Home IFTTT Pocket-lint Best Google Home accessories 2020: Top Google Home compatible devices to buy today

Best Google Home accessories 2020: Top Google Home compatible devices to buy today

December 29, 2020

Google Home is more than just an internet-connected speaker with a voice assistant. It also works as a smart home hub. Google Assistant on Google Home or your Nest Hub can also control smart home devices and so here's a list of great devices that you can use with Google Assistant. 

Smart thermostats

Smart thermostats not only bring intelligence to your home heating, they also make your heating more efficient by learning how you like your home warmed and when. They base temperature adjustment on when you're going to be home and reduce power waste by accounting for when you're not in. This intelligence makes for a great addition to your smart home setup. 

You can also control some smart thermostats with Google Home devices - adjusting the temperature of your home with nothing but your voice.

Nest Thermostat

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With Google Assistant on Google Home, you can use your voice to control the temperature in your home, switch between heating and cooling modes, and more. It therefore works with a Nest Thermostat, a product from Google-owned Nest, which actually sells smart devices other than thermostats. 

To adjust the temperature, say "Make it warmer/cooler" or "Raise/lower the temp" or "Raise/lower temp two degrees" or "Set the temperature to 72". To switch heating or cooling modes, say "Turn on the heat/cooling" or "Set the thermostat to cooling/heating" or "Turn thermostat to heat-cool mode". And to set the mode and temperature, say "Set the heat to 68" or "Set the air conditioning to 70".

Honeywell Lyric T6

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Google Home works with the Total Connect Comfort line of thermostats. If you want to use Lyric thermostats, like the Honeywell Lyric T6R smart thermostat, you'll need to use a smart hub (like SmartThings) to connect. Check out Google's FAQ page for more details about using smart hubs with Honeywell products.

Oh, and all the same commands you can use with the Nest Thermostat also work with Honeywell thermostats.

 

Netatmo Smart Thermostat

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The Netatmo Smart Thermostat is one of the funkiest looking smart thermostats we've seen. Not only does this device promise to use 37 per cent less energy in your home, but it also allows you to remotely control it via your phone, computer or your voice with Google Home. 

This thermostat was designed by famous French designer Philip Starck but it's not just its looks that make it stand out. This thermostat allows you to customise your heating schedule around your life. Setting the perfect temperature for when you get up in the morning, when you come home from work and more. It allows you to monitor your energy consumption as well as controlling it with Apple Homekit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and even Facebook Messenger. 

Tado

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Tado offers compatibility with Google Home too. The smart heating system works with geofencing, so when it detects that everybody has left the house it will automatically switch off. It will then spring into action when it notices someone coming home and is within a defined radius. 

Google Home owners can control the heating using their voice, including being able to control independent rooms thanks to Tado's smart radiator thermostats.

Outdoor smart home cameras

Controlling your home heating isn't the only thing you can do with your voice. Some of the best smart home cameras we've seen also include the ability to control them in various ways using Google Home. 

Netatmo Presence

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The Netatmo Presence is a brilliant outdoor security camera that not only keeps an eye on your home, but also doubles as a floodlight system to light your way and deter unwelcome visitors. 

It's a weatherproof camera, with microSD card storage and a solid design. This camera is intelligent too. It can tell the difference between people, animals and vehicles and alert you to such on your phone. 

The Netatmo Presence is voice controllable in various ways - the most useful of which might be the ability to turn the floodlight on remotely with your just voice via Google Home.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor

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The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is the latest and greatest outdoor home security camera from Nest. A large field of view, 4K sensor, 1080p recording and IP66 rated housing make this a really great device. 

Of course being a Nest product it naturally works with Google Home devices too. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor allows you to cast footage from your camera to your television via a Google Chromecast. All that's needed is a simple command of "Hey Google, play (location name) camera on my Chromecast" and hey presto, a live stream from your camera is on the big screen. 

arlo

Arlo Pro 2

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Arlo is one of the most popular security camera systems, thanks to the wide range of devices offered for a customisable system, as well as offering free online storage of videos for 7 days, for up to five cameras.

