Better together: Alexa and Scout give DIY security a voice

[MUSIC] Voice control is something that makes the smarthome a whole lot more accessible. Rather than complex hubs that promise and often fail to manage connected devices on your behalf, the Amazon Echo is a straightforward gateway to your smartlight, thermostat, and more. So when in doubt, ask Alexa. That's what we decided to do at CNET smart home. Alexa, tell scout to arm away mode. Now alarming away mode. In 45 seconds system will be armed. Yes you can secure your home using something like Samsung Smart Thing, but it's native integration With the Echo is actually very limited. so we decided to switch over to a DIY security system we've already reviewed, called Scout, that has a skilled level partnership with Echo. That means you can ask Alexa what mode is currently set, she can set Specific modes, she can tell you the status of specific sensors and even arm the scout sirens. Basically, it's the best of what's available today for interaction between the echo and the security system. And since we're making amazons wifi speaker the new centerpiece of the CNet smarthome, switching our security over to Scout, a simple but functional system that works well with Alexa was an easy decision. [MUSIC]