MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Owners of the Nest Secure smart home security system have just gained a free Google smart speaker.
Google has begun to push an over-the-air update that will add Google Assistant voice functionality to Nest Guard, the hub of the Nest Secure system.
Users will essentially be able to use their Nest Secure system like a Google Home Hub or Home Mini smart speaker. Voice commands can be used as you walk out the door such as “turn on the lights” or “turn off the heat.”
You can also ask Nest to arm the security system. However, you can’t ask to disarm it, for obvious security reasons. As with Google’s other smart speakers, you must initiate commands by first saying, “OK Google” or “Hey Google.” Previously, the system could only be armed using Google Assistant on a different device.
“The Google Assistant on Nest Guard is an opt-in feature, and as the feature becomes available to our users, they’ll receive an email with instructions on how to enable the feature and turn on the microphone in the Nest app,” a Nest spokesperson says. “Nest Guard does have one on-device microphone that is not enabled by default.”
The new voice assistant capability also includes the ability to use Google smart home Routines. These allow for a set of actions to be initiated from a single phrase. For instance, you could create a routine that would turn on the lights, set the temperature and lock the door by saying, “Hey Google, I’m home.”
