The questions we get asked most.

We design, install, program, and support the technology systems in a building so they work as one system rather than several. That covers audio and video, lighting and shading, control and automation, networks and cabling, surveillance and access, and communications. The design and documentation work up front is as much of the job as the installation.

It depends entirely on scope, and any integrator who quotes a number before understanding the project is guessing. A single well-executed conference room is a very different figure from a whole-house system or a dispatch center. What we can do quickly is give you a realistic range for what you are describing, and tell you where the money actually goes — which is usually infrastructure and labour rather than the boxes.

As early as possible, and certainly before framing. Conduit, back boxes, cable pathways, rack space, dedicated circuits, and ceiling coordination all have to be decided before walls close. Bringing us in at schematic design costs nothing extra and prevents the expensive compromises that come from retrofitting infrastructure later.

Yes — most of our projects run that way. We issue written infrastructure requirements early, attend coordination meetings, and work to the construction schedule. Good coordination with the other trades is most of what makes a project go smoothly.

No. We are certified on several control and AV platforms, including Crestron and Control4, and we specify whichever genuinely fits the project, the budget, and how the client wants to use the space. We will tell you honestly when a cheaper platform will do the job and when it will not.

Usually, yes. We start with a survey to document what is actually there — which is often different from what the paperwork says — and give you an honest assessment of what is worth keeping, what needs replacing, and what it would take to support it going forward.

A single room might be a few days of on-site work after a few weeks of design and procurement. A whole-house or campus project runs alongside the construction schedule and can span many months. Equipment lead times are the variable that most often moves a date, so we order early once a design is approved.

You get training, as-built documentation, and a warranty. Beyond that we offer TCS Care support agreements covering remote monitoring, priority response, and scheduled preventive maintenance. For systems that cannot go down — dispatch, operations, critical meeting spaces — we strongly recommend one.

For clients on a support agreement, yes. Response targets are set by severity in the agreement, so an outage in a dispatch center is handled differently from a cosmetic issue in a conference room.

We are based in Salisbury, Massachusetts and work throughout New England — primarily the North Shore, Merrimack Valley, Greater Boston, and the New Hampshire seacoast. For larger projects and marine work we travel further. If you are not sure whether you are in range, just ask.

Both, deliberately. Residential work demands that a system be genuinely pleasant to use; commercial and public safety work demands that it never fail. Doing both means each side benefits from the other's standards.

Often, yes — and for schools and houses of worship it is the norm. The key is designing the full system up front and installing the infrastructure for all of it in the first phase, so later phases are equipment purchases rather than construction.