How to set up Amazon Echo new home security features

The Amazon Echo has a number of new home security features that are now going live. Among other things, your Amazon Echo can make it sound like a dog is barking in your house when your security cameras detect movement when you’re not at home.

The feature is part of Alexa Guard Plus, a subscription service that costs $ 4.99 per month or $ 49 per year after a 30-day free trial. It’s another way Amazon uses the Echo to generate recurring revenue from its hardware, but it’s also useful for people who may not want to pay for a full security system.

Guard Plus can also alert you to noises in your home using your Amazon Echo and sound a siren if activity is detected indoors. You can also ask your ultrasound to call an emergency hotline when you get home and there is an intruder.

Here’s how to set it up:

• First, you need to sign up for the trial on Amazon’s website, or say “Alexa, try Guard Plus” near your Amazon Echo.
• Open the Alexa app on your phone.
• Tap ‘More’ at the bottom right.
• Choose settings.
• Tap ‘Monitor’ at the bottom of the page.
• You will see an option to set up Guard with your existing devices, but it is easier to tap the Settings icon at the top right of the page to cycle through all the options.
• Select “Dog Barks” under “Deter” to set up your Echo to scare intruders while you are away. This requires cameras that are outdoors or facing out. Select the cameras you want to use.
• Select “Activity Sounds with Siren” to have your echo sound a siren when you are not at home and hear someone inside. Amazon warns that a pet can trigger this, so keep that in mind.
• Finally, tap on ‘Emergency Helpline’. Here you enter your address in case you need help. If you have an emergency, just say “Alexa, call for help.” It calls “trained agents who can request assistance from emergency responders, such as police, fire or an ambulance, on your behalf.” Please note this is not 911 and is only available in the US. Agents are available 24/7.

If you don’t want to pay, there is also a free level of Alexa Guard which is quite useful.

For example, you can select ‘Away Light’ under ‘Deter’, which will turn your smart bulbs on and off when you’re away to make it look like you’re at home. Amazon says it learns from your normal patterns, so it’s not just random.

The free tier can also alert you to smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, or if your Echo hears glass breaking. Just choose “Sound Detection” under “Detect”.

When you’re done, just say “Alexa, I’m leaving” to enable Away Mode.

You can also set Alexa to monitor from your phone when you leave the house. When you get home, just say “Alexa, I’m home.”