Best Alexa Home Security Systems
Their affordable packages, simple setups, and functionality make SimpliSafe the best option for Alexa security systems.
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Last Updated on Feb 12, 2025
- Affordable packages
- Plug-and-play setup
- Functional Alexa Skill
- Compatible with Amazon ecosystem
- Alexa integration at every subscription level
- Unusual smart device selection
- Lots of smart devices you can integrate with Alexa
- Top-tier professional monitoring
- Alexa skills that can control all ADT devices
“Hey, Alexa. Answer the front door.” “Hey, Alexa. Turn on the floodlight.” “Hey, Alexa. Lock up for the night.” These are real commands you can give your Amazon Echo — as long as you have an Alexa-friendly home security system.
Most home security systems are at least a little friendly with Alexa. They’re on speaking terms, at least — they’ll let you arm your alarm with a simple voice command. But some security systems love Alexa — and they’ll let her control every device in your smart home. This lets you tell your security system to lock up for the night — and it’ll actually happen.
>> Check Out: The Best Smart Locks of 2025
We researched, tested, and wrote up the security systems that are truly tight with your favorite Amazon-owned AI assistant. It’s no surprise that Ring Alarm, another Amazon product, is on the list. But it might surprise you that it’s not the top contender. SimpliSafe is. We prefer SimpliSafe because it’s easier to set up. And besides, this isn’t just a list of the security systems that work best with Alexa – this is a list of the best security systems that also work with Alexa. We think SimpliSafe works better than Ring.
Pro Tip: Haven’t ordered your home security system yet? Sign up for Alexa Emergency Assist in the meantime.1 It turns your Amazon Echo into a monitored alarm.
What Makes a Security System Alexa-Friendly
Simply pairing with Alexa isn’t enough to make our list of the best Alexa-friendly security systems. We looked at three core factors on top of how well the system can protect your home. Those factors include:
- Alexa Skill: A security system can’t work with Alexa without a Skill. (That’s basically Alexa’s version of an app.) Every option on this list has one.
- Smart home: Alexa is an easy-peasy way to control your smart devices — if you have smart devices to control. We looked for security systems that include smart lights, locks, and thermostats.
- Price: Some security systems seem like a good deal, but they require extra cash to connect to Alexa. Our favorite home security systems are affordable — with or without smart home integration.
Those three factors helped us distinguish the top Alexa home security systems from the middle of the road systems. Let’s dive into each of our top choices starting with a quick comparison and then getting into the details. We’re sure one of them will be the perfect security system for your home.
Comparison of the Best Security Systems That Are Compatible With Alexa
| System |
SimpliSafe
|
Ring Alarm
|
ADT
|
Vivint
|
Frontpoint
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| Ratings | 9.2/10 | 7.7/10 | 9.8/10 | 9.4/10 | 8.9/10 |
| Two-way audio through Alexa | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Smart devices | Locks | Lights, locks, thermostats, water monitor | Lights, locks, thermostats | Lights, locks, thermostats | Lights, locks, thermostats |
| Starter package price | $249.96 | $244.95 | $349 | $599 | $69.00 |
| Minimum subscription for full Alexa integration | $9.99 | $9.99 | Free | $30 | $49.99 |
| Read Review | SimpliSafe Review | Ring Alarm Review | ADT Review | Vivint Review | Frontpoint Review |
Best Alexa Home Security Systems
- SimpliSafe - Best DIY Security
- Ring Alarm - Best Alexa Compatibility
- ADT - Best Smart Home Package
- Vivint - Best Option With Professional Installation
- Frontpoint - Best Customer Service
Ranking Our Favorite Alexa-Compatible Home Security Systems
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1. SimpliSafe - Best DIY Security
View Packages Links to SimpliSafeProduct Specs
Equipment Costs Packages starting at $249.96 Monitoring Options Professional and DIY Monthly Monitoring Costs Starts at $21.99 per month Contract Lengths Month-to-month Installation Options DIY or professional Smart Platform Integration Alexa and Google Home SimpliSafe Overview
When we compare SimpliSafe to Ring Alarm, it’s clear that Ring Alarm works better with Alexa. But it’s also clear that SimpliSafe is a better system overall.
