Amazon Echo vs Google Home

[mowgli82]

Now got the whole house - with the expedition of the main bathroom kitted out in hue lamps. Works great for us.

 

How are you turning them off and on? are you using the Hue switches or do you have Alexas/Google Homes dotted around?

[nicholab]

I looking the Ikea system as I need to remove a dimmer to go to leds.

[Jawloms]

Depends on if you want colours or not

 

I wanted coloured lights so I went with Lifx not the cheapest but they didn't need a hub and they are brighter than the equivalent Hue bulbs. I have white hue bulbs in the bedrooms(I got hub and bulbs on an Amazon deal for £34)

 

I'm not after colours, I just want to be able to turn the main light in the room on and off, and hopefully dim it too.

[NotSoFast]

I'm not after colours, I just want to be able to turn the main light in the room on and off, and hopefully dim it too.

If you're a British Gas customer they were giving away a Hive hub and two bulbs before Christmas on their rewards website. I have that, plus a tp link socket and an rm pro set up to turn on 4 Energenie sockets via RF. The hive setup is the easiest and most reliable. The RM pro is fun and can do lots (IR and RF ) for very cheap, but is quite hacky.

[JJonas]

I'm not after colours, I just want to be able to turn the main light in the room on and off, and hopefully dim it too.

 

Which Echo did you get? the Echo Plus(https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075RLQSG1) includes a built in Hue hub in which case its £14.99 for a Hue bulb https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-White-Single-Light-Works/dp/B0152WXI0E

 

However you can get the Echo Plus with a free Hue bulb so if you didn't get that version it might be worth talking to Amazon to see what they can do.

 

If you don't have the Echo Plus you will need a hub as well in which case its £59.99 for a starter kit. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-White-Single-Light-Works/dp/B0152WXI18

[Jawloms]

I have the standard Echo. Expensive getting this going isn't?

[NotSoFast]

I have to say that I'm unconvinced by smart light bulbs. I only have them on hard-to-reach lamps. Any visitor to your house will try to use the light switch, thus turning it off and rendering it useless. A switch by the door is generally a decent user interface for the main light in the room I think, except for people who benefit from the accessibility of voice control.

[NotSoFast]

Of course, smart switches exist, but it's hard to find ones that work with UK wiring and socket depths at a reasonable price.

[XiJ]

How are you turning them off and on? are you using the Hue switches or do you have Alexas/Google Homes dotted around?

 

Both. We tend to use a couple of Echo’s (for a third to set up now). But we also have hue switches for most areas.

 

I downloaded ihueconnect app (iOS - not sure if there’s an android version) which slows much more control over the switches.

[Localtechie]

I can go even cheaper.

 

Look for yeelights, they are between £8-12 colour and work perfectly with Alexa and google home. We have a few and work great!

 

As an aside we replaced Alexa with Google home as it supports different profiles so when a relative says Google play X it plays it from there Spotify account.

[titch]

Is there any difference between the assistant in a google home and that built into tablets/phones? I have a tablet mounted in the kitchen on a wireless charger and wondered if a google home would actually improve on this setup?

[mowgli82]

does the tablet wake up when you say "hey Google" or do you have to press a key first? that probably the only difference. and maybe how sensitive the mics are. Edited January 3, 2018 by mowgli82

[titch]

Yeah. If I say ok google it wakes up. Have it setup so the screen never goes off. Wouldn't be interested to know if anyone else knows of any features. Cheers

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using EduGeek mobile app

[GuyJD]

I kitted the whole house out with Google home over Christmas, I got one normal one and 4 minis, I'm really impressed with it so far, the My day feature is a nice touch while I'm eating my Crunchy nut in the morning.

 

My Living room TV has Chromecast built in so I can tell it to play videos on that without having to reach for the remote and don't get me started on being able to lay in bed and tell it to turn the light off.

 

All in all it's made me lazy.

 

Anyhoo the hunt for GU10 bulbs that work natively with it and don't cost an arm and leg is on, mind you do I really need that arm and leg anymore?

[jmak]

 

Anyhoo the hunt for GU10 bulbs that work natively with it and don't cost an arm and leg is on, mind you do I really need that arm and leg anymore?

 

Wouldn't compatible switches be better? Presumably if you have GU10 bills, you have more than one in the room which would get expensive quite quickly....

[GuyJD]

Wouldn't compatible switches be better? Presumably if you have GU10 bills, you have more than one in the room which would get expensive quite quickly....

all of the switches I've found require a neutral wire which I'm told any house that has wiring less than 10 years old won't have.

[jmak]

all of the switches I've found require a neutral wire which I'm told any house that has wiring less than 10 years old won't have.

I had a quick look at the MiHome ones as they looked to be the cheapest and the wiring instructions do show an earth connection. All modern switches have that as current regs require lighting circuits to be earthed. It's worth opening up the switch in the room you want to install in - some of the lighting rings in my (Victorian) house have earth's and some don't. None of them is newer than 16 years old, as I haven't rewired since we moved in.

 

I'd be surprised if they needed the earth to work - running without probably voids the warranty, but isn't actually any less safe than what you've got at the minute....

[GuyJD]

Unfortunately I'm no electrician but reading the reviews for the various smart switches a lot of people say they aren't compatible with modern UK wiring because light rings don't have the a neutral wire like plug sockets do.

[Seb1780]

Unfortunately I'm no electrician but reading the reviews for the various smart switches a lot of people say they aren't compatible with modern UK wiring because light rings don't have the a neutral wire like plug sockets do.

 

Not according to this vid

 

[GuyJD]

Not according to this vid

 

Good to know

[GuyJD]

Some guy made his own Holographic Cortana assistant and it's pretty impressive