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Google Home: How to start a smart home
How to start a smart home using Google Home
How to start a smart home using Google Home
/After a messy start, Google’s Home ecosystem is finally starting to come together.
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Illustration by Samar Haddad for The Verge
The smart home isn’t perfect. No matter how many times a company claims “seamless” integration with third-party devices or “effortless” use of voice commands to bend your connected gadgets to your will, there’s no one platform that gets everything exactly right. Depending on your specific needs, any of the major options — Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (now just Home), Google Home, Home Assistant, or Samsung SmartThings — could be the best fit for you and your home. Recently, I’ve been taking a long look at Google Home.
Google got a lot right when it bought Nest in 2014, but it ramped up too slowly, releasing only a modest trickle of new connected home hardware before eventually introducing its first Google Assistant-powered smart speaker in 2016. That was followed by a protracted rebranding once Google decided the smart home was indeed a thing. The tech giant brought Nest officially under the Google name in 2019, which involved a frustratingly glitchy software migration from the Nest app to Google Home.
But now, at last, a Google-led smart home is starting to make sense.
The newly updated Google Home app improves a lot of basic smart home functions. Google’s refreshed software also comes with a long-awaited addition: support for Matter on the Google Home app with an iPhone running iOS 16.5.
Put all that together, plus Google Nest’s pretty strong lineup of branded products, and the Google smart home is finally hitting its stride. But before I talk about where it is today and how I use it, let’s take a brief look at the history of Google’s smart home attempts.
Working backward
Google didn’t take a linear path to building its smart home platform. In 2014, it bought Nest, then a startup with just two products: the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Later the same year, Nest, now a part of Google (but still operating separately from its corporate owner), purchased startup Dropcam, maker of Wi-Fi security cameras, and replaced the Dropcam Pro with a similar Nest-branded camera, the Nest Cam. Nest also introduced a couple next-gen versions of its thermostat and smoke detector and created Works with Nest, its own platform consisting of third-party device partners that integrated with its products.
Then things began to change. Google Assistant arrived, followed shortly after by Google’s first smart speaker. Finally, five years after buying it, Google announced it was moving Nest under its purview, making the former startup Google’s official smart home brand.
The move from Nest to Google Nest was fraught with all kinds of problems
The move from Nest to Google Nest was fraught with all kinds of problems. Google did away with the Works with Nest platform, which ended certain integrations for existing Nest users. The Google Home app didn’t support all Nest devices, which meant that, in some cases, you had to use the old Nest app for certain products and the new Google Home app for others (this is still an ongoing issue for some legacy products).
There were also some privacy concerns around the same time concerning an undisclosed microphone built into the Nest Secure security system. The Nest Secure has since been discontinued and will no longer be supported in the Nest app starting in 2024.
Currently, there are over a dozen Google Nest products, including four Google Assistant-driven smart speakers and displays that support “over 50,000 smart home devices from more than 10,000 popular brands,” according to Google. The latest version of the Google Home app, now live and rolling out to users, makes significant improvements for smart home configuration and control.
“OK, Google, build me a smart home”
Google’s smart home platform has broad appeal due to its wide variety of third-party partners and easy setup and control, especially now that the app has been overhauled.
If you have an Android phone, you can simply use that to command your various compatible connected devices. If you have an iPhone, you can access Google Assistant through the Google Home app. In either case, you can also use one of their smart speakers or displays.
Personally, after years of testing Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and other voice assistants with all sorts of products and different commands, Google Assistant overwhelmingly feels more natural. It does a great job answering general questions clearly and thoroughly without either misunderstanding me or not knowing the answer.
My current setup includes an iPhone with the Google Home app, a Google Nest Hub Max smart display, a couple of Nest Protect smoke detectors and a Nest Thermostat E. As far as third-party integrations go, I currently have a bunch of Wyze lights and an old Wyze Cam v2, though as a product reviewer, I’m regularly swapping products in and out for testing.
The Google Nest Hub Max’s audio quality and display resolution are strong enough for me to overcome my general dislike of smart displays. I can easily view my connected products on the display and make adjustments there if I don’t have my phone handy — or use a quick voice command.
I also really like being able to control my thermostat on my smart display. Unfortunately, the Nest Thermostat E has since been discontinued in the US, though you can still find it on Amazon. I’ve also tested the Nest Learning Thermostat and the newer Nest Thermostat, and they’re both solid products as well that I can comfortably recommend as part of a Google smart home.
