Google Home

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6754 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1857447 3-Sep-2017 08:43

Got a Google Home in Oz last weekend. Harvey Norman had them on promotion with a $AUD50 gift voucher, which I cashed in straight away on a Chromecast Audio (also on promotion for $AUD47).
I had high hopes for the GH when I got it home because I have a Harmony Hub and some Wemo switches. Nothing but frustration awaited me. I recognised the limitation of having to set US English, but even then couldn't get things to work. Tried IFTTT but that also has been frustrating. No doubt I will get to grips with it eventually but at the moment the GH is just a handsfree version of my phone's Google Assistant and a pretty average Bluetooth speaker.
No, that's probably a little harsh. Once I have turned the TV on manually (such a drag) the GH will take commands to get something playing on YouTube on the Chromecast.
Not as much luck with the Chromecast Audio though. I thought I would be able to use YouTube Music with it, but no such luck unless you have a Red subscription. So Google Play Music then, nope, says I don't have a subscription, but I do have an uploaded library but GH didn't seem to recognise that.
I was looking at picking up some Phillips Hue lights because of some of the videos I had seen on YT. May hold off for a bit.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Dingbatt

6754 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1857531 3-Sep-2017 11:42

Never mind. A bit of patience on a Sunday morning and I've got some things to work through IFTTT. I had to set everything up using my PC through the IFTTT website rather than the android app though.

I am a bit envious of how much more capable these things are when used in the 'Only available in the US' mode. Like a lot of things, the world seems to end at the West and East coasts of the USA for American companies.

Still, I feel a little more comfortable with venturing into the expensive world of Philips Hue lighting now I have got my Wemo bulbs to work via GH and IFTTT.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

salttlas

71 posts

Master Geek

#1869480 20-Sep-2017 15:17

Who's a little excited about the Google Home mini expected to be announced at Pixel 2 launch in October?

Not sure when it will be available but I can see myself adding these through out the house to compliment my GH in the kitchen.

lchiu7

6470 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1870539 21-Sep-2017 22:10

Dingbatt:

Never mind. A bit of patience on a Sunday morning and I've got some things to work through IFTTT. I had to set everything up using my PC through the IFTTT website rather than the android app though.

I am a bit envious of how much more capable these things are when used in the 'Only available in the US' mode. Like a lot of things, the world seems to end at the West and East coasts of the USA for American companies.

Still, I feel a little more comfortable with venturing into the expensive world of Philips Hue lighting now I have got my Wemo bulbs to work via GH and IFTTT.

Out of interest why are using IFTTT to control the Hue bulbs when GH can control them directly?

My only issue with GH controlling Hue bulbs is that before I got them, I was running HABridge and emulating Hue bulbs for some Insteon devices which have no GH or Amazon Echo control (well not the international versions). When I put real Hue bulbs in and the bridge, GH got confused and lost a set. So I could either control the Hue bulbs or the ones emulated via HABridge. It has proven too hard so I now control both sets easily using an Amazon Dot. Not neither the Dot or GH require IFTTT - the support is native.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

Dingbatt

6754 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1871349 23-Sep-2017 09:38

lchiu7:
Dingbatt:

Never mind. A bit of patience on a Sunday morning and I've got some things to work through IFTTT. I had to set everything up using my PC through the IFTTT website rather than the android app though.

I am a bit envious of how much more capable these things are when used in the 'Only available in the US' mode. Like a lot of things, the world seems to end at the West and East coasts of the USA for American companies.

Still, I feel a little more comfortable with venturing into the expensive world of Philips Hue lighting now I have got my Wemo bulbs to work via GH and IFTTT.

Out of interest why are using IFTTT to control the Hue bulbs when GH can control them directly?

I just wanted to get comfortable with using GH before spending a fortune on Hue. I now have two Hue light strips, a dimmer switch and a bulb connected to a Hue bridge, which I can happily contro directly (no IFTTT)l using GH and Echo Dot. At the moment I am researching some cheaper Hue alternatives.

On a different tack, but still on topic.

I see there are rumours that Google are about to announce a Google Home Mini. As with the Echo Dot, to have the same assistant functionality as GH, but no music quality speakers.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

lchiu7

6470 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1871381 23-Sep-2017 10:30

Dingbat:

I just wanted to get comfortable with using GH before spending a fortune on Hue. I now have two Hue light strips, a dimmer switch and a bulb connected to a Hue bridge, which I can happily contro directly (no IFTTT)l using GH and Echo Dot. At the moment I am researching some cheaper Hue alternatives.

On a different tack, but still on topic.

I see there are rumours that Google are about to announce a Google Home Mini. As with the Echo Dot, to have the same assistant functionality as GH, but no music quality speakers.

Having invested in the Hue world, not sure I want to start mix and matching. I have seen LIFX bulbs but they seem expensive and I am not interested in a bulb solution that requires yet another hub. So I am sticking with Hue

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

richms

28168 posts

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#1871394 23-Sep-2017 11:12

People are reporting that the new ikea lamps will work on the philips hub after a firmware update, but not with the homekit side of it. Not seen any available from AU to get sent over yet, but fingers crossed as the hue lamps are a rip.

Richard rich.ms

Equinox IT

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Dingbatt

6754 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1875015 30-Sep-2017 09:07

Probably late to the party and most will have discovered this, but I was watching a show on Lightbox (Chromecast) last night (The Son, quite good) and for giggles I decided to try and control the playback using GH. "Okay Google, Pause", the response was "I'm sorry, nothing is playing at the moment". So I tried "Okay Google, pause the media playing on the lounge Chromecast", and the show duly paused. After that, I could just say OKG, pause, play or skip for it to work in Lightbox. I like that the GH stays in context for subsequent commands as well.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

540trickzter

160 posts

Master Geek

#1875047 30-Sep-2017 11:59

Can anyone get GH to play Radio Sport on iheartradio?

I say "hey google, play radio sport on iheartradio" and then it says "ok playing radio sport on iheartradio".

But it's just silence.

NewstalkZB works, but not Radiosport.

xyf

300 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1889751 26-Oct-2017 10:55

Any recommendations for where to purchase the google home mini from?

Xiaomi have some crazy amount of smart home stuff thats pretty cheap of aliexpress, they dont have home integration yet but apparently are going too, would need to use if that then this for a while with xiaomi's app

jpwise

590 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1889752 26-Oct-2017 11:00

I've seen a few listed on ebay with free international shipping listed, although I'm waiting to see what Kogan (/DSE online) list them for. They've set up a mailing list for notification when they release.

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