It’s hard to beat SimpliSafe’s affordability, customizability, and foolproof installation. That rare combination earned it a place on our list of the best smart home security systems — and it earned it a place on this list too.
We tested SimpliSafe’s full device lineup to see how each component works with Alexa. What We Like
- Affordable equipment
- Great value monitoring
- Functional Alexa Skill
What We Don’t Like
- Requires subscription to work with Alexa
- Cameras don’t work with Alexa
- Limited smart device selection
SimpliSafe Alexa Skill
Let’s get this out of the way: A lot of users have complained about the SimpliSafe Alexa Skill. That’s not unique though. Most security companies have a lot of complaints for their Alexa Skill. Compare SimpliSafe to Frontpoint, for example. Frontpoint has just as many negative comments.
With SimpliSafe, most complaints are about features SimpliSafe has never advertised in the first place. For instance, one user complained that Alexa wouldn’t work with their video doorbell, but SimpliSafe explicitly says it only allows users to arm and check the status of their security system through Alexa. That means we can’t watch our live feed or use our video doorbell with Alexa.
Despite the complaints, SimpliSafe’s Alexa Skill is simple but functional. You can arm your system, check its status, and lock your doors (if you have SimpliSafe smart locks). Here are some sample commands:
- Alexa, tell SimpliSafe to lock up.
- Alexa, tell SimpliSafe I’m leaving.
- Alexa, ask SimpliSafe what’s shakin’?
For one minor negative, when we created an Alexa routine, we needed to confirm the action each time we triggered it. We set our SimpliSafe system to arm at 8:30 every morning, and each day we need to confirm we want our system armed. We think the routine should work without that extra confirmation considering Alexa can’t disarm our system for safety reasons anyways.
FYI: You need to state the command exactly as SimpliSafe tells you to for Alexa to recognize it. So, we recommend memorizing one phrase for each command. With only three commands, it’s easy to memorize three phrases.
SimpliSafe Smart Home
SimpliSafe is a security company, not a smart home company. And it shows. You can buy contact sensors, flood sensors, and motion detectors from SimpliSafe. You can’t buy smart lights or a smart thermostat from SimpliSafe.
On top of using Alexa, we could also arm our system with our SimpliSafe Keypad. The news isn’t all bad. SimpliSafe sells one of the most affordable smart locks in the business. It works with August smart locks too (Psst. That was one of our picks for the best smart lock of 2025). That lets us lock our door with commands like “Hey Alexa, tell SimpliSafe to lock up” during our tests of SimpliSafe. This command arms our SimpliSafe system at the same time.
Pro Tip: Love everything about SimpliSafe except the lack of smart devices? Buy Alexa-compatible devices instead. The best smart home devices don’t need to work with your SimpliSafe system to work alongside your SimpliSafe system through Alexa.
SimpliSafe Pricing
SimpliSafe is one of my favorite security systems with no monthly fee. But there’s a catch. Some features are available only with a subscription. Unfortunately, for Alexa users, smart home integration is one of them. You need to pay at least $9.99 per month to connect SimpliSafe to Alexa.
When you compare SimpliSafe to Vivint, however, that price starts to look pretty good. SimpliSafe costs $9.99 per month for self-monitoring and $31.99 for professional monitoring with Alexa integration (their $21.99 professional monitoring plan does not support Alexa). Vivint plans start at about $30 per month.
Pro Tip: Want help watching over your home but can’t afford SimpliSafe’s professional monitoring ($31.99 per month)? Pair SimpliSafe’s self-monitoring plan ($9.99 per month) with Alexa Emergency Assist ($5.99 per month). It unlocks the “Hey, Alexa. Call for help” command.
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2. Ring Alarm - Best Alexa Compatibility
View on Amazon Links to Ring AlarmProduct Specs
Equipment Costs Packages starting at $199.98 Monitoring Options Professional and DIY Monthly Monitoring Costs $10 with the purchase of a Ring Home plan Contract Lengths 1-12 months Installation Options DIY or professional Smart Platform Integration Alexa and Google Home
Ring Alarm Overview
Ring and Alexa are both owned by Amazon, so it’s no surprise that they work well together. Turn your Ring Doorbell into an intercom. Stream Ring Indoor Cam footage on your Echo Show. Shut off the motion sensors in the kids’ playroom. It’s all possible with Ring and Alexa.
