Key Takeaways
With three major platforms to choose from, and a wide range of speakers within those platforms, there's a lot to consider buying a smart speaker. Let's look at some of the top things to think of when trying to find a smart speaker that works well with your smart home.
What Do You Want the Speaker to Do?
If your home is full of Android smartphones, then choosing Apple's HomePod for a smart speaker wouldn't be a wise choice. However, the converse isn't exactly true. My all-iPhone household has some Google Assistant speakers, and they even play Apple Music. So, the smartphones in your home aren't entirely dependent on what speaker you choose.
Before you pick a smart speaker for your home, start thinking about what you want it to be able to do. Do you want something that'll replace your home theater speakers? A HomePod stereo pair is a pricey but effective solution for Apple TV owners.
Maybe you'd prefer something with a built-in clock? Amazon's Echo Dot speakers are perfect. Maybe you want a speaker with a display? Try the Google Nest Hub on for size. There's a lot that smart speakers can accomplish, so you'll want to choose accordingly when it comes time to pick.
Choose a Speaker That Works With Your Existing Devices
Whether purchasing your first or fifth smart speaker, consider what other devices are in your home. Does your doorbell only work with Alexa and Assistant? What about your smart bulbs? Thermostat? This will play a big factor in what smart speakers you choose for your household.
Being able to do things like answer the doorbell with your smart speaker, execute routines, or send a message to all other smart speakers it a large part of the functionality you won't want to miss out on.
But this isn't mutually exclusive, either. I, for example, choose exclusively HomeKit-compatible devices for my house. They either need to be natively HomeKit supported or be compatible with my HomeBridge setup. This ensures that everything works together, and I can do things like control all devices using the Home app on an iPhone or iPad.
While that's my setup for inside the house, in my kitchen and garage I also have a Google Nest Hub and Google Nest Mini, respectively. In the garage, the Nest Mini is used exclusively for playing music while I'm working on projects out there.
In the kitchen, the Nest Hub is used for setting timers, looking up information about a recipe, and asking questions about what food we can feed our chickens. This plays into the strengths of each system since Google Assistant is better at handling everyday queries and requests while Apple's smart home system has other benefits like HomeKit Secure Video and deep integration with Apple devices.
I've talked a lot about ecosystems and such so far, but that's not the only thing to think of. Some smart speakers, like Sonos, support multiple ecosystems in one. Sonos utilizes Amazon Alexa for the voice component of it, but also integrates with AirPlay 2, allowing it to be used in a whole-home audio setup via HomeKit.
Overall, there aren't a ton of third-party speakers out there today that support voice services. Sonos is one of the last big brands to do so, and it's becoming harder and harder to find third-party smart speakers, where it used to be relatively easy.
At the end of the day, I recommend sticking to first-party or Sonos when shopping for smart speakers. That's Amazon, Google, and Apple, all of which produce differently sized and priced speakers that feature voice assistant integration. Doing so gives you the most reliable experience, and ensures future compatibility with smart home devices.
Other Features to Consider
Smart speakers have a lot more functions than just controlling smart home devices and setting timers. For instance, some support Bluetooth audio inputs (or outputs) and others have wired inputs or outputs. This lets you send audio from smaller speakers to a larger A/V receiver, for instance. Or, from your phone to the speaker.
Another feature to heavily consider is whether you want your tablet to be your smart speaker. Google's latest Pixel Tablet functions as a tablet, speaker, and smart display, should you have the adjoining dock. This is great as one device can do many things, and be portable when you need it. However, since it's a tablet, there might be times when you go to use your smart display, and it's not there.
There are also speakers that have built-in displays, either full-color and touch or just little segment screens to show a clock. While some devices like the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential are no longer being sold, there are devices like the latest Echo Show that has a subtle built-in display. And, of course, you could always look at the massive Echo Hub for a big 15-inch smart display that doubles as a picture frame and much more.
Another thing to consider when shopping for smart speakers is whether it can be used as a TV speaker. Apple's HomePod and HomePod mini can be paired to a compatible TV or Apple TV for audio output, and Sonos can do the same. Also, be sure to think about whether it integrates with your existing whole-home audio system, or if it'll pair up to the one that you want to build out.
And, lastly, think about whether you want it to be portable or not. The Sonos Move 2 has Alexa built-in for voice commands as well as integrates with AirPlay 2, all while having a built-in battery that'll let you take the speaker anywhere you want. Surprisingly, this is quite the rarity as most Bluetooth speakers don't include smart assistants.
Smart speakers can be useful all over the house since there's a lot that a smart speaker can do. Find out how a smart speaker can make you more productive or even help you sleep at night.