The best Google Assistant devices for your home - Android

Google Assistant launched less than four years ago, but in that short period of time, the digital helper has expanded its reach from smartphones and smartwatches to a huge plethora of Google Assistant devices for the home. Today, there are well over one billion products that support the assistant! Out of this expansion the Google Nest brand has emerged, offering a huge variety of smart home solutions.

Here, we share what we believe to be the best Google Assistant devices you can get for your home.

Best Google Assistant devices for your home:

Editor’s Note: We’ll be updating this list regularly with new Google Assistant devices as they land, so stay tuned!

1. Google Nest Hub Max

Many of the Google Assistant devices made for the smart home require a hub to work. Now with the Google Nest Hub Max, Google provides its own excellent, huge-screened offering. The Nest Hub Max provides easy control for all your appliances and also lets you stream YouTube, call friends, and much more.

2. Nvidia Shield TV

Android TV is Google’s smart television operating system, and it’s actually one of the best you can use. If you don’t have a smart TV, or if you have one and are not happy with its app selections or features, you should check out the Nvidia Shield TV set-top box. It will add Android TV support to any big screen television, and it also supports Google Assistant natively.

That means you can use your voice (if you also have the Shield controller) to command the Shield TV to launch apps like Netflix, YouTube, and more. You can play, pause, or reverse videos on those services with your voice, and you can learn more about the shows you are watching as well with voice commands. The set-top box also lets you control other Google Assistant compatible devices as well from the Shield TV.

Nvidia also continues to update the Shield TV with new features like support for HDR video, Dolby Vision, and most importantly support for Nvidia’s GeForce Now game streaming service which allows you to play over 400 PC games from Valve’s Steam service on the Shield TV device.

3. Sony Bravia KD55XG81

Android TV has also been directly installed on a number of smart TVs. Sony’s lineup of big-screen TVs are the biggest brand with Android TV out of the box, and that means they also have Google Assistant built in the TVs.

Related: 5 best Android TVs available right now

As with the Nvidia Shield TV box, you can command Sony’s smart TV’s with your voice to launch apps, look up information, and much more. The choice we’ve gone with here, is the Sony Bravia KD55XG81 (catchy). It’s a huge 55-inch panel with 4K and HDR support.

4. Acer Chromebook Spin 13

Many Chromebooks come with Google Assistant support out of the box. That includes the Acer Chromebook Spin 13, which is our current pick for the best Chromebook you can buy. You can use voice commands to bring up information and more on this Chromebook.

It has a 13.5-inch, 2,256 x 1,504 IPS touchscreen display with a 3:2 aspect ratio that rotates with its 360-degree hinge. This Chromebook also comes with its own stylus, which docks in the base of the device. It’s affordable too, and you can grab one for as little as $749.99 with an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB onboard storage.

5. Google Nest Thermostat

One of the best Google Assistant devices is the Google Nest Thermostat. Nest was originally set up as a separate subsidiary to Google’s parent company Alphabet, but more recently the Nest team was integrated into Google’s hardware unit and rebranded to Google Nest.

The Google Nest Thermostat is designed to work with Google Assistant, via your phone or your Google Home speaker or Nest Hub smart display. It offers a number of advantages over the traditional thermostat, including adjusting the temperature when you’re away from the house and learning your household habits to schedule changes appropriately. It responds to remote control commands from the Google Home or Nest app. It also supports Alexa.

The Google Nest Thermostat is designed to work with Google Assistant.

The Nest Thermostat also has a little brother, the Google Nest Thermostat E, which brings a lot of the same functionality, but at a lower price point. Plus, most utility companies offer rebates on the equipment, bringing your costs down even lower.

Of course, if you’d like a different smart thermostat, we have a list of the best smart thermostats to help you with your decision. Think the process will be too hard? Installing a Google Nest Thermostat is easier than you might think.

6. Google Nest Protect

Continuing on with the Google Nest line of products, the division also releases smoke and CO alarms under the Nest Protect brand that work with Google Assistant gadgets. Smoke and CO alarms are some of the most important appliances in your home, so adding a little bit of intelligence to this tech is not a bad idea!

A Google Nest Protect can link to your Google Nest Thermostat, via Google Assistant and automatically cut off your heating equipment in the event of a fire or CO leak. This is a potentially life-saving application of AI technology, and we’re here for it!

7. Google Nest Hello Doorbell

One of the more recent Google Nest products is a smart doorbell, the Google Nest Hello. Once you install it, it allows you to see who’s at the door and even communicate with them with your smartphone or tablet. Some models will even recognize frequent visitors and can announce them with your Google Home speaker. Now that’s pretty home-of-tomorrow-esque!

8. Nest x Yale Smart Lock

Nest

In 2018, Nest teamed up with the connected smart lock company Yale in a partnership that allows Yale smart locks to work with Google Assistant devices. The Yale x Nest smart lock will allow you to open or lock doors with just with your voice. You can also use voice commands to find out if you left the door unlocked or lock. Access control is made simple by providing frequent visitor with their own passcodes, and this also lets you track who has visited and when.

9. Lifx Smart LED Light Bulb

Smart bulbs in your home are often one of the first “smart changes” users make. Controlling lights while you’re away is a good way to make people think you’re home. Remotely turning on lights when you’re on your way home means never walking into a dark house.

For these kinds of applications, Lifx bulbs are ideal as they don’t require any kind of hub or controller to work. Just to connect to a Google Home/Nest speaker to enable Google Assistant devices support!

In addition, these smart bulbs also connect to Nest products. For example, if the Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm sensors detect a fire, Lifx bulbs will pulse red and then turn themselves on to full brightness, illuminating your way to get out of the house. Scary, but useful! Nest cameras can detect that the house is empty, and trigger Lifx bulbs to switch to a dimmer/lower power mode to help conserve electricity. It’s in this kind of integration that we start to see the real power of the smart home.