We paired our Ring Alarm Equipment to the Alexa app and our Echo Dot. So, why isn’t Ring Alarm at the top of our list? One factor is its parent company. Amazon has got into trouble more than once for privacy violations — not exactly something you want from a security provider.2
What’s more, Amazon is a poster child for platform decay: when a company captures the market, only to get rid of the features that got everybody hooked in the first place.3 And yes, it is getting rid of security features. The company ended 2023 on a low note by by sunsetting Alexa Guard, Echo speakers’ built-in security system. Around that same time, Ring put their Home and Away Modes that were previously free to use behind a subscription.
The features you enjoy today could be gone tomorrow. But for now, Ring Alarm is one of the best options for Alexa users.
What We Like
- Amazon integrations
- Alexa-compatible cameras
- Great value plans
What We Don’t Like
- Privacy concerns
- Connectivity issues
- Platform decay
Ring Alarm Alexa Skill
Users of Ring’s Alexa Skill gave it mixed reviews like most security systems. Most people complained about bugs in the Skill such as the announcements when someone’s at the door no longer working. Other users experienced that issue too but were able to fix it by unpairing and repairing their devices with Alexa. We notice these same issues with most security systems we test which became apparent when we put Ring Alarm vs ADT.
The biggest edge Ring has over the competition? Security camera compatibility. You can ask Alexa to stream Ring security camera footage to your Amazon Fire — and she’ll do it. Try asking Alexa to stream footage from your SimpliCam. Spoiler alert: It won’t work.
Did You Know: Your smart TV could be a digital security liability. We show you how to secure that threat in our guide to installing and using a VPN on an Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Another handy little feature? Multi-way audio. When we were working in our home office and someone rang our Ring Video Doorbell, we could use Alexa to ask what the visitor needed. It connected to our doorbell camera’s two-way audio so we could talk to them and they could talk to us all through our Echo Dot smart speaker.
Ring Alexa Skill Example Commands
- Alexa, answer the front door.
- Alexa, set Alert Snooze duration to one hour on the backyard.
- Alexa, show me the last activity from the back door.
- Alexa, disable Ring motion alerts.
We could set which devices we included in our groups. That let us choose which devices we controlled when we made a command for our backyard. For instance, we could include the motion detector for our smart lights and our backyard camera. Setting those device alerts to snooze would stop them from sending us alerts when they see motion. That came in handy when we had a backyard party one night that otherwise would have had our phone buzzing constantly.
Ring Alarm Smart Home
Ring sells approximately a bajillion smart devices on its website. Okay, not really, but there are a lot more options than we see from other security companies. You can get basically anything you can think of and some things you can’t, like a smart pump that shuts off your water supply as soon as the pipes freeze. (Shout out to Flo by Moen: It costs $549.98, but it seems like it could be worth it!5)
Pro Tip: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you don’t want to shell out $550 on a smart pump, set your smart thermometer above 55 degrees to keep pipes from bursting.
Here’s everything that was included in our Ring Alarm Pro Security Kit. That gives Alexa a lot more to work with. Of course, we could ask her to arm our alarm. But, we could also ask Alexa to check the status of our pipes, change the thermostat in our kitchen, and turn off our backyard motion sensor while the kids played tag.
A caveat: When we tested Ring Alarm, we ran into trouble with connectivity. We were able to get everything up and running, but it took a few tries. The selection of smart devices is great, but the reliability leaves something to be desired.
Ring Alarm Pricing
Ring Alarm on its own is a good value. Ring Alarm with Alexa is a great value. While you can connect the security system to the AI assistant without a subscription, you won’t be able to do much with it. Nearly all of its capabilities are locked behind the $9.99 per month Ring Home plan. Without it, we couldn’t even arm or disarm our system with Alexa. That’s still a good deal considering a Vivint subscription is about three times more expensive.
Did You Know: Any Ring Home subscription gets you 10 percent off select purchases from Ring.com.
