To be honest, I never really thought about turning our small condo into a smart home until my son in-law gave me a Google Home Mini and smart lamp this Christmas.
I thought the devices like Amazon’s Alexa were expensive and the whole concept of smart homes or hubs were for big fancy houses – which ours is not.
I was wrong.
Any home can be a smart home and for not a lot of money. The Google Home Mini is one of the least expensive devices to get you started. There are many devices on the market at various price points but this blog will focus on the least expensive options to get started.
The Google Home Mini will cost you about $29 on Amazon or any electronic retailer. The associated application (app) for your smart phone Google Home is free. The "regular" Google Hub goes for $99 but from my research, the only difference is better speakers but the Mini speakers sound good to me.
Since my condo has no smart devices like lamps and thermostats, I purchased several Smart Plugs for $10 each on Amazon. The associated app is Smart Life. These plugs turned my regular lights into programmable devices all run through the Google Home app.
So how does it all work?
I find that when you are dealing with devices and applications from multiple vendors the “handoff” between them is not always obvious so here’s a few pointers I learned. Refer to the instructions provided by the devices and apps. These are just some general steps to keep in mind.
1. Google Music comes with Google Home and figures out the music you like based on your old music.
2. Install the device’s app and add the device from that app – not from the Google Home app. In my case, I was adding only Smart Plugs. I plugged them into my existing devices and added them via the Smart Life app.
3. From the Google Home app, link to the devices app by selecting the app from a long list of supported apps.
4. From the Google Home app, rename the devices to something that makes sense to you, like “den lights” and “office lights.”
5. Add the actions to your routines in the Google Home app. By doing so you are able to turn on/off your devices with just the sound of your voice. For example, you will say “Hey Google, turn on the den lamp” and lo and behold it turns on.
6. You can add more routines with multiple actions. For example, you can say "Good morning Google" to have your lights come on followed by news, weather, and traffic.
From here you are off and running. The well-known Nest thermostats work with Google home and countless other devices. My son-in-law was right when he said all this can be addictive. And fun too.
I’m still a novice so as I get more experience, I’ll share more thoughts in future blogs.