What Is the Best Voice Assistant for a Smart Home?

What is a smart home voice assistant?

If you're wondering what a smart home assistant is, it's a device that responds to your verbal commands to activate various smart appliances throughout your home. In most cases, a digital voice assistant also audibly responds to you while helping with daily tasks and scheduling. There are various models available, and each has unique features. To a large extent, how smoothly a smart home runs depends on what voice assistant you choose. This is why it’s important to understand every detail about digital voice assistants so that you can pick the right one. Learn about your options and how a voice assistant can make your life easier with this straightforward guide.

Choose from one of the big names

If you want to fully integrate your home’s systems, you'll need to pick a voice assistant that works well with your electronic devices, appliances and utilities. Choosing a reputable brand is your best bet for making that happen. Major name brands include Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.

When it comes to answering the question of how voice assistants work, they all function similarly. Once you have your appliances and personal technology integrated with your home’s Wi-Fi network, you can give verbal commands to your assistant to activate your appliances. Start the coffee maker, set reminders, dim lights and lock the door without physically touching anything. This may prove very useful in the mornings while you're rushing out the door to get to work or school.

Make sure the voice assistant can understand you

The best smart home assistants recognize you no matter what you're saying or how you say it. Comparisons show that certain models offer more accurate answers and can decipher two commands given at the same time. Siri understands the most languages out of the major brands, supporting 21 different languages or dialects. If you have a bilingual household, this may be useful. Keep in mind, some brands have limited voice interactions with appliances or applications, which means scripted verbiage is needed when making commands. Research your appliances and language capabilities to be sure the voice assistant you choose works with your household’s needs.

Focus on what you use most

Outfitting your smart home can become pricey with all the extra appliances, gadgets and other bells and whistles. To stay within your budget, consider what you will use your home assistant for the most to determine your priorities. Whether it’s with your home theater system or your audio equipment, be sure to select a digital assistant that is compatible with the electronics you own. Some have special features, such as the ability to connect directly with streaming media subscriptions, so you can stream shows to mobile devices and your smart TV.

Compatibility is key

Once you're sure a specific voice assistant will be able to understand you, make sure it will work with the smart devices around your home. Smart displays often work specifically with smartphones and tablets that share the same name brand. Appliances, such as coffee makers, blenders and smart lights may only work with certain brands, so analyze your home’s products and assess what makes the most sense. Based on what you have at home, it may narrow down your options greatly.

Some appliances you may not normally think of can work with your assistant. Some security systems, cars and even toilets can communicate with your voice assistant to perform a variety of commands. Taking the time to research is important because it addresses any limitations and informs you of potentially unexpected advantages.

If your appliances aren't compatible with the voice assistant you choose, you may still be able to make them work by using a smart plug or outlet. These items can turn a regular appliance into a smart appliance, although they may not have as much functionality as those that have the technology built-in. Either way, double check that the smart plug you choose is compatible with your voice assistant before buying.

Look for versatile speakers

Communication with your voice assistant is made possible through smart speakers and devices like tablets and smartphones. Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri all allow for multi-room capabilities with separate speakers. Some speakers can mount to walls or sit on flat surfaces, while others are freestanding and takes up more room. Choose a speaker that works well with the space you have in your home.

Aside from controlling your voice assistant, these speakers are great for listening to music or enhancing your TV’s sound system. Getting a speaker designed to work with specific appliances or brands allows for better capabilities and easier setup and installation.

Turning your home into a smart house may seem daunting, but the right voice assistant makes it easy to handle. To get the right one for you, assess what works well with your home’s systems appliances and floorplan. Read up on major brands and review side-by-side comparisons to see which model provides the features you want. Once you figure out what option suits you, you can enjoy all the advantages of a voice assistant in the comfort of your very own smart home.