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3. ADT - Best Smart Home Package
View Packages Links to ADTProduct Specs
Equipment Costs Packages starting at $349 Monitoring Options Professional and DIY Monthly Monitoring Costs Starting at $24.99 per month Contract Lengths Month-to-month or 36 months and up Installation Options Professional and DIY Smart Platform Integration Alexa and Google Home ADT Overview
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? We don’t know, but someone certainly taught this old security company new technology. ADT systems work with Alexa — and that’s just the beginning.
Our ADT Plus security system prior to unboxing. What We Like
- Wide range of smart devices
- Extensive list of Alexa commands
- Professional installation
What We Don’t Like
- Alexa Skill can be buggy
- Long-term contracts
- Somewhat pricey
ADT Alexa Skill
There’s a lot to like about ADT’s Alexa skill. Given ADT’s partnership with Google, we were surprised how well it worked with Alexa. We could use it to arm and disarm our system, dim our lights, lock our doors, and adjust the temperature in our house.
ADT Alexa Skill Example Commands
- Alexa, disarm ADT.
- Alexa, dim the bathroom light to 25%.
- Alexa, lock the back door.
- Alexa, unlock the front door.
- Alexa, set the bedroom temperature to 70 degrees.
While our ADT system worked well with Alexa, multiple users have reported a bug that sends their authentication code into the void — preventing them from using Alexa. That was the main complaint we came across when reading reviews of ADT’s Alexa Skill. It was always with users who own an ADT Pulse system which was two iterations ago. We haven’t seen the ADT Plus system experience this issue and our system didn’t have this issue either.
Pro Tip: If you run into issues with your ADT system, put down the phone and pull up the live chat. We’ve had better luck getting quick answers online.
ADT Smart Home
You might not think of ADT as a cutting-edge company. But when it comes to smart home automations, it’s one of the best around. We bought smart lights, switches, locks, thermostats, and more with our ADT system. Most of the smart products were Google-branded devices but they still integrated with Alexa despite them being competitors.
That means you can ask Alexa to dim the lights as well as arm the security system. She’s a multitasker that way.
While paired with Alexa, we could still arm our ADT system with the touchscreen control panel. ADT Pricing
Just like ADT caught up with the times when it comes to their smart home technology, they also caught up with the way they sell security systems. They used to be like Vivint and required us to buy a system through a sales representative. But the most recent ADT system we tested, we bought entirely online.
>> Read More: ADT vs. Vivint Comparison
We like the new way of doing things a lot better. It made it easy for us to figure out how much our ADT package cost us which was just under $1,000. And we still had the option to finance our security system over the course of three years like we did when we bought our old system through a sales representative. Sure, we missed out on the opportunity to negotiate free professional installation, but the new system let us DIY the install for free anyways.
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4. Vivint - Best Option With Professional Installation
View Packages Links to VivintProduct Specs
Equipment costs Starting at $599 Monitoring options Professional Monthly monitoring costs Starting from $30 per month Contract lengths Starting at 42 months Installation options Professional Smart platform integration Alexa and Google Home Vivint Overview
Vivint is more than a security company. Vivint is a smart home automation company. It sells oodles of connected devices that pair well with Alexa.
We could view our video doorbell feed on our Alexa devices and the Vivint touchscreen panel. The long, expensive contracts will be a deal-breaker for some. But if you order a smart home package, the professional installation could be worth the price. They’ll install and connect all of the smart home products then show you how to use them.
>> Read More: DIY vs. Professionally Installed Home Security Systems
What We Like
- Wide selection of smart devices
- High-quality equipment
- Professional installation
What We Don’t Like
- Buying a system requires a conversation with a sales representative
- Long contracts
- Pricey
Vivint Alexa Skill
Vivint may not offer Ring Alarm’s dazzling array of Alexa commands, but it comes pretty close.
When we tested Vivint, we were able to use Alexa to:
- Control Hue lighting
- Adjust the Nest thermostat
- Manage the Kwikset smart lock
- Arm the Vivint security system
- Livestream the Vivint security footage
Based on Vivint’s Alexa Skill reviews, however, some users have difficulties using all of Vivint’s Alexa capabilities. Multiple users report having trouble accessing their security footage and others have had a hard time connecting Alexa to their system. Most users, however, found Vivint worked well with Alexa.
FYI: Vivint has a short but sweet return policy. If your Alexa integration — or anything else — isn’t working, let the company know within three days of purchase to get your money back.
