It does not matter how many days you will be out of home, visiting a family member, or taking a vacation. You must reassure that your house is in safe hands, Amazon Echo Home Security. It works perfectly as your guard from intrusion to sound detection.
There are various security systems available in the market that work with Amazon Alexa. Some of them offer basic features, whereas others provide you with add-ons from the Alexa app.
ALEXA GUARD; ECHO HOME SECURITY
Turning your smart speakers into a complete home security system.
Like me, if you own Amazon Echo Home Security, you already have a home protection feature at your hands, called ALEXA GUARD.
You can turn Alexa Guard from your device which enables instant notifications if there is any sound or motion like smoke alarms or glass breaking. It allows you to listen to all the sounds that are categorized as red flags for your home security.
Alexa Guard
I must tell you that with free Alexa Guard you only get the notifications along with other supported features like smart light access or other security devices connected with Alexa like ADT or Ring.
Alexa Guard Plus
Whereas with premium ALEXA GUARD PLUS, you get much more to your home security than voice controls and security alerts, such as;
- You can access emergency services.
- It works with all Echo smart devices like speakers or displays.
- Smart notifications are sent to your phone.
- Smart siren alert for intrusion or glass breaking.
- Smart light on and off access remotely even if you are far away from home.
Alexa Guard Device Compatibility
There are various options to get your Alexa Guard connected with other devices to add convenience and functionality to your existing or other devices, such as;
- Echo Dot; is a new smart voice-controlled speaker that works with Alexa. It is perfect for any room or space in the house to access all your features instantly.
- Echo Show; a smart speaker from the Alexa Echo line that comes with a display to complement Alexa Guard to access full features.
- Echo Studio; speaking of the most advanced speakers, Echo Studio is the biggest, most powerful, and highly advanced. It is highly impressive when it comes to Dolby Atom-like surrounding sound and voice control all in one device.
| Features | Echo Dot | Echo | Echo Plus | Echo Spot |
| Price | Under $5000 | Under $9000 | Under $15,000 | Under $13,000 |
| Support | Multiple rooms | Full room-filling sound | Premium sound with built-in hub | Compact screen |
| Speakers | 1.6” | 2.5” woofer, 0.6” tweeter | 3” woofer, .08 tweeter | 1.4” speaker |
| Display | – | – | – | 2.5” |
| Resolution | – | – | – | 480 x 480 |
| Smart device controls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in hub | – | – | Yes | – |
| Alexa calling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video calling to supported devices | – | – | – | Yes |
| Music streaming | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
If you are using any of these with your Echo and want it to detect the alarm, sound, or sirens, make sure that the alarm systems are compatible with echo and are close enough to the device to be detected.
ALEXA HOME SECURITY; Pros & Cons
Alexa comes as a virtual home security personal assistant incorporated into Echo speakers. Various devices are compatible with Alexa voice assistance like your TV, lights, door locks, and other voice-compatible devices for virtual assistance.
Pros
Besides the basic features, it has much more to offer;
- Remote Access: Amazon Alexa significantly improves your living, making it convenient to access your devices from inside the home or outside as well.
- Make Calls: with Alexa Echo, you can call your friends or family by giving voice commands.
- Video Briefing: you can watch flash briefing videos, brown music, weather forecasts, shopping lists, and much more.
- Remote locking and unlocking: having compatible devices, you can lock or unlock your home door locks and turn the light on or off.
- Calendar connections: you can set reminders and events marked on the calendar for notifications.
Cons
- Installing updates takes several days.
- Echo conversations are accessible to other people.
- Needs a proper connection for cloud storage.
- It does not have an internal battery.
- Amazon Alexa requires paid upgrades for full features.
Depending on the version you are getting, Alexa offers three skills to acquire as per your security needs.
ALEXA SKILL
Depending on the device and model, there are three major categories when it comes to Alexa skills.
Basic Skills
Alexa Echo supports a built-in alarm clock. It offers functions like wake-up alarms and reminders throughout the day.
Smarter Skills
Some systems are smart enough to display or narrate weather conditions after a wake-up alarm. The best part about Alexa home security is that it adapts to your actions over time. For instance, if you are checking your weather daily after waking up, it will learn to show you the weather if you do not even program it manually.
