Ajax: What the Kit Does for a UK Household in an Emergency

Ajax Systems makes a modular alarm and monitoring system: a central hub, detectors for intrusion, fire and water, keypads and sirens, cameras and recorders, and relays that switch other equipment. For a household preparing for emergencies, the useful question is not what the system does day to day but what it does when the power fails, a pipe bursts or a storm takes out the broadband. The maker's own manuals answer that in some detail.

The short answer is that the system is built to keep watching when the mains goes off. Wireless devices carry on running on their pre-installed batteries, and hubs have a built-in rechargeable backup battery, with one exception: Superior Hub Hybrid needs a third-party 12 V battery fitted in its casing¹. A hub with a backup battery keeps Fibra wired devices powered too, including wired devices whose own external supply has failed¹.

What you lose in a long outage is the remote side. Remote control, configuration in the Ajax apps and push notifications all need internet access². So the system still detects and still sounds its sirens, but your phone may stop telling you about it. That single point shapes how a household should plan around Ajax kit: treat it as a local alarm that survives the power cut, and treat the phone alerts as a bonus that depends on the broadband.

What Ajax makes for UK households

Ajax builds one system out of many parts, and the parts fall into a few clear groups. There are hubs, which are the control units that every other device talks to. There are detectors for intrusion, fire and water. There are keypads and sirens for arming, disarming and warning. There are cameras and recorders for seeing what is happening. And there are relays and switches that let the system act on the world, shutting off water or cutting power to a circuit.

Two product lines sit side by side. The Jeweller range is wireless and connects over the Jeweller radio protocol. The Superior range is sold, installed and maintained only by accredited Ajax Systems partners, a restriction the maker repeats across its Superior manuals⁵. For a household, that means the Jeweller range is the one you are most likely to meet through a local installer, while Superior kit arrives through a specialist.

The system is designed to be extended. A water damage prevention setup can carry up to 250 devices, and devices are added by scanning their QR codes in the Ajax apps⁷. That matters for preparedness: you can start with a hub and a couple of detectors and add fire, flood and camera coverage as your plan develops, rather than buying everything at once.

Hubs: the control unit that links every device

The hub is the centre of everything. Hub 2 Plus is described as the central device in the Ajax system, controlling the operation of all connected devices and interacting with the user and the security company⁴. Hub Plus is the indoor-only central device, coordinating connected devices and talking to the user and the security company⁸. Superior Hub Hybrid 2 is a hybrid control panel compatible with both wired and wireless Ajax devices⁹.

Capacity is the first thing to check, because it decides how far your plan can grow.

Two details matter for a household. First, the hub's front logo lights in red, white, purple, yellow, blue or green depending on status, which gives you a quick visual check that the system is alive¹⁰. Second, the hub's capacity is a hard ceiling: once you reach it, no further devices can be added, so plan the fire, flood and intrusion coverage you want before you choose the model.

Range is the other limit. Ajax ReX is a range extender that boosts the range of all Ajax devices and manages their communication with the hub over Jeweller³. In a large or thick-walled house, a repeater is often what makes the difference between a detector that reports reliably and one that drops out.

Detectors for intrusion, fire and flooding

The detectors are where the system earns its place in a household plan, because each one covers a different kind of emergency.

For fire, FireProtect 2 (Heat) Jeweller is a wireless fire detector with heat sensors³. Its most important property is interconnect: through an Ajax hub it activates up to 200 fire detectors in 20 seconds, which the maker describes as three times faster than the fire standard requires³. In a house, that means a fire detected in one room can set off the alarms throughout, giving everyone time to get out. The maker also offers a combined heat and smoke version, FireProtect 2 RB (Heat/Smoke) UL Jeweller, with remote control and configuration through the Ajax apps⁶.

For water, there are two parts. LeaksProtect Jeweller is the leak detector, and a single Ajax system can carry up to 250 of them⁷. WaterStop Jeweller is a smart water shutoff valve, designed for indoor use and compatible with cold and hot water pipes¹¹. It works with LeaksProtect Jeweller and with third-party detectors connected through an Ajax integration module¹². A water damage prevention system can carry up to 250 leak detectors and shutoff valves⁷.

The automation is what turns detection into action. WaterStop supports scenarios triggered by an alarm, by a change of security mode, on a schedule, by button, by temperature, by humidity and by CO2 concentration¹³. In practice, a household can have the water shut off automatically when a leak is detected, or when the system is armed and the house is empty.

Sirens, keypads and key fobs

Keypads are how people who do not want to use a phone arm and disarm the system. KeyPad Plus Jeweller is a wireless touch keypad that manages the system with encrypted contactless cards and key fobs, connecting over the Jeweller secure radio protocol¹⁴. KeyPad TouchScreen Jeweller adds a touch screen, and Superior KeyPad TouchScreen Fibra is a wired keypad with a touch screen designed for managing the Ajax system, exchanging data with the hub over the secure Fibra wired communication protocol¹⁵.

One warning from the maker is worth repeating. The KeyPad TouchScreen's buzzer is not a siren; it is meant for additional notifications only, and Ajax sirens are the devices designed to deter intruders¹⁷. A household that wants an audible warning should fit a siren, not rely on the keypad.

Keypads also carry a feature that matters in a frightening situation. A duress code entered at the keypad does not activate sirens or show visible alerts in the apps, but sends a silent alarm to the security company and to users¹⁷. That is a safety feature for a household, not a substitute for calling the police in an emergency.

Capacity is limited: up to 10 keypads and sirens combined can be added to a hub¹⁶. Plan the positions, front door and back door usually, before you buy.

Running on batteries when the power or internet goes down

This is the section that matters most on a preparedness site, and the maker has published a clear account of it.

