Introduction
Alexa Guard mode is a feature rolled out by Amazon in May 2019 that turns your Alexa device into a security system. You can use Alexa Guard mode to send you alerts if your smart smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors go off, or if the device hears glass breaking. Additionally, the Guard mode feature can automatically turn your lights on and off to make it look like you’re home. Finally, if you currently have security services from either Ring or ADT, you can set up Alexa Guard mode to work with those service providers so they’ll be able to receive and review alerts generated by your Alexa device. Examples of all instructions in the steps can be seen in both the YouTube video above and the image collection located beneath the steps.
Steps to Enable Alexa Guard Mode
- Launch the Alexa app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device. You’ll arrive at your Alexa home screen.
- Tap the “Menu” icon in the upper left corner of the screen. A menu flies in from the left side of the screen.
- Tap “Settings” in the menu. The Settings screen appears.
- Scroll down until you see Guard in the Alexa Preferences section. Tap “Guard.” An information screen associated with Alexa Guard mode appears if you haven’t already set up Guard mode. Tap the “Set Up Guard” button at the bottom of this screen. The next screen asks if you want to use smart alerts for smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with Guard mode. Choose either Later or Add. In this example, I’ll choose “Later” for these items. The next screen asks if you want Alexa Guard mode to alert you in the event your device hears glass breaking. Again, choose either Later or Add. In this example, I’ll choose “Add” so Alexa notifies me if it hears glass breaking. The Confirm Guard Setup screen now appears.
- Review your list of choices on the Confirm Guard Setup screen, and then click “Confirm.” The Guard Setup Complete screen appears. Tap “Done.” You’ll arrive at the Alexa Guard overview screen, which indicates the current status of Guard, and shows you a history of Guard events. When Guard is set to Home, the feature will not be turned on. However, you can tap “Home” to change it to Away, which enables the Alexa Guard mode feature. After enabling Guard mode, you’ll see a light start moving around the ring on your Alexa device, indicating the feature is on and your Alexa device is now monitoring your home based on your selections. If an event does occur, you’ll receive a notification on any devices you’ve set up to receive Alexa alerts. For example, when my device heard the sound of glass breaking, it sent me an alert and asked if I wanted to use the Drop-in feature on my Alexa device to listen in. Additionally, Alexa also captures a recording of the event in case you get the alert well after the event has happened and want to hear it to see if you need to take any action.
You can disable the Alexa Guard feature at any time by navigating back to the Guard screen, and then tapping “Away” to change the status back to Home.
