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  • This Old House

    Live-smarter jump start

    Oct 23, 2020 7 minutes
    BY NATHANIEL WICE

    WHO’S IN CONTROL

    Seeking assistants

    Much of the charm of a smart home is being able to control lights, music, thermostats—you name it—with simple voice commands, so it matters what is listening. While an open smart-home connectivity standard is in development, which promises a universal smart home of the future where products that operate with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant all work together, we’re not there yet. For now, it’s helpful to know the scope of your options. While many devices work with two or all three assistants, some do not. Amazon leads the way in voice control, having Alexa in everything from stereo speakers to microwaves.

    AMAZON’S ALEXA

    100,000+ COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS

    Introduced just six years ago, Alexa pioneered the idea of a home listening for your voice. Lacking a popular smartphone, Amazon knew it had a hit on its hands, and has led the race for the greatest number of gadgets.

    GOOGLE ASSISTANT (VIA GOOGLE HOME)

    50,000+ COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS

    Enjoy requesting facts? Google Assistant likely has the answers, thanks to its search engine. Like Apple, Google builds its assistant into its smartphones and tablets, so

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