How to set up Amazon Echo’s new home security features

The Amazon Echo has new home security features that are now live. Among other things, your Amazon Echo can make a dog appear to be barking inside your home if your security cameras detect motion when you are away from 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. This is another way for Amazon to use the Echo to generate recurring revenue from its hardware, but it’s also useful for people who might not want to pay for a full security system.

Guard Plus can also alert you to any sound in your home using your Amazon Echo and sound a siren if activity is detected inside. You can also ask your Echo to call an emergency helpline if you are at home and there is an intruder.

Here’s how to set it up:

• You must first sign up for the trial on the Amazon website or say “Alexa, try Guard Plus” next to your Amazon Echo.
• Open the Alexa app on your phone.
• Tap “More” at the bottom right.
• Choose Settings.
• Press “Guard” near the bottom of the page.
• You’ll see an option to configure Guard with your existing devices, but it’s easier to tap the Settings icon at the top right of the page to browse through all of the options.
• Choose “Dog Barking Sounds” under “Dissuade” to adjust your echo to try to scare off intruders while you are away. This requires cameras that are outside or facing the outside. Select the cameras you want to use.
• Choose “Activity Sounds with Siren” to have your Echo sound a siren if you are away from home and hear someone inside. Amazon warns that a pet can trigger this, so think about it.
• Finally, tap on “Emergency Assistance Service”. This is where you’ll enter your address in case you need to ask for help. If you have an emergency, just say “Alexa, call for help”. It will consist of “trained officers who can request the dispatch of first aid workers – such as the police, fire department or an ambulance, on your behalf.” Note that this is not 911 and is only available in the United States.

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

For example, you can select “Outdoor Lights” under “Deter,” which turns your smart lights on and off when you are away to make it seem like you are home. Amazon says it learns from your usual models, so it’s not just hit and miss.

The free level can also alert you to smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or if your Echo hears a broken glass. Just choose “Sound Detection” under “Detect”.

Once you’re set up, just say “Alexa, I’m leaving” to activate away mode.

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