Best Nest and Google Assistant Devices for 2023 – CNET
Best Nest and Google Assistant Devices for 2023 - CNET
With a simple voice command, Google Assistant , which launched alongside the original Google Home smart speaker in 2016, can adjust your thermostat, turn off your lights, lock your door, show you the weather forecast and more. When it first came out, it was only compatible with four smart home brands — today, that number is over 1,000.
Picking between Google Assistant and Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa is a matter of splitting hairs and comes down to personal preference. If you’d prefer an Amazon-centered smart home, there are plenty of devices that work well with Alexa, including Android phones. Apple’s HomeKit platform isn’t compatible with as many products, but if you love your iPhone and its built-in assistant Siri , check out our favorite Apple HomeKit gadgets.
If you’re ready to jump in with a Google-powered smart home, here are the best Google Home devices and Google Assistant devices for a variety of smart home products. Get started with a smart display or smart speaker, then branch out with our picks for compatible lights, door locks, smart switches, smart thermostats and other useful gadgets.
Read more: Google‘s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro made their debut during Google’s fall 2021 Pixel event
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” overridecredit=”Chris Monroe/CNET” linktext=”Read our Google Nest Hub review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/news/google-nest-hub-2nd-gen-review/” offer=”{"id":"c8bcb4fb-dfe6-47e7-be1f-1b82941ffbfc","slug":"google-nest-hub-2nd-gen","label":"Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"","imgWidth":null,"imgHeight":null,"objectType":"content_product_series","typeLabel":"Series","imgUrl":null,"icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small"}” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__1f6bc486-e5ad-4cf6-ab2e-e5f69f8c6ae1″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
The Google Nest Hub (formerly the Home Hub) is a great way to kick off a Google-centric smart home. It uses Google Assistant to respond to all of the same voice commands as a Google Home smart speaker. The touchscreen will show you extra info when you ask about the weather, search for restaurants and so on. Plus, you can use this smart home hub to watch videos or scroll through family pictures.
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” overridecredit=”James Martin/CNET” linktext=”Read our Google Nest Mini review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/reviews/google-nest-mini-review/” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__05e8f991-b09c-47bc-b4db-fb79974a52fa” position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
If having an extra screen in your house would annoy you, the Google Nest Mini makes another good smart home starting point. Google’s small smart speaker is now in its second generation and offers all of the same Google Assistant-enabled voice commands as the rest, plus helpful extras like intercom functionality and stereo pairing with multiple Minis. Control compatible gadgets, search the web, play music and use its other features just by asking. The audio quality of the Nest Mini is surprisingly good, especially in this second-gen model.
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” overridecredit=”Chris Monroe/CNET” linktext=”Read our Ecobee3 Lite review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/reviews/ecobee3-lite-smart-thermostat-review/” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__0038a137-0f8b-4d0c-96e2-fb38239deedc” position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Changing the temperature of your thermostat with a voice command is a cool trick that never really gets old. Lots of smart thermostats work with Google Assistant. Check out our smart thermostat best list for options. Since Google owns Nest, the third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat is the obvious choice here, but I’ll give the nod to the Ecobee3 Lite.
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” overridecredit=”Wyze” linktext=”Read our Wyze Cam (2020) review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/news/wyze-cam-2020-review-this-20-security-camera-now-goes-inside-or-outside/” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__4c471fae-153b-456a-bf5c-9f5340249429″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
The Wyze Cam is easy to recommend. It’s affordable, it works well, cloud storage is free for 14 days — and you have the option to use a microSD card for local storage if you want.
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The Arlo Pro 4 is weather resistant. Don’t submerge it in water; otherwise, it should perform admirably.
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” overridecredit=”David Priest/CNET” linktext=”Read our Arlo Pro 4 review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/home/security/arlo-pro-4-review/” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__7968f15e-6931-42ba-9780-77a3d19e3f36″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
The Arlo Pro 4 is an excellent outdoor security camera with solid performance and versatility. With a slew of strong features, dependable design and a competitive subscription service, the Pro 4 is our favorite outdoor camera of 2021. At just about $200, it isn’t the most affordable device on the market, but it’s well worth the price tag.
