What Is a Google Home Hub? a Guide to the Smart Device

Table of Content

• How to set up any Google Home, Google's versatile smart speaker, in just a few minutes
• Adding Smart Home Devices To Google Home Hub
• Hey Google, what’s my morning commute look like?
• Get hands-free help from Google Assistant
• More of what makes Google Home great (and frustrating)
• Configuring “Hey, Google” Sensitivity
• Set a Timer

Make video calls to family and friends with Nest Hub Max usingGoogle Duo—and not just to other Hub Max devices, but also to any Android or iOS device.20. Stay in view during a video call with auto-framing, so you can prep dinner around the kitchen while you catch up with loved ones. Expensive, custom installation smart homes have had this kind of touchscreen dashboard system for a while, but it’s been difficult to achieve with off-the-shelf kit until now. Voice control is great, but when you’re trying to do lots of things at once and see the status of devices, touchscreen buttons are better.

There’s even a button to turn it all off, right from the screen. Voice-control compatible lights, cameras, TVs and more from a single dashboard. Works with Nest and 5,000+ smart devices from 400+ popular brands.

How to set up any Google Home, Google's versatile smart speaker, in just a few minutes

It lands between the Google Home and the Google Home Mini, and that’s not stellar. It’s not loud and lacks the bass and treble to make listening an enjoyable experience. In our case, we already have a Google Home device in our test home, which made the setup process as easy as plugging in the device. Michael Miller is a prolific and best-selling writer.

And with Live Albums, always view the latest photos of loved ones. On the contrary, if you can’t forgo the idea of not having a camera, then purchase its bigger brother, the Google Nest Hub Max. It has all the features of the Home Hub and works as a Google Nest Cam too. Also known as Google Nest, the Google Home Hub is a member of the Nest family consisting of Home Max, Home Mini, and Google Home smart gadgets. The Google Home Hub is basically a virtual interface that is developed to help you complete daily tasks. It has a tablet form and is built on making your life more convenient, from making your grocery lists to managing your schedule.

Adding Smart Home Devices To Google Home Hub

If you’re a frequent user of Google Keep and Google Calendar, you can use Google Home Hub to add things to your shopping cart, schedule appointments, and list your grocery items. Also, there is a wide range of non-Google applications that Google Home Hub supports. A feature called Ambient EQ automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen so that the device blends into the room. You can manually adjust the brightness as well.

It is built with full-range speakers, Bluetooth 5.0, and Chromecast. You can choose from four different colors — Aqua, Chalk, Charcoal, and Sand. Arriving very recently, users can now watch all of their favorite Netflix shows and movies on Google’s smart displays. All you need to do is say, “Hey Google, open Netflix.” From there, you can choose what to watch. If there’s something specific, just say, “Hey Google, play Queer Eye” to start streaming instantly. When placed next to the Echo Show and the Lenovo Smart Display , the difference in size is like comparing a tablet to a smartphone.

Hey Google, what’s my morning commute look like?

You can listen to your favorite songs on popular music-streaming apps such as Spotify, YouTube Music, iHeartRadio, and Pandora. If not, you can play music from one of your newly-created playlists. It is developed with full-range speakers, providing you with crystal-clear audio for your home parties with friends or family reunions. Another hitch is that Google Assistant’s ability to control the smart home is still a bit wanting.

With Face Match, just walk up to Hub Max and your Assistant will let you know about any video messages or missed calls you've received. For live updates from specific news outlets, just say, “Hey Google, play CBS News” or another outlet. Catch up on the news of the day from a variety of top sources.

A grey fabric texture covers the speaker returns, and the rest of the hub is clad in a utilitarian white plastic. You’ll find the familiar microphone mute slider on the rear, accompanied by a volume rocker on one side. The hub isn’t powered by a USB port like the Home Mini but takes an older looking DC adapter from the originalGoogle Home.

The introduction of the display adds in plenty of new features, and makes some of the old ones much better. I found Home Hub to be the most helpful first thing in the morning. It runs what Google calls “routines,” so you can just say “OK, Google, good morning,” and it will step through a pre-set program, both spoken and on the screen.

Get hands-free help from Google Assistant

Kids' bedtime and family meals are prime examples. Thankfully, the Google Home app offers a way to limit access to Google Assistant across one or all Google Home devices. Ask questions and get visual, immersive answers from Google on weather, recipes, local business info and more. You can even watch helpful videos from YouTube. View Rooms” button to pull a list of your smart home products.

Another way to command connected devices like televisions, Rokus, thermostats, and lights. Seven-inch display dims when the lights are off. Relatively inexpensive, and it comes with six months of free YouTube Premium. Did you know Google Assistant can deliver personalized information to multiple people in the home? Google Assistant is now capable of supporting up to six people’s voices with Voice Match on a smart speaker or display, so that you only get relevant details that pertain to you. The Nest Hub has built-in speakers, and they sound pretty good.