The Arlo Pro 2 offers rechargeable batteries for easy installation and 1080p capture, so it's a great mid-range camera system. There's the Arlo Ultra for those who want 4K. Arlo will detection motion, has night vision and also offers sound detection.

Indoor smart home cameras

As well as seeing outside your home, smart home cameras are also available to keep an eye on the inside. Some of these cameras also work with Google Home, making them easy to control with just your voice. 

Netatmo Welcome

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Like its outdoor brother, the Netatmo Welcome is an intelligent smart home camera that doesn't need a subscription and records directly to MicroSD card. It also features automatic night vision mode, person alerts and facial recognition tech that lets you know who's at home. 

The Netatmo Welcome can be voice controlled via Google Home - allowing you to cast live footage from the camera directly to your Chromecast-enabled TV with ease. 

Logitech Circle 2

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The Logitech Circle 2 is a smart home camera with a lot to offer. This camera offers 1080p streaming, two-way communication, automatic night vision and a super wide angle lens too. 

You can get 24-hours worth of footage for free or subscribe for access to more recordings for a small monthly fee. The Circle 2 is also controllable with Google Home. With some simple voice commands, you can stream footage on your TV with ease as well as activating various other settings.

Smart plugs

With the help of smart plugs, even the most basic electronic device can be given some intelligence. A smart plug can let you set schedules for things to turn on or off - allowing you to do clever things like be more efficient with your power or get a lamp to turn on at a certain time of day. The possibilities are surprising, but even more so when you can control those plugs with your voice. 

Belkin WeMo

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If you hook up a compatible hub (again, like SmartThings), the entire WeMo family of devices can be controlled through Google Home. Those of you without a hub will be limited to a few smart plugs and switches. The devices themselves are pretty intelligent, but being able to control plugs with just your voice is pretty special. Okay Google, turn on the coffee machine. 

TP-Link HS110 Smart Plug

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TP-Link is another company offering smart plugs that work with not only your smartphone but also Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices. An easy-to-use app is made even easier to control with your voice with the help of your favourite voice-assistant. The TP-Link devices are often discounted, so well worth grabbing in Prime Day or Black Friday sales.

Smart lighting and light bulbs 

Smart lighting is a brilliant addition to your home - allowing you to set lights to come on at certain times of day, change colours and brightness from your phone and much more. Some smart lighting devices are also controllable via Google Home too opening up a world of possibilities and superb convenience. 

Philips Hue Lights

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You can use your voice to control the Philips Hue lights around your house without touching a switch. You have the ability to turn lights on or off throughout a house, as well as the option of adjusting their brightness. You can say things like "Turn on <light name>", "Dim the <light name>", "Brighten the <light name>", "Set <light name> to 50 per cent", "Turn <light name> green", etc.

Nanoleaf smart lighting panels

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Nanoleaf offers a custom lighting solution made of connectable panels that are support 16.7 million colours. These smart lighting panels can not only be controlled and customised by the accompanying app, they can also be turned on and off and adjusted with Google Home too.

Streaming sticks and boxes

With a simple plug and play device, you can watch a variety of video content on your television and turn even standard televisions into smart devices. There are a number of smart streaming devices available and some of them work with Google Home too. 

Google Chromecast with Google TV

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It might seem obvious since it's a Google product, but Chromecast is also compatible with Google Home. You can use your Google smart speaker and assistant to easily cast video to any television this streaming device is connected to. 

This works with Netflix, YouTube and many more services. It's a fantastic way to cast content with ease. You can also ask Google to pause, play and rewind too. A variety of voice commands make picking up the TV remote to access content a thing of the past, although the included remote also has voice commands if you don't have a paired smart speaker.

Google Home works with all the variants of Chromecast too - Chromecast Audio, Chromecast Ultra and even the original Chromecast. 

