Which voice assist speaker is right for you?

The move from type to speak

The ability to coordinate and control Smart Home devices has taken an enormous leap into the future with the introduction of voice control. The impact of Smartphone voice-activated “digital assistants” is evident in homes across America where Smart Home voice control “hubs” such as Google Home, Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod become a home’s command center for a variety of tasks and information gathering – offering convenience, security, and savings – all with the sound of your voice.

Source: NPR, Edison Research January 2018

Smart speakers: A perfect gift for yourself or others

In 2017, more than 10% of voice-assist speakers were purchased between November and December. To help you choose a smart speaker, whether for holiday or anytime, Newsday’s Brand360 studio collaborated with Smart Home experts P.C. Richard & Son to offer the following overview of today’s smart speaker marketplace and the products that work with each brand.

Google

With a Google Home hub, you can ask the cloud-based Google Assistant to play music, find a recipe, turn on the lights, or read to you from an audio book. Like other voice-control systems, Google Home has lined up an impressive number of smart product “partners” that work with it, including Nest (smart thermostats and security cameras), Chromecast (televisions and video games), August (door locks), Chamberlain MyQ (garage openers), iRobot Roomba (robotic vacuum), as well as LG Smart Appliances, iHome Smart Outlets, and much more.

Google Home Benefits:

• Affordable entry to Smart Home voice control
• Compatible with many third party smart devices and brands
• Built-in Google Cast for streaming high-fidelity audio through third party speakers
• Syncs to Google Chromecast devices including TVs
• Google Assistant extensions include inexpensive compact Google Mini and high-fidelity Google Max speakers
• Google Match lets users control calendars, flight data, online payments and much more

Amazon

Amazon Echo employs a digital assistant named Alexa to oversee its partner network, that can control lighting (Philips Hue), security (Yale locks) smart plugs (Belkin) and more. Alexa can be found throughout the Amazon Echo line: Echo Plus with its built-in temperature sensor and Zigbee lighting control; Echo Show 2nd with premium sound and vibrant 1.01″ display; Echo Spot, a bedside version with color video screen; and Echo Dot 3rd, the latest version, with new and improved design with bigger, better sound.

Amazon Echo Plus Benefits:

• Affordable entry to Smart Home voice control
• Compatible with 100’s of third party smart devices and brands
• Syncs to Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Edition
• Compact design
• Alexa voice-assist extensions include Echo Show videoscreen, Echo Spot “clock radio“ and inexpensive compact Echo Dot devices
• Alexa Voice Assistant now built into many third party devices

Apple

The third major Smart Home voice-command player is Apple, which introduced its HomePod audio speaker and control hub last year. That Apple waited so long before committing itself to this fast-growing market is surprising, especially because its Siri digital voice assistant led most other manufacturers in early smartphone voice recognition. Despite its late start, Apple is catching up fast with its HomeKit partner network, which includes several of the same Smart Home products as Amazon Echo and Google Home, as well as manufacturers like Nest (learning thermostats) and Kwikset (door locks).

Apple HomePod Benefits:

• Compatible across all other Apple devices including Apple CarPlay
• Highest-rated sound quality among voice-assist speakers
• Senses where it’s placed, analyzes acoustics in the room and intuitively adjusts for optimal sound
• High voice accuracy; microphone picks up commands even when the speaker is in use
• Visually pleasing, minimalist design

Other smart speaker options

A number of manufacturers now offer voice-assist speakers that include smart-product command hubs, along with other stand-alone speakers that wirelessly stream audio through a home’s Wi-Fi network.

Control your musical playlists with the sound of your voice. Smart speaker manufacturer, Bose, has Alexa built in and features superior voice pick-up. Sonos One features Alexa voice control with far-field microphone array for voice capture and noise cancellation. “Rapping” up the field, the new LG WK7 Smart Hub speaker has Google Assistant built in and superior sound quality.

With so many options for a voice assist speaker, finding the perfect one for your home is easier than ever!

Smart Speaker Smart Questions

Any comparison among voice control products should start with a few basic questions:

• Are the control systems easy to understand and use?
• Does the system have a sufficient number and range of products, and will there likely be more added in the future?
• Are those compatible Smart Home products easy to link and operate?
• Do the products designed to work with the system fit your lifestyle and pocketbook?

The way “partner” products are able to work with the Smart Home voice-command market leaders is not unlike the way Microsoft and Apple computers once ran on parallel development tracks that excluded one another. Over time, these competitive barriers relaxed and most products became compatible with both operating systems.

When choosing a voice-assist Smart Home control system, homeowners have to decide which system they are most comfortable with, based in part on the ancillary products that are compatible with them now, or expect to be in the future.

To learn more about Smart Home technology and which voice-assist speaker is right for you, visit any P.C. Richard & Son location or www.pcrichard.com

The news and editorial staff of Newsday had no role in the creation of this content