Did you know your Amazon Echo Show can function as a household security camera? That is correct! While the camera function was intended to be employed for video calls, It also works well as a security camera, allowing you to keep an eye on your belongings while you’re away.

The finest security cameras are a good way to see what’s going on within and outside your home, but let’s be honest: they can be expensive, and most of us will need several of them dotted all over our house to ensure every inch is captured. Fortunately, if you own an Amazon Echo Show in your home, you can use its built-in camera to create your own security system.

Amazon Echo Show Home Monitoring Feature

Although the Home Monitoring feature has been initially limited to the Amazon Echo Show 10, we were delighted to see it quickly expanded to a variety of Amazon’s relatively small smart displays, such as the Echo Show 8 (1st gen) and the Echo Spot.

Although it does not record video and cannot be mounted to the wall like a regular home security camera, it is extremely useful for keeping in on your home, pets, and family members while you are away. You can also obtain one of these beauties for a steal if you follow our guide to the echo show.

It is worth noting, however, that if you employ your Amazon Echo Show as a household security camera, this will display a message indicating that the camera is live and that someone is observing remotely, so if you want to check in on your kids discreetly, this isn’t the best option.

Still, we believe that for those of you on a tight budget who want to keep a close eye on what’s occurring at home when you can’t be in there, the Amazon Echo Show is a good substitute for a conventional security camera. Everything you need to know about using your Echo Show as a household security camera is right here. If you want to expand your smart home, read our guide to the top video doorbells.

What does the Echo Show home monitoring feature do?

Before we get into how to utilize your Amazon Echo Show as a household security camera, it’s important to understand the benefits it provides. The Home Monitoring feature lets you view the live feed from any Echo Show camera in your home on another Echo Show or even on your phone through the Alexa app. It functions similarly to a drop-in call, but without the clip on your face in the upper right-hand corner. You can also perceive the footage on your TV using an Alexa-enabled Fire TV streaming device.

If you own an Echo Show 10 with a rotary screen, you can rotate the camera by swiping left and correct on the phone screen. Nevertheless, there are some constraints. The Echo Show, unlike the right home security cameras, does not notify you when motion is detected in the camera’s field of view. Furthermore, the cameras will not record footage to also be reviewed later – this is solely a live stream feature.

How to use Home Monitoring on an Echo Show?

You must facilitate the Home Monitoring feature on one’s Echo Show before you can use it as a home security camera. Swipe towards the bottom of the screen and choose Settings, then Camera. To activate the function, move the slider beside Home Monitoring.

To observe a live feed from Echo Show on a smartphone or tablet, open the Alexa app as well as select Cameras from the top of the screen. A list of Alexa-enabled security footage in your home will appear; pick the Echo Show from the list to start the live feed. The microphone and speaker are both muted by default in the app; simply tap the on-screen icons to activate them so you can talk to anyone in the camera’s field of view while pinching the image to zoom in or out of the video.

A notification will be displayed just on Echo Show to notify anyone in the house that the camera feed is being viewed. Stopping the live feed is as simple as pressing the Stop button on the left side of the alert.

Simply say “Alexa, show me the…” followed by the title of the device whose camera feed you want to view to use another Echo Show or Echo Spot, or perhaps an Amazon Fire TV Stick direct connection to a TV. It will appear on the screen of your Echo or on your television. Again, you could indeed pinch to zoom, and if you want to talk to someone, you’ll have to initiate the microphone (which isn’t accessible when you’re using a Fire TV).