Wireless devices continue to operate on pre-installed batteries as before a power outage, and devices with an optional external power supply run on their pre-installed batteries if that supply is unavailable¹. Fibra devices are powered by the hub's backup battery during an outage, including wired devices whose optional external supply has failed¹. Third-party wired devices are kept going by the backup battery in the integration module, by the module's pre-installed batteries, or by the hub's or a LineSupply Fibra backup battery, depending on the module used¹.

Hubs, apart from Superior Hub Hybrid, have a built-in backup battery that provides system operation during a power outage¹. Superior Hub Hybrid instead needs a third-party 12 V battery installed in the casing, and with default settings, GSM only, disarmed and thirty wired devices connected, it gives up to 60 hours of backup battery operation¹.

Two settings help stretch that backup. Battery power saver keeps the hub connected to Ajax Cloud for 10 minutes by default after any system event, adjustable from 5 minutes to 1 hour¹⁰. The hub can also be woken on any device event, on a scheduled wake-up set in the Ajax PRO apps, or on demand by sending an SMS with a secure code to the hub's SIM number¹.

Automation and smart home devices that need an external power supply stop working in a power loss, while devices on pre-installed batteries are unaffected; the notification about connection loss can be turned on or off in device settings¹. For a household, that is the line between what stays useful and what goes quiet.

Setting up and managing the system from the Ajax app

The Ajax apps are how the system is configured and watched. Settings are reached by selecting the space, going to the Control tab, tapping the gear icon in the bottom right corner, setting the parameters and tapping Back to save⁸. Notifications are set per user under Control, then Settings, then Users, selecting the user and opening their Notification settings¹⁸.

What the system tells you depends on the event. System alarms cover intrusion, a hold-up alarm, fire, leakage and loss of connection between the hub and the Ajax Cloud server¹⁸. Alarm notifications can arrive as calls, push notifications with a siren sound, or SMS, though calls are not available for messages about the loss of connection between hub and cloud¹⁸. Camera detectors triggering send push notifications with the standard signal sound¹⁸. Push notifications are sent by the Ajax Cloud server over the internet to the user's app¹⁸.

That last point is the one to plan around. If the broadband is down, the push notifications stop, even though the system itself is still working. A household that wants alerts during an outage should look at the hub's own communication channels: Hub Plus can use Ethernet, Wi-Fi and the GSM network⁸, and Hub BP Jeweller connects to the internet only via a cellular network, setting its APN settings automatically².

For anyone running more than ten hubs, the maker directs users to Ajax PRO: Tool for Engineers or Ajax PRO Desktop¹⁰. For a single household, the standard Ajax Security System app is the one you will use.

Professional installation and monitoring in the UK

Ajax kit can be installed by a householder, but the professional route is where monitoring and standards compliance come in. The Superior range is restricted: only accredited Ajax Systems partners can sell, install and maintain Ajax Superior products⁵. That applies across the Superior line, including keypads, cameras and motion detectors⁵.

For monitored systems, the hub can talk to a central monitoring station. Hub 2 Plus supports telephony settings that let it communicate with a central monitoring station over the SIP protocol⁴. Keypads and the wider system can transmit events and alarms to a monitoring station using SurGard (Contact ID), ADEMCO 685, SIA (DC-09) and other protocol formats¹⁴.

For UK installers, the maker provides a route to the British security standard. The PD 6662 setting wizard in the Ajax PRO app opens a step-by-step guide to setting up the system to comply with PD 6662:2017, reached at Hub, then Settings, then Service, then PD 6662 Setting Wizard¹⁰. If your insurer or installer asks for a system installed to a standard, that wizard is how the hub is configured for it.

Support and warranty

Ajax Systems Manufacturing products carry a warranty valid for 2 years after purchase². The DoorBell product page states a 24 month warranty²¹, which is the same period expressed in months.

Technical support is available around the clock. The maker states that its AI-powered chatbot and professional technical support team are available 24/7⁴, and the contact address given is support@ajax.systems⁵. The maker's advice is to contact technical support first if a device is not working correctly, because in many cases issues can be resolved remotely⁸.

For a household, that means keeping the purchase details and the installer's contact to hand, and using the maker's support before assuming a device has failed. If a device does not function correctly, the NVR manual says to contact Ajax Technical Support first, since most technical issues can be resolved remotely²².

Safety notices and recalls

An alarm system is safety equipment, and safety equipment needs checking. The Office for Product Safety and Standards issues recalls and alert notices on its website, and that is where to look for official product safety action²³. Recalls do happen to fire equipment: a product recall was issued for Bull and Cygnus Fire Alarm Detection Systems²³.

The wider principle is registration. Fire and rescue services and safety bodies advise registering electrical items and appliances with the manufacturer so you can be contacted if there is a safety recall²⁴. Do the same with any alarm or detection equipment you buy, and keep the receipt.

For the home more broadly, the fire and rescue service advises registering appliances so you can be contacted easily if there is a safety recall for your product²⁵. The same discipline applies to an Ajax system: register it, keep the paperwork, and act on any notice you receive.

Where Ajax fits a household plan

Ajax is not a substitute for the basics. A household still needs water, food, light, warmth and a way to stay informed, and the site's guides to getting started, the emergency kit and backup power cover those. What Ajax adds is early warning and, with WaterStop, automatic action on a burst pipe.

The realistic role for the kit is threefold. It gives you fire interconnect that works across the house in 20 seconds³. It gives you flood detection and shutoff that works without you being at home¹¹. And it gives you intrusion alerts that keep running on batteries when the mains fails¹. What it does not give you, without internet, is a message on your phone².

Plan around that gap. Know which of your devices keep working in an outage, keep spare batteries for the devices that use them, and check the app after any long power cut. The site's guides to power cuts, home emergencies and home security set out the wider household routine that the kit supports.