Vivint Alexa Skill Example Commands
- Alexa, tell Vivint to turn on my lights.
- Alexa, tell Vivint to arm my home “away.”
- Alexa, tell Vivint I am cold.
- Alexa, tell Vivint to lock the front door.
Our favorite feature from Vivint’s Alexa integration was the way home states worked. It just made sense to us. We could preset modes so that our system and home reacted to our announcements. For instance, we could say “Alexa, tell Vivint I am leaving” and our home would automatically turn off the lights, lock all of our doors, arm our security system, and lower the temperature in our house.
Vivint Smart Home
Vivint sells more than just security sensors. Like, a lot more. You can get lights, locks, thermostats, and practically every other smart device from Vivint. (No smart water monitor, though. That’s where Ring Alarm has Vivint beat.) We bought smart locks, a smart lock, and a thermostat on top of our security system gear. Best of all, our Vivint technician installed and connected every component for us.
We mounted our Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro (Gen 2) over our backyard. >> Check Out: Ring Alarm vs. Vivint
Vivint Pricing
Vivint is a great security system. It’s also a pricey security system. The most basic Vivint package starts at about $600 if you pay upfront. We spent well over $1,000 for our package.
Here’s one reason it might be worth it. Let’s say you’re a smart home nerd (no judgment — we are too). Alexa is just the tip of the iceberg. You want a smart thermostat, garage door opener, and lighting system too.
That’s a lot of equipment to install. Would you like some help? Vivint will actually give you some. The company sent a technician to install our system and they’ll send one for you too. SimpliSafe recently started connecting customers to a third-party installation company, but that’s just not the same as an in-house installation team.
Pro Tip: In theory, Vivint installation costs money. In practice, you can usually get a deal. Ask your sales rep for a free install. It works most of the time for us.
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5. Frontpoint - Best Customer Service
View Packages Links to FrontpointProduct Specs
Equipment Costs Starting at $69.00 Monitoring Options Professional only Monthly Monitoring Costs Starting at $49.99 Contract Lengths 1-36 months Installation Options DIY Smart Platform Integration Alexa and Google Home Frontpoint Overview
If you’re looking for a tried-and-true security system that will play nicely with Alexa, Frontpoint should be on your list.
We bought Frontpoint’s Essential Home Security System and then added components we needed. And if you run into problems with installation? You can call up its famously excellent customer service. (Seriously. We managed to get real, live, helpful humans on the phone when we tested Frontpoint.)
What We Like
- Good selection of smart devices
- Great customer service
- High-quality professional monitoring
What We Don’t Like
- High monthly fee
- Confusing pricing
- Awkward Alexa commands
Frontpoint Alexa Skill
Frontpoint’s Alexa Skill got mixed reviews from users. But we know the crowd reviewing security system Alexa Skills is a tough one. Most complaints revolved around features they wish Frontpoint offered like being able to view a video livefeed from an Alexa device. That’s not a feature Frontpoint advertises, so we can’t knock them much for not having it.
While we can’t watch our live feed on Alexa devices, the Skill enabled a range of smart home commands. We could check our room’s temperature, dim our lights, and disarm our security system.
The main page of our Frontpoint App showed us our main scenes. Frontpoint Alexa Skill Example Commands
- Alexa, ask Frontpoint to disarm my security system.
- Alexa, ask Frontpoint what the temperature is.
- Alexa, ask Frontpoint to set the kitchen light to 100 percent.
- Alexa, ask Frontpoint to pan the living room camera to the couch.
Not enough for you? Frontpoint didn’t stop there. In the Frontpoint app, we could make a scene. No, not the screaming “fire” in a crowded room kind of scene. A home automation scene: a list of smart device commands we bundled under one name.
For example, we created a “go to sleep” scene that turned off all our lights, locked all the doors with smart locks, and armed our Frontpoint security system. To make all these things happen, all we had to say was “Alexa, ask Frontpoint to go to sleep.”
Frontpoint Smart Home
Frontpoint offers smart locks, and cameras — all of which are Alexa-compatible. It’s not as wide a selection as Ring or Vivint, but it’s everything you need to start your smart home journey. Plus, Frontpoint works with third-party devices since it’s Z-Wave compatible. That means we were able to pair our Frontpoint system with tons of other smart products from smart lights to moisture meters for our houseplants.
