Amazon Guard Available yet? (May 2019)

[BigHoss]

Well, they are definately doing something. I am getting an error trying to browse Skills right now.

[Automated_House (Jimmy)]

I think I had to force close the app and reopen it to get Guard to allow setup.

[JDRoberts]

If you signed up for the notification, you will get an email when guard is available to your account.

Note this from the FAQ. It says the same thing I said above, but with a little more detail. Note that they are now specifically saying “ADT pulse“ not just “ADT.”

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GDNAUMT8GABDER44

7. Can I connect Alexa Guard to a professionally monitored security service?
.
Yes. You can connect a supported security system, such as Ring Alarm or ADT Pulse, to Alexa Guard to arm and disarm your security system by voice. If your connected security system includes professional monitoring services, you can also choose to forward Smart Alerts, including audio recordings of selected sounds, to your security service provider. Your security service provider can determine whether to take-action on your behalf in response to receiving a forwarded Smart Alert. How your security service provider responds to receiving a Smart Alert may vary depending on your provider. Alexa Guard does not offer professionally monitored security services.

[Automated_House (Jimmy)]

ah, finally a listing of specific systems/skills. So no love for SmartThings ADT.

[superhell2001 (supa)]

I wonder if Guard can be automatically set to armed when Ring alarm is armed?

[JDRoberts]

@superhell2001

I wonder if Guard can be automatically set to armed when Ring alarm is armed?

Not as yet. I think it likely they will add that eventually, but Amazon doesn’t announce in advance on those kinds of things.

[Derrek113116 (Derrek Krasnicki)]

So I was able to set it up from work when I read it. Set up lights also. House was lit up like a Christmas tree… going back to home mode did not turn all those lights off, any thoughts on how to do that??!

[JDRoberts]

Since the idea of automating the arming of this feature is starting to come up in other threads, I’m just going to add this link here.

This is the community FAQ for how you use a SmartThings action to trigger an Amazon routine (not a SmartThings routine) .

So you would create an Amazon routine that has an echo device speak the turn on phrase where a different Amazon device can hear it. Then you would automate the trigger for that routine.

FAQ: Can I trigger an Echo Action without Speaking to It?

Breaking News!!! As of August 2018, a SmartThings-connected Contact or Motion Sensor can now trigger an Amazon echo routine if you live in the US, Canada, or the UK !!! Amazon has now added the ability for some sensors to trigger an Amazon echo routine (not a smartthings routine), which does let you trigger other smart home devices which are not connected to SmartThings without having to speak an echo command! Or you can set it up so that your echo devices will speak a customized phrase, play a doorbell chime, or various other sound effects. And even better, that contact sensor can be a virtual contact sensor. And although it’s a bit tricky, a community member has created an edge driver that will create BOTH a virtual switch and a virtual sensor and keep the pair in synch. So…

[bamarayne (Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)]

I thought about just leaving it on all of the time, but the echo’s and dot’s all have a circling white light when it’s active.

So, I’m setting up a networked speaker to speak in a non-Alexa voice to announce that I’m leaving when Away mode is set and announce I’m home when Away mode is changed to something else.

[MarkTr]

@JDRoberts

If you create an Amazon routine (not a SmartThings routine) Which makes one echo device say something like “Echo, turn on the porch,” will another echo device in the same room respond to it? Let’s assume they have two different wake words, with “echo” being the wake word for the second device.

I just tried this, hoping to use my Echo to get my Ring display up on my fire tablet. It didn’t work the first time the doorbell rang when I happened to be in the room but I’m not sure if that’s a volume thing or a “Jeff Bezos says no” thing. One day I might have free time to experiment…

[Automated_House (Jimmy)]

It works for guard. Using my Echo show to talk to my ecobee.

[BigHoss]

Still getting Thanks for your interest in Alexa Guard… No notification email yet. Ugh. This is like the big feature I have been wanting, and picking up 3rd gen dots, and 2nd gen Echos to support…

[JDRoberts]

@BigHoss

Still getting Thanks for your interest in Alexa Guard… No notification email yet. Ugh. This is like the big feature I have been wanting, and picking up 3rd gen dots, and 2nd gen Echos to support…

First rule of home automation: “the model number matters.”

Second rule of home automation: “my use case is not your use case.“

Third rule of home automation: “only buy products based on what they can actually do today, not based on what the company says is planned for the future.“

Just sayin’…

[BigHoss]

Ah true, but according to the Amazon press release, all models of Amazon Echo devices for U.S. accounts support Alexa Guard as of yesterday…

I wanted the function of the Echo devices even without Alexa Guard, Guard simply is keeping me from having ot use the battery powered ADT ST Smoke alarms which don’t meet code requirements for my area. (Our requirement is for mains powered smoke alarms).

[ErnieG (Ernie)]

Have you tried logging out of the Alexa app then logging back in? That’s what worked for me.

[TylerDurden]

Thanks for the heads up. I just set up my Alexa Guard. A few days ago it wasn’t available when I checked.

[BigHoss]

@ErnieG

Have you tried logging out of the Alexa app then logging back in? That’s what worked for me.

Winner winner chicken dinner! If I ever see you in person I will buy you a beer because that did the trick!

And all of my Echo devices are reporting as active. Even the 2nd gen dots… This makes me a VERY happy camper…

[BigHoss]

OK I’m seeing a couple of minor issues. More like features I would like to see implemented.

1. I would like to see a stay mode that will monitor for glass breakage but ignore smoke alarms.
2. More integration with a greater number of monitoring services. I could be very wrong but it seems like he would be a trivial matter to integrate this with ADT smart things since they already have it monitored with ADT pulse. I think this would help both Amazon and ADT’s businesses.

[bamarayne (Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)]

@BigHoss

OK I’m seeing a couple of minor issues. More like features I would like to see implemented.

1. I would like to see a stay mode that will monitor for glass breakage but ignore smoke alarms.
2. More integration with a greater number of monitoring services. I could be very wrong but it seems like he would be a trivial matter to integrate this with ADT smart things since they already have it monitored with ADT pulse. I think this would help both Amazon and ADT’s businesses.

Give it time and Amazon will implement these things… Now by my saying, “Give it time”, what I actually mean is don’t hold your breath cause we’ll all be dead before that happens.

[JDRoberts]

ADT Pulse and ADT Canopy ( which is what the SmartThings integration uses) are two completely different services, different Amazon skills, different development teams. So they don’t have anything to do with each other as far as other third-party integrations, including Amazon.