Smart speakers do the job of a smart home hub. They serve as the nerve center for your smart home automation. Smart speakers anchor your smart device ecosystem, enabling your smart devices from different manufacturers to connect and interact with each other.
Voice Assistant
Voice assistants are an integral part of what makes a smart home system exciting to use. The technology is the brains of a smart home ecosystem. How smart your home can get hinges on the ability of the voice assistant that runs it. Fortunately, Alexa is quite smart.
In terms of a sheer number of skills, Alexa posts great numbers. According to Statista, Alexa boasts more than 100,000 unique skills. Skills are third-party creations that extend Alexa’s functionality.
Alexa offers a lot of personalization options. It can be trained to recognize up to 10 different voices. This ensures that each user accessing an Alexa unit can get a uniquely tuned smart home experience.
Alexa also performs considerably well in music and entertainment, with access to dozens of music and video streaming platforms. The Echo speakers line offer good quality audio output, including the smaller-sized Echo Dot
Compatible Devices
Alexa’s popularity as a smart home hub is partly propelled by its wide-reaching compatibility. A Statista report shows that Alexa is compatible with around 100,000 smart home devices.
Pros
An open ecosystem with contributions from thousands of brands A vast array of compatible devices Budget smart speakers keep the entry barrier as low as possible
Cons
Only a few languages and dialects are supported Can have a hard time dealing with accents
Google Home
Budget smart speakers are at the heart of Google’s fight for dominance as the best smart home system. With smart speakers like the Nest Mini and Home Mini, Google keeps the entry barrier for adopting the Google Home ecosystem as low as possible.
With the budget options, you might not get the best in bass and sound quality, but it isn’t any less smart. Google’s Home ecosystem is backed by a vast array of Google-branded smart devices. The company’s open-door policy towards collaboration leaves room for exciting possibilities within your smart home.
Voice Assistant
Google Assistant is the voice assistant at the center of any Google home ecosystem. Its accuracy and efficiency are symbolic of Google’s progress in the field of AI over the years.
One of the drawbacks of using a voice assistant is challenges with language, dialect, and accent. Google Assistant beats both Alexa and Siri in all three metrics. It supports more than 40 languages and several dialects for some of those languages.
It also has a decent ability to deal with commands issued with accents. If you are not a native speaker of the supported languages, you’ll find Google Home’s voice assistant to be more accommodating. Unlike Alexa which can accommodate 10 voiceprints, Google Assistant can be trained to recognize a maximum of 6 different voices which is typically enough for a small household.
Also, unlike Alexa, you can’t change Google Assistant’s default wake word. “Hey, Google” and “OK, Google” are the only available options and are available for use by default. However, if you’re using the Nest Hub Max, and have the Look and Talk feature turned on, you can issue commands to your Google Assistant without the need for a wake word. All you have to do is look at the Nest Hub Max and start talking.
Furthermore, Google Assistant gives you access to more than 1 million Google Assistant actions (the equivalent of Alexa skills), dwarfing all its competitors put together. However, some of these actions aren’t very flattering.
In terms of the ability to understand and answer questions correctly, Google Assistant also leads the pack. In a test conducted by Loup Ventures an investment analysis firm, Google Assistant scored 92.9%, Siri scored 83.1%, and Alexa, 79.8% in questions answered correctly. Our in-house test pitting Alexa against Siri and Google Assistant saw Google Assistant emerge second-best performer.
Compatible Devices
Google Home’s ecosystem trails Alexa in the number of supported devices. According to Statista, Google Assistant is compatible with more than 50,000 devices made by thousands of manufacturers globally.
However, you’ll enjoy seamless integration with a large array of Google branded smart home systems. Google home integrates easily with smart gadgets like Chromecast, Nest Cam, and the Nest Doorbell.
Pros
Google Assistant is quite conversational and understands the context of conversations Budget smart speaker options to anchor the ecosystem A lot of compatible devices
Cons
Apple HomeKit
Apple’s HomeKit offers a secure and privacy-conscious smart home ecosystem. It is the least popular of the three leading smart home ecosystems, but that doesn’t make it any less useful.
Apple’s HomeKit tilts towards a direction different from what Alexa and Google Home ecosystems offer. It is less concerned with countertop supremacy and wide coverage and more focused on security and reliability. As a result, the HomeKit ecosystem is somewhat limited, reminiscent of Apple’s traditional closed-door policy towards innovation.
Voice Assistant
Apple’s signature attention to detail is evident in Siri, but the voice assistant is plagued by a slow pace of innovation.
However, only Google Assistant beats Siri when it comes to understanding and responding to queries. Even at that, it’s a close race, with Google Assistant enjoying only a slight edge. When compared to Google Assistant, Siri isn’t great with follow-up commands. However, it does have a better sense of humor than its rivals.
Apple’s closed-garden attitude to partnership strips Siri of the benefits that come with cross-brand collaborations that Google Home and Alexa enjoy.
Although Siri is a robust voice assistant, it doesn’t exactly meet the standards we’ve come to expect from Apple products. However, it gets most of the basic jobs done efficiently.
Compatible Devices
Apple’s HomeKit is quite picky in terms of device compatibility. It is the poorest of the trio with support for around 450 smart devices in contrast to Alexa’s and Google Home’s thousands. However, HomeKit supports some popular smart home devices you’ll most likely need.
Pros
Robust security and privacy measures Broad language support An Apple TV or iPad can be used as a hub Integration with an Apple Watch makes issuing commands and receiving important alerts seamless.
Cons
A smaller number of compatible devices. A closed ecosystem with a slow pace of innovation. Costly to implement and requires iOS devices Speaker option is very limited.
The Best Smart Home System
Of the three contenders, Alexa posts good results in some of the most important metrics. Alexa wins in countertop dominance and compatibility with other smart home devices. Google Home’s voice assistant is the smartest of the trio.
Apple HomeKit leads in security and privacy. Both Google Home and Alexa win the price wars, but the three smart speakers are in a very close race in terms of hardware quality.
However, in terms of future outlook, the playing ground is likely to be more level. Google Home is backed by Google’s massive arsenal of AI technologies and experts.
