Smart Security: How to Protect Your Home With Alexa Guard, PC Magazine

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M. Taylor

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Dec 15, 2022, 3:37:27 PM12/15/22
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Hello Everyone,

First, I am posting this because, as far as I am aware, Apple does not offer
such a feature on the HomePod and I find this feature of Alexa and its
associated devices most useful.

Second, while the following article discusses Alexa Guard, know that there
are a great number of Alexa skills and routines that will enable your Amazon
speaker to listen for various sounds around the house such as running water,
beeping sounds, appliance alerts, etc. while you are at home. Also, you can
enable Alexa Guard while still at home as your smart speakers will continue
to function as expected. Personally, I use the listening routines to let me
know when my dryer finishes a cycle as the finish alert frequency is just
too high for me to hear unless I am standing right in front of the dryer.

Third, as of today, all aspects of Alexa Guard are 100% VoiceOver
accessible.

I hope you find the following article useful and that it will serve as a
gateway to even more accessibility for us all.

Mark

Smart Security: How to Protect Your Home With Alexa Guard
Amazon's Alexa Guard feature can help keep your home safe when you're away.
Here's how to turn your smart speaker into a home security device.
By Lance Whitney

If you own an Amazon Echo, you can protect your home with a feature called
Alexa Guard. When this option is enabled, Alexa will send you notifications
if your Echo detects certain sounds-like smoke alarms or breaking glass-and
will then let you listen to any sounds that raised the red flag.
With connected smart lights, Alexa Guard can also turn the lights on and off
to make it seem as if someone is home. While the free version of Alexa Guard
can't actually contact emergency services in the event of an emergency,
Smart Alerts can be sent to certain smart home security system providers,
such as Ring and ADT.

Alexa Guard is compatible with the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and
Echo Studio. If you want your Echo to detect the sounds of smoke alarms or
carbon monoxide detectors, you will need alarms capable of producing audible
tones.

The Echo device must also be positioned close enough to the alarm that the
sound can be detected. Amazon recommends testing this out by positioning
your Echo and then pressing the test button on your alarm and seeing if
Alexa Guard detects the sound.
________________________________________
Set Up Alexa Guard

Before you can enable Alexa Guard, you must make sure you've added at least
one Echo device to your account, which you do through the Alexa app. After
that's done, open the app on your device and tap the More icon. Go to
Settings > Guard and select the Set Up Sound Detection button.

Make sure the switches for Smoke & CO Alarm Sounds and Glass Break are
enabled, assuming you want Guard to alert you to the sound of either event.
Tap Confirm, and all your supported Echo devices will be selected for sound
detection. Tap OK and a confirmation screen tells you that Guard is set up
and ready to use.

You can now activate Guard a few ways. At the Guard screen in the Alexa app,
tap the Home button to change it to Away. Otherwise, say "Alexa, I'm
leaving." Alexa says goodbye and tells you that Guard has been activated.

If Alexa Guard detects the sound of breaking glass or an alarm, you'll
receive a Smart Alert on your mobile device and smartwatch. You can then
play the recording to hear the sound. Alexa asks you to confirm if this was
the sound of glass breaking or an alarm. Alexa then asks if this is an
emergency situation.

You can also drop in on your Echo and listen to the surrounding area for any
noise in case someone has broken in. And for those of you who use ADT Pulse,
ADT Control, or Ring Alarm home security systems, Alexa Guard can
automatically alert the security company if it detects the sound of broken
glass or alarm tones.

You can also use Alexa Guard to turn the lights on and off to make it seem
as if someone is home. To set this up, connect and pair a compatible smart
light or plug with your Echo. In the Alexa app, tap Away Lighting. Turn on
the switch, then check the smart lights that want to activate for this
process. Now, when you say "Alexa, I'm leaving," Alexa will periodically
turn your lights on and off.

________________________________________
Upgrade to Alexa Guard Plus

Amazon also offers Alexa Guard Plus for $4.99 a month (or $49 a year) after
a free 30-day trial. This enhanced version of the service adds hands-free
access to an Emergency Helpline, smart alerts about unexpected activity and
other possible emergencies in your home, and will play certain sounds to
deter potential intruders.

You can sign up for Alexa Guard Plus in the Alexa app. Open to Settings >
Guard, then tap the Set up more Guard features banner at the top. Swipe down
the screen to read about the features offered by Guard Plus.
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Home?
How to Easily Set Up Your Smart Home Devices With Amazon Alexa

Tap the Learn More button to see an Amazon web page with further details on
Guard Plus. At the web page, choose the monthly or annual subscription plan
and follow the screens to purchase your plan of choice.

Back in the Alexa app, go through each screen to set up Guard Plus. Confirm
your address at the Emergency Address screen. This step is important as it
will tell first responders where to go in the event of an emergency. Tap
Save, and the app will tell you that the Emergency Helpline is ready to use.

