Open Source Home Automation: Is There Something Better than Google Home?
By Abdul Aziz Mondal
21 August, 2024
Business
Last Updated on: August 26th, 2024
The Internet of things has enabled people to make their lifestyle easy. Home automation devices are one sector that has been in use extensively. Yes, millions of people(more than 26.5% of the USA people) are using it to make life easy.
The benefits of open source home automation is galore. People are using these automation platforms that provide free and functional software to people worldwide.
Now, when you discuss these open source home automation platforms, you must mention Google Home.
It’s a completely new galaxy of automation elements that brings about a sea change in the way we live. However, it’s not that the services are the monopoly of Google Home alone. Nope, there are some other platforms that you can consider an alternative to it.
Go thoroughly, as this article is going to be interesting. We will try to search for similar platforms that are as good or even better than Google Home!
Open Source Home Automation Installation: Google Home
As we mentioned above, the discussion of open source home automation is complete with Google Home. We have kept this section mainly for neophytes and enthusiasts who wish to glean basic ideas on the subject. Yes, there has been quite a discussion on smart home ideas, and home owners want to be updated with the recent developments.
Google Home is a service that is comprised of smart speakers. The manufacturers designed it to rival the highly successful Amazon Echo. You ask them about problems, and they deliver solutions.
With this super interesting gadget, you can play music, but its primary objective is designed as Google Assistant.
Google Home listens to its environment but does not record your commands if you do not offer it with the preprogrammed expressions “Hey Google” or “ok Google.” Simply put, Google Homework is a voice command.
Google Home: Making Your Home Smart Home
It becomes interesting When you discuss Google Home in the periphery of smart homes. It can control multiple smart home devices with a single command. In addition, the services are gaining enhancement with time. Moreover, you have some prepackaged options, and you select from them.
Now, you can customize the command to activate the routine. Yes, the set of home automation activities that you can enable with Google Home include;
- Smart home control.
- Podcast.
- Music playlists.
- Calendar updates.
The platform has a customized routine coupled with more than 30000 compatible devices. All these enable you to sync the devices with your Google-equipped smart speaker. This is the reason, people are considering it as a top home automation installation.
Types of Devices Google Home
In this section, we will discuss some of the smart home devices available on Google Home platforms. This is inalienable when you are discussing open source home automation.
Entertainment
In this section, we mention some of the Google Home services that are included. They include Google Nest audio, Chromecast with Google TV, Google Next Hub 2nd generation, etc. Yes, they are highly important to mention in this section.
Lightning, Plugs, And Switches
Here you get different varieties of smart systems, including smart wifi LED soft white bulbs. Another examples of it are the TP-Link Kasa smart wifi plug mini, LIFX smart switches, and others. Looking at the efficacy people are considering it as one of the smart home gift ideas.
Climate And Energy
In this section, you will find a smart thermostat by Netatmo and sync it with wifi compatibility. Other notable elements in this section include Honeywell Xerox-LED remote control ceiling fans.
Security And Awareness
Examples in this section include the Arlo ultra wo wireless camera, Wyze cam pan v2, Vivint doorbell camera, etc.
By now we have understood how easy the Google Home platform products have become in our daily life. This is where the discussion of Google Home service turned out to be a significant development.
The Global Home Automation System: Market Overview
The open source home automation system’s market value was USD 67973. 9 million in the year 2023.
Furthermore, the system industry can range from 70865.9 million USD in 2024 to 98900.0 million USD by 2029. The experts project a CAGR rate of 4.3% between these years, which is not bad for an evolving technology pregnant with opportunities. If you take Statista’s market projections on smart home market, it can reach US$231.6bn by 2028. The manufacturers are relentlessly working on the best home automation system to cater to the present requirements.
Furthermore, the interest of common people is skyrocketing, paving the way for new software development. This is where stakeholders find new avenues for business success. However, the growing demand and enthusiasm for new technology are paving the way to show new pathways for market growth.
The majority of the people who purchase houses are millennials. Considering the USA value, it’s around 38% of the home purchase.
