Smart home do it yourself
This story is part of an ongoing DIY smart home series. Be sure to check the latest installments to follow the renewal process from start to finish.
If you’re a visual person like me, smart monitors are attractive devices. They are like the best smart speakers, but with attached tablets. For my course Smart home do it yourself project, I had to decide which of the growing number of smart monitors out there made the most sense for my connected space.
Smart displays are visual vehicles for voice assistants from Amazon and Google. Between compatibility with voice commands and manual controls within the interface, a smart display can act as a smart, one-stop home remote control. You can use it to turn on your smart lights, manage routines and check your video bell. Most also offer support for calls and drop-in or intercom features.
When you are not talking to Alexa or Google Assistant, viewers can show you news, weather, photos or anything else you want to see at a glance. You can also watch videos from some of the best streaming services, follow recipes step by step and deejay your music tracks.
These are the basic offerings that you will find among most smart monitors on the market. So, in deciding what is best for you, consider other needs. Not all smart monitors are built the same way: some have cameras and others have cameras that actually follow. Others are so discreet and compact that they can replace your bedside alarm clock.
Here are three things to think about when choosing a smart display and why I chose Amazon Echo Show 8 over Google Nest Hub.
Where do you want to place the smart display?
The room in which you are planning to use a smart display will partially dictate which model you should obtain. Smart displays like the Google Nest Hub Max it’s new Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd generation) take up a lot of space, so they are suitable for larger spaces. Its larger displays are ideal for managing your entire home, making them a good option for an affordable place where you will pass throughout the day.
While the Amazon Echo Show 8, Lenovo Smart Display 7 it’s new Google Nest Hub they can be useful in the same way in the kitchen, as their smaller footprints make them more suitable for a desk, dresser or side table. You’ll sacrifice some of the speaker strength and camera quality (and the camera entirely, for the Nest Hub), but you’ll save money and still have all of your assistant’s key features.
There are also smart screens made specifically for your nightstand. THE Amazon Echo Show 5 and Lenovo Smart Clock cost as much as non-smart alarm clocks, but are as capable as their screenless counterparts, like the Amazon Echo Dot (4th generation) and Google Nest Mini.
What special features appeal to you?
In addition to size, there are certain tricks that can make one of the many smart display options more attractive to you. For example, if you want to make video calls to friends and family, you should choose a smart display with a built-in camera. Larger screens have the clearest picture quality, but you can also make video calls at Echo Show 5.
Some smart monitors increase the camera’s capabilities with the motion sensor. Echo Show 10 turns to face you when you’re talking to Alexa or making calls. Meanwhile, Nest Hub Max automatically adjusts the camera to keep you centered during video calls.
Then there is the 7-inch Nest Hub, which will arrive in late March with a sleep sensor. While many of the best fitness trackers and best smartwatches you can already track your sleep by the wrist, Google Nest Hub claims to follow your zzz from the headboard – no skin contact is necessary. I will need to see if it works well before recommending it, of course.
Which voice assistant do you want to use?
In most cases, it will make sense to get a smart display compatible with the rest of existing smart home devices. A Google Assistant screen can be used to control any of the best Google Home devices, while an echo screen is able to manage the best Alexa compatible devices. It is generally easier to maintain a platform so that you can make smart home routines.
But if you are not loyal to either assistant, you will have to decide which one to use. Both are capable and support a variety of third-party smart home devices, in addition to offering smartphone apps to control your system wherever you are.
As for what makes them different, Alexa Guard and Alexa Hunches are two outstanding skills that make Alexa a more autonomous assistant. On the other hand, Google Assistant extends outside the home better than Alexa, as it is integrated with programs like Google Maps and Google Translate.
The smart display I chose
Ultimately, we opted for Echo Show 8, which turns Alexa into a useful and easy-to-use entertainment station. I wanted a smart monitor for the kitchen and I didn’t care much about a rotating screen. Since we jump on smart devices (like a refrigerator with a built-in display), it will be convenient to have a panel on our counter to adjust the devices in our future smart home. It will also be useful for managing multiple recipes, as I had to do in Thanksgiving dinner showdown I held between Amazon and Google’s biggest smart displays.
me too choose Alexa instead of Google Assistant like my smart domestic butler, one of the Echo monitors makes the most sense to me. Unlike Google, Amazon does not offer Alexa’s visual interface to third-party companies. And since I’m installing a wall-mounted smart home controller near the front door, my kitchen’s smart display can function more like a sub-boss.
Do you have any questions about smart monitors? Send me an email to [email protected] or leave a comment below, and I will try to address it in my DIY smart home series. Check out the previous edition, Smart home do it yourself: why I chose this smart thermostat for less than $ 100, also.