Skip to main content

How to use the Echo Show as a security camera

An Amazon Echo Show 8 sits on a wooden desk.
Apple's smart display will be a more than just a home control hub. Nick Mokey / Digital Trends

The Amazon Echo Show is a terrific smart display with numerous capabilities. You can use it to stream Netflix, your favorite playlists, and top podcasts. Need some help cooking dinner? Ask Alexa to pull up a recipe or two for you. Missing mom and dad? As long as they own an Echo Show themselves, Amazon’s Drop In will let you initiate a video call between two different Show devices.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Compatible Echo Show

  • Compatible security cameras

We’re also willing to bet you didn’t know you can use an Echo Show as a basic home security camera. This means you’ll be able to pull up live footage of the room your Echo Show lives in. And if you own the Echo Show 10, you can even rotate the display to face in different directions.

Here’s how to turn your Echo Show into a hidden surveillance device right now!

Amazon Echo Show 8 2021 pan and zoom camera
John Velasco / Digital Trends

How to use your Echo Show as a security camera

Turning your Echo Show into a security camera should take no more than a few seconds. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Unlock your Echo Show and enter the Settings menu.

Step 2: Scroll to the Camera option.

Step 3: You'll now see an option called Home Monitoring. Enable this feature.

Step 4: Wrap up the process by verifying your identity, entering your password, and confirming your decision.

Step 5: Now that you've activated the Home Monitoring feature on Echo Show, you'll be able to view its video feed remotely.

Step 6: To drop into the Echo Show's video feed, open the Alexa app on your smartphone or other device.

Step 7: Select the Devices menu at the bottom of the screen.

Step 8: Select the Echo Show device you just enabled. That will pull up the video feed for you to view.

Step 9: Alternatively, you can say "Show me [Echo Show Device]". This will instantly open the feed.

Step 10: During the stream, you'll be able to modify the camera by double-tapping to zoom in and pinching to zoom out. If you have an Echo Show 10, you can swipe your screen to slowly rotate the camera.

The Blink Outdoor Camera 4 mounted on a brick wall.
Blink

How to access camera feeds from your Echo Show

Along with using your Echo Show as a camera, you can use it as a hub to view other security cameras in the network. Most Echo Show devices will let you view up to four cameras at once – turning it into a great central hub to keep tabs on your home. But before viewing your cameras on your Echo Show, you'll first want to place them all into a group. This streamlines the viewing process and makes it easy to pull up all your security cameras with a single voice command. Here's everything you need to know:

Step 1: First, you'll need to group together your cameras. This can be done in the Alexa app.

Step 2: Open the Devices tab, then select the Plus button, followed by Add Group.

Step 3: From here, you can either create a room or combine rooms and device groups.

Step 4: Set a name for your group, then click on the cameras you want in the group. Remember, most Echo Show devices will let you view up to four cameras at once.

Step 5: Once you've created a group, simply say "Show me my [Group Name] cameras. This will pull up a four-way panel with all your feeds. Clicking on a camera feed will let you zoom in or activate two-way audio.

Step 6: To close the feeds, simply say "Alexa, stop".

Step 7: That's it! Remember, you can always change the devices in your group if you decide you want to swap out different feeds.

Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
Tineco shows off three new ways to vacuum, steam, and clean your floors at CES 2025
Tineco Pure One Station Five

Tineco showcased three products at CES 2025, giving you three fancy new ways to vacuum, steam, and clean your floors. The Floor One S9 Artist Steam was the highlight of the trio, as it can produce steam to tackle tough stains, features a lay-flat design, and will automatically adjust its settings to best deal with the challenge at hand.

The Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Steam was designed to streamline all aspects of your floor cleaning chores. It produces steam (which hits temperatures up to 264 degrees Fahrenheit) to  quickly remove common stains produced by ketchup, chocolate syrup, pasta, and other household hazards, It can also lay flat to reduce its height to less than 13 centimeters -- giving you a chance to reach under furniture where larger cleaners can't fit. Along with automatically changing settings based on the dirt levels detected by its sensors, it benefits from Aurora AI Lights that change color dynamically depending on the cleaning status.

Read more
Pawport shows off new smart pet door security features at CES 2025
The Pawport pet door installed outside next to a pet mat.

Most smart home gadgets are designed for humans, but the Pawport Smart Pet Door is a bit different. While you can control most of its functions manually, it’s built from the ground up to give your pet an easy way to get in or out of your home -- all while keeping out unwanted guests that might sneak in with traditional pet doors. At CES 2025, the company expanded the system to include a new exterior pet door, creating a two-door system that’s among the most secure pet doors on the market.

Originally shown off at CES 2024, Pawport is a smart pet door that actuates when your pet is trying to leave or enter your home. Using a lightweight waterproof tracker tag and motion sensing, the door (which is installed inside your home) will automatically open when your pet approaches. When it’s not nearby, the door will close to prevent pests, animals, or bad weather from getting inside. The Pawport Smart Pet Door can be mounted indoors over existing pet doors, making it an easy addition to most homes.

Read more
Ulticam shows off three AI-powered security cameras at CES 2025
The Ulticam IQ installed outside a home.

Ulticam, the new security camera brand of Xthings, revealed a lineup of three AI-powered cameras at CES 2025. The Ulticam IQ, Ulticam IQ Floodlight, and Ulticam Dot offer not just cool AI capabilities, but also free seven-day cloud storage -- which could make them a solid choice for value-minded shoppers leery about signing up for monthly storage plans.

The Ulticam IQ and IQ Floodlight are the main attractions, as they're packed with features that should pose solid competition for the best smart security cameras from Arlo, Nest, and Ring. The duo uses edge AI to quickly identify people, vehicles, and packages without needing to upload the video for server-side processing. This onboard processing should result in faster performance -- it’s also great for privacy and security, as your footage doesn’t have to leave your device.

Read more