Google Home Essentials

38 'Google Home Essentials' stories January 2019 - March 2021

Looking to add to your Google-controlled smart home? Stop right here, you’ve hit the gold mine. In 9to5Google’s Google Home Essentials series you’ll find the latest in gear compatible with Google Assistant from speakers to vacuums and so much more.

What is a Google Home Essential?

Google Assistant supports a wide variety of products from lights to cameras and more. In this series, we take a hands-on look at products that support the Assistant and see how they’re useful to a consumer, how they work and how they’re installed, and most importantly how reliable the product is with Google Assistant and how it plays with the Google Home app.

A “Google Home Essential” can be any product that integrates with Assistant. For example, we’ve covered numerous security cameras from TP-Link, Wyze, and Arlo as well as products that might not immediately come to mind, like a garage door opener or a ceiling fan. If we’ve covered it here, consider it a stamp of approval that the product works well with Assistant.

Interested in having your product featured on Google Home Essentials? Get in touch!

Google Home Essentials: Nexx adds Assistant to your garage door, no subscription needed

Ben Schoon Mar 10 2021 - 12:15 pm PT

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In the process of building out my smart home, one of the things I knew I wanted to do was have my garage door open up using Google Assistant. Unfortunately, one of the best options I saw also came with the potential of a subscription fee. Luckily, other options exist, and I’ve been tremendously satisfied over the past several months with a system from Nexx.

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Google Home Essentials: Assistant makes Hunter’s Cavera ceiling fan a smart addition to any home

Ben Schoon Sep 11 2020 - 4:00 pm PT

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Over the past several years, some smart home products have become ubiquitous. Smart light bulbs, robot vacuums, etc. As those products have gotten more popular, others have also become much more affordable. For the past few months, I’ve been using a ceiling fan called the Hunter Cavera II, a smart home product that integrates with Google Assistant for just a fraction of the cost I expected it to be.

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Google Home Essentials: Tile — Assistant-integrated Bluetooth tracking [Video]

Damien Wilde Nov 4 2019 - 11:30 am PT

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Losing stuff isn’t an experience we forget that easily, which is why there is a wealth of Bluetooth trackers available — the most notable being from Tile.

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Google Home Essentials: Eufy RoboVac 30C — Ultimate automated cleaning [Video]

Damien Wilde Jun 26 2019 - 12:30 pm PT

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The wealth of smart home hardware and extras continues to grow at a rapid pace, and one of the first forays into smart home tech was no doubt the introduction of automated vacuums. The Roomba is arguably the iconic robotic vacuum cleaner, more-or-less creating the automated home cleaning market. Although selling well and effectively inventing the market, the Roomba didn’t really do all too well when compared to good old fashioned elbow grease.

At this point in 2019 though, there is a new industry leader — Eufy — that has taken that baton and ran with it thanks to their popular but affordable RoboVac line. And it works with Assistant.

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Google Home Essentials: meross Smart power strip [Video]

Damien Wilde Jun 18 2019 - 1:00 pm PT

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Google Home Essentials meross power strip

Smart plugs and power strips are now increasingly common but there are very few that offer the ability to power an entire home entertainment system, office, or even bedroom from one outlet — enter the meross Smart Power strip — a true Google Home Essential.

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Google Home Essentials: TP-Link Kasa Spot Indoor Security Camera [Video]

Damien Wilde Jun 12 2019 - 9:58 am PT

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Getting affordable CCTV or security cameras installed is now easier than ever thanks to the Google Home and Google Assistant ecosystem, and the TP-Link Kasa Spot indoor security camera is arguably one of the best affordable options on the market right now.
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Google Home Essentials: Kiwi Design Battery Base for Home Mini [Video]

Damien Wilde Apr 2 2019 - 8:16 am PT

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Google Home Essentials: Kiwi Design Battery Base for Home Mini

The Google Assistant is arguably the most powerful and the outright best digital assistant on the market — of course, we would say that! As part of our Google Home Essentials series, our express aim is to help you find an array of must-have kit for your Google-powered smart home.
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Google Home Essentials: TP-Link Kasa KC120 Cam [Video]

Damien Wilde Jan 30 2019 - 9:27 am PT

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Affordable home security cameras are often few and far between, even less so if you want Google Home or Google Assistant connected Wi-Fi security cameras.

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Google Home Essentials: TP-Link Kasa smart plugs [Video]

Damien Wilde Jan 25 2019 - 9:43 am PT

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One of the very best ways to introduce smart tech into your Google Home ecosystem is in the form of smart plugs. Fortunately, the TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug is a superb addition to your Google Home ecosystem.

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Google Home Essentials: 10 of the best Google Assistant apps

Damien Wilde Jan 18 2019 - 9:50 am PT

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There are a number of Google Home Essentials that we want to uncover and build as we delve into the power of the Google Assistant and its services over time. And that includes the growing library of Assistant apps.
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Google Home Essentials: The Google Chromecast [Video]

Damien Wilde Jan 15 2019 - 9:49 am PT

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In any smart home, there are a few key components which are critical to its function. For those of us deeply invested in the Google Assistant ecosystem, the Google Chromecast is arguably at the core of any Google Home-powered entertainment system. It most definitely is one of your Google Home Essentials.

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Google Home Essentials: The LIFX Mini smart bulb [Video]

Damien Wilde Jan 11 2019 - 10:40 am PT

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Smart home tech began for me with Wi-Fi controlled lighting, and there are a few companies that really shifted my own expectations of what I could do within my home with just a little bit of IoT tech. When the Google Home Mini entered my home over 18 months ago, I didn’t ever anticipate that I’d be spending upwards of $45 on a smart bulb but here we are with a thorough LIFX Mini review and it makes it a key addition to our Google Home Essentials series.

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