Tap the Plus button for Dog barking sounds to investigate that feature. For
this one to work, however, you'll need a motion-detecting indoor or outdoor
camera. If you have one that's compatible with Alexa, you'll need to set it
up as a smart device. If you don't have one, you can shop for cameras from
the next screen.

Tap the Plus button for Activity sounds with siren and follow the steps to
enable this feature. You'll need to create a voice code as confirmation
whenever you tell Alexa to turn on Guard or to set the sensitivity for any
sounds. When done, tap Confirm.

Now when you activate Guard, either by voice or through the app, Alexa will
listen or look for any triggering sounds or motions. If any activity is
detected, you can listen to the sound and drop in on your Alexa device to
monitor for further noises.

Original Article at:
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-protect-your-home-with-alexa-guard


Cris Ali

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Dec 15, 2022, 4:37:31 PM12/15/22
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Hi Mark,

I do not have any Alexa accessories to know what you are referring to
exactly. However, it sounds to me that it is similar to the apple home
kit. With the Apple home kit you can do a lot of the things you
describe, provided that you have the accessories needed. With the apple
home kit you can do automation to be notified when the motion sensor
detects motion, and you will be able to automate a sound alarm to play a
siren alarm if the windows or doors are opened, provided that you put
contact sensors on the doors and windows. You can also make an
automation to turn up or down the heat when the temperature sensor
reaches a certain degree. You can do an automation to shutdown the water
if the water leek sensor detects any water leak.

The problem is that the apple home kit compatible sensors are generally
more expensive than the Alexa compatible accessories. If you have smart
lights installed in your home, you can ask Siri to turn them on or off
or change the light colors.


In my home, I have contact sensors on all of my windows, and I have
motion sensors in the ground floor. All of them have automation to sound
a very loud alarm through my home pod minis once they detect motion or
someone attempts to open my door or windows. I also have vibration
sensors on my backdoor with an automation to trigger the siren alarm if
someone tries to break the glass of my backdoor.

These are just few examples of what you can do with the Apple Home kit
if you have Home Pod Mini or Apple TV to act as a hub.


Cheers,

Simon A Fogarty

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Dec 15, 2022, 5:49:34 PM12/15/22
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Yeah but can your apple home kits detect running water when there shouldn't be,

That was one mark mentioned with the amazon guard

But hey each option has it's benefits to different people.
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Cris Ali

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Dec 15, 2022, 7:39:20 PM12/15/22
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No Simon, as far as I know the home pod or the home pod mini do not have any of such skills as the ones mentioned by Mark on their own. One will need apple home kit compatible smart accessories such as, motion sensors, contact sensors, smart cameras, temperature sensors, and the like to accomplish the tasks in the examples Mark mentioned.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 15, 2022, at 5:49 PM, Simon A Fogarty <si...@blinky-net.com> wrote:
>
> Yeah but can your apple home kits detect running water when there shouldn't be,
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/viphone2/SY4PR01MB7026671EAF7A9701A4E0356E8AE19%40SY4PR01MB7026.ausprd01.prod.outlook.com.

M. Taylor

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Dec 15, 2022, 7:49:41 PM12/15/22
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Hello Chris,

It sounds as though you have quite an excellent setup in your home.

Not to engage in a debate but the thing about Alexa Guard and the various skills and routines available via Amazon is that no external censors are required in order to use many of the amazing features of Alexa. To get started, one need spend only about $40 in order to purchase an Echo Dot, 4th generation. However, one can use any Echo Dot including the second and third generation units, also. I believe the cost of a new third gen Dot is about $14.

For those living in apartments or other rental units, who may not have the option to install external censors, I think Alexa is an excellent VoiceOver accessible option to explore.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: vip...@googlegroups.com <vip...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Cris Ali
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2022 1:37 PM
To: viph...@googlegroups.com; M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu>; vip...@googlegroups.com
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M. Taylor

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Dec 15, 2022, 7:52:44 PM12/15/22
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You are quite welcome, Carolyn. And, good luck on your move.

You are going to love Alexa in conjunction with your Echoes.

Mark

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From: vip...@googlegroups.com <vip...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Carolyn
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2022 3:55 PM
To: vip...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Smart Security: How to Protect Your Home With Alexa Guard, PC Magazine

Thanks for this, Mark. I have saved the article. I have two Echo devices to be installed when we move in a couple of months. This sounds helpful.
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Cris Ali

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Dec 15, 2022, 8:10:17 PM12/15/22
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Hi Mark,
You make a very important point. The Home Pod or Home Pod Mini need very expensive external accessories to use as home guards. On top of that, the speakers themselves are two or three times more expensive than third or fourth generation echo dot. But because I live in a house, I needed a more reliable security sensors than a listening speaker.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 15, 2022, at 7:49 PM, M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu> wrote:
>
> Hello Chris,
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone, The Next Generation" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to viphone2+u...@googlegroups.com.
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