The best Google Assistant and Nest devices of 2020

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The Google Nest Hub (formerly the Home Hub) is a great way to put out a Google-centric smart home. It uses Google Assistant to respond to all the same voice commands as a smart Google Home speaker. The touchscreen will show you extra info when you ask about the weather, search for restaurants and more. Plus, you can use this smart home hub to watch videos or scroll through family photos.

In fact, unique adjustable brightness sensors make the Nest Hub a great digital photo frame, as it adjusts to both light levels and color temperature, so it always looks like a physical photo in a frame. You can play a rolling slideshow of family photos as your screen saver.

The Nest Hub is also a great kitchen helper, as it can walk you through recipes step by step and you can multitask while you cook. Set a timer, play music, add an ingredient to your shopping list and more – the Nest Hub will keep your place in the recipe even if you need to check the following. You can plug it in and set it up on your Wi-Fi network with the Google Home app and Google Nest Hub to ask any question you ask the original Google Home.

All of these voice control features make the Nest Hub useful in many ways, but a simple control panel makes it the best choice for your centrally connected home device. Swipe down for shortcuts so you can turn off the lights when checking your home security cameras. You can then tap to see a room-by-room (living room, kitchen, etc.) of all your appliances. The control panel is well organized and helpful, especially if you have family members struggling to remember which voice commands work. Well, they can just tap.

The Nest Hub is our favorite smart display overall, and is regularly sold for even less than the reasonable price of $ 130. It’s handy, even if you do not have many smart home gadgets, but it’s indispensable if you want a smart home that works with Google Assistant. Read our Google Nest Hub review.

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If an extra screen in your home would annoy you, the Google Nest Mini makes another good starting point for smart home. Google’s small smart speaker is now in its second generation and all offer the same Google Assistant-enabled voice commands as the rest, plus useful extras like intercom functionality and multi-Minis stereo pairing. Manage compatible gadgets, search the web, play music and more just by asking. The audio quality of the Nest Mini is surprisingly good, especially in this second gene model.

The Nest Mini is also fun and comes in four colors. At $ 50, it’s the least expensive way to kick out your smart home without sacrificing voice control. The Nest Mini also provides a good secondary device. If you place a Google Nest Hub in your kitchen, you can place a Nest Mini in another room, and both can control any compatible smart device you set up. Even if they hear you both, only the closest will respond. Read our Google Nest Mini review.

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Once you have set up checkpoints with a smart display like a smart speaker, it’s time to figure out which smart devices you want. A smart light bulb is a good first step, and the C at GE lamps work particularly well with Google.

These affordable Bluetooth smartphones can use a Google Home device (both the Home Mini and the Nest Hub will work) as a bridge. You can set up the bulbs from the Google Home app and then check them everywhere, as long as the light is near your Google gadget. Even better, because the lamp communicates directly with your Google device, the response time is incredibly fast. (If you are looking to light things up at the light switch, read more about the Lutron Caseta In-Wall Dimmer Switch.) Read more about C at GE Lights.

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Changing the temperature of your thermostat with a voice command is a cool trick that never gets really old. Many smart thermostats work with Google Assistant. Check out our best list of smart thermostat for options. Since Google owns Nest, the third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat is the obvious choice here, but I’ll give the knot to the Ecobee3 Lite.

Ecobee’s budget model and its companion app (for iOS and Android) offer most of the same smarts as expensive competition, including the $ 250 Nest model. It responds to all the same voice commands and the intuitive controls make manual scheduling easy. Read our review of Ecobee3 Lite.

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A smart plug is a great way to efficiently add connectivity to mute devices. Plug a lamp or fan in, and you will be able to control it with an app. The TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug provides checks for smartphone app and compatibility with Google Assistant. Plus, the smart plug is an attractive design and does not block adjacent outlets.

It will not control energy, but with the smart plug you can control an old-fashioned floor fan with your voice for a reasonable price. Like most smart plugs, it works with a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network connection. Read our review of Kasa Smart Plug from TP-Link.

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The obvious choice from Nest makes the most sense here. The $ 300 Nest Cam IQ Indoor is a great security camera in its own right. You can remotely control a livestream and receive free censorship alerts and alerts for individuals. Sign up for Nest’s premium “Nest Aware” service and you can receive alerts based on who is watching the camera, thanks to its built-in face recognition.

Even better, the Nest Cam security cameras have a built-in microphone so you can use them to talk directly to Google Assistant, making it a great choice for both securing your home and extending your connection to Google. Read our Nest Cam IQ Indoor review.

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The $ 500 Arlo Pro 3 is an excellent outdoor security camera with solid performance and strong features. It comes in a two-camera package, along with a required hub. Older Arlo hubs will also work with this system. Add-on individual cameras cost $ 200 each.

The Pro 3 has a built-in siren and works with Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri. A USB drive in the hub handles local storage.

The Arlo Pro 3 has stellar 2k streaming, fast alerts and a wide range of advanced features that set it apart from other outdoor security cameras. If you have the money to spend, the Arlo Pro 3 should be at the top of your list. Read our Arlo Pro 3 review.

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SimpliSafe’s wide range of accessories rivals professional options from companies such as ADT. The starter kit is a reasonable $ 230. Unfortunately you have to pay for remote access of the app, but $ 25 per month supports that and professional monitoring.

With the 25-month subscription, you can also check your system with Google Assistant, and Simplisafe’s devices will respond quickly to your voice commands.

Again, Nest has an option here that provides a viable alternative. The Nest Guard has a lighter up-front cost, but you can do much more without a subscription. Thanks to all the reliable accessories, SimpliSafe Nest Guard runs out, especially if you want supervision. Read our SimpliSafe Home Security review.

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Speaking of locking your home, the easy-to-install August Wi-Fi Smart Lock fits over your existing deadbolt. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you control it remotely and with voice recognition, so you can tell Google Assistant to lock your door.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock has many features, including sensors with open locks, so you can check to make sure you are pulling the door on your way out. August is also responsive and reliable, making the Wi-Fi Smart Lock a good choice if you want Google Assistant in service of your smart lock, door and entrance. Read our review of August’s Wi-Fi Smart Lock.

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Revisiting this with another from Nest, but to be honest, the Nest Hello is our favorite video brush in general, so it’s definitely the best for a Google-centric smart home. The Nest Hello has two-way audio sound and great video quality if you want to check on the feed of your Android or iOS devices. You will get a warning when someone rings the bell.

Even better, if you have the Nest Hub, you can talk to the person at the door with your smart display. The Nest Hello even offers face recognition for a premium subscription. It ties in well with other Google products, and it’s the smartest and most secure video doorbell out there. Read our review of Nest Hello.