Once you buy a smart speaker, such as the Google Home, you’ll be eager to kit out your space with more smart products that can work with it. Tell Google you want the lights dimmed or changed to a cozy pink hue. Pause that show you’re watching to cast a feed of your smart doorbell camera onto the TV display. Shout from bed that you want the coffeemaker fired up pronto. If you’re stumped on where to start, this list of Google Home accessories and compatible devices can help you narrow your options. They’re listed alphabetically.
The best Google Home accessories
1) August Smart Lock Pro and Connect ($229)
With August Smart Lock, you can lock and unlock your door using just your voice, give temporary keyless access to guests, and even secure the door when you’re not present. Note: To be compatible with Google Home, you need the version that includes the Connect Bridge.
2) Google Chromecast ($35)
Google Chromecast turns practically any TV set into one that you can control with voice commands and Google Home. With this relatively inexpensive add-on, you don’t have to buy a whole new TV to add entertainment to your smart home experience. Google Home also works with compatible Roku products.
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3) iRobot Roomba 980 ($885)
If you love clean floors (who doesn’t?) and have several hundred dollars burning a hole in your pocket, go get yourself a Roomba 980 robot vacuum cleaner. Some have called it the best robot vacuum cleaner ever built. You can program it to sweep up your entire home at times you choose, or simply yell at it via your Google Home whenever you want it to start or stop cleaning. If iRobot is out of your price range, check out the Shark Ion 750 ($299.99) instead, another vacuuming robot and Google Home accessory.
4) LOFT Portable Battery Base for Google Home ($29.95)
You never need to be near an outlet again to use your Google Home when you have the LOFT Portable Battery. Available in carbon (think super dark gray), snow, and copper, this Google Home accessory brings up to eight hours of play time to your speaker.
5) MySmartBlinds (prices vary)
In some locations, the position of your window shades drastically affects your home heating and cooling costs. With window coverings from MySmartBlinds and Google Home, you can raise and lower your blinds at a moment’s notice.
6) Nest Hello Doorbell ($229)
Say you’re lounging on the couch when someone rings your doorbell. If it’s a Nest Hello Doorbell connected to Google Home, you can ask the Google Assistant to show you a video feed from the door on your TV set. (You need a Chromecast, too, to pull off this trick.) Google Home works with other doorbell systems, too, including August Cam Pro and Ring.
7) Nest Cam IQ Indoor ($299)
Whatever reason you need a video-monitoring camera in your home, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor can do it. It works as a baby monitor, security camera, pet cam—whatever. It comes equipped with a 4K sensor and broadcasting speaker. Plus, with an additional subscription, this camera can detect a stranger’s face from people who are supposed to be in your home, thereby alerting you to intruders but not family members who come home unexpectedly.
8) Nest Learning Thermostat ($249)
Control the temperature of your home using your voice, Google Home, and the Nest Learning Thermostat. The more you use this device, the smarter it gets, figuring out the different times of day when you like your space warmer or cooler. There’s no doubt Nest is one of the most popular brands of smart home thermostats, but it’s not the only one to work with Google Home. It also supports smart thermostats by Honeywell, ecobee, and many others.
9) Philips Hue Lightbulbs (prices vary)
Lighting is one of the most popular Google Home accessories, and smart bulbs by Philips were among the first products to take off with the advent of smart speakers. Choose one of Philips starter kits, which includes white or colored bulbs as well as a bridge for connecting them to other devices, including Google Home. We like the Philips Hue White and Color Starter Kit E26 ($199), which comes with four bulbs that can shine white or a range of colors, plus one bridge.
10) SmartThings Hub ($69.99)
When you buy a SmartThings Hub (at left in the image) for your smart home, your Google Home becomes an accessory to it, rather than the other way around. SmartThings is a powerful smart home hub that lets you manage devices in your home and even create routines, such as a morning routine that turns on certain lights, adjust the temperature, and starts the coffeemaker. SmartThings connects to a host of devices, and it’s not a bad way to go if you want to get the most out of your Google Home.
11) Vivint Home Security (prices vary)
Choosing a home security system that works with your smart home setup can be complicated, particularly if you’ve already spent money on some of the components, like cameras, doorbells, locks. If you’re starting fresh, however, and want a system that works with Google Home, give Vivint Home Security a solid look. The company sells burglary sensors, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, garage door controls, and more. And they all work with Google Home.
12) Wemo Insight Smart Plug by Belkin ($49.99)
Plug any small appliances, such as lamps and coffee makers, into Belkin’s Wemo Insight Smart Plug to control them remotely using Google Home. In addition to controlling your electronics, you can also monitor how much energy they use. Wemo by Belkin makes a similar smart plug without the monitoring features that sells for slightly less: Wemo Mini Smart Plug ($29.99).
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