Why you should exchange Google Home for Home Assistant

If you want more control over your smart home, it may be worthwhile to exchange Google Home for Home Assistant. Here’s why (and why not).

Google Home of Home Assistant

Although Google Home is a logical and most accessible centerpiece of your smart home, there are other options as well. The most interesting alternative is Home Assistant, which offers, among other things, much more flexibility and a better interface.

Home Assistant is a platform for controlling your smart home, founded by Dutchman Paulus Schoutsen. Home Assistant does not come from Google, but is a complete solution open sourceplatform that is created and maintained by users.

Home Assistant offers more personalization

The great strength of Home Assistant is that you get more options to personalize everything. No house is the same, especially considering the people who live there. That is why flexibility in what you automate is very nice.

You can switch all kinds of devices on or off as soon as something happens. Like how cameras only turn on when no one is at home, or the lights turn off when the house knows you’re sleeping. The second example is possible via a smartwatch that tracks your sleep, or because Home Assistant sees that your smartphone is on the charger next to your bed. There is so much more possible with a smart home than the options that Google offers you.

Home Assistant has a better interface

Google Home’s interface works fine, but with the Home Assistant app you get many more options. Personalization is also important here, because you visualize what you find important. You can also tinker with the app to set up all kinds of automations.

Home Assistant

Home Assistant

Home Assistant supports more devices

Google Home supports a lot of devices, but the possibilities are not endless. Home Assistant works with more devices that you can all control via the same app. Do you still want to keep the Google Home interface? Devices that are not supported by Google Home can be controlled by Home Assistant via Google Home.

Home Assistant offers better privacy

Because you are not dependent on Google or another party, and no information is sent to the cloud, Home Assistant is the best option if privacy is important to you. Everything is only stored on your own devices.

Tip: You can continue to use the Google Assistant

Home Assistant can also use the Google Assistant to control your home. Read there on this page more about.

Google Home is less hassle to set up

While installing devices via Google Home is done with a few clicks on your smartphone, Home Assistant requires some work in advance. You first have to think about what you are going to run the software on. That must be a system that is always on. You can, for example, use a Raspberry Pi (mini computer) for this, which also requires some dexterity. So you have to like tinkering a bit.

After installing the latest updates and creating an account, Home Assistant checks which devices you have in your home. Then you have to configure them one by one. So it takes quite a bit of extra work compared to Google Home.

Google Home is more user-friendly

If you make a lot of complicated settings and connect devices and services that are not actually designed for that, things may not work as you would like. That can be frustrating. With Google Home you can almost always be sure that it works, with some exceptions.

Get started with Google Home

Would you rather stick with Google Home? Then we will be happy to help you on your way. We give you tips to get more out of the Google Home app and tell you how you can guarantee your privacy in a Google Home home.