+ UniFi device / 1,000+ client support and 3.5 Gbps IPS routing. was quoted as $999.99 when it retails for $379 FSTG 10Gbps SFP+ Direct Attach Cable (1meter) was quoted at $29.99 when it retails for $15 OvrC Pro Lifetime License + Hub, non-locking barrel connector power connection type was quoted as $999.99 when it retails for to $199 *note this is only available to authorized AV dealers but a 5x mark up is insane I asked why and was told it was small business markup and was told quote "It includes sourcing, shipping, platform fees, payment processing fees and more that our clients may not originally consider. The raised price also covers our regular remote network maintenance, ensuring your network continuously runs at peak performance following the conclusion of the project. A large portion of business model is our post-install support and efforts to create peace of mind for our clientele regarding our systems." However on that quote was also a $70/mo service plan that was supposed to cover the aforementioned post-install support. I asked about the double charge for support and asked if I could bring my own equipment and they ignored my email So this company is SUPER SHADY and please review your quotes and google any equipment that they tell you that you need because 1. you probably don't need it (we ended up fixing the internet ourselves) and 2. they are probably overcharging you. Just run the quote through Claude or ChatGPT and ask if there's anything concerning in it. It will do all the research for you.

UPDATE: After my…read moreoriginal review, the company's CEO personally reached out to discuss the situation. Although the project did not meet my expectations and my original concerns remain, I appreciate that he took the feedback seriously, worked to resolve outstanding issues, and refunded the design fee. I am updating my review to reflect the company's efforts to make things right.

Original post from May 30, 2020 when project was done..."I just finished working with Man Cave…read moreAmerica for the 3rd time in the past year doing long wanted A/V upgrades. MCA always do top-notch work and make everything look better than I could ever imagine. During this SIP, they created a beautiful A/V installation in our garage to create a 2nd family gaming space. They also wore PPE and took appropriate social distancing precautions. I hope I have another project in the future so I can work with them again!"

Ramon Was the Handyman That came out and mounted my tv. He was very nice and made sure wherever he…read moreput the TV up at was a great spot with me and made sure not to slip off an inch from what i desired! Thanks Ramon!

Absolutely top quality service, professionalism, speed and elegant work. Full WiFi in home with…read morelots of concrete where a pinpoint or mesh solution wouldn't work. Cable Shmable hooked me up with top of the line, (commercial grade, consumer simplicity), Ubiquity system that has tremendous coverage AND speed. They came highly recommended not as simply and A/V company, but rather network architects that can do everything low voltage. I'd highly recommend Karim (owner who came out himself for a bid within two days of my request) and Cable Shmable. His team that did the installation are also excellent. 10/10 for any AV, network, WiFi you may need. Top notch. 100%.

Got Ethernet and fiber runs at my place and they were able to do it with minimal visible…read moreinterference and were affordable!

After a tough start -- I had difficulty getting an appointment and Micah Electric's scheduler…read moredisappeared for a week -- co-owner Anoush contacted me by email and phone and apologized for the error on their end. They sent a friendly and capable electrician to install a new plug unit, and do a few small electrical jobs. The job took a few hours longer than they initially estimated, and to make up for the scheduling confusion they honored their original estimate and waived the costs from the extra work. It's an odd thing to say, but after a bad beginning Micah proved to be exceptionally considerate. I felt very well taken care of. For my future electric needs, it's going to be Micah Electric!

I'll be fair. This wasn't a quality issue with the work but a review for poor scheduling and…read morecommunication. I never received an estimate, and the scheduling process was incredibly frustrating. I reached out through Yelp, sent them my inspection report, then called and texted, and was eventually given a time for a phone call. That appointment came today and no showed. After I followed up by text, I was told, "10 more minutes." Well here, I'm twiddling my thumbs still after 30 minutes. I'm a patient person and understand busy schedules as I work in a service industry with emergencies, delays, and things that don't going according to plan. This, however, is just unprofessional and almost feels like they're trying to deter me away. Unfortunately, I can't recommend a business that doesn't respect its customers. Good luck.

Yes. Everything went well. The issue was solved as expected. My experience was excellent.read more

Sergii visited my rental to quote my project. While on-site, he provided troubleshooting and next…read morestep guidance to my renter, even offering his router for overnight monitoring. His pricing was in line with the best quotes. We're pleased with the resolution. Highly recommended.

I'm thoroughly impressed with the polite and friendly service I received; they truly went above and…read morebeyond with every detail. Highly recommend!

Fantastic service for home internet setup!…read more Had an initial call with Chris to provide my input on the home layout and the coverage we were looking for in the different areas. Chris was super knowledgeable about the different setup options including Ubiquiti, Eeros, etc. Chris informed that they will take care of bringing all the potential devices to install including the network controller, Netgear switch board, Access Points, etc. Jake was the team member who visited our home for the appointment. I did an initial walkthrough with him sharing all the relevant details including the Xfinity Internet input, preexisting wiring, etc. Jake was quite friendly and shared his knowledge on the different Eero Access Points he brought with him. Jake noticed the possibility of cleaner LAN cord management in the garage using wall plates for which he made a Home Depot visit during the appointment. Overall, all the Access Points were up and running within the time budget discussed prior to the call. Also, Jake helped with the Eero app setup for monitoring the usage. Been using for a couple of weeks now and things are looking pretty good so far in all locations of our home. Strongly recommend this service!

We had a great first meeting and were waiting for a quote that never came. We were straight-up…read moreghosted. We reached out multiple times in a variety of ways and never heard back. We can only speculate that somehow our project needs were not big enough for them to want to work with us? We can't know what happened because they simply stopped communicating with us. Sad but true. For this reason, I have to say their business is not to be reccomended.

Wow just realized I never updated the review. After paying Cham to come out, and to come back, and…read moreto come back, and to come back...each time a new person who complain d bout the last persona work. I finally gave up and went with another service. He was great when it was new and a big bill. Not great when you need to get his worked fixed right.

AvidWorks Technology installed 5 Ring cameras and 1 Ring Video Doorbell at my home. The project was…read morecompleted on time and on budget, exactly as promised. Their team showed excellent knowledge and installation skills, making the whole process smooth and professional. The equipment works flawlessly, and their attention to detail is impressive. I highly recommend AvidWorks Technology to anyone considering a home security project. They delivered excellent service, and I'll gladly use them again in the future.

I worked with them to replace old ADT cameras with new Reolink cameras. They are probably the most…read morethorough contractor of any kind I've ever worked with.