Google Home Light Control
/
Control your lighting with Google Home. Shown above is a Google Home controlled smart dimmer light switch. The smart light switch will turn on and off with Google Home voice commands.
Do you want control your lights with your voice? You can, when you combine smart lights with a Google Home smart voice assistant. We teach you how to use Google Home light control to control your lighting using your voice with Google Home and not your hands.
Controlling your lights with Google Home is one of the best upgrades you can make to your home and once you've done it you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. There's nothing better than laying in bed at the end of a long day and telling Google to turn off your lights. All you need to say is “Ok, Google turn off my lights.” and Google will do the hard work for you.
How It Works: Google Light Control
Google Home is the smart voice assistant that most people know for playing music and answering questions but Google Home can do so much more than just play music.
Google Home allows you to control smart devices in your home using your voice. When you get a smart wifi controlled device like a smart light bulb it connects to the cloud for remote control from your phone or tablet. You can then connect your smart home device through the Google Home app to the Google Home voice assistant. Once your wifi controlled device is connected to Google Home you can control the the device with your voice.
The full line up of Google Home devices will work with google assistant light control. The most common Google Home device is the Google Home Mini. Google and Nest are currently in the process of merging and now some of the Google Home devices are in the process of being renamed. The Google Home Hub is now called the Google Nest Hub and the version with the camera is called the Google Nest Hub Max. Both work with Google Home light control and have touch screens that also allow you to control your smart home lighting with the touch screen.
We'll teach you everything you need to know about Google Home light control below and how to connect your lights to Google Home.
Google Home Light Control Options
You have three main options to control your lights with Google Home. Smart light bulbs, smart light switches and smart plugs to control your lighting.
Google Home Smart Light Bulbs
Etekcity Smart Light bulb that works with Google Home. Did you know that Sonos Beam and Sonos One have Google Home built in allowing you to control your lights with Google Home through the Sonos devices. Sonos Beam and Sonos One also have high quality speakers that are great for streaming music. I have both the Sonos Beam and Sonos One in my home for streaming music.
Smart light bulbs are wifi powered light bulbs that screw into your standard light bulb sockets and connect your wifi network. Once installed they allow you to control your smart light bulbs from your phone or tablet.
They are one of the simplest smart home devices to install because it's literally as easy as screwing in a light bulb. Once you've set up the smart Google Home enabled light bulb on phone in the manufacturers app you can then pair the light bulb with Google Home.
Smart light bulbs that work with Google Home come in several different varieties. You can get smart light bulbs that put out white light, or smart light bulbs that have over 16 million different colors you can choose from.
Related Post: Top 10 Smart Light Bulbs That Work With Google Home
Once you have the smart lighting connected to Google Home you can turn on or off the Google Home lighting, set the dimming level and if capable change the color using Google Home voice commands. You can control the lights by saying "Ok, Google, turn on family room lights."
Google Home Lighting Control
With smart light bulbs you can also set your Google Home lighting schedules, or timers. You can group them into Google Home Scenes which allow you to control multiple light bulbs or rooms with one command, or set lights to a specific Google Home scene based on your voice commands.
Using smart light bulbs for Google Home light control is simple to install but does have a few drawbacks. For each light fixture you want to control with Google Home you need to get a smart light bulb so it can get pricey to outfit an entire house. The cheapest reliable smart light bulbs we have found are the Etekcity Light bulbs but there are limited to putting out only white light.
The other downside is that smart light bulbs require you to leave the light switch on at all times, and use either your phone or voice to control the light switches. This is because in order for the Google Home bulb to be controllable it must have power to the light bulb so the wifi chip can still work even if the light bulb light is off.
Overall using smart light bulbs to control lights with Google Home is probably one of the simplest ways to get started automating your lighting.
My favorite two smart light bulbs that work with Google Home are the Philips Hue and LIFX smart light bulbs shown below. We have another post that details the top 10 smart light bulbs that work with Google Home, if you are interested in more options.