FYI: One of the smart products Frontpoint offers is smart plugs. They can turn any appliance you plug into an outlet into a smart appliance. It’s one of our favorite types of smart devices because it means we can integrate everything from our coffee maker to our desk lamp into our Frontpoint system’s automation.
>> Learn More: Frontpoint FAQ
Frontpoint Pricing
Frontpoint offers one main professional monitoring plan called the Ultimate Plan at $49.99 per month. They advertise plans as low as $14.99 per month if you call to request them, but we found out that those plans do not support Alexa. We needed to pay $49.99 per month to use our system with Alexa.
Even though Frontpoint’s professional monitoring is on the high end, Frontpoint’s pricing for equipment is on the low end. That means we avoided the upfront expense normally associated with security systems. We started with the $69 package and then added a few components. Our total was still under $200. That made the $49.99 per month monitoring sting less.
Methodology
We thought long and hard about what makes a home security system pair well with Alexa. In the end, we decided on three main criteria. First, does the system have a functional Alexa Skill? Second, is it built for smart homes? Finally, is it a good value for Alexa users?
Those were the criteria we used to assess home security systems. To figure out which security systems have those qualities, we ran in-home tests. Our team has tested over 60 security systems in our homes. Most of those systems, we tested for at least a month. That gave us plenty of time to see how well they work with Alexa and integrate with our smart home devices. During these tests, like when we tested Deep Sentinel, we found out some systems don’t work with Alexa at all.
Once we finished our testing, we gave each system a rating based on our Alexa-specific criteria and our home security criteria. This let us figure out which systems give the best of both worlds. We only want to recommend systems that keep your home safe and work well with Alexa, so that’s exactly what we did.
The Pros and Cons of Alexa for Home Security
Alexa is a wonderful addition to any secure home. Right? Eh. It’s not that simple. Alexa has advantages and disadvantages as a weapon in your home security arsenal.
Pro: Alexa Makes Home Security Easy
Even a basic home security system can come with an overwhelming number of features — that you never use. Are you really going to take the time to set up automatic door locks on your eufy system?
Alexa makes using your smart devices as easy as asking a favor. “Hey, Alexa. Lock all my doors.” Just like that, you’re making the most of your home security system.
Pro: Alexa Can Connect Your Security System to Third-Party Smart Home Devices
Not every security system offers the same compatibility with smart home devices as Vivint. Most don’t. Especially budget systems that cost a lot less than Vivint. Alexa can help fill that gap.
By connecting your security system to Alexa and your smart home devices, you can use the Alexa platform to control everything. That lets you control those fancy smart lights alongside your motion detectors and video doorbells in a single interface.
Con: Alexa Is Always Listening
Can you really call Alexa safe when it’s constantly listening to you? Well, that’s not exactly how it works. Alexa doesn’t upload any recordings to the cloud unless you use the wake command. It’s still a concern, but for what it’s worth, our cybersecurity experts feel comfortable using Alexa in their home.
Con: Alexa Can Be Hacked
Researchers have shown that Alexa can be But when these vulnerabilities get exposed, Amazon quickly works to push out a patch that secures the vulnerability. That’s not to say Alexa can’t be hacked anymore. Although, Amazon keeps making it more difficult.
>> Read More: Can Home Security Systems Be Hacked?
How to Make the Most of Alexa for Home Security
So, you’ve decided to invite Alexa to share your home. How do you make the most of your new roommate? Here are our three favorite ways to use Alexa for our home security:
- Download your security system’s Alexa Skill. Let’s start with the basics. Alexa doesn’t know you have a security system until you tell her. Add your chosen brand’s Alexa Skill so you can start issuing commands.
- Add more Skills. Don’t stop there. Look for other security-boosting Skills to add to Alexa. We’re a fan of the Burglar Deterrent skill. It uses your smart speakers to make it sound like someone’s home. We could even set the activity level to scale the volume up or down making it more realistic.
