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Thinking about making the house app ready and would like some info if anyone has any info on what to go for , ideally I would like to control lights , plugs and security cameras on a device , I haven’t got anything yet but was wondering what a good buy and what make to go too obviously hive and nest seems a possibility
They’re all different things to be honest, mostly depends which assistant you want to control them all - Apple, Google or Alexa.
My lights are all Hue. My doorbell and indoor cameras are Google/Nest. My heating is Nest and my speakers are all Sonos. My smart plugs are a mix of Wemo and Kasa (TP Link). My ‘proper’ cctv is a different company completely and not available through any assistant, just the app or computer. Same with the alarm but that’s also monitored.
I control everything via Google or using the individual apps. I could control it via Siri but I prefer the Google set up and have a few Google assistants dotted around the house. Had Alexa for a while but prefer Google.
A real mix then lol I’m drawn to nest at the moment for lights door bell camera and rear outside cameraQuote:
Originally Posted by wileeeeeey
For lights I’d choose Philips Hue.
+ Works reliably
+ Can run locally without internet
+ Can be operated with just about every home system out there
- Price
I got into home automation by accident. When it got out of hand I was already pretty much committed to WiZ WiFi lights and Google assistant. After that when I needed physical switches/buttons etc. for my lights I basically had just one choice and it was to run it all through SmartThings. I can’t recommend SmartThings or WiZ.
Google is OK, but I found that controlling the lights mainly with voice controls got very tiresome after a while. Ditto to phone apps. They’re great features to have but that’s it. I have placed several three way buttons to every room. Everything except the bedrooms runs fully on automatic control. It requires a lot of effort to set up, but I wouldn’t go back to unautomated lights anymore.
The Nest cameras are ok, not amazing, but still do a decent job. It’s about £70 for the portable wired camera which works off wifi just needing to be plugged into a regular socket. Can’t beat it for convenience - my in-laws even use one as a portable baby monitor with the video on their phones and iPad, great for old eyes. My mum has the outdoor one but it isn’t set up yet so I can’t comment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceblue
One really good thing with the Google/Nest system is if you have any Google Home Hubs these also have cameras in them so can act as internal CCTV too.
The ‘proper’ cctv is a lot more involved and has a much higher set up cost. If getting the Nest doorbell I would definitely opt for the wired one which is a little older as that supports 24/7 recording whereas the new one doesn’t because it can overheat due to how thin they made it.
In my experience, I find it hard to stick with one ecosystem as some products suit my needs more than others. I've got hive heating, google nest speakers/hubs/camera/doorbell and philips hue lighting. Most talk to each other well enough to control everything through google..ie google can see and operate the thermostat despite it being hive and not nest.
I just have some minor gripes with interoperability...for example I use apple iOS. Apple doesn't allow casting to google speakers.
As another iOs user I find that surprising. I’ve got a Harman/Kardon Citation One and some Google Nest speakers. Very easy to cast to H/K over WiFi, bluetooth can be used as well. Google speakers work with bluetooth no problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian
Ah yes - didn't explain properly...I can cast from certain apps, but my music library is on Apple Music. They don't let you cast from their app. I can connect to speakers using bluetooth, but that takes away my ability to cast to speaker groups.Quote:
Originally Posted by Possu
So if I got google hub does this mean I’m limited to what I can link to it or is it universal
No, you can add what you want. This is one of my displays. Anything that works with Google/Google Assistant works with the Hub displays.
Ignore the weird colour, I was trying to make the pic darker to get rid of my face in the reflection.
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Im on Google. 2 nest hubs. Nest doorbell. Will fit a camera at the back as well. Outdoor lights all on google as well. Got hall lights upstairs and downstairs on kasa timers so when we are out they are on.
Sent from my SM-T510 using TZ-UK mobile app
I use Apple Music too. I can cast to the H/K over WiFi from Apple Music or play it on any individual speaker over bluetooth. I set up my speakers around a year ago and back then I was able to connect to multiple/all speakers over bluetooth and I could then control it all with the Google Home app. I don’t need or use speaker groups or multiple speakers so I hadn’t noticed it’s not working anymore. Whether I cast over WiFi or use bluetooth it’s the same: Google Home says no music is playing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian
So took the plunge and got myself a Google nest gen 2 and just sorted out the kitchen and hallway with lights , just need to source a door bell and outside camera may go second hand if anyone has anything they don’t need anymore happy to buy