We tell you what Alexa Guard is, what it can do, and how to set it up.
What Alexa Guard does
Alexa Guard is a free home security feature you can activate in your Alexa-compatible smart speaker or smart display device, like Echo Show. When you enable Alexa Guard, it lets your Amazon Echo device listen for suspicious sounds when you’re asleep, away from home, or any time you want some extra protection.
If something out of the ordinary is detected, Alexa will notify you so you can check in and take the appropriate action to keep your home safe. Guard listens for things like glass breaking or your smoke/carbon monoxide alarms going off.
Alexa Guard sends notifications to your phone. But you can also get smart alerts through your home security system if you have a system like Ring or ADT that works with Alexa Guard.
Rundown of Alexa Guard capabilities
- Listen: When you set Alexa Guard to Away mode, your Echo device will listen for sounds like the smoke detector, the carbon monoxide alarm, or breaking glass.
- Send smart alerts: When Alexa picks up one of the sounds it’s listening for, you’ll get a smart alert with a clip of the sound. Alerts go to your smartphone through the Alexa app, and you can listen to the clip or “Drop In” on your Amazon Echo speaker to remotely listen to what’s going on.
- Control smart lights: If a sound is detected, Alexa can automatically turn your smart lights on or off to make it seem like someone’s at home.
- Work with your security system: Alexa Guard currently integrates with home security systems from ADT and Ring Alarm. This adds an extra layer of protection because Alexa can automatically arm your system when a sound is detected.
How to set up Alexa Guard
Setting up Alexa Guard is surprisingly easy.
- Open your Alexa app.
- Go to Settings.
- Scroll down and select Guard.
- Select Set up Guard at the bottom of the screen.
- Use the guided navigation to select the smart alerts you want (smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds, glass breaking, away lighting).
- Add your zip code if you select “away lighting” alerts. Guard uses sunset and sunrise times where you live to provide accurate smart light assistance.
- Confirm your selections.
How to use Alexa Guard
After you set up Alexa Guard in your Alexa app, all you have to do is say, “Alexa, I’m leaving,” and Guard will switch to Away mode.
To deactivate Alexa Guard, you simply say, “Alexa, I’m home.” That will change your Guard status to Home mode.
If you’re not near your Alexa device and want to activate or turn off Alexa Guard, you can use the Alexa app. Go to the Guard section of the app and select the mode you want.
How do I know Alexa Guard is working?
If you have an Amazon Echo smart speaker without a display, the light ring on your Echo will show a rotating white light.
If you have an Echo with a display, like Amazon Echo Show, your device will show a shield icon on its home screen.
Either the rotating white light or the shield will remain active as long as Alexa Guard is in Away mode.
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