Ajax StarterKit UK: Pre-Built Kit vs Full System for Installers
For UK domestic installers deciding how to quote an Ajax job. The Ajax StarterKit is the fastest way to put a graded wireless alarm into a home — hub, motion detector, door contact and key fob in one box — but a pre-built kit is rarely the whole answer on a real survey. This guide explains, for UK installers, when an Ajax StarterKit-style kit is the right call, when to spec a full system component by component around the Hub 2 Plus, and which in-stock parts Netview ships same-day from Leicester. Every figure below is taken from Ajax’s published product pages and the units we hold in stock.
At a glance
The Ajax StarterKit decision in one paragraph. An Ajax StarterKit — sold at Netview as a pre-built Ajax Hub2 kit — gets a small domestic system commissioned in a single visit and is hard to beat on price per device. A full system, built around the Ajax Hub 2 Plus with detectors, sirens and arming devices chosen per room, costs a little more in parts and survey time but covers the property properly and scales. The honest rule for UK installers: fit a kit on a compact, low-complexity home where the customer wants cover fast; spec a full system the moment the survey shows multiple perimeter doors, pets, outbuildings or a customer who will want alarm-receiving-centre monitoring. Either way Ajax is PD 6662:2017 Grade 2 compliant, so the standard you install to is the same — only the parts list changes.
What is the Ajax StarterKit, and what is in it?
The Ajax StarterKit is a boxed starter system containing an Ajax hub, one motion detector, one opening detector and a key fob. Ajax’s current StarterKit 2 pairs the Hub 2 control panel with a DoorProtect opening sensor, a MotionProtect motion sensor and a SpaceControl key fob (Ajax StarterKit 2 product page). The hub talks to its devices over the Jeweller radio protocol at 868 MHz, with a range of up to 2 km in open conditions, and a Hub 2 will carry up to 100 wireless devices and up to 25 cameras (Ajax StarterKit 2 product page). Netview stocks the StarterKit concept as ready-built bundles: the Ajax Hub2 Kit 1 (hub, two PIRs, one contact, two key fobs plus indoor and outdoor sirens), the keypad-armed Ajax Hub2 Kit 3, the DoubleDeck-siren Ajax Hub2 DD Kit 1 and the larger Ajax Kit 4 DD. Each is a genuine StarterKit in spirit — one box, one commissioning visit.
StarterKit vs full system: the core decision for installers
A pre-built kit wins on speed and price per device; a full system wins on coverage, customisation and headroom. The choice is not about quality — every Ajax device runs the same OS Malevich firmware and the same Jeweller radio whether it ships in a kit or as a loose part. It is about whether the property and the customer fit a fixed parts list. The table below is the quick decision an installer can make on the survey.
| Factor | Pre-built Ajax kit | Full Ajax system |
|---|---|---|
| Best property | Flat or compact house, simple layout | Larger home, multiple entry points, outbuildings |
| Survey time | Minimal — fixed device list | Full room-by-room survey |
| Price per device | Lowest | Slightly higher, but only pay for what is needed |
| Pets / glass / outdoor | Not addressed by the standard kit | MotionProtect Plus, GlassProtect, outdoor sirens added as needed |
| Future expansion | Add loose devices later | Designed with headroom from day one |
When a pre-built Ajax kit is the right call
Fit a kit when the property is compact, the brief is “cover the basics” and the customer wants the job done in one visit. A two-bedroom flat, a small terraced house or a rental that needs a credible deterrent fast is exactly what a pre-built kit is for. The Ajax Hub2 Kit 1 already includes two motion detectors, a door contact, two key fobs and both an indoor and an outdoor siren — enough to protect a hallway, a living space and the main entry door with an audible response inside and out. The Ajax Hub2 Kit 3 swaps the key fobs for a wireless keypad, which suits customers who prefer code arming over a fob. Because the device list is fixed, your quote, your stock pick and your commissioning time are all predictable — and the price per device is the lowest Ajax pricing you will offer.
When to spec a full Ajax system component by component
Spec a full system the moment the survey shows anything the standard kit does not cover. Multiple external doors, a conservatory or patio doors, a customer with a dog, a detached garage or a home office over a garage — each of these is a reason to leave the kit behind and build the parts list from the survey. A full system lets you put a MotionProtect Plus U dual-sensor detector where pets would false-trigger a single-PIR, add a GlassProtect U on a vulnerable glazed elevation, and place a StreetSiren DoubleDeck where it is both seen and heard. It also lets you choose the hub deliberately rather than accepting whichever panel the kit ships with — which, on most full domestic jobs, means the Ajax Hub 2 Plus.
