How to set up Amazon Echo’s new home security feature for Alexa Guard Plus

The Amazon Echo has some new home security features that are currently going live. In addition to other things, your Amazon Echo can make it sound like a dog is barking inside your home if your security cameras sense movement when you’re not home.

The feature is essential for Alexa Guard Plus, a subscription service that costs $4.99 every month or $49 every year following a 30-day free preliminary. It’s another way Amazon is using the Echo to produce repeating income from its hardware, but on the other hand, it’s valuable for people who might not have any desire to pay for a full-blown security system.

Guard Plus can likewise make you aware of any sounds in your home utilizing your Amazon Echo and sound an alarm if an activity is recognized inside. You can likewise ask that your Echo call an emergency helpline in case you’re home and there’s an intruder.

How to set up Alexa Guard Plus on Amazon Echo

• First, you need to sign up for the preliminary on Amazon’s website or say “Alexa, try Guard Plus” close to your Amazon Echo.

• Open the Alexa app on your phone.

• Tap “More” on the bottom right.

• Select Settings.

• Tap “Guard” toward the bottom of the page.

• You’ll see an option to set up Guard with your current gadgets, yet it’s simpler to tap the Settings icon on the top right of the page to move through the entirety of the alternatives.

• Pick “Dog barking sounds” under “Deter” to set your Echo to endeavor to frighten away intruders while you’re away. This requires cameras that are either outdoors or confronting outdoors. Select the cameras you want to use.

• Pick “Activity Sounds with Siren” to have your Echo sound an alarm in case you’re away from home and it hears somebody inside. Amazon cautions that a pet can trigger this, so think about that.

• Finally, tap “Emergency Helpline.” This is the place where you’ll enter your address if you need to connect for help. On the off chance that you have an emergency, simply say “Alexa, call for help.” It will dial “trained agents who can request the dispatch of emergency responders — such as police, the fire department or an ambulance, on your behalf.” Note this isn’t 911 and is just accessible in the U.S. Agents are accessible 24/7.

If you would prefer not to pay, there’s likewise a free tier of Alexa Guard that is really helpful.

For example, you can select “Away Lighting” under “Deter,” which turns your smart lights on and off when you’re away to make it appear as though you’re home. Amazon says it gains from your regular patterns, so it’s not simply random.

The free tier can likewise make you aware of smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or if your Echo hears glass breaking. Simply pick “Sound Detection” under “Detect.”

Whenever you’re set-up, simply say “Alexa, I’m leaving,” to turn on away mode.

You can likewise set Alexa to monitor from your phone when you take off from the house. At the point when you return home, simply say “Alexa, I’m home.”