People typically chose to buy home security after a major event, like a burglary or vandalism at their own or a nearby property. This puts that on edge feeling to bed and gets back that all important peace of mind, which at the end of the day is the main point of a residential/ small commercial system. There are many avenues you can explore to achieve this peace of mind, all that provide detection of different things, the most common are prevention based, evidenced based, and environmental based detection.
And while in theory, that's all well and good, the problem lies here. Choosing to implement all three levels of home security into your home or business can be quite expensive, and sometimes, dare I say on behalf a company that sells these products, unnecessary. But this is why an article like this needs to be written, we're going to explain each of the previously mentioned detection types, the specific styles we offer on our site, and the relationships each type and the brands within them have with each other. If there's a specific style you want to better understand, you can use this point to skip right to it:
Prevention based (intruder/ burglar alarms)
Environmental based (fire detection)
How to Identify which type of home security you need
Evidence Based Detection (CCTV Systems)
CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) is a security system based on capturing evidence of events for the unlikely event of prosecution, over time it has evolved into a much more convenient addition to a property (in my opinion the most convenient out of the three). While originally meant just for monitoring, it has now grown into something that allow communication from anywhere with someone at your front door, allows you to identify people, vehicles and packages as they arrive/ leave and even help in the prevention of intruders (while not as effective as a full intruder alarm system, it is still very impressive).
We sell 3 main brands of CCTV, SPRO CCTV, Reolink UK, and Hilook by Hikvision. Reolink Cameras excel at wireless connectivity and home automation, Hilook is a great entry level system, and SPRO CCTV is a powerhouse on par with the likes of Hikvision and Dahua, perfect for both residential and commercial systems. For a more in-depth breakdown of our surveillance systems checkout our article titled " Your 2026 CCTV Security Buyer’s Guide – Top Brands Reviewed ".
With the installation of googles home assistant of Amazons Alexa, you can integrate Reolink cameras into your smart home set up. SPRO CCTV's approach to home security allows for seamless integration with one of our Intruder systems (which you can find out in the next section). This creates a system that is controlled from one app and alarms from the CCTV can trigger the intruder alarms also.
If you feel like a CCTV system is the best fit for your property, you can explore some of our surveillance options here.
Prevention Based Detection (Intruder/ Burglar Alarms)
Intruder/ Burglar alarms are detection systems based on preventing, well, an intruder before they can get inside a property. To do this they use a number of devices that link back to extremely loud sirens like motion detectors, glass break detectors for windows, door detectors that go off upon forced entry & sometime hard banging.
To make life easier during installs we use the wireless home security intruder alarm ranges Dahua AirShield and Ajax Systems' Baseline. Choosing a wireless option creates shorter set up times, no need to buy cables, and much more convenient for app and remote use just to name a few.
The intruder alarm system that integrates with SPRO CCTV is in fact the Dahua AirShield, this creates an ideal situation where if the worst case should occur, and an intruder does attempt a break in, not only will your alarms prevent it, but your surveillance will also capture evidence of it for you to use if needed. Our other brand, Ajax Systems', has seamless integration with its own other home security products. For us, and in turn for you, means its fire detection system EN54. If you have a commercial space that needs meeting regulations for fire safety, business insurance or any number of health and safety hoops you need to jump through, controlling all your intruder and fire systems in one go is the logical choice to follow.
If your main priority is prevention without the need of evidence, check out our range of intruder alarm brands here.
Environmental Detection (Fire Detection Systems & More)
Environmental detection is about protecting from damage caused by the elements, but we're not talking about heavy rain or bath weather. The most well-known and harshest name within this type of home security is fire detection, which I'm sure you are well aware detects heat, smoke & fire. But there is more to it, environmental systems also include water leak detectors, remote controlled water shut offs & air quality monitors.
Both our intruder alarm ranges include some kind of water leak or water stop products in their line, but our main source of environmental product like is Ajax Systems EN54 wireless detection system. As we mentioned previously this system works perfectly with Ajax Systems' Intruder ranges, we also have an article detailing how the EN54 system work you can check out here.
Should you be looking to meet fire safety regulations for a commercial property you own or are responsible for, check out the EN54 range here.
How to Decide on the Best Home Security System for You
When making any invest there are always certain factors to consider before making a purchase, and while we can't make the decision for you, we can provide you with the questions and where your answers will lead you based on our professional opinion. The things we believe you should consider are your homes current vulnerabilities, your budget, your backup plan & who controls it.
The most important thing to actually protecting your home is finding out where your homes vulnerabilities are. Ask yourself the following the questions to see if they get you peace of mind:
1. How easy is the property to access for others?
2. Is my property currently meeting health and safety regulations?
3. Do I need evidence if someone enters my property or will stopping the attempt be enough?
If your property is vulnerable because of easy access, both CCTV and Intruder home security systems will both contribute to preventing that, if you don't meet current H&S regulations you must invest in fire detection. Choosing between CCTV or intruder alarms based on vulnerabilities lies between whether or not evidence of the event will help give you peace of mind.
Next on our list is budget, if you have no budget be my guest and buy all our products you desire, but the likelihood is that's not the case. This is where you need to prioritise, the most expensive parts of any system are the Hubs / Recorders. Having to buy multiple of these will significantly increase the costs you pay, so look for compatible home security systems to reduce that. For example, if you need a fire detection system and also want either CCTV or a burglar alarm, choosing an Ajax Systems' Intruder alarm will mean you only have to buy the fire control panel and no other hubs/ NVR's for your intruder/ CCTV. Inversely, if you wanted a surveillance system, choosing SPRO CCTV would allow you integrate with Dahua AirShield, making them the most logical matchup.
Your backup plan is a tricky thing to think about but were not talking spies cutting the cables to your cameras. Say you want CCTV. You need to consider how your home security reacts when there's a power cut. What is your backup plan? Do you go with battery powered Reolink cameras? Or do you go with a wireless intruder system to keep the fort safe while your cameras are inactive? Combine this line of questioning with whether or not each option will fit into your budget and your well on your way to knowing exactly which system or systems suit your home the best.
Finally, is who controls it, and much like most of the other option, it depends on if external monitoring falls into your home security budget. If you want it, consider having a monitoring company look over your system, so if something triggers and you're not home, they can automatically send the appropriate authorities over. This is only available for fire detection and intruder alarm systems. Should you not like the idea of this and prefer to monitor the property yourself, remote viewing through a CCTV system is the best path for you.
Considering these points when it comes to putting together your ideal home security system, you can create something that covers your biggest vulnerabilities and fits within your budget without having to sacrifice having a backup plan. So, whether its CCTV from SPRO CCTV or Reolink UK, Intruder alarms from Dahua or Ajax Systems' or EN54 Fire detection, you'll know you've made the right decision.
