Alexa Guard and Nest Aware are two smart security systems that work alongside your existing lineup of smart home products. By enabling one or the other, your devices can provide you with additional home security features — such as alerting you when a smoke alarm is going off or turning lights on and off while you’re out of town.
There’s a lot to love about both services, as Google and Amazon have put together a list of surprisingly robust features for their respective systems. While they probably won’t fill the same gaps as a dedicated security system, they’re a great (and affordable) way to keep your home safe without investing in new equipment.
Here’s a look at Alexa Guard and Nest Aware to help you decide which is best for your home.
Features
Alexa Guard
Amazon’s Alexa Guard offers two distinct tiers of service — the free version of the home monitoring suite referred to simply as Alexa Guard, along with a paid version of the service known as Alexa Guard Plus.
Under the free tier, Alexa Guard will use the far-field mics on your Echo products to listen for the sounds of glass breaking and fire/carbon monoxide alarms in your home. If these sounds are detected, Alexa will send a notification to whatever mobile device you use the Alexa app on. When enabled, Alexa Guard will also randomly turn on/off smart lights to make it seem like someone is home, and can even be integrated with Ring Alarm, ADT Pulse, ADT Control, and Scout Alarm for additional home monitoring.
With Alexa Guard Plus, additional benefits include access to Amazon’s 24/7 emergency hotline and the ability for Echo products to listen for intrusive sounds around the home> It will also play dog barks and siren sounds if your Echo speaker or display detects motion or hears an intruder.
Nest Aware
Google’s Nest Aware also offers two tiers of service, although both are locked behind paywalls. The standard Nest Aware plan interfaces with a number of Google’s Nest cameras and video doorbells, allowing you to store motion-triggered event videos in Google’s cloud for up to 30 days. While you can still use a Nest camera or doorbell without a Nest Aware subscription, you won’t be able to save any video events.
The standard Nest Aware plan also includes Nest speaker and display monitoring for the sounds of glass breaking and smoke/carbon monoxide alarms, along with a feature called “familiar face detection” that allows your smart cameras to learn who your friends and family are by adding them as recognized visitors in the Nest app. That means whenever your uncle shows up at the front door, your Nest doorbell will send you an alert saying “Uncle Mark is at the front door.”
The second tier of service is known as Nest Aware Plus, and it adds 60 days of video event storage, as well as 10 days of 24/7 continuous video recording. As part of both tiers of service, users also have the ability to dial 911 through the Google Home app in the event of an emergency.
In years past, users would have to pay for a Nest Aware plan for each Nest product in their smart ecosystem. Thankfully, Google lightened the load by allowing Nest Aware plans to apply to every compatible Nest device on your network.
The winner
In terms of overall features, both Alexa Guard and Nest Aware are fairly neck and neck, but Nest Aware grants users the ability to store potentially crucial event videos to the Home app for future reference. While both versions of Alexa Guard offer quite a bit, cloud storage for event recordings is not one of them. Thus, Nest Aware earns a point.
Price
Alexa Guard
As mentioned, Amazon offers two tiers of Alexa Guard. The standard Alexa Guard plan is actually completely free. The second tier, Alexa Guard Plus, costs $5 per month or $50 per year and covers all the Echo devices on your network.
Also, note that Alexa Guard Plus is included with your Ring Protect Pro and Plus (1st Gen) subscriptions once you’ve linked your Ring and Amazon accounts.
Nest Aware
Google’s Nest Aware is also available in two different tiers. The regular Nest Aware subscription is $6 per month or $60 per year, with Nest Aware Plus costing $12 per month or $120 per year. Do keep in mind that the latter nets homeowners an extra 30 days of video event storage, along with 24/7 continuous video recording.
The winner
Speaking purely of overall value, we’re giving a point to Alexa Guard. Not to undermine any of the great features one gets with Nest Aware, but it’s especially convenient for device owners to be able to experience smart security add-ons at no cost whatsoever.
Setup and compatibility
Alexa Guard
Activating Alexa Guard is a fairly quick process that is handled straight through the Alexa app. To get things started, grab whatever device your Alexa app is on and launch it. Next, tap More, then Settings. Under Settings, tap Guard, then Set Up Guard. From here, all you need to do is follow the on-screen instructions to complete your setup.
When leaving the home, all you have to do to enable Alexa Guard is say “I’m leaving” to your Echo device. Your smart hub will display a spinning white light, indicating Alexa Guard is toggled on. When you return home, simply say “I’m home” to turn off Guard.
Alexa Guard and Alexa Guard Plus are supported by Amazon’s Echo and Echo Dot speakers, Echo Show displays, and Echo Plus products.
Nest Aware
Unlike Alexa Guard, once a Nest Aware plan is added to your Google Home account, the service is active across all devices until you decide to cancel it. There’s no toggle on/off required.
Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus are supported by Google’s Nest Cam IQ, Nest Hello, Nest Cam Outdoor, Nest Cam Outdoor IQ, and Nest Hub Max.
The winner
The ability to toggle Alexa Guard on/off is convenient, but not necessarily a deal breaker when weighing both systems. In terms of support, both Guard and Nest offer great compatibility across their smart home ecosystems. Let’s call this one a draw.
The verdict
Both Alexa Guard and Nest Aware offer several ways to keep your home under lock and key while you’re out for the day or vacationing for several weeks. While Nest Aware is a bit heavier on the wallet, the ability to store event-triggered and consistent video recordings (with Nest Aware Plus) is a huge perk for Google Home users.
Alexa Guard offers plenty of its own awesome features, plus full Echo compatibility, along with a free tier of the Guard service for those that want to give it a try without committing to a monthly membership.
A tough call, indeed. So, in fairness to both brands, we’re going to wave the white flag and call this matchup a tie.
