Smart Home Devices For Google Home Technical Tips

From controlling your TV to locking your door, Google Home is capable of doing almost anything that can turn your home into a smart one. However, in order to take full advantage of all the smart features that the Google Home packs, you might have to purchase some additional smart devices for your home that can work together with the built-in Google Assistant. Believe me, this can totally change the way you use Google’s new smart speakers. If you’ve recently purchased the new Google Home, you might be keen on bringing the best out of your device. So, if you’re interested, take a look at these 10 Google Home Compatible Devices to Work with Google Assitant you can buy.

Logitech Harmony Hub

This Hub is quite similar to how Samsung’s SmartThings works, but it’s more inclined towards the entertainment side of things, especially television. Apart from the usual capabilities that you might expect from a hub like controlling lights, locks, thermostats etc., the Logitech Harmony Hub lets you control your TV, gaming console, cable and even streaming boxes like Roku, Apple TV, and several others. There’s a smartphone app that you can utilize to control all the smart devices connected to the Harmony hub, but why do you need an app when you can control it with your voice via Google Home? Yes, that’s right. Use your voice to change channels, volume, program favorites and much more, thanks to Google Assistant. Well, you can make use of these following commands to put your Google Home to test: Okay Google, ask Harmony to turn on sports Okay Google, ask Harmony to reduce the volume Okay Google, ask Harmony to play music The Logitech Harmony Hub can start playing your favorite music playlist once you simply say “Good Morning” by making use of Google Assistant on the Home. The ability to fully control the streaming boxes with your voice is definitely a welcome addition as well. All in all, for an asking price of approximately $95, the Harmony Hub is a clear winner in terms of entertainment, when you pit it against the likes of SmartThings.

Samsung SmartThings Hub

Ever wanted to automate your home? Well, Samsung can help you with that. As the name suggests, this Google home compatible device is a hub for your smart home, capable of connecting a wide range of smart devices together under a central unit, which the user has complete control over. From lights to thermostats and even door locks, you can connect almost every smart device that you have to the Samsung SmartThings Hub. This is a necessity if you’re planning on turning your home into a smart home because things might start to get cluttered if you don’t have a central hub that can control all your devices. With support for Google Home, things get way easier, as you’ll be making use of Google Assistant to control the SmartThings Hub and every smart device that’s connected to it, with just your voice. Imagine how cool would that be? You’ll be able to make use of voice commands similar to the ones listed below, in order to control your smart devices connected to SmartThings Hub with the help of Google Assistant. Okay Google, turn on/off all lights Okay Google, turn the thermostat up/down 5 degrees Okay Google, lock the door

Google Chromecast Ultra

Almost 4 years ago, Google unveiled tiny dongle-like devices that connect to the HDMI port on your TV to access a plethora of smart features that was not possible earlier. These devices took over the digital market by storm, as this was one of the easiest and cheapest methods to convert your standard TV into a Smart TV within seconds. The Google Chromecast Ultra is the latest and greatest one in this line-up, being capable of streaming content in 4K and HDR. We’re pretty sure that 4K and HDR are the future. In addition to that, digital distribution services like Netflix, Hulu, etc. are taking the world by storm with plenty of content to choose from and binge-watch. This makes the Google Chromecast Ultra, a must buy. However, you can use the Chromecast Ultra much better, thanks to Google Home and the integrated Assistant. Well, you can make use of these following voice commands to check out how good the Google Home makes your Chromecast Ultra better: Okay Google, Play “House of Cards” on TV Okay Google, Play Casey Neistat videos on TV Okay Google, Turn on subtitles As you can see, you can start music your favorite movies and TV shows, with or without subtitles, just by using your voice commands with Google Assistant. Almost all the time, it works flawlessly. For an asking price of under seventy bucks for streaming 4K and HDR content, the Chromecast Ultra is definitely a worthy addition to your Google Home. Buy from Google

Google Chromecast Audio

We know that the Google Chromecast is capable of turning a standard TV into a smart TV, which lets you stream movies and TV shows Similarly, Chromecast Audio converts any speaker with a 3.5mm headphone jack into a Wi-Fi network-based smart speaker that lets you stream music right from your smartphone without any hassle. The way you use Chromecast Audio gets way more interesting once you hook it up with your Google Home, which lets you control the device with voice commands via the built-in Google Assistant. If you want to have a sneak peak at the connected Google Home is capable of, make use of the following voice commands. Okay Google, Play “Radioactive” using Spotify on speakers Okay Google, Pause the music Okay Google, Increase the volume of the speaker Once you connect your Google Home to Chromecast Audio, you can easily start streaming music from your smartphone to the connected speakers, without the need for any additional devices.If you were expecting this device to cost as much as the Ultra, you’re wrong. It only costs half as much as the Chromecast Ultra, as it’s currently available for purchase directly from Google, for approximately $35. Buy from Google

Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation

Well, we all know that thermostats actively monitor and regulate the temperature, once it reaches a certain threshold point. The Nest Learning Thermostat is one of the smartest ones you could possibly buy, as it’s capable of learning your lifestyle in just a week. Yes, you read that right. Nest keeps monitoring the temperatures and settings you prefer and programs itself to do it automatically in seven days. Nest can automatically shut off when nobody’s home, in a move to conserve energy and in turn lets you save some money on electricity bills. You can connect and make use of the Nest App to completely control the smart thermostat right from your smartphone. Since Nest boasts support for Google Home, you could do everything that you could do on your app, with just your voice. You can make some of the following cool voice commands to completely control your Nest Learning Thermostat: Okay Google, raise the temperature by 5 degrees Okay Google, make it cooler Okay Google, what’s the current temperature?

iRobot Roomba 980 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

Keep your house clean is one of the most difficult tasks in everyday life, as it takes a chunk of our time. That’s exactly where Robotic Vacuum cleaners kick in. Capable of automatically cleaning your entire house while you’re busy at some other work, is what these devices excel in. Some of these devices can be remotely controlled with your smartphone via an app, but the one we’re going to discuss can take full advantage of your Google Home. Meet the iRobot Roomba 980 which can take full advantage of Google Assistant compatible Vacum Cleaner to completely change the way you use these robotic vacuum cleaners. Once you’ve set up the Roomba with the iRobot HOME App for your smartphone, you can configure it with Google Home and start using some of the following voice commands to do some cool stuff: Okay Google, talk to Roomba Okay Google, tell Roomba to start cleaning Okay Google, ask Roomba to stop cleaning Well, you don’t have to grab your smartphone and get on the app to control your Robotic vacuum cleaner anymore. With the help of Google Home, you can control it from wherever you’re in the house, even if your phone is out of reach. However, the Roomba 980 does not come for cheap though, costing approximately 750 bucks, which puts it in the price range of several flagship smartphones in the market today. That being said, if you want to keep the costs low, you can get a much more affordable alternative that works with Google Home, for $476.

LIFX Smart LED Light Bulb

I’m pretty sure that we’ve all been in a position where we felt too lazy to get off the bed and turn off the lights. LIFX Smart LED Light Bulb is for all the lazy people out there, offering complete control no matter where you are in your house. This smart bulb is capable of displaying 16 million colors at a maximum brightness of nearly 1000 lumens and does not require a bridge like the Philips Hue, as it can connect directly to the network from the light bulb itself. You can make use of LIFX app that’s available for both Android and iOS to gain complete control over your smart LED light bulb. That being said, why would need to fiddle around with an app, when you can basically do the same thing using voice commands with the help of Google Assistant? Well, make use of these nifty voice commands to know how well Google Home works together with your smart light bulb: Okay Google, turn on all the lights Okay Google, Dim the LIFX Smart bulb Okay Google, change the light bulb’s color

August Smart Door Lock 2nd Generation

Too lazy to get off your comfortable couch to open the door, every time when someone rings your doorbell? Well, we’ve all been in that situation at some point. That’s why we have smart door locks now, and the second generation August Door Lock is one of the smartest ones out there. This smart door lock automatically locks and unlocks your door, thereby granting and restricting access the visitors at your door. It’s also able to automatically unlock the door as you approach as well as lock it once you leave, by making using of the August Home app available for iOS and Android devices. How smart is that? Well, with support for Google Home, you can unlock its true potential with some of the following cool voice commands: Okay Google, ask August if my door is locked Okay Google, ask August to list all my locks Okay Google, ask August to open the front door

TP-Link HS100 Smart Plug

So, we’ve seen smart hubs, smart lights, and even smart door locks. Now, meet the TP-Link HS100 Smart plug which lets you control whatever device that’s connected to it, regardless of the device being smart or not. By making use of the Kasa app that’s available for both iOS and Android devices, you can control a whole range of devices that’s connected to the Smart plug. Google Assistant can take all of the HS100’s smart features to the next level, as it’s compatible with Google Home. You can connect lights, computers, fridge, Wi-Fi router and much more to this smart plug and make use of some of the following voice commands to check out what this tiny smart plug is capable of: Okay Google, turn on the lights Okay Google, turn off the router Okay Google, ask smart plug to turn on the computer