Guard is an Alexa feature that helps you keep your home and family safe. When you set Guard to Away mode, if an Echo device detects the sound of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, or glass breaking, Alexa can send you Smart Alerts, via notifications to your phone. If you have an ADT security system with Pulse or Control service, Alexa can also arm your system when you set Guard to Away mode. And if you have connected smart lights, Alexa can automatically turn them on and off when Guard is in Away mode, to make it look like someone is home.

From your mobile device, open the latest version of the Alexa app, navigate to the Settings menu, and select Guard to begin setup.

While Guard is in Away mode, the Echo devices in your home can help detect and notify you about the sound of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, or glass breaking. You can choose which sounds you want Alexa to notify you about during Guard setup.

Guard works on Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Spot, and Echo Input. When enabled, Guard automatically works with all compatible Echo devices connected to your account. You can disable the feature on specific Echo devices within Guard Settings of the Alexa app.

Once you set up Guard, just say “I’m leaving” to switch to Away mode. The light ring on non-screen Echo devices will animate with a rotating white light and screen devices will show a shield icon on the home screen to indicate when Guard is in Away mode. Say “I’m home” to switch Guard to Home mode. You can also toggle between modes in the Guard section of the Alexa app.

In Away mode, Echo devices can detect the sounds of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and glass breaking using the same technology used to detect the wake word (for example, “Alexa”). If an Echo device detects an acoustic pattern that matches the selected sound, Alexa will send you a Smart Alert. Alexa is always getting smarter, and her ability to accurately detect specific sounds will improve the more you use Guard. Learn more about how Alexa works.

If an Echo device detects a selected sound, Alexa will send you a Smart Alert to let you know which sound was detected along with a 10-second audio clip sample of that event. Play the detected sound from your Alexa app, or Drop In on your Echo remotely to investigate what’s happening in your home. 

It is recommended placing at least one Echo device in each room or space in which you want Alexa to detect selected sounds.

When you set Guard to Away mode, Alexa can arm your ADT Pulse or Control security system. 

No, if you already have an Echo device, there is no additional fee or monthly contract to enable Guard. 

Guard works with ADT Pulse and Control.

With Away Lighting, Alexa automatically turns your smart lighting on and off to make it look like you’re home while you’re away. Alexa uses machine learning to determine the right lighting activity for your home based on lighting usage across customers. Just set Guard to Away mode and Alexa will do the rest.

You can review and delete Smart Alerts in the Guard section of the Alexa app. You can also review and delete all audio recordings associated with your Alexa account via the Alexa Privacy Settings Page.