Google Home is expanding its smarts in the home automation arena, with the Google Assistant now capable of controlling devices manufactured by Belkin Wemo and Honeywell.
Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant has thus far dominated when it comes to controlling Internet of Things devices, but Google is hoping to claw back some ground.
With this latest addition, Google Home owners will be able to natively ask the Google Assistant to “turn down the temperature” or “switch on the lights” using nothing voice control.
Much of the functionality added to the Google Assistant is already available. The Google Assistant is fully-compatible with the Nest Learning Thermostat and Philips Hue lights, but this expansion allows users with products from other manufacturers to enjoy the same level of control.
The Belkin Wemo range currently includes everything from smart plugs to light switches. The range also includes the Belkin Wemo Maker, which is a device that can be fitted to just about any low-voltage electrical product to add smart home control.
The Google Assistant is also now capable of controlling the Honeywell Lyric thermostat, a direct competitor to Nest.
Google has confirmed that those who own one of its Pixel smartphones will soon be able to use the Google Assistant for controlling smart home devices. It was odd for the search engine giant to leave out smart home control at the launch of the Pixel, especially since Apple's Siri is capable of controlling HomeKit-compatible devices, but it’s now making moves to fix that mistake.
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