- Consider adding Emergency Assist. The $5.99-per-month Alexa Emergency Assist feature turns your Amazon Echo Dot into a supercharged emergency cell phone. When you say, “Alexa, call for help,” you’re connected to a trained monitor who assesses whether you need emergency services. When used with one of our favorite self-monitored security systems, this gets you close to a professionally monitored security system at a fraction of the cost.
How to Add Skills to Alexa
Alexa works with Skills. If you don’t download your security company’s Skill, you won’t be able to use Alexa to control it at all. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Go to Google and type in “[Name of Security System] Alexa Skill.” This is the easiest way we’ve found to get to the Alexa Skill page of our security system.
2. On the Alexa Skill page for your security system, click the “Enable” button.
3. After hitting that “Enable” button, you’ll be asked to log into your security system’s account. This links all of your security system’s components associated with your account to Alexa. Since we were linking our SimpliSafe security system, it directed us to SimpliSafe’s site to log in.
4. Once you link your security system account with your Amazon account, you can start controlling your security system with Alexa. You might need to confirm you want to link your accounts after logging in depending on the brand of your security system.
There are two alternatives to using the Amazon website for linking your security system to Alexa. First, you can ask Alexa by saying “Hey, Alexa. Enable SimpliSafe” (or Frontpoint, or Vivint, or Ring, or ADT). You’ll still need to pull out your phone or computer to log into your security system account just like we did when pairing online.
There’s also the Alexa app for connecting your security system. In the app, there’s a “Skills and Games” category in the “More” tab which has an icon that’s three bars. Open that up and search for your security system’s brand name. Then, enable the Skill and link your account just like we did with our SimpliSafe account on Amazon’s website.
We prefer doing it all from our computer. It was easier for us to link our accounts, but to each their own.
Recap
Picture this: As you get ready for bed, you say, “Good night, Alexa.” Automatically, your lights turn off and your security system goes on standby. If anyone sneaks around your yard at night, the floodlights will blind them and your siren will go off. And your Alexa will keep you posted every step of the way.
That kind of seamless security is exactly what you can get from the right home security system paired with Alexa.
FYI: Lost Google Home user? We wrote a list for you too. Check out our favorite security systems for Google Home.
FAQ
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How long will it take to pair my security system with Alexa?
While it depends on the specifics of your security system, pairing Alexa with a security system only requires you enable the associated Alexa Skill. That never took us more than 10 minutes.
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Can I use Alexa for home security?
Your Amazon Echo can perform basic security functions if you’re signed up for Alexa Emergency Assist.
Combining Alexa with a compatible home security system is where the magic happens. You can ask Alexa to arm your system, turn off sensors, and manage smart lights.
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What is Alexa Emergency Assist?
If you sign up for Alexa Emergency Assist, your smart speaker becomes a mini-security device. It will listen for your fire alarm and notify you if it’s going off. It also enables the “Alexa, call for help” command, which connects you to emergency services.
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Can Alexa be hacked?
It’s rare, but possible. Researchers have discovered numerous vulnerabilities in Alexa. A determined hacker could listen in on your conversations, gain your password, and more.
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Does professional monitoring work with Alexa?
For your security, most security systems do not let you confirm or deny alarms with Alexa. It would make it too easy for a potential intruder to dismiss the alert by saying “Hey, Alexa. Dismiss this alert.” Instead, they contact you through your phone with a call, text message or push notification.
Amazon. (2024). Alexa Emergency Assist.
amazon.com/dp/B0BZSZBK3TU.S. Department of Justice. (2023). Amazon Agrees to Injunctive Relief and $25 Million Civil Penalty for Alleged Violations of Children’s Privacy Law Relating to Alexa.
justice.gov/opa/pr/amazon-agrees-injunctive-relief-and-25-million-civil-penalty-alleged-violations-childrensNational Public Radio (2024). From Amazon to Facebook and Google, here's how platforms can ‘decay'.
npr.org/2024/01/04/1222040458/amazon-google-facebook-twitter-social-media-onlineTIME. (2019). Thousands of Amazon Workers Listen to Alexa Users’ Conversations.
time.com/5568815/amazon-workers-listen-to-alexa/Ars Technica. (2022). Attackers can force Amazon Echos to hack themselves with self-issued commands.
arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/03/attackers-can-force-amazon-echos-to-hack-themselves-with-self-issued-commands/