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What to Know About Google Home

It should come as no surprise that Google Home is great as a search engine. Ask it questions you’d type on Google, and you’ll be sure to get quick, clear responses that are on target with what you’re inquiring about. Google is also great at translating, ambient sounds and making restaurant recommendations. Perhaps its most exciting feature is the integration with all of Google’s apps, allowing you to access your Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Maps and more.

Best Google Home Devices

  • Google Home Mini ($29): This is a powerful little helper that’s great for answering questions, streaming music or podcasts and controlling smart home devices.

  • Google Home ($69): Equipped with all the essentials, the Google Home is a baseline smart speaker that features audio streaming of music, podcasts, audiobooks and more and it can be used for voice calls, to ask questions and for smart-system control.

  • Google Home Hub ($99): You’ll notice a new name attached to the Google Hub. Nest joined Google’s hardware team last year, and over the coming months, you’ll begin seeing changes across products, including the Google Home Hub now called the Nest Hub. It’s smaller than the Echo Show, so it’s not ideal for watching movies, but it can serve as a digital photo frame, works with Google Calendar so you can see your schedule at a glance, has YouTube integration for you to follow a recipe and more.

  • Google Home Max ($229): The largest Google Home device, the Nest Hub Max is a great choice if you’re looking for a high-quality speaker, holding two woofers and two custom tweeters, which make for sharper audio and distinct base. It features all the other Google Home basics.

  • ADT Pulse

  • BAF

  • Belkin Wemo

  • Control4

  • Crestron

  • D-Link smart plug

  • Ecobee

  • Emerson

  • Ecovacs

  • Garagio

  • Gogogate

  • Honeywell Lyric

  • IFTTT

  • Kwikset

  • Insteon

  • Leviton switches

  • LG

  • LIFX

  • Lightify

  • Logitech Harmony

  • Lowe’s Iris

  • Lutron Caseta

  • Neato

  • Nest

  • Netatmo

  • Philips Hue

  • Rachio

  • Ring

  • Roomba

Some standout products that are compatible with Google Home include:

  • ADT Pulse
  • Belkin Wemo
  • Ecobee
  • Emerson
  • Ecovacs
  • IFTTT
  • Lenovo Smart Home
  • LG
  • LIFX
  • Logitech Harmony
  • Lutron Caseta
  • Nest
  • Philips Hue
  • Ring
  • Roomba