Google integrates Gemini AI into smart home ecosystem
Google has announced a significant upgrade to its smart home platform, powered by its Gemini AI model. The update includes a redesigned Google Home app and new Nest camera devices. This integration aims to enhance user control over compatible devices from the past decade.
Google's latest announcement focuses on embedding its Gemini AI directly into the smart home experience. The company revealed these changes during an October 2024 event, building on its existing Nest ecosystem acquired in 2014. The core of the update is a revamped Google Home app, which now supports natural language interactions for managing devices.
Key features include 'Ask $HOME,' where users can pose questions like 'Why is my house so cold?' and receive contextual responses by checking thermostats, windows, and other connected sensors. According to Google, this AI capability provides summaries and suggestions, such as adjusting settings for energy efficiency. However, advanced functionalities, including detailed home status reports and proactive alerts, require a Gemini Advanced subscription, priced at $20 per month.
Complementing the software, Google introduced new hardware: the Nest Cam indoor (wired) and Nest Cam (battery). The wired model offers 1080p video with HDR, intelligent alerts for people, animals, and vehicles, and integration with Gemini for describing events in plain language. The battery version provides similar features with up to three hours of recording and a six-month battery life under typical use. Both cameras start shipping in 2025, with prices set at $99.99 for the wired indoor model.
The update extends Gemini support to Google smart home devices from the last decade, including older Nest Thermostats, Protects, and speakers. Early access to some app features is available via the Google Home Public Preview program, requiring users to opt-in through the app settings. Google states that 'Gemini helps you understand and manage your home in new ways,' emphasizing privacy with on-device processing for basic queries.
This move positions Google to compete more directly with rivals like Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri in the AI-driven smart home market. While the free tier offers basic AI enhancements, the subscription model for premium features has drawn attention, as noted in coverage highlighting the need to 'pay up for the best.' No major contradictions appear across reports, though rollout timelines vary slightly, with full availability expected in early 2025.