Google Assistant Light Control: Smart Plugs
Google Nest Home Hub with dual smart plug compatible with Google Home Light Control.
Another option for controlling your lights with Google Home is to use Smart Plugs. Smart plugs will only work to control lamps that plug into an outlet but it's a great option for plug in lamps. I use smart plugs for Google Home light control of my night stand lamp and for outdoor patio hanging string lights.
You can get both indoor and outdoor smart plugs to control your Google Home lighting. To set up the Google Home smart plugs all you need to do is plug them in, connect them to your wifi network through the app, setup on the Google Home app and your ready to control them with your voice.
A wide variety of manufacturers make smart plugs that work with google home but I prefer these smart plugs and these dual plugs made by TP link. We have a list of the top 10 smart plugs that work with Google in another post but below i've provided my two favorite smart plugs for Google Home lighting control.
Just like the Google Home light bulbs you can set up the smart plugs with schedules, timers and Google Home scenes.
Google Assistant Light Control: Smart Light Switches
Google Home compatible light switches are my favorite method of controlling Google Home lighting because it offers the most functionality and built in control.
With Google Home smart light switches you replace your existing light switches with smart light switches which allows you to control all the lights connected to the same switch.
What I like about smart light switches that work with Google is that they function just like normal light switches, but you can turn them on or off remotely using Google Home voice commands or your phone.
Smart light switches are available in dimmers, on/off configurations and three way smart light switches.
I have smart light switches throughout my home for Google Home controlled lights and primarily use voice commands to turn on and off the lighting with my Google Home automation system.
The advantage of Google Home smart lighting switches is that you can control multiple lights connected to one switch which can be more economical than using smart Google Home controlled light bulbs.
In another post we've listed the top 10 Google Smart Light switches but I recommend the top two smart light switches below. If you want to learn more about smart light switches you can also read our ultimate smart lighting guide.
How To Connect Google Home to Lights
To connect Google Home to your smart lighting you need to follow a few simple steps.
Step 1: Setup and install your smart lighting on the manufacturers provided app. Set up and install your Google device if you have not already done so. My current favorite Google Home devices are the Google Nest Hub Max and Google Home Mini.
Step 2: Open the Google Home app. Click on the + symbol in the upper left hand corner.
Add a device for Google Home Light Control
Step 3: Choose the "Set up device" menu item.
Click setup a device to add Google Home Smart Lighting Control.
Step 4: In the set up menu click on the Works with Google.
Works with Google is the option that should be used for setting up all devices that work with Google but aren’t made by Google. Such as smart light switches, smart plugs and smart light bulbs that work with Google Home.
Step 5: Enter the manufacturers name in the skill search section. In this case I entered "TP-link" but it will work for all smart lighting manufacturers.
TP-Link Works With Google Home Smart Lighting Control.
Step 6: Click the selected app.
Google Assistant Light Control with TP Link
Step 7: Enter your login information to connect the app. Follow the instructions and your smart lighting will be connected to Google Home.
Congratulations you have successfully connected your smart lighting to Google Home. You can now control it using voice commands by saying "Ok Google, turn on my kitchen lights." or the name you chose for your Google Home smart lighting. Below is a sample of what the smart lighting devices will look like on the Google Home interface.
Alexa Smart Home Lighting Control Screen on Google Home App.
Google Home Mini work with Google Home Light control.
Google Home Automation Smart Lighting Summary
Adding smart lighting is one of the best smart home investments you can make in your home. I have smart lighting throughout my house and it is one of the most used features in my smart home.
If you are considering getting smart lighting I highly recommend that you make the leap. If you want to just dip your toe in the water to try out smart lighting control you can do so inexpensively with a smart lighting plug. It's a great way to get started with smart lighting control without a big investment.
However if you're ready to do you're whole house I highly recommend reading our smart lighting guide. It gives you step by step instructions on how to choose and install smart light switches throughout your home.