While I don’t currently have any Google Nest cameras or doorbells installed at home, I’ve tested most of them and consider them excellent security devices. In fact, a huge part of my interest in a Google smart home lies with these Google Nest products. I’ve tested many Nest devices over the years, and most of them have stood out from the competition due to their attractive hardware and strong performance. It’s worth noting, though, that Google typically charges a premium for its products, which won’t fit with everyone’s budget. That’s especially true if you want to outfit your home with multiple thermostats, smoke detectors, cameras, and doorbells to cover different levels and entry points.
If you have a Chromecast with Google TV, you can view your Google Nest camera or doorbell’s live feed on your TV — and use Google Assistant on the Chromecast remote to play your favorite shows.
I’d also wholeheartedly suggest Wyze light bulbs as part of your setup. They’re cheap, they work well, and they’re compatible with Google Assistant. I have a combination of their white-light-only and color-changing bulbs. All of them are dimmable and have adjustable white-light color temperature, so you can switch between cooler-toned white light during the day when you’re trying to get things done and warmer light in the evening as you wind down.
In fact, you may already have a device at home that’s compatible with Google. Check out your device options to see what companies and specific products will work.
Working with Google Home
While you can use the Google Home app or the touchscreen on your smart display to control your smart home devices, the core (and, in my opinion, best) functionality is tied to voice commands. Say, “OK, Google” or “Hey, Google” to kick things off.
I use these types of commands often, especially when there’s something I can’t schedule, like asking Google for the current weather in my area or the local traffic report. I also use commands to make one-off adjustments to my lights and thermostat separate from their normal schedule.
Those individual “OK, Google” commands are nice, but Routines (Google’s word for customizable smart home automations) are even better. Routines can modify the thermostat, lights, and garage door simultaneously, and all with just one command. For example, if I say, “OK, Google, goodnight,” the voice assistant adjusts my various connected lights for bedtime, as well as the thermostat. You can also create schedules with Routines so it’s a bit more automated and doesn’t require a voice command as a prompt, such as, “At sunrise, open my window shades and turn off my outdoor lights.”
It’s basic, but having a single “OK, Google” command to handle multiple things saves me a small amount of time each day. It probably also means I’m saving money and energy over time because I’m less likely to leave lights on or forget to adjust the thermostat during parts of the day when we need less heat or AC.
Google has also updated the available options for triggers in Routines. Rather than just a voice command, a specific time, at sunrise or sunset, or turning off an alarm, you can now start a routine “when a device does something,” which is a major upgrade. That means you can start an automation when your camera detects motion or when your lights, smart plugs, or any other compatible devices do something.
Room for improvement
On the other hand, I wish Google’s smart home (or any of them, really) was a bit more predictive. The smart home is likely some time off from this, but I’d love to see Google’s platform advance to the point where it knows exactly what you want and automatically makes those changes on your behalf.
For example, what if in the morning when I woke up, the shades opened and the lights turned on automatically? Then, as I headed downstairs, what if my electric kettle started boiling and the smart display in the kitchen started giving me a news briefing, all without me saying a word? Yes, I could schedule some of these things today, but I don’t always get up at the exact same time every day. I could use a voice command, too, but it would be even easier if I didn’t even have to ask Google Assistant to read me the news.
There are other improvements I’d appreciate. In addition to Nest Secure and Dropcam (both of which are being discontinued next year anyway), the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector still isn’t supported by the Google Home app. The lack of support for the Protect seems particularly odd since it was one of Nest’s first devices. Google has had plenty of time to figure out how to migrate it over effectively. And yet, it doesn’t work.
That means anyone who uses a Protect smoke detector along with other Google Nest devices likely needs both apps, which is annoying. Fortunately, that’s supposed to change soon, but again, as with motion triggers for Routines, I haven’t seen it yet in the latest version of my Google Home app.
What’s coming
I’m curious to see how Matter works with the Google Home app on my iPhone running iOS 16.5. The software update only just went live, so I haven’t had much time to mess around with it. In theory, it should make it even easier to set up and use smart devices. Despite my feelings about smart displays, I am interested in trying out my Google Nest Hub Max as a Matter hub. I’m also excited to experiment with the refreshed Google Home app a bit more. The updated app and iPhone support for Matter make Google’s platform significantly more appealing.
Things still aren’t perfect in the Google smart home, but many of the pieces we’ve been waiting for are finally coming together. We just had to get through Google Nest’s awkward teenage years.
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Google will shut down Dropcam and Nest Secure in 2024
Google will shut down Dropcam and Nest Secure in 2024
/Google is giving one year’s notice as it ditches more products it can’t migrate to Google Home, but there’s still no official end-of-life for the Nest app.
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Google is ending support for the Dropcam and the Nest Secure home security system in one year, on April 8th, 2024. They are among the few remaining Nest products that haven’t been brought over to Google Home, and their demise hints that the new Google Home app might almost be here. At least, no more than a year away. Surely.
