The Best Smart Speakers for Your Home

A smart speaker is a way to control smart home systems by voice. Rather than opening an app on a phone or tablet, you simply say what you want your connected devices to do.

Things like:

• Adjust lighting
• Hear a song
• Send the robot vacuum to a specific room
• Turn on a humidifier
• Unlock the front door so a guest can enter
• Extend the range of your wi-fi network

The best smart speaker for you is the one that works with the devices you already own or plan to use. When researching, look for which protocols and systems your devices use and integrate the speaker into that system.

A smart display can be thought of as a smart speaker with a touchscreen. It allows you to direct your smart home system with your voice while offering a screen for other functions.

The screen allows a smart display to act more like a smart home hub than just a smart home speaker.

It can be used for video calls, streaming videos and viewing content from the Internet. Apps can be installed for things like news, weather and stocks.

This buying guide will focus on the best smart speakers but much of the information here also applies to smart displays.

Smart home speakers can be fantastic helper devices for people with physical limitations. The ability to control smart devices by voice opens up a new world of possibilities for many people.

Presence sensors can perform actions when someone is in a room. Voice control can perform tasks. Haptic feedback can help individuals with sight or hearing impairments.

If you primarily want a speaker to interact with your smart home, a compact model may be the best smart speaker for you. The good news is that compact smart home speakers are often the lowest cost alternative.

Compact speakers don’t have a screen. They have adequate sound for voice control operations and media uses. Some have surprisingly good audio quality.

Many have additional features like a digital clock, sensors that detect the presence of a person in a room and wirelsss network extenders.

These smart speakers are usually about the size of a grapefruit or an insulated travel mug and are intended to sit on a table top or shelf.

Some speakers prioritize sound quality. Music and media sound better but improved sound quality may also help those who have difficulty hearing.

If the sound is important to you, look for specifications and reviews that refer to sound quality, features for building a system and adjusting audio response.

Some systems allow for linking multiple smart speakers in a room, creating a true stereo system with separation for a more immersive sound.

Many systems that are built for sound quality have matching stands and mounting options available from the manufacturers and third parties. Smart home speakers that are optimized for sound are often designed to look good as well.

Music and movies sound better to most people when there is separation between the speakers. Sounds from the movie’s right come from the speaker on the right and the experience is more immersive. When music is mixed in the studio, instrument level can be shifted to one side more than the other, creating separation that allows the listener to perceive more detail.

This probably doesn’t matter in the kitchen when you’re having a recipe read aloud, but it will make that action movie or concert video more enjoyable on the living room TV.

A smart speaker can also be used to search and find information. You can ask your digital assistant to find your favorite recipe and read it aloud as you prepare the ingredients. Or you can summon the robot vacuum to the kitchen to clean up a spill while you continue to cook.

Some speakers can act as Wi-Fi extenders. Use these to increase the range of wireless internet connectivity into areas of your home with weak or no signal.

Privacy is always a concern when discussing smart home speakers and screens.

The idea of having a microphone listening and a camera watching bothers many people. If this is you, look for models with a physical button to mute the microphone and shutters that block the camera’s view.

Your smart speaker should come with an app and a method for deleting any voice recordings and to manage privacy settings.

Many security professionals recommend setting up a dedicated network for smart home devices. Most wireless routers have the ability to have several differnt networks running on the same hardware. To do this, refer to the documentation for your internet router.

All smart home systems require communication between devices. This communication is made possible through the use of several different protocols.

One is Wi-Fi. Most people already have experience using Wi-Fi. This is the way your computer or smart TV communicates with your internet router to access data. Some smart devices use the Wi-Fi protocols but the range is limited and it requires more power than some of the newer protocols that have been developed specifically for smart home communication.

Matter, Zigbee, Z-wave and Bluetooth Low Power are other protocols for device communication. When looking at devices and speakers, consider the protocols all of them use to ensure compatability.

Selecting devices with compatible protocols will make setting up a smart home easier and more intuitive.

There are a few major commercial and open source service providers for smart home and home automation. Choosing the best one for you can seem like a difficult process but it’s easier if you think of a few key items.

Which provider has the strongest support of devices that matter to you? If using voice commands to adjust lighting is most important, choose your lighting system first and select the service that works best with that system.

Are you already subscribed to some of their other services? Smart home features may be available at no additional cost or could be bundled together for lower cost.

Which is more likely to grow with you? Look at the provider’s track record of supporting new protocols and bringing in new partner companies.

Some service providers require paid subscriptions to access all of their features.

1. What is a smart home hub, and do I need one?

Smart home hubs differ from smart speakers in that they offer a higher degree of home automation based on events and timing. For example, a hub may be programmed to turn on lights when a specific person enters a room.

2. Can I pair multiple speakers for a multi-room audio system?

Yes. Some smart speakers allow for pairing in multiple ways, either in the same room or across the home.

3. Is a smart display better than a standard smart speaker?

A smart display is different than a smart speaker in that it has a screen for display and control, as well as voice control. They typicaly cost more than compact speakers and are larger.

4. Do smart speakers work with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is used for transmitting data from the internet and Bluetooth is used for streaