Smart speakers for home are the control centers of your smart home experience as well as entertainment hubs that can tailor the mood of any room for any occasion.
Let’s start with the basics. They are typically powered by common voice assistants like Siri (Apple), Alexa (Amazon), Cortana (Microsoft), Bixby (Samsung), and Google Assistant.
Through voice dictation, you can control your smart devices: lights, thermostats, locks, doorbells and cameras. You want to dim the lights, just tell it to your smart speaker. Same goes for changing the room temperature, showing the feed of smart cameras, or checking the status of your smart locks. You can also speak to your smart speakers to control smart plugs and outlets, which in turn can switch devices like coffee makers, lamps and fans on/off.
It doesn’t end there. Leading smart speakers allow you to operate volume, playback and content of your smart TV and other streaming devices. You can arm or disarm your security system, and check the status of your door and window sensors. Smart window blinds add luxury to any home and can also be controlled through the best smart speakers for home enhancement. Smart speakers can be used to control major appliances like refrigerators, ovens and wash machines; and the timing and scope of your yard’s sprinkler system. Certain robot vacuums can be controlled through your smart home speaker too.
What are some of the best smart home speakers for home?
Smart home speakers vary in terms of ecosystem compatibility, features and sound quality. So if you’re not invested in a system yet, ask our expert team at San Diego Smart Homes about how best to choose a smart speaker(s) that best fits your home.
Meantime, here’s a short list of leading smart speakers and brief context for each:
Google Nest: Powered by Google Assistant, these smart speakers (formerly known as Google Home) are offered in a number of different models, including Nest Audio, Nest Hub and Nest Mini, and they easily integrate into a range of Google products and services, including Google Home app and other smart home devices. The Google Nest Home Max offers the best smart speaker display for Google Home with a 10-inch HD touchscreen. It also has a 6.5 MP camera with a wide-angle lens as well as auto-framing, which provides high-resolution video calls and makes it easier to stay centered in the frame when on-screen. Like the Sonos Era 100 (see below), the Google Nest Home Max is pricier than most smart home speakers.
Amazon Echo: As with Google Nest, Echo comes in a variety of models. It integrates easily into the Amazon ecosystem, including Alexa, which is now capable of 100,000 skills via voice prompts and supports the most smart home devices by far. This allows for dynamic customization of your Echo devices. Echo’s product range includes built-in screen devices like the Echo Show and Echo Spot, which can display visual information such as weather forecasts and video feeds from your smart security cameras. Amazon is regularly making improvements to its Echo speaker line. The Echo Show 8, upgraded from its 2021 version, included a more immersive sound experience, new design with a centered camera, an updated processor for faster display interactions, and a smart home hub feature to control all your smart home devices from one place. The Echo Show 10 includes a 10.1-inch high definition display, which can be programmed to rotate automatically and face you depending on your location in the room; this gives you an optimal view of your screen whether doing video calls or viewing content. The Echo Show 5, as the name suggests, comes with a 5.5-inch screen but lower though adequate sound quality - ideal for fitting into smaller spaces.
Apple HomePod: The HomePod features audio advancements like spatial awareness, which changes the sound based on each room’s acoustics. Apple HomePods also feature beamforming, which emits sound waves in directions that decrease interference thus enhancing clarity- often regardless of the speaker’s location in the room. Apple HomePod also, of course, integrates flawlessly with Apple devices and services. The downside is they are by and large restricted to Siri.
Sonos: Sonos smart speakers are on the pricier side but they offer excellent audio quality, and integrate reliably with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Sonos Era 100 is a great bookshelf speaker with solid wifi and Bluetooth connectivity. They pair easily with other Sonos speakers like the Sonos Arc or Beam, making for an excellent home theater experience.
Bose: Like Sonos, Bose offers superb sound quality and works well with Alexa and Google Assistant.
Samsung and JBL are other leading smart speaker providers.
Ask our staff for a more detailed walk-through of these or any other leading smart speaker brands. Here in the meantime are some qualities to consider in choosing the best smart home speakers for your home.
Integration capacity: How well does the smart speaker integrate with other devices? How extensive and adaptive is its ecosystem? Both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support a large number of services and apps, including music and video streaming services, news providers and shopping platforms. Apple Siri’s ecosystem caters more to Apple services, though it is loosening some of those restrictions and has expanded integration with third-party apps and services.
Connectivity: Do your smart speakers prioritize wifi and/or Bluetooth connectivity? Most smart home speakers - including Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo Show, and Google Nest Hub - prioritize wifi connectivity, as it offers higher bandwidth and greater reliability than Bluetooth. Wifi’s better connectivity helps in streaming music, operating other smart home devices through your smart home speakers, and accessing the cloud. All three of the above mentioned smart home speakers do support Bluetooth but in limited capacity, such as for setting up the device or pairing temporarily with other devices.
Budget: Quality smart speakers range from $100 for the compact Amazon Echo to $600 - $700 for the Harman Kardon Citation 500 with its superb sound quality. Expect to pay around $230 for Google Nest Hub Max and around $230 and $150 for the Amazon Echo Show 8.
Purpose: Who primarily will be using your smart speaker(s) and how? Will you be using it for cooking, work calls, listening to music, as a bedside tool to prepare your nightly routine or start your morning? Will it mostly revolve around your kids, the best for which can function as intercoms, cue a bedtime story, and even keep tabs on study sessions?
Size and Portability: If a discrete appearance or on-the-go listening is your thing, consider a smaller smart speaker that has a wireless connection.
We at San Diego Smart Homes specialize in seamlessly constructing smart home ecosystems to maximize convenience, security and luxury, and that begins with choosing the right smart speakers for your home. We have in-depth knowledge of smart speaker technology; how best to configure your smart speakers for home and integrate them with other smart devices; and how best to ensure security and privacy. We walk you through how to access features and use voice commands and are available for troubleshooting as needed.
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