Now that this group of the population is inclined towards making the purchases, they are showing fascination to integrate open-source home automation to give their property a completely modern look.
Open Source Home Automation: The Search For Something Better than Google Home
By now, you have an idea about the expanse and reach Google Home has attained by innovation and making life hassle-free. This is the reason, their popularity is soaring high with time. Let’s try to understand it with a few stats:
According to a study, around 61% of people globally own smart devices, including Google Home.
In addition, smart home automation has reached around 53.9% of US homes. Not only are they serving the most powerful country on earth, but also the people with aspirations.
Moreover, with the help of the reach, smart home automation is projected to attain new heights.
According to a study, global smart home market will have an aggregated market of US$ 84.5 billion in 2024. Moreover, around 76% of smartphones use services like Google Home every week. Even Google Assistants powered Googe Home, which has reached around 1 billion devices.
These figures can explain the network that automation platforms have created in recent years.
The more the services work on technology prowess, the deeper they reach more and more people with time. However, we have discussed some of the most popular platforms that are similar, alternative, and arguably even better compared to Google Home. Let’s discuss them all here in this section to get a better idea of the services.
Home Assistant
The home assistant is an open-source and privacy-first home automation with an emphasizing local control.
Furthermore, they are backed by the worldwide community. The service is accessible on Android Tablet, BSD, iPad, self-hosted, Apple Watch, Kodi, and others.
Some of the most important features that the platform offers include a modular system, MQTT, privacy focus, ad-free, smart home, and others.
Open Hab
The Open Hab is a Japanese home automation open source platform. It is the combination of a vast range of different smart home systems and technologies into one solution.
The main features that the service offers include a modular system that is ad-free and privacy-focused, sports for multiple protocols, support for KNX, and others.
This platform is gaining more popularity with time, and it is helping people access some of the services with ease and comfort right from sitting in their homes; that is the USP that the service provides.
Calaos
Calaos is designed as a full-stack home automation platform. It considers a service application, a web automation system.
It denotes that the platform is a good step in bringing together your open-source home automation system and others.
However, the project cropped up from a French company. As a result, it supports the forums, which primarily have a French root.
Iobroker
The ioBroker is basically an integrated platform for the Internet of Things. The platform focuses on building automation, smart metering, process automation, data logging, and visualization.
It operates on Android, iPhone, self-hosted, iPad, and others. Some noteworthy features that ioBroker provides include Smart Home, voice commands, blocky editor, web interface, support for multiple vendors, Alexa, and others.
Openmotics
One of the most notable open source home automation platforms that you can consider as the Google Home replacement is openMotics. It is a home automation system. Both its hardware and software have the same license.
However, the very platform’s design helps provide one comprehensive system for controlling devices. OpenMotics, compared to the other systems designed primarily for retrofitting, focuses on a hardware-based solution.
Mediaportal
Media portal is another notable open source home automation that transforms your personal computer into a complete media solution. The platform directly connects to your TV. As a result, you can watch movies, photos, and music dynamically. It’s based on an open source license model.
Moreover, notable features that you will get along with this very MediaPortal include DVB-C, TV Streaming, TV tuner, and others.
Misterhouse
One of the open-source home automation platforms that has as many good opportunities as Google Home is the MisterHouse.
It has gained markets in recent times. MisterHouse uses Perl scripts to monitor anything.
If you offer voice commands to the platform, you can get response on, weather, locations, lights and others. Even it can wake you up at the right time. You will not miss your favorite TV shows.
Putting The Discussion To A Close
These platforms provide a unique experience for people. Using such quality platforms elevates not only your comfort but also your lifestyle.
Yes, these platforms cannot only equate with Google Home but also make it better. Hence, embrace ultra-new technology to embrace smart living with these open-source home automation.
In this artcle we discussed some of the effective open source home automation like Miserhouse, OpenmoticsIn this article, we discussed some of the effective open-source home automation like Miserhouse and Openmotics. Notwithstanding the efficacy of these atomation installations they cannot be equated with Google Home. But, they are highly promising and are effective in their own realm. This is where their popularity keeps soaring high.
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