The Shop, The Barn,
The ADU Out Back
The detached spaces hold the expensive stuff — tools, toys, a workshop — and they're usually the least protected, because they have no power or internet to build on. Here's how to fix that.
Think about where the valuable, portable, easy-to-resell things actually live: the detached garage full of tools, the shop with the equipment, the barn, the ADU, the storage building at the back of the lot. Now think about how many of those have any security at all. Usually none — and thieves know it.
The reason is almost always the same: infrastructure. An outbuilding often has no reliable power and no internet, which is exactly what traditional security assumes. So it gets skipped. But that assumption is now optional.
The Foundation
Two Ways To Get It On A System
Everything depends first on how the outbuilding connects. There are two honest paths, and which one you need comes down to distance and power:
- Extend your existing system. If the outbuilding is close enough to the house to be within your Ajax hub's wireless range, you can simply add sensors out there to the system you already run. No second hub, no second app — the garage just becomes part of the house's coverage.
- Give it its own off-grid hub. If it's too far, or genuinely off-grid, the answer is the Ajax Hub BP ($599) — a battery-powered, cellular hub that needs neither the main WiFi nor wired power. A remote barn or a cabin at the back of the property gets a full system that stands entirely on its own.
That second option is what makes truly detached, powerless spaces protectable at all — it's the same reason it anchors our off-grid and RV builds.
What Goes In It
The Right Sensors For A Detached Space
Door + Motion
A DoorProtect Plus ($105) on the door catches entry and pry attempts; a MotionCam ($529) inside detects and photographs whoever's there, so an alert is verified, not guessed.
Camera + Siren
An Ajax camera ($449) covers the approach and interior in 4K; a StreetSiren ($249) turns a detected break-in into a loud, unwelcome event instead of a quiet one.
The photo-verification piece matters more here than anywhere. A detached shop is exactly where you don't want to drive out at 2 a.m. for a false alarm — so a MotionCam that sends a photo of what tripped it, wildlife or human, is worth its weight.
Why It's Worth It
Protect Where The Loss Actually Is
Here's the honest math: the detached garage or shop often holds more stealable value per square foot than the house — tools, equipment, bikes, gear — and almost never has the alarm, the cameras, or the siren the house does. It's the softest target on the property, guarding the densest value. Closing that gap is one of the highest-return security moves most people never make.
And because it all lives in the same Ajax app as the house, you're not managing two systems — just one, with the blind spot finally covered.
The Options
What It Costs
- Ajax Hub BP — $599. Battery + cellular hub for off-grid outbuildings.
- MotionCam — $529. Motion detection with a verifying photo.
- Ajax Camera — $449. 4K coverage inside and out.
- StreetSiren — $249. 150 dB deterrent.
- DoorProtect Plus — $105. Entry-door sensor with shock & tilt.
Keep Reading
Related Guides
- Outdoor & curtain detection — catching an approach before entry
- Active deterrence — sirens and cameras that stop, not just record
- Alta Labs networking — extending reliable coverage to outbuildings
Want The Detached Spaces
Finally Covered?
Tell us what's out back — the garage, the shop, the ADU, how far it sits and whether it has power — and we'll design coverage that fits, on your existing system or its own off-grid hub.