Amazon Alexa Now Offers New Security Features -- Security Today

Amazon Alexa Now Offers New Security Features

Amazon Alexa users that enable Alexa Guard on their smart speakers can now take advantage of a few security features.

By Sydny Shepard
May 16, 2019

Those who have the Amazon Alexa smart smart speakers already installed in their home can now take advantage of new security features at no additional charge.

Amazon Alexa users who download and enable the Alexa Guard app now have access to new features like "Smart Alerts" that tells the Echo speakers to listen for the sound of breaking glass or a smoke or carbon-monoxide alarm going off while you are away.

The speaker is now able to recognize these sounds and send a push notification to warn you that there might be trouble at home so that you can respond appropriately.

Alexa Guard can operate on its own, or in conjunction with other popular smart home security products such as Ring, ADT Pulse and ADT Control. When paired with Ring or ADT, the Alexa can send a message directly to the professional monitoring service, which will then be able to determine if it is appropriate to notify emergency-response services.

In addition to the sound detection features, Alexa Guard can also be used to trigger light patterns. User's can pair their smart lightbulbs with the app and give a command such as, "Alexa, I am leaving," and the smart bulbs will react and the speakers will turn on to listen for any unusual sounds.

While the Alexa Guard app has been available since late 2018, it was not available on older versions of the smart speakers. The service now can be enabled on all models of Amazon Alexa.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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