Best Google Assistant-compatible smart home devices in 2024

Google Assistant is one of the best ways to control and customize your smart home devices. On a near-daily basis, new developers are incorporating the popular voice assistant into everything from security cameras and smart TVs to lighting and thermostats. With Google features and functionality constantly evolving, and the extra compatibility offered by the Matter protocol, there’s never been a better time to invest in a Google Home-powered residence.

But which Google Assistant-compatible devices are worth your time and money? And which products should you steer clear of completely? As experts on smart home devices and their many integrations, learning curves, and limitations, we’ve put together this list of the best Google-Assistant compatible smart home devices to help you build and optimize the kind of domicile your Alexa pals will envy.

With Philips Hue bulbs, smart lighting is as easy as screwing the bulb in. For lighting your home, you can have soft white light, warm-to-cool light, or choose from the thousands of color combinations, with dimming options as well. You can control your smart lights with the Hue app or Google Assistant.

This starter kit includes everything you need to set up smart lighting in your home. The Hue Hub lets you connect up to 50 smart lights without interfering with the speed of your Wi-Fi. For unlimited lighting scenarios, the Philips Hue starter kit is undoubtedly the best option for smart lighting.

What’s a smart home without a smart lock to go with it? The Google Nest x Yale is a complete deadbolt lock replacement to give you the best security inside and out. Connect the lock to Wi-Fi to remotely lock and unlock the door when you’re away or busy.

You can even set a schedule for guest passcodes to work and have access during certain times, which is great if you have cleaners or gardeners coming by who only require access some of the time. And at night, you can ensure your home is secure by checking the locks with your virtual Google Assistant and activating privacy mode to disable the keypad from being accessed with any passcode.

The Google Nest Hub Max is the smart control center your home needs. You can connect all your smart home devices to the Nest Hub Max to easily control everything within your home with simple voice commands. With the Nest Hub Max, you’re able to stream your favorite videos and music hands-free with the all-reliable Google Assistant.

You can also stay connected with friends and family and work with video calls, group chats, and Zoom meetings. There’s even a built-in Nest Cam that lets you keep an extra eye on your home. And if you need instant weather updates, recipes, or even a good joke or two, just ask Google.

Read our full Google Nest Hub Max review.

This smart plug is small, easy to take with you on the go, and works with most standard outlets and appliances. You can easily control your smart plug hands-free with Google Assistant or the Kasa Smart app, so you can stay connected even when you’re away from home.

You can also set schedules to turn on or off your devices at certain times and group devices and plugs in-app to make it easier to control more than one device at a time. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini is a must-have for any smart home.

When it comes to LED strip lighting, the GE Cync Smart LED Light Strip is a natural addition to any Google Home ecosystem. This 16-foot multicolor light strand is quick and easy to install and doesn’t require any kind of hub or bridge. Once you download the Cync app, just add the Light Strip to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and you’ll be ready to start controlling and automating.

You’ll also be using the Cync app to choose from millions of color options and brightness levels, in addition to features such as schedule-building and scene creation. If your home is equipped with a Google Nest Audio or some other kind of Google-friendly smart speaker or display, you can also use these devices to control the GE Cync Light Strip.

Thanks to the Google TV operating system on modern smart TVs and streaming devices, you’ll also be able to give Google Assistant voice commands to your brand-new TV. If you’re in a Google household that’s scrounging for a new set, the Sony 55-inch X80K is one you don’t want to miss.

Powered by the Google TV OS, this big-screen Bravia will keep an eye on your viewing habits to recommend movies and shows based on your watch history. Of course, you’ll also be able to use Google TV to search for apps and games and to interact with your home’s many Google Assistant-powered smart home devices.

From a picture and sound standpoint, the Sony X80K more than delivers. With its powerful 4K upscaling and Triluminos Pro color booster, the X80K brings all the thrills of the cinema to the comfort of your living room. Ideally, you’ll also add a soundbar to the purchase because the one thing we’re not crazy about is the TV’s built-in speakers.

An air purifier is a great way to safeguard your home against harmful airborne pollutants. This Levoit model is a nice option, as it can handle rooms of up to 915 square feet. With its 360-degree design, ultra-fine nylon filter, and high-efficiency carbon filter, this handy little device can remove up to 99.97% of the allergens. The filters are simple to change; just make sure to buy genuine Levoit replacement ones.

Conveniently, you can also control the Core 200S using Google Assistant, Alexa, or the free VeSync app. Use any of these web-connected tools to start or stop cleaning cycles and monitor the purifier’s progress.