Roku streaming devices

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Roku has long been one of our favourite device manufacturers when it comes to streaming sticks and boxes. Affordable access to a variety of content with ease makes these products highly appealing. Recent updates mean you're now able to control streaming content via Google Home too, which is yet another reason to buy. 

Robot vacuum cleaners

Robot vacuum cleaners are a God-send when it comes to easing the misery of keeping your house clean. Automated vacuuming makes a world of difference and there's something fantastic about having a robot do your bidding. The best part is some of these bots can be controlled with your voice thanks to Google Home too. 

iRobot Roomba i7+

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Not all robot vacuum cleaners are made equal and the Roomba i7+'s ability to dispose of it's own dirt. It offers great cleaning skills and mapping, as well as working with Google Assistant. It's a little larger than some and not the quietest, but it does have a few more skills.

Neato Robotics Botvac D7

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The Neato Botvac D7 is another smart and connected robot vacuum cleaner with plenty to offer. It has intelligent mapping technology, multi-floor capabilities and is packed full of sensors to help it get around your home. We found the Botvac D7 to be a brilliant little cleaning device, made even better by the addition of compatibility with Google Home. 

Using your voice you can send the robot out to clean, check of its current battery levels, return it to the charging dock and more. 

Other Google Home compatible devices

Nest Hello

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Another Nest device that has compatibility with Google Home is the Nest Hello video doorbell. A premium product offering a 160-degree, 1600 x 1200 HD, 30 FPS view of your front door. With an 8 x digital zoom, high-quality speaker and microphone and IPX4 weather resistance, this video doorbell makes a great alternative to Ring.

For Google Home owners, the highlight will be the notifications not only of there being someone at the door, but who it is too. Once you've taught Nest Hello who people are, it will announce the presence of friends and family at the front door via your Google Home speaker. Neat eh?

As with other cameras, you can also cast footage to your TV as well. 

Airthings Wave Mini air quality monitor

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If you're worried about the cleanliness of the air in your home, issues with toxins and chemicals, problems with radon and more then Airthings Wave Mini might be for you. This is a little device that sits in your home, silently monitoring your air and surroundings to make sure everything is top-notch. 

You can get that data straight to your phone with the accompanying app, but you can also make use of your Google Home device too. Airthings has a Google Assistant skill that lets you "talk" to the device to check air quality, room temperature and more with just a few simple voice commands. As an added bonus it's also compatible with Alexa too. 

Samsung SmartThings

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Speaking of SmartThings, Samsung's family of smart home devices offer compatibility with Google Home. That includes several smart lightbulbs, which you can turn on and off, brighten, and dim, as well as motion sensors, which interface with IFTTT so you can really level-up your home automation. As for the SmartThings hub, it opens Google Home up to even more connected devices.

SmartThings hub devices work with a wide variety of smart home products from brands like Philips, Osram, Leviton, Honeywell, and Ecobee, and because Google Home is compatible with this platform, it ensures that SmartThings users have a non-Echo option for a smart home assistant and speaker device. All you have to do is say "Ok Google" to seamlessly turn on lights, adjust thermostats, and more.

 

 

Logitech Harmony

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Logitech's range of Harmony devices are already well established as home control devices. While they don't have voice control, they can be used to control all manner of smarthome devices, can you can create 'recipes' using IFTTT.

For example, you can set a 'good morning' recipe that will open your blinds, switch on your coffee machine and turn your TV to a specified channel.

Google Home doesn't currently support all the service that Harmony does, so now with the two services integrating, you can bark voice commands such as "Ok, Google, ask Harmony to turn on my good morning activity".

We enjoy using Google Home and Harmony together to control the television. "Ok Google, turn on the TV", "Ok Google, turn down the television" etc. The service is continually improving too. 

Is that it?

The list of Google Home compatible devices is constantly expanding. We'll be updating this list as we get our hands on more, so be sure to check back to see what else is available in future. You can see some more in action in our smarthome setup video below:



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