You can keep track of what's happening at your front door without getting up from the couch with this great Fire TV feature.

One of the great features of Amazon's Fire TV OS is the ability to view your home doorbell camera on your Fire TV.

Keep an eye on your porch in full screen or picture-in-picture alongside the content you are viewing. It's perfect when you are waiting for food delivery or if you want to be sure there's no one there while watching a scary movie.

The Fire TV can display what's happening outside your front door, so there's no need to look at a phone or other screen. Here's everything you need to know.

This feature works with any Alexa-enabled doorbell camera, including the popular Ring doorbell. Other cameras from manufacturers like Blink and Arlo are also compatible.

The Fire TV must be running Fire TV OS7 or newer. Models include: Fire TV Cubes, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Fire TV Sticks (second-generation and later), the Fire TV Omni Series, Fire TV 4-Series, the Nebula Soundbar—Fire TV Edition, and the Toshiba M550 Series TV.

No matter the doorbell camera brand, the procedure is the same to get started with Alexa. Before you begin, set up the doorbell camera according to the instructions in its guide and app.

Once you've created an account and completed the video doorbell setup, connect the camera with the Alexa phone app:

Alexa will enable all devices of that camera brand, so if you have indoor cameras by the same manufacturer, it will add them too. If you don't want the other cameras connected to Alexa, tap Forget next to its name to remove it.

If your doorbell device does not appear after tapping Discover Devices, say, "Alexa discover devices," or tap the devices icon at the bottom of the screen and try again.

There isn't a specific app to view your doorbell camera on your Fire TV. You'll need a Fire TV that can connect to Alexa. Press the blue Alexa button (or microphone) on an Alexa voice remote to ask, "Show (name of your doorbell camera.)" Alternatively, ask an Echo speaker that can control the Fire TV, "Alexa, show (name of your doorbell camera) on (name of Fire TV)."

Initially, the camera's live view will appear full screen. Click on the Minimize to P-I-P icon to reduce the size of the camera view. Press your remote's microphone (or Alexa blue button) to speak to someone at your doorbell. If you use an Echo speaker to start the view, the microphone will be disabled.

Long press the home key to control picture-in-picture. You can close it or take it full screen. The sound is muted in picture-in-picture as it assumes you are watching something else.

Alexa commands to manage the doorbell camera feed include:

To stop the live video feed, you can say:

To manage the picture-in-picture view of your doorbell camera, use these commands:

An advantage of buying a Ring Doorbell is that the picture-in-picture will automatically display on your Fire TV when there is a Ring notification. That's as long as you have it set up to notify you when there is motion or when someone rings the doorbell.

Ring integrates with the Fire Tv and other Alexa devices because it's part of Amazon, so the doorbell view will automatically appear when someone rings it. But other brands can notify your devices when the doorbell rings.

To turn on Doorbell Chime notifications:

When the doorbell chime notification comes in, you can answer it from your Fire TV. Be sure the microphone is on—you'll see a microphone off icon on the screen to turn it off. Press the Alexa blue button or microphone button on the Fire TV remote to speak to your visitor.

Many doorbell cameras offer premium subscriptions that record video when it senses motion.

The Fire TV can show recent recordings from your video doorbell with these commands. Press the blue Alexa button and say:

If you have a Ring doorbell, here's how you can save video from a Ring Video Doorbell for free.

If after giving a command, it's taking more than 30 seconds for your video doorbell to show a live feed, check your battery on the camera.

If you can't connect to the video doorbell (or there is a long delay before it connects) from your Fire TV or other Echo speakers, you may need a Wi-Fi booster or mesh networking system to improve the wireless signal to your front door.

Also make sure and check that the software on your Fire TV and on your video doorbell are the latest versions.

With video doorbells and the Fire TV, viewing who is at the front door is no longer a luxury item. And you don't even have to get up from watching your movie, grab your phone or find your Echo Show.

When you need to keep watch for someone, whether it's a delivery or a friend, you can continue to watch your show without it interfering. Viewing your doorbell camera can give you peace of mind.

Barb Gonzalez started writing about technology when she looked at the back of an AV receiver and thought, “How will anyone be able to figure this out on their own?” She’s written and illustrated two books, “The Home Electronics Survival Guide,” and “Home Theater Made Simple,” and worked for numerous websites reviewing and simplifying technology. Barb has an insatiable curiosity about tech and a goal to make it accessible to everyone. When she’s not writing, she loves going on long hikes with her corgi, photographing stunning nature photos.

Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals!