Entrepreneur Safety: How to use Echo and Alexa Guard for protection

Echo + Alexa Guard = Entrepreneur Protection ?

Alexa Guard is here! In my first post on Amazon’s Echo Show, I talked about some cool tips the Echo can help us with.  For example, we can ask the temperature as we are running to a meeting, we can set a reminder so we don’t forget to make an important call, and we can turn off lights with our voice …  and many things in between.

Yes, we can use it to help us relax with music or help us be more efficient, but today let’s talk about a feature that became available to US users in 2019: Alexa Guard.

And with more people working from home, this may be something that becomes even more popular.

What is the Alexa Guard?

This is a free update — an “Alexa skill” — that lets the Echo listen for signs of danger.  Specifically sounds of:

• smoke alarm going off
• carbon monoxide alarm going off
• breaking glass

This will work with the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Spot (in case you don’t know, this is a smart alarm clock with a camera), and Echo Show!  Make sure your device is close enough to the alarm so the sound can be detected.

Amazon also has a page for FAQs

What can Alexa Guard do?

• If you have smart lights connected, Alexa Guard can switch the lights on and off to make it seem like you are at home when you are away.
• If it senses danger, it can text a Smart Alert to your phone — a 10 second audio recording of the incident.
  • Or, you can see a live feed on the Echo Spot or Echo Show.

Note:
It is not intended to replace an alarm system and it will not alert authorities.
It does work with Ring security systems – see more info below.
Also, if we have professional monitoring through Ring or ADT, it can send a notification to those monitoring services.

Get the skill

In my first post on the Echo, we got the Echo and then got the Amazon Echo app on our smart phone. Let’s now move forward.

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Click the 3 lines on the top left and then choose Settings.
3. Tap the line for Guard.
4. Click “Set up Guard” and follow the setup wizard.  The wizard allows you to choose if you want Alexa
   • to listen for smoke & carbon monoxide alarm sounds
   • to listen for breaking glass
5. Continue the setup instructions.
   • If you have Ring, you can choose to have Ring armed and disarmed via Alexa Guard.
   • You can choose to have Alexa turn the connected smart lights on and off.  The wizard states: “Alexa uses machine learning to determine the right lighting activity…”
6. Note: if you want to change any settings later, go to the Guard screen and press the settings icon at the top right of the screen.

Get started: Key Phrases

Activate Guard – AWAY mode

• How to Activate
  • Say the command: “Alexa, I’m leaving”.
    • Alexa will respond to tell us that Guard has been activated.
    • If we have Ring, Alexa will tell us Ring has been activated.
  • or Go to the app on our smart phone. At the Guard screen, tape the “HOME” button to change it to “AWAY”.
• What we see:
  • Echo speakers: a white ring light will show
  • Echo Spot and Echo Show: a shield will appear on the home screen.
  • If we paired the smart lights, the lights will periodically turn off and on.

Turn off Guard – HOME mode

• How to Turn off
  • Say the command: “Alexa, I’m home”.
    • Alexa will respond to tell us that it has stopped Guarding our home.
    • If we have Ring, Alexa will tell us Ring has been disarmed.
  • or Go to the app on our smart phone. At the Guard screen, tap the “AWAY” button to change it to “HOME”.

Image by mathiaswegert