Ring Alarm Pro

from $250 / ring.com

If all goes well your alarm system will never have anything to do, so you might as well give it another job in the meantime – and that’s where Ring’s Alarm Pro comes into its own.

As well as helping to keep your castle secure with its 104db siren, the Alarm Pro doubles as a mesh Wi-fi system – and one that offers extra protection for your network via Eero Secure. The base station is capable of maximum speeds of 900Mbps over 1500sq ft, but each extra node you add to the system adds another 1500sq ft on top of that, so connected devices such as Ring’s security cams, smart lights and video doorbells should be able to maintain a steady connection no matter how big your gaff is.

SURFER WHIRL

The connectivity features haven’t just been tacked on either – this is a seriously powerful smart home hub that supports 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ networks, Wi-fi 6 and Z-wave for connecting compatible third-party smart devices, and includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports.

For $250 you just get the base station, but Ring sells packages that include various door, window and motion sensors – and you can always buy more if necessary. There’s also a wireless keypad for arming and disarming the system, but you can use the Ring app to do that anyway. Plus you can turn different sensors on and off individually.

So where’s the catch? Well, it’s currently only available to buy in the US, but word on the street is that Ring is working on a UK version right now.