How to Use Echo Show as Security Camera?

Using Echo Show as a Security Camera

The Echo Show is a compact and neat smart device many homeowners love. It’s meant for displaying recipes and making video calls, but it can also be used as a security camera.

To use the Echo Show as a home security camera, you have to activate the ‘Home Monitoring’ option. Then, you can access the Echo Show from the Alexa app and monitor your home.

The Echo Show also comes with a security suite known as Amazon Guard. You can set it to ‘Away Mode’ when you leave the house.

This allows the Echo Show to trigger features such as ‘Smart Alert,’ which can detect smoke alarms and the sound of glass breaking.

Setting up your Echo Show as a security camera is simple, and there are several ways you can use it in combination with other smart home features offered by Amazon.

The Setup Process

The camera at the front of the Echo Show is primarily designed for video calls, but you can use it for video calls. Here is how you can activate this feature:

Swipe down on your Echo Show’s screen
Tap ‘Settings.’
Then tap ‘Camera.’
Next, toggle the button next to ‘Home Monitoring.’
Tap ‘Continue.’
Then tap ‘Continue‘ again.
Enter your Amazon account passcode and tap ‘Done.’
If your account has 2FA (2-factor authentication), enter the code and tap ‘Continue.’

Keep in mind that you can prevent this feature from accessing the camera at the front of your Echo Show anytime by closing the shutter or disabling the camera.

View On Your Phone

To view the live feed from the camera on your phone, you use the Alexa’ Home Monitoring’ feature. When this feature is activated, you can use the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet to view the live feed from your Echo Show.

Its functionality is a lot like the ‘Drop-In’ feature, except Home Monitoring is meant to be a one-way security feature as opposed to two-way communication.

While it’s handy in checking on your home and pets when you’re not around, there are several caveats to remember about using this feature:

There is no motion detection
The device doesn’t record anything
Connecting to a live feed will display text on the Echo Show that reads, ‘household member is viewing your camera.’ This means that if there is an intruder in your home, they can see you’re recording them, and they can click ‘Stop’ to end the live feed.

To View an Echo Show’s live video feed:

Start by launching the Alexa App on your smartphone or tablet
Next, tap ‘Devices.‘
Then tap and slide the list of device types.
Next, tap ‘Cameras.’
Tap the specific Echo Show.
Next, you’ll see a live video feed from your Echo Show.
You can tap the mic to listen to or speak to anyone in the device’s surroundings.
You can also end the live feed by closing the app or tapping the back button.

View On Desktop or Laptop

You can also use your desktop or laptop to watch live feeds from your Echo Show.

Download the Alexa App from the Microsoft Store.
Next, launch the app and complete the setup steps using your Amazon credentials.
Tap ‘Smart Home‘
Then tap “Devices.’
If you have several devices linked to Alexa, tap the Echo Show icon with a tiny camera at the bottom. Alternatively, you can click ‘Cameras’ at the upper middle of your screen to only reveal the camera feed options.
Another handy feature in the desktop app is tapping the three dots at the bottom right corner of the ‘Devices‘ tab and selecting ‘Open picture-in-picture.’ This will create a small window that displays the live feed on top of all other tabs on your PC.

How Else Can You Use the Echo Show for Security?

Apart from using the Echo Show as a home security camera, you can also pair it with other security camera devices and view them through the app or the Echo Show itself.

You can connect Blink security cameras, Ring video doorbells, and others that work with Alexa. When you connect a security camera to the Alexa app, you can view it using the ‘Home Monitoring’ method illustrated above.

Final Thought

At the end of the day, the Echo Show can’t replace a fully-fledged home security camera, so if you want features such as motion detection, live feed recording, and virtually all other features apart from live feed viewing, you should get a dedicated security camera.

TechnoWifi