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

Amazon Echo has some new home security features now being released. Among other things, your Amazon Echo can make it look like a dog barks indoors if 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 a month or $ 49 a year after a free 30-day trial. It’s another way Amazon uses Echo to generate recurring revenue from their 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 any sound in your home using your Amazon Echo and sound a siren if activity is detected inside. You can also ask Echo to call an emergency helpline if you are home and there is an intruder.

Here’s how to set it up:

• You must first register for the test on the Amazon 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 “Save” at 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 scroll through all the options.
• Choose “Dog barking sounds” to “Stop” to set up your Eco to try to scare away intruders while you’re away. This requires cameras that are outdoors or facing the outside. Select the cameras you want to use.
• Choose “Siren Activity Sounds” to make your echo sound like a siren if you’re outside the house and you hear someone inside. Amazon warns that a pet can cause this, so keep that in mind.
• Finally, tap “Emergency Helpline.” This is where you enter your address in case you need help. If you have an emergency, just say “Alexa, ask for help.” It will mark “trained officers who can request the dispatch of emergencies, such as police, firefighters or an ambulance, on your behalf.” Please note that this is not 911 and is only available in the US. Agents are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you don’t want to pay, there’s also a pretty helpful level of Alexa Guard.

For example, you can select “Lighting away from home” in “Stop,” which turns the smart lights on and off when you’re not there to make it look like you’re home. Amazon says it learns from your usual patterns, so it’s not just random.

The free level can also alert you to smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, or if your Eco feels the glass break. Just choose “Sound Detection” from “Detect”.

Once you’ve set it up, just say “Alexa, I’m leaving,” to activate the exit mode.

You can also set Alexa to save your phone when you leave home. When you get home, you just have to say “Alexa, I’m home.”