Alexa Guard works with smart home platforms by ADT and Ring to arm/disarm systems, control lighting, receive fire/life-safety alerts and more.

New Alexa Guard turns Amazon Echo into sound-recognition device, alerting users and professional monitoring stations to smoke/CO alarms and glass breaks; first partner ADT sees stock price soar.

ADT says Alexa Guard, new audio analytic service from Amazon, "deepens Amazon's marketing and distribution relationship with ADT."

CEDIA Tech Council podcast ponders the location-based VR, Apple's new software updates, acoustical cameras that 'see' the noise and other emerging technologies.

In studying pre-CES IoT activity, we discerned a few new trends in smart-home technology ('the fog') and market forces (wellness) driving home-automation. But some things never change (standards).