The new Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro is now up to two times faster than its predecessor and is one of the best Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers available. With the growing popularity of Wi-Fi 6E, speed, and reliability are two of the biggest factors when establishing a strong Wi-Fi connection. This kit includes three Wi-Fi routers that can be placed throughout your home to maximize the range of your Wi-Fi. Just one router can cover up to 2,200 square feet — so with this kit, you’ll have no more dead spots within your residence. From the attic to the garage, you’ll stay connected.

You can also easily connect all your smart home devices to your Nest Wi-Fi system and Google Assistant for a seamless flow of smart home connectivity. While this setup may seem a little costly, many users don’t mind paying extra for stable, fast, and reliable coverage.

Read our full Google Nest Wifi Pro review.

Monitoring and controlling your home’s temperature is much less of a menial task with the Google Nest Learning Thermostat. This smart thermostat learns from your preferences and auto-adjusts itself to your comfort level, so you’re not always combating the thermostat changes. You’ll also be keeping your power bills down with home/away assist, which automatically adjusts your home’s temperature while you’re away.

Of course, all of this can be controlled remotely with the Google Nest app or voice commands through Google Assist and Alexa.

Read our full Google Nest Learning Thermostat review.

A smart home isn’t complete without some kind of sound system. You can buy the Nest Mini or Alexa smart speakers, but the size and sound sometimes just aren’t enough. That’s where the Bose Bluetooth Smart Soundbar 600 comes in. This elevated Dolby Atmos soundbar packs five speakers into the length of the device to truly spread the sound across the room. This soundbar is a staple piece for any living room or bedroom setup and is so easy to move anywhere with its wireless capabilities.

You can connect a huge variety of smart devices to this soundbar and use Google Assistant or Alexa to control the music hands-free. The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is available for anywhere between $400-500, but if that price tag is a little high, Bose has the Smart Soundbar 300, which is a slightly smaller and more affordable version with most of the same great features.

Getting pet hair out of carpeting is one of life’s greatest challenges, to the point where there are a dizzying amount of products dedicated to fuzz removal. If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a robot vacuum, and you also happen to own a pet that won’t stop shedding, investing in the Eufy Clean X8 Pro Robot Vacuum might be the right choice. The X8 Pro is one of the most powerful bot vacs on the market, boasting iPath Laser Navigation. This tech covers everything from home mapping to navigation and object avoidance.

This model’s other big win is the awesome Pro-Detangle Comb. After each vacuuming session, the X8 Pro will automatically remove tangled hair from the brush, ensuring you’ll get the best cleaning experience whenever you fire up the vac again. Additionally, the 45-day storage capacity of the bundled Self-Emptying Station (you can also purchase the X8 Pro without the SES) is another positive to make cleaning as low-maintenance as possible.

Keep a constant watch over your house with the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera. This outdoor security camera is small but powerful, and it’s also wireless, allowing you to conveniently place it anywhere you want increased security. You can keep intruders away with the integrated spotlight, and the large illuminated area is enough to capture clear videos of possible suspects. In addition, you can speak to guests outdoors with two-way audio.

Read our full Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera review.

Build your perfect smart home

As smart home devices continue to evolve, so too will the ever-capable voice assistants and ecosystem tools we use to manage and control them. And now that Google Assistant has been adjusting the lights and streaming our favorite playlists for several years, we can’t wait to see just how much further developers can push the envelope.

As for the here and now though, many folks will be blown away by the incredible Google Assistant integrations that can be optimized with a Philips Hue Starter Kit. One of the biggest names in smart lighting, the Hue Starter Kit has everything needed to enjoy a world of multicolored illumination. Using Google Assistant, you’ll also be able to adjust brightness and toggle lighting using just a few simple voice commands.

When it comes to Google-compatible smart security, we’ll never stop singing the praises of the Google Nest X Yale Lock. The installation process is quick and easy, and once it’s added to your Google Home app, you’ll be able to share door codes with guests, remotely lock and unlock doors, and even monitor how much open-close activity the X Yale Lock experiences in a single day or week.

But what if the device you’re interested in doesn’t have Google Assistant built-in? This means you’ll want to invest in a smart speaker or smart display, and our go-to option is the amazing Google Nest Hub Max. Once connected to Wi-Fi, the Nest Hub Max can be used to manage and customize smart home devices, stream movies, TV shows, and music, search the web, set reminders, and so much more.