Security Skills
Offering the most advanced features, Amazon Alexa lets you arm and disarm your security system remotely literally from anywhere by just entering the pin.
AMAZON ALEXA COMPETITORS
Among smart speakers and wireless home security, other names in the market give out tough competition when it comes to security and voice assistance, such as Google.
Trying out both, I would like to mention a comparison between the two when it comes to performance and functionality.
| FEATURES | AMAZON ECHO DOT | GOOGLE HOME MINI |
| Price | Under $40 | Under $40 |
| Voice support | Amazon Alexa | Google Home |
| Controls | Volume, mute, and action buttons | Touch controls, buttons |
| Speakers | 0.6’’ (15.2 mm) driver | 360 degree sound, 1.57’’(40 mm) driver |
| Microphones | Far-field 7-mic array | Far-field 2 mic |
| Connectivity ports | Micro USB (POWER), 3.5 mm audio output | Micro USB(Power) |
Besides Google, some other popular devices support Amazon Alexa offering ultimate security and voice assistance, such as;
SimpliSafe
- It offers the simplest set-up for home security with very affordable paid plans.
- It allows DIY installation.
- It supports BASIC ALEXA SKILL; home mode, away mode, and system status.
ADT
Being a famous name in home security, ADT offers top home security including pro setup.
- Free of cost professional installation
- Smartphone integration
- ADT stay mode
- Temperature settings
- Lock and unlock the door
- Light on and off
Cove
The cove is not popular only for the best security with Alexa compatibility, but other amazing features, such as;
- Low monitoring cost
- Electric and battery backup
- Away mode
- Alarm status
Vivint
Vivint is the most durable home security to be set up with Alexa.
- It required professional installation
- Environmental monitoring
- Home automation
- 24/7 monitoring
- 2 Alexa skills; basic and smart
MEET ENDLESS ALEXA SKILLS
The fun starts with Alexa once you get it set up for your home security. There are various fun features that you can explore to add convenience to your daily life, for instance;
- Finding your car gadget
- Find your phone
- Check out a random fact
- Positivity enforcement; keep giving lighthearted motivational info to make your day better
- Exercise sessions
- Order food online
- Book a ride
- Play Music
- Ask for a joke/forecast
THE BONUS; Amazon Alexa WAYNE INVESTIGATION is a fun game to carry your investigation. It is more than just home security.
SETTING UP ALEXA GUARD
I have found the Alexa Guard easiest to set up in comparison to other alternatives. To enable Alexa guard you need to have an Echo device added to your account via Alexa app in a few steps;
- Go to settings
- Tap guard
- Set up sound detection
- Select devices from the Alexa app, like sound, glass break, and smoke detection
- Tap Confirm
- Your Alexa Guard is ready to use
Amazon has made it easier for customers to install their home security. With the device, you get an instruction manual that helps you step by step setting up the device.
Final Verdict
Being a home security enthusiast, I have found the best home security for myself. It is not because the higher the price, the better the performance.
To choose from the Amazon Echo series, you must consider your personal needs and requirements that suit your lifestyle.
It is not necessary that if one product is working the best for someone, it will work the same way for you.
Several components, features, paid monitoring plans, and other factors like monitoring cameras and voice assistance play crucial roles in determining the best home security for you.
FAQs
Which security system Alexa works best with?
Speaking of accessing all the premium features and complete security, Vivint, SimpliSafe, and ADT are some of the best security systems that you can use with Alexa.
How safe Amazon Alexa is for home security?
Well, speaking of home security, there are a lot of systems that are dedicatedly made for this very purpose.
Alexa offers customers to arm and disarms their security remotely, you can access live-stream footage, and view videos stored on the cloud.
Alexa also offers a Dog Guard feature, that turns on a narking sound to ward off intruders.
Can Alexa be left on all the time?
Unfortunately, there’s a little drawback with Echo home security. It does not have batteries to power the device, which means that you have to keep it plugged in all the time for working. If the electricity goes down Echo stops working.
Where should I place my Alexa Echo?
With Alexa Echo, you may have to choose the right spot to save yourself from trouble like getting interrupted or not being able to see the emergency light.
- In the center of the room where it is visible.
- Avoid placing Echo near windows so that it does not have access from the outside.
- A bedside table is a good option.
- You can mount it on a wall that is not close to any window.
Learn more about Smart Home Security
