AJAX Alarm System Review: Ajax StarterKit Plus & StarterKit Regular Comparison

We’ve reviewed each of these Ajax sensors separately, and now we’ll review them as a part of a kit and tie them all up within themselves. Ajax StarterKit Plus – here you're going to learn the differences regarding StarterKit Regular, know every sensor’s intent, find some installation and usage tips, and of course, the activation, connection, and practical test.

In fact, there are only two sensors – DoorProtect Plus and MotionProtect Plus. The set of devices fitted in a StarterKit is fairly essential, except that, besides them, I’d advise you to get FireProtect and LeaksProtect first, thus you’ll be protected against intruders and in-house threats. Now the boxes, each of four we have fits in it the exact sensor, LAN and power cables for the Ajax Hub Plus, main sensor, and two magnetic contacts for DoorProtect Plus, and nothing additional for SpaceControl and MotionProtect Plus. Now, let us focus on the sensors.

We have brought the Regular Ajax StarterKit. And there’s really no difference in the looks of a device at all; the differences are inside. In one word, StarterKit Plus is a bigger-scale system, intended for larger premises and a corporate format. So, what do we know about Ajax Hub Plus in comparison to Ajax Hub Regular?

Ajax Hub & Hub Plus

Briefly, Ajax Hub is the system’s brain. It’s the thing that, every 12 seconds, makes sure all the sensors are operating in real-time with no issues. And it’s a bridge between a sensors and you, because when a sensor spots a threat, it transmits the data to the Hub via the radio waves under the Ajax-unique Jeweller radiotechnology, after what the Hub conducts an analysis of that data and sends it to you in form of an alert to your phone.

The first thing you can notice – the Regular Hub’s box is white, but the Plus version is black, regardless of the device's body color. The main difference I can highlight about Hub Plus is a 3G-sustaining two backup sim-card slots, located under the back cover, while a Hub Regular has 1x 2G-able sim-slot only. Next to them, the power supply input is located along with the RJ-45 LAN cable input. Regarding real distinctions, I’d like to pick out an increased system’s scale.

Company scale, building scale, the system scale, and I mean the number of people in interaction with the system and connected devices. It’s 50 users' support for a Regular Hub and 100 users' support for a Hub Plus. A connected device amount rate is 100 for a regular Hub, and 150 for a Plus version. In addition, a Plus version offers Wi-fi connection support, so you don’t have to stretch the cable, but you can just enable wi-fi. The installing tip I got for this one – it just shouldn’t be in a view sight, place it behind furniture, just don’t let it be in a view sight.

Ajax MotionProtect & MotionProtect Plus

Next in line is a MotionProtect Plus Device, the detector #1 in a system, based on an infrared sensor, located right behind a piece of plastic on the front panel. A passive infrared sensor working principle lies in detecting an infrared light or a heat emmiting from objects in its field of view, and as we all are warm-bloded – we are emmiting heat with our bodies, and the infrared sensor created the way to spot and register that heat in it’s sight, which is a 12 meters distance both for the Ajax MotionProtect Plus and regular versions.

Also, the MotionProtect was created that way to ignore pets under a weight of 20 kilograms or 44 pounds; thus, it is immune to pet detection, and you don’t have to worry about false alarms caused by pets. So, within those 12 meters, in an armed position, the sensor spots all the movements in sight. Unlike MotionProtect Regular, the Plus Version has an additional microwave sensor, which makes it suitable for rooms with air conditioners, fireplaces, and where there is a probability of light flickering, glare, and similar.

Although this function in stock reduces the sensor’s battery life from up to 7 years for a regular version to up to 5 years for a Plus. Also, we got a reduced operating range in open area from 1,700 meters for a regular MotionProtect to 1,200 for a plus. Anyways, 5 five years is still a great indicator of a battery life, and twelve hundred is good too, besides, the sensor's active area is 12 meters.

Ajax DoorProtect & DoorProtect Plus

DoorProtect Plus is a fairly simple sensor, and so is its basic operating principle. However, what is not immediately clear from its name is that it also functions as a window-opening detector, suitable for both doors and windows.

The box includes an additional magnetic contact, which is ideal for mounting on a window, as well as a main sensor unit. Interestingly, the additional contact is designed in the same form as the main sensor, though it is simply a magnet intended for door installation.

The operating principle relies on a reed switch, which detects whether the contacts are open or closed based on the magnetic field. Now, what distinguishes the Plus version from the standard DoorProtect is the built-in accelerometer. This enables the sensor to detect tilting or impacts on the attached door or window.

So, how does this accelerometer affect your interaction with the device? It adds valuable functionality. First, it allows the sensor to detect whether the door or window has been physically tampered with or tilted unexpectedly. Second, it enables the system to be armed even when the sensor is in a half-open state - for example, when a window is in ventilation mode with a gap between the sensor and magnetic contact. In this case, the sensor remembers its baseline position and will only trigger an alert if there is a further tilt or tampering beyond that initial state.

You simply mount it on a door or window, arm your system, and if an intruder opens it, you will be instantly notified thanks to the reed switch mechanism. The operational range for both sensors is 1,200 meters, with a ping frequency of every 12 seconds. Additionally, the sensor can be paired with a wired NC (Normally Closed) detector for extended use cases.

Ajax SpaceControl KeyFob

Basically, it’s a phone replacement with a physical buttons for the fans of the ones. Ajax SpaceControl Keyfob. Why does it exists as the interacting with system happens completely via the phone? Because during emergency cases, seconds determine the outcome. Get a phone out of pocket, unlock it, type the passcode, get into the app, unlock it with a passcode, go to arming screen, press the button.

Or just take this one and press physicall button with, you know, this button touch feeling and the LED-indicator feedback, located in the middle here among all buttons. Faster. And that is why convenient. Four buttons, where a full circle is arm the system, torned circle is disarm, opposite side “c” letter is a night mode and the exclamation point inside of circle is a panic button, often triggered to call a security company.

Connection Part

The connection part requires us to have an Ajax Free App installed on our phone. And of course, we gotta create a user account in there.

Conclusion

To conclude, we got a lot of updates and a really important feature in a StarterKit Plus. That includes wi-fi data transmission support, two backup 3g sim-card slots in stock, increased systems’s scale with the increased simultaniously connected devices and users amount for a Hub Plus, you have a microwave sensor in a MotionProtect Plus, got an accelerometer in stock of a DoorProtect Plus and thus it can detect an impact applied to an adjoining door or a window – here I mean that it isn’t just an internal memory size increase, or some very extra additions, but a really awesome features that open up a new possibilities.