Google is also winding down the last few legacy Works with Nest connections, but not ‘til September 29th.
Dropcam had a good run
Existing Dropcam cameras will keep working until April 8th, 2024, after which you won’t be able to access them from the Nest app. To soften the blow, Google’s offering a free indoor wired Nest Cam to Dropcam owners who subscribe to Nest Aware. Nonsubscribers will get a 50 percent-off coupon. The promotion runs until May 7, 2024, so you can keep using your Dropcam until it stops working.
The Dropcam (fka Dropcam HD) came out in 2012, and the Dropcam Pro in 2013. Then, Google bought Nest, and Nest bought Dropcam. In 2015, Google spun Nest out when it formed Alphabet, and for a while, Google and Nest were both making smart home products. Then, Google reabsorbed Nest in 2018, and there’s been a whole lot of messy business trying to integrate Nest products into the Google Home app — and killing off the ones that can’t be integrated.
Now that it’s dropping Dropcam and Nest Secure, the Nest Protect smart smoke alarms are the only Nest App-only devices left, and Google has promised to bring them to the new Google Home app. The updated app has been in public preview since October, and there’s still no firm date, but it must be getting close, right?
Presumably, there are people out there who bought the very first Dropcam back in 2010 and traded it in for a free Dropcam HD in 2015 who are now gonna be trading that in for a Nest Cam. That’s kinda neat from a customer service standpoint but not that great from an e-waste standpoint (though Google will ship you a prepaid recycling box if you ask.)
Nest Secure, we hardly knew ye
The Nest Secure had... a less auspicious run and a less graceful offramp. It launched in 2017 and was canceled three years later, right after Google invested a bunch of money into ADT. Like the Dropcam, it’ll continue to work until April 8th, 2024, but Google would sure like you to upgrade before then. Google’s statement says,
We will be contacting eligible Nest Secure customers on Friday with an exclusive offer for a complimentary next-generation security system from ADT (up to $485 value), or $200 to use on the Google Store.
That’d be the ADT Self Setup system Google announced last week, with an ADT smart home hub, two door / window sensors, a motion sensor, and a year of free monitoring. That promotion also goes until May 7, 2024. While it’s better than a kick in the pants, I’m not sure the people who bought the Nest Secure are eager to run back into the arms of a traditional security company. (Maybe they’ve changed! Google’s statement says you can cancel the $20 / month monitoring fee for the self-setup system at any time). The ADT system does have the advantage of working with Google Home, which is kinda the whole point here.
Works with Nest won’t
Google sorta shut down the Works With Nest program back in 2019 in favor of Works With Google Assistant, but it let existing connections slide. That door officially closes on September 29th, 2023. Ruchi Desai, Group Product Manager at Google Nest, told The Verge, “All WWN connections will be impacted: for example legacy Alexa skill, legacy Google Assistant integration, all legacy Nest integrations with 3P partners (IFTTT, Lutron, etc.), and individual developers who use the WWN platform in their solutions.”
Most legacy Works with Nest integrations, including the Alexa one, have already been replaced with Google Assistant ones, but not all features of the IFTTT integration, for example, seem to be available in its replacement. Google says the web-based script editor it teased in October should close some of the remaining gaps. It isn’t live yet — Google would only tell me “it’ll be launching in 2023” — so it remains to be seen whether any features will get lost in translation.
A less messy home, eventually
Google previously committed to supporting Nest products for at least five years, and it did meet that standard. If you’ve been holding onto a Dropcam for more than a decade, it’s hard to argue that you didn’t get your money’s worth, I guess. And the new one is much better. Though on the other hand, if the hardware still works, why shouldn’t it keep working?
If I was a Nest Secure owner, though, I’d be pissed! Nobody wants to buy a new security system ever if they don’t have to, and having to get a new one from ADT feels like salt in a wound, even if it is a year off.
It’s great that the Nest and Google Home ecosystems are finally almost merged. I’m sure the headwinds were considerable! I am looking forward to the new Google Home app when it gets here. Now if only they’d do something about that Nest Hub Max interface...
Updated April 13, 2023, 10:54AM EST: Google reached out to confirm that there is a Google Assistant equivalent for the Works with Nest Alexa skill.
Correction April 7, 2023, 11:53AM EST: Removed a line that erroneously stated that Google had dropped support for the Nest x Yale lock and Nest Guard door sensor in 2022. The Matter update for the Nest Hub Max removed the ability to connect those devices directly to the Hub Max via Thread , but they are still supported through the Nest Connect device, which Google offered for free to those impacted by the update. We regret the error.
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