How much is necessary?

A question I am often asked is whether you need to have a detector in every room for your alarm system.

The answer is an emphatic “NO”

It’s about balancing risk and cost.

The risks are the rooms likely to be a point of entry for a burglar, and the rewards available in that room which would mean they would be satisfied, and leave the house without investigating any other rooms.

If someone broke into the primary bedroom, would they be happy with the jewelry there? Maybe.

If someone broke into your lounge, would they be happy stealing the games console and games, the laptop, the iPad? Quite possibly.

If someone broke into your kitchen, would they be happy stealing your toaster? Almost certainly no.

So, no detector in the kitchen, then, but maybe one in the lounge, and the primary bedroom. Certainly one on the landing, and probably one in the entrance hall. Not one in the bathroom, for sure, and probably not in the toddler’s room – but maybe in the teenager’s room, if they have a lot of tech in there – but again maybe not if the teenager’s room is difficult to get into.

It’s impossible to give a blanket rule for all houses, because all houses are different.

So please, have a look at home, and analyse – what’s worth stealing, and how easy is it to get to?

Stay secure.