Choosing the hub: Hub 2, Hub 2 (4G) or Hub 2 Plus
The hub decides the system’s communication resilience, so choose it for the monitoring outcome the customer wants. All three panels run the same OS Malevich firmware and support photo verification from MotionCam detectors; the difference is how many ways they can reach the cloud and an alarm-receiving centre. The Ajax Hub2 (2G) uses Ethernet plus a cellular channel; the Ajax Hub2 (4G) adds faster LTE cellular; and the Ajax Hub 2 Plus carries four communication channels — Ethernet, Wi-Fi and two SIM slots — with up to 15 hours of backup battery (Ajax Hub 2 Plus product page). For any job heading towards professional monitoring, the Hub 2 Plus is the sensible default: the extra paths mean a single broadband or cellular outage does not take the system offline.
| Hub | Communication channels | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax Hub2 (2G) | Ethernet + 2G cellular | Self-monitored compact homes on a budget |
| Ajax Hub2 (4G) | Ethernet + 4G/LTE cellular | Homes where broadband is unreliable |
| Ajax Hub 2 Plus | Ethernet + Wi-Fi + 2 × cellular | Full systems and any job going to ARC monitoring |
The detectors: MotionProtect, DoorProtect and GlassProtect
The detector mix is where a full system earns its keep over a fixed kit. The standard MotionProtect U is a single-PIR motion detector with a detection range of up to 12 m at an 88.5° horizontal viewing angle and a battery life of up to 7 years (Ajax StarterKit 2 product page) — ideal for hallways and rooms with no pets. Where a dog or cat shares the space, the MotionProtect Plus U uses a dual sensor to cut false alarms. On the perimeter, the DoorProtect U reed-switch contact covers doors and windows, while the DoorProtect Plus U adds shock and tilt sensing for doors that are forced rather than simply opened. Add a GlassProtect U acoustic detector on large glazed elevations, and a MotionCam photo-verification PIR anywhere the customer or an ARC will want a picture with the alarm.
Arming, sirens and range: finishing the domestic system
Once the detection is speced, the arming devices, sirens and range extender decide how the system feels to live with. Give the customer a choice of arming methods: the KeyPad Jeweller for code arming by the door, and the SpaceControl S key fob for one-touch arming and a panic button. For audible response, pair an indoor HomeSiren U with an external StreetSiren DoubleDeck so the alarm is heard inside and seen outside. On larger or awkwardly built properties — thick walls, a detached garage, a long garden — a ReX range extender carries the Jeweller signal to devices the hub cannot reach directly. None of these parts belong in a fixed StarterKit, which is exactly why a full system survey is worth the extra time.
Scaling beyond a domestic kit: wired integration and bigger sites
Ajax stops being “just a domestic kit” the moment you add the MultiTransmitter. The MultiTransmitter is a wireless integration module that brings third-party wired detectors into an Ajax system — existing wired PIRs, roller-shutter contacts, or a legacy zone the customer wants to keep. That is the bridge between a domestic install and a light-commercial one, and it means a system you start as a StarterKit can grow without being ripped out. For installers building a mixed estate of jobs, that single upgrade path — kit to full system to wired integration, all on one Ajax app and one cloud account — is the reason the brand is worth standardising on.
UK compliance: what domestic installers need to know
Ajax meets the UK intruder alarm standard at Security Grade 2, which covers the large majority of domestic properties. Ajax devices comply with BS EN 50131 and the system is certified to PD 6662:2017 at Security Grade 2 (Ajax PD 6662:2017 compliance announcement; Ajax standards compliance list). PD 6662 is the UK scheme for designing, installing and maintaining intruder and hold-up alarm systems, and Grade 2 is the grade specified for most homes. The practical point for installers: whether you fit a pre-built kit or a full speced system, you are installing to the same standard — so the kit-versus-full decision is about coverage and customer fit, not about compliance. If the customer wants police response, the system must be monitored by an alarm-receiving centre and the installing company must hold NSI or SSAIB approval to obtain a police Unique Reference Number; build that requirement into the quote before you pick the hub.
FAQ: installer questions about the Ajax StarterKit
Does Netview sell the Ajax StarterKit as a single SKU?
Netview stocks the StarterKit concept as pre-built Ajax Hub2 bundles — the Hub2 Kit 1, Hub2 Kit 3, Hub2 DD Kit 1 and Kit 4 DD. Each is a one-box starter system; if you want a different device mix, build it from loose parts instead.
Can I expand an Ajax StarterKit later, or do I have to start with a full system?
You can expand any Ajax kit. The hub in a StarterKit will carry up to 100 wireless devices and up to 25 cameras (Ajax StarterKit 2 product page), so a kit fitted today can have detectors, sirens and arming devices added as the customer’s needs grow.
Which hub should I put in a full domestic system?
For most full systems, the Ajax Hub 2 Plus. Its four communication channels — Ethernet, Wi-Fi and two cellular SIMs (Ajax Hub 2 Plus product page) — give the resilience an ARC-monitored system needs. Drop to a Hub2 (2G) or (4G) only on simple self-monitored jobs.
How do I stop a customer’s pet false-triggering the alarm?
Use the MotionProtect Plus U dual-sensor detector in rooms the pet uses. It combines two sensing technologies to distinguish an animal from an intruder, which a single-PIR MotionProtect U cannot do reliably.
Is an Ajax kit good enough for a customer who wants police response?
The hardware is — Ajax is PD 6662:2017 Grade 2 compliant (Ajax standards compliance list). But police response also requires ARC monitoring and an NSI- or SSAIB-approved installing company to obtain a Unique Reference Number. The kit choice does not change that; your accreditation does.
Can I integrate a customer’s existing wired detectors into a new Ajax system?
Yes — the MultiTransmitter brings third-party wired detectors onto the Ajax hub, so you can keep working legacy zones rather than replacing them.
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For more on speccing Ajax in UK installs, see our guide to Ajax fire alarm vs intruder alarm UK compliance and our look at Ajax HazeFlow 2 fire detection for false-alarm-prone sites.
Published 15 May 2026 by Netview CCTV — authorised Ajax, Hikvision and HiLook wholesaler, Leicester UK.
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