Pro-tect your home and contents

*Touch wood* I've never been burgled, but I know loved ones who have and know the trauma it causes and the havoc it wreaks.  It's not just about having valuable items stolen.  Worse than that it's the invasion of your home; the loss of irreplaceable family items and mementos; the hassle of organising repairs to doors and windows; changing of locks; endless calls to your insurance company;  time spent giving statements and details to the police.

The new system from Pro-Tec offers a wireless, self-install system which can give you peace of mind while away from your home - whether that's for a holiday or just to nip to the shops.

With motion sensors and door contact fixings you can leave your home safe in the knowledge that you'll be looked after.

The whole system works via a hub, connected to your phone line.  It's unobtrusive, and sits happily next to my phone, it's little green eyes beaming at me.  When you go out, you activate it via a key fob, giving you time to leave the house and lock the door behind you. If there's a breach of security in your home once you're out, the professionally trained monitors will listen in via your phone line to establish what's going on.  They can then notify you (or any number of named key-holders) by phone to discuss what action to take.  If they hear criminal activity they'll immediately dial 999 on your behalf.

The system was quick and straightforward to set up - I got a few grumbles presenting this to my Other Half at 9 o clock in the evening before we were due to go away for the weekend.  But once he knuckled down and read the instructions properly he had it all up and working in less than an hour.

There are even super-strong sticky attachments for the motion sensors meaning you don't even need any DIY skills!

Because you install it yourself, and it can easily be removed with no damage, it's perfect for those in rented accommodation, or for students away in halls.

The helpline staff were really friendly and helpful too when I called to register my details, and I was very impressed with the service they gave.

But Pro-tect is more than just a burglar alarm.  This clever bit of kit allows you to chose the right package for your needs, or add on extra components.  Not only does it look after home security, but you can also connect it to your smoke alarms; carbon monoxide detectors; panic buttons and medical alerts.

So it's ideal for:

• General home security
• Students away from home
• Rented accommodation
• Elderly or disabled people wanting to retain independence
• Those living in vulnerable situations

I have to say, we haven't had the opportunity to fully test it out (thank goodness we've not been broken into!) but having it in place gives me peace of mind.  I've even managed to remember to shut the dog away at night, away from the motion sensors so she doesn't accidentally set it off!

Our dog would bark if there was ever an intruder, but knowing this system is in place for times when we're all out or away on holiday, or the neighbours are out means I don't have to give my belongings a second thought.

I really like the fact that you can buy add ons.  We may invest in additional door contact pieces so we can secure all entry points.  You can buy an external dummy box for the front of the house, shock sensors for windows and additional motion sensors.

Prices start at £99.99 for a basic package and £9.95 a month for 24 hour monitoring.

Disclosure: We were sent a Home Protect Package for the purpose of this review.