The reality is that it is becoming easier to automate some of the different basic functions of our home, and all thanks to the fact of having a mobile phone, in this case, giving the brand of the device a bit the same. However, it will also depend on the technology of the different appliances that each person has at home, since in order to control them they must be connected to an Internet connection.
Although, for many people it is no longer a novelty that heating, lighting or other devices such as televisions can be controlled by software or by voice commands that we must previously configure. For this reason, we will give you the most important keys so that you can turn your residence into a smart home, with the help of a specific software, Google Home. Although, we will also give you other options that we can find in the app stores.
What devices can you control?
With our mobile device, the truth is that we can control smart home devices , as long as they are compatible. Among them, we find thermostats, light bulbs, locks or cameras, although the list is much more extensive. From our phone we can turn them on, off and change some of their settings without having to go ourselves, having to get up from the sofa, chair or bed.
Therefore, these will be the majority of devices we can control from the mobile :
- Camera.
- Televisions
- Doorbell.
- Light bulb.
- Lock.
- Plug.
- Sensors
- Speakers.
- Smoke detectors.
- Thermostat.
- Wi-Fi router.
With Google Home
For those who have not discovered it yet, Google Home is the main app of the Mountain View company that offers us the possibility of controlling a large number of devices that we could have in our homes, and all from our own mobile phone.
Basically, this software will let us control the different smart devices that we have linked to this software from any smartphone on which we have this Google application installed. In other words, this tool is based on the intelligence of the cloud that makes it possible for our home to become completely intelligent and, above all, what works. As if it were a movie, but in real life.
Add more
Once we have downloaded the software, and we have granted the location permission, which will be necessary, it will be time to add devices to this smart control. Of course, keep in mind that you will have to use an email for this app, although it will generally offer you to use your Google account. Once we are inside the application, we must click on the ‘+’ icon at the top left of the screen and click on Configure device> New device.
At this point, we must click on Add another house> Next and put the name we want. After this, it will go to searching for devices automatically. So we will not have to worry about anything else. Once it is detected, we will click on Yes> Connect.
Sort your devices
Although, to be able to organize the different devices of your smart home well, there is no better option than to organize them depending on the room where they are located. To achieve this, we just have to go to Google Home, click on Settings and enter the rooms and groups option. Within this, we can already see the rooms that we have configured and edit them to our liking, adding or removing devices.
Set up your routines
With Google routines we can make a series of things happen depending on what we ask of it. Everything will depend on the device that we have linked to this Google software. For example, if we have a speaker configured, we can say ‘Ok, Google, good morning’ to carry out a specific action such as informing us of the weather, the day’s calendar or playing music.
Therefore, if you want to configure a routine for your device, you must access the Home app on your smartphone and tap on the Routines option . There you will see a series of options that come by default, but you can always design a new one from scratch by clicking on the ‘+’ icon.
If we want to create it from scratch we will have to choose the Activators (with which it will be executed): Voice commands, Time or Dawn or dusk. Later, we will have to configure the action that it will perform. For example, we may ask that the first thing you do is raise the blinds or turn on the lights in the kitchen. We can even choose the exact order of the different tasks. And don’t worry, we can repeat the process with the routines we want and as many times as we want.
In the event that it is already created, we can always modify both the Triggers and the Actions by clicking on a specific routine.
Because it does not work?
As much as Google Home is a pretty good application to control a smart home from your mobile , and also has a very useful voice assistant, not always everything will be able to work perfectly. So we should know how to solve some of your most common problems in the following ways.
Reboot the device
The first step to get rid of any errors will be to try to restart it. For possible, enter the Google Home app, tap on the name of the device you want to turn off, tap on the settings option, which will appear with a gear icon and then tap on the three vertical dots> Restart . Finally, if the device is plugged into the power, we can try to unplug it and reconnect it after a few minutes.
I can’t find the device
One of the main reasons why you cannot find any device is connection to Wi-Fi . That is, if you have a bad connection, it will not appear in the Google Home app. And even if you manage to connect later and appear in that application, you will not be able to control that device. Therefore, we recommend you check the quality of your Wi-Fi. Although, it could be a specific failure, so we recommend you restart that device, close the Google Home app and reconnect that device to your home network. Then try adding that device again.
The voice assistant is not responding
If you use a speaker to control devices connected to Google Home , you will need to verify that the microphone is turned on. On the other hand, if it does not work on your mobile phone, make sure that you have granted the necessary permission so that it can access the microphone of your mobile device whenever you want.
Try other apps
If we are not very convinced by Google’s option, we can always find a good number of applications that also include automatic systems for various areas such as communications, security, access to homes, among others. So they can help us to manage our in a correct way, turning it into a smart home.
The first option is Nest, it is also available in both the Play Store and the App Store for free. With this software we can control all kinds of options in our home, from the on / off of alarms, lights or heating.
The second option that we present to you is also called Smart Home, it is also available in both app stores. In this case, it will also allow us to have control of a large number of household appliances. Therefore, we will have absolute control of the home automation of our home with a couple of clicks.
Finally, we bring you LIFX, an option designed exclusively for lighting in our home. With it you can control the lights of the whole house, creating on and off schedules, create groups by rooms of the house, configure scenes for when you go to see a movie and even apply animated visual effects when you receive your friends in a meeting.
