Amazon's Alexa Guard aims to put your smart home on alert

En garde.

Laura Hautala Former Senior Writer

Laura wrote about e-commerce and Amazon, and she occasionally covered cool science topics. Previously, she broke down cybersecurity and privacy issues for CNET readers. Laura is based in Tacoma, Washington, and was into sourdough before the pandemic.

Expertise E-commerce, Amazon, earned wage access, online marketplaces, direct to consumer, unions, labor and employment, supply chain, cybersecurity, privacy, stalkerware, hacking. Credentials

2022 Eddie Award for a single article in consumer technology

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Laura Hautala

Sept. 20, 2018 11:07 a.m. PT

Amazon unveiled a new service Thursday that puts your devices on the lookout.
Alexa Guard will set your Echo device to listen for the sound of breaking glass or an alarm going off and send you a notification if it hears something. Users can set guard mode by saying phrases like, "Alexa, I'm leaving."

Watch this: Amazon wants to make your house more secure with Alexa Guard and Ring

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The service can also integrate with a Ring, the Amazon smart doorbell, as well as an ADT security system, which can send those alerts about alarms or breaking glass directly to dispatch centers.

If you have smart lights hooked up to your system, guard mode can turn them off and on randomly when you're away to make it look like you're home.

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