A Room-by-Room Approach to Home Security: What Actually Matters

Most people start shopping for home security devices and then wonder why their setup has gaps. A better approach is to walk through your house room by room, identify what could go wrong in each space, and buy only the devices that address those specific concerns. This room-first method, outlined in a guide from Digital Trends using the Ajax alarm range as an example, applies to any platform.

Start with the hub

Every sensor reports to a central hub, so choose that first. The Ajax Hub 2 Plus supports up to 200 devices and connects via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and two SIM cards, with a battery backup rated for up to 15 hours. That means a lost router or power cut won't leave you blind. Place it somewhere central—like a hall cupboard—rather than next to the front door. Since sensors communicate wirelessly, check signal strength in the app before permanently mounting anything.

Entry points

The front door gets a contact sensor: a two-part magnetic unit affixed with adhesive or screws, with a battery said to last up to seven years. Add one to the back door and any garage-to-house door—an entry point people often forget. A motion detector with a camera in a hallway ceiling corner covers the main route in; when triggered, it sends a short photo sequence to your phone, helping you distinguish a person from a falling coat.

Ground-floor windows

Glass-break sensors listen for the sound of shattering glass; one unit can cover several windows in a room. If you already have a camera-equipped motion sensor in the hall, you may not need a second one here unless the room has a bypass route, such as patio doors. Some motion sensors ignore pets up to 20 kg, but test the position with the system armed before relying on it.

Kitchen and utility

Prioritize water and fire over intrusion here. Leak sensors lie flat on the floor—place one under the sink and another behind the dishwasher. A multi-sensor for heat, smoke, and carbon monoxide is useful; heat detection suits kitchens where steam can trigger smoke-only alarms. Check local fire regulations: a connected detector adds phone alerts but doesn't replace required hardware.

Upstairs

Less is needed. Put a smoke/heat/CO detector on the landing to catch smoke before it reaches bedrooms, and consider contact sensors on upstairs windows that are reachable from a flat roof or extension. Most people don't need motion detectors upstairs, and you can set the app to arm the ground floor at night while everyone sleeps.

Utility room

Add leak sensors near the washing machine and boiler or hot water cylinder. Slow leaks cause more damage than burst pipes because they go unnoticed for days.

Outdoors

An outdoor camera-equipped motion detector covers a drive or side passage with the same photo-verification approach, and an external siren above the door adds a visible deterrent. Ajax claims wireless range up to 2,000 metres in open space, though walls reduce that, so test before mounting. Ajax cameras sit in the same app as sensors, so you can check live video without switching apps.

Phased rollout

You don't need everything at once. A sensible first stage: hub, door contacts on all external doors, one camera-equipped motion sensor in the hall, and leak sensors in the kitchen and utility. Add fire detection next, then outdoor devices and cameras. Because everything is wireless, no building work is required, and sensors can be moved if you rearrange a room.

Test every device and confirm alerts reach every phone that should get them. Set up user access properly so a cleaner or house-sitter has limited rights instead of your login.

Starting from the rooms ensures coverage where it matters and avoids paying for unnecessary devices. While the guide uses Ajax products as examples, the room-by-room logic applies to other platforms—just verify device compatibility and features before buying.