The Best Smart Home Devices for Your Google Home

3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider

The best smart home devices for your Google Home

CHRISTIAN DE LOOPER, INSIDER PICKS JAN. 23, 2018, 3:00 PM

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The Insider Pick: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 1/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider If you’ve chosen the Google Assistant as your smart home helper, you need the best smart home products that work with the Google Home, Mini, and Max. We've tested smart light bulbs, outlets, light switches, security cameras, and thermostats to find the best ones you can buy.

The smart home is on the rise, and there are a growing number of awesome smart home devices that will help you live like the Jetsons. Companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple are all working hard with partners to expand their smart home ecosystems and bring digital assistants like Google Assistant, Amazon's Alexa, and Apple's Siri into the home.

Most Android fans have chosen Google Home as their go-to smart home system, and for good reason. It integrates well with other Google products, can be easily set up and controlled from your smartphone, and allows for a more uniform experience with the Google Assistant.

With the release of the Google Home came the launch of a new ecosystem of products that the Google Assistant can talk to whenever you say "Hey Google." That includes all kinds of smart home products from smart light bulbs to smart locks, and so on. In other words, through Google Home, you can talk to your Google Assistant to turn on and off lights, lock doors, control security cameras, and more.

With all the different smart home products out there, it can be a little overwhelming. Thankfully, we’ve done the work to figure out which products are worth buying so you don’t have to. Here’s what we’ve found.

Best smart light bulbs: Philips Hue Best smart thermostat: Nest Learning Thermostat Best security camera: Nest Cam IQ Best power switch: Belkin Wemo Mini Best non-dimmable light switch: Belkin Wemo light switch Best dimmable light switch: Belkin Wemo dimmable switch

Read on in the slides below to check out all of our top picks and learn why they're the best.

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 2/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider The best light bulbs that work with Google Home

Philips

Why you'll love them: There are plenty of great smart light bulbs, but we’ve found that Philips Hue bulbs are generally easier to use and more reliable.

There are a few great smart light bulb makers out there – including Philips, LIFX, and so on. In our testing, however, Philips Hue has risen above the rest when it comes to reliability, cost-effectiveness, and overall ease-of-use.

Philips has been in the smart bulb game for some time. At first glance, it might seem like one of the other bulb manufacturers is a better choice. Why? Well, because you have to buy a Philips hub with your bulbs and the initial cost can be a little higher than some other smart bulbs.

In our testing, however, the result of that hub seems to be much improved reliability, which is incredibly important for smart lights. When you ask Google Assistant to turn off the lights, the reliable Philips Hue bulbs will almost immediately actually turn off. Bulbs without a hub might never get the signal or experience an awkward delay.

Once you do have the hub, we’ve found that Philips’ Hue bulbs tend to be relatively inexpensive, which is good news for those of you who are looking to outfit your home with smart bulbs and light strips. The bulbs come in a range of shapes, styles, and colors.

There are some downsides to smart light bulbs in general. For example, when you accidentally turn the light switch off, you can't communicate with your bulbs. That’s why some prefer smart switches over bulbs, but if you’re good at remembering to http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 3/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider use your smart home devices rather than the light switches, it may not matter to you.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive, easy to use, easy to install

Cons: Requires a hub, useless if you use switches

Buy the Philips Hue starter kit with four white bulbs on Amazon for $89.95 (originally $99.99)

Read our full guide to the best smart light bulbs you can buy.

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 4/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider The best smart thermostat that works with Google Home

Nest

Why you'll love it: The Nest Learning Thermostat offers an easy-to-use app, great smart features, and you can control the temperature of your home with a simple voice command.

The Nest Learning Thermostat was arguably the first real smart thermostat, but since its launch years ago, it has retained its status as the best. That has only continued over the years since Google acquired Nest.

All Nest products are closely integrated with Google’s smart home product lineup, including the Google Home. By talking to the Google Assistant, you’ll be able to change the target temperature on the thermostat, turn the heater and air conditioner on and off, and more. You can also ask Assistant what the temperature is, and it will check your Nest Thermostat to find out.

The Nest Learning Thermostat is on its fourth generation, and it does a whole lot more than just interact with Google Assistant. The thermostat is built to learn your routine, so it can heat or cool the house before you even ask it to. Using Nest is a total breeze. The app is well-designed, and the interface on the thermostat itself takes little time to learn.

So what are the downsides here? Well, the main one is that Nest still doesn’t really work with external sensors. That’s about it as far as downsides go, though.

Pros: Easy to use, stylish design, well-designed app

Cons: No external sensor support http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 5/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider Buy the Nest Learning Thermostat on Amazon for $228.99 (originally $249.99)

Read our full guide to the best smart thermostats you can buy.

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 6/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider The best security camera that works with Google Home

Nest

Why you'll love it: The Nest Cam IQ can turn on and off automatically, detect faces when someone’s home, and even has Google Assistant built right into it.

Nest doesn’t just make thermostats, it also builds some excellent home security devices. Like, for example, the Nest Cam IQ. The Nest Cam IQ works perfectly with the Nest app, is easy to control, offers good quality video, and works well with Google Assistant.

Using the Google Assistant, you’ll be able to play a camera’s feed on a Chromecast-enabled device, making it easy to see what’s going on. In the near future, the Nest Cam IQ will get an update with Assistant itself. That means that you’ll be able to speak directly to the Cam IQ to get information and control other smart devices in the home.

Apart from those cool smart features, the Nest Cam IQ allows you to intelligently monitor your home. It can turn on and off when you get home or leave, so you won’t have to worry about it watching you when you don’t want it to. It even boasts facial recognition, so if it does detect someone unexpectedly, it can tell you who it is — assuming it’s seen them before.

The downsides to the device? Mainly that it’s a little expensive at $300. However, it is smarter than your average security camera.

Pros: Super smart, good video quality, great app

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 7/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider Cons: Expensive

Buy the Nest Cam IQ from Home Depot for $299

Read our full buying guide to the best security cameras.

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 8/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider The best smart switch that works with Google Home

Belkin

Why you'll love it: The Belkin Wemo Mini is well-designed and easy to use, and it allows you to easily turn your appliances on and off your with Google Assistant.

Belkin makes many great smart switches and plugs, including the Wemo Mini smart plug, which can turn most powered home appliances into smart devices.

There are a few reasons why we like Wemo’s switch best. While the app isn’t the best-designed app ever, it is still usable, and with Google Assistant integration, you might never need to open the app anyway.

Unlike some other smart switches, the Belkin Wemo Mini is small enough to allow for two switches on outlets with two plugs, which is great for those of you who intend to connect your entire home.

The Wemo Mini switch works with a range of smart home systems, too — not just Google Home. You can use it with Apple’s HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and more. The only real downside to the switches, as we’ve mentioned, is the somewhat lackluster app.

Pros: Easy to use, compatible with range of systems

Cons: Lackluster app

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 9/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider Buy the Belkin Wemo Mini on Amazon for $29.99 (originally $34.99)

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 10/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider The best smart light switch that works with Google Home

Belkin

Why you'll love them: Belkin’s Wemo light switches are easy to use and stylish in the home, plus, you can control them with your voice.

Belkin also makes light switches, and we really like them, too. The switches come in two forms: a dimmable switch and a simple on/off switch.

The light switches are easy to use and well-designed, but as with the power switch from Belkin, the app could use a little work. Still, that’s an updateable issue that Belkin could fix at some point. On top of that, the switches are compatible with a range of smart home systems, including the Google Home line.

There are a few downsides to consider here. For starters, wiring the switches up requires a neutral wire, and if you’re not familiar with replacing light switches, you should probably enlist the help of an electrician. On top of that, the switches do get expensive if you want to replace lots of them. The standard switch is $40-$50, while the dimmable version is as expensive as $80.

Pros: Stylish design, dimmable and non-dimmable form factors

Cons: Slightly expensive

Buy the Belkin Wemo light switch on Amazon for $39.99 (originally $49.97) http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 11/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider Buy the Belkin Wemo dimmer switch on Amazon for $64.99 (originally $79.99)

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 12/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider Which smart speaker should I buy — The Google Home, Mini, or Max?

Google

Why you'll love it: The Google Home is the best option for most people, but the Mini is great for those on a budget, and the Max is best for audiophiles.

If you don't have a Google Home smart speaker yet, you can take your pick between the original Google Home, the Mini, or the Max. All three are powered by the Google Assistant and offer identical functionality.

The only differences are size, design, sound quality, and price. The Google Home sits in the middle, making it the best for most people. It is on the smaller size, but audio quality is decent. The speaker has a white touch-sensitive top that lights up when you say, "Hey Google" or "okay Google." You can choose a fabric or metal base in a variety of colors.

The Mini and the Max look more like normal speakers with a soft cloth cover that comes in different colors. The Mini is a small pebble shape, while the Max is a large oblong speaker. The Mini has the weakest sound quality, but it is very affordable. The Max offers the best sound quality, but it is also the most expensive option.

No matter which one you choose, the Google Assistant has lots of smart features, including the ability to read you a daily briefing, give you a recap of the day's news from NPR and BBC World News, and answer your questions on just about any topic. Since Home uses Google's search graph to answer you, the entire knowledge of the internet is open to you. Ask about weather, traffic, stocks, or trivia, and Google will know the answer.

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 13/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider The Google Assistant works with a variety of smart home devices, too, so you can use it to turn off your Phillips Hue light bulbs, control your Nest thermostat, or stream media to your Chromecast. If you have any of these devices in your smart home, the Google Home, Mini, and Max are all great options.

You can read our full buying guide to smart speakers here. You should also check out the full list of devices and all the apps and services that work with Google Home.

Pros: Sound quality is decent, fun designs, different sizes, Google Assistant is very smart, wide smart home compatibility

Cons: Max is pricey, Mini has lesser sound quality

Buy the Google Home from Jet for $129

Buy the Google Mini from Best Buy for $49

Buy the Google Max from Jet for $399

Read our full buying guide to the best smart speakers here.

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Have something you think we should know about? Email us at [email protected].

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-google-home-devices?op=1&r=UK&IR=T/#the-best-light-bulbs-that-work-with-google-home-1 14/15 3/30/2018 The best Google Home devices: Philips Hue, Nest Cam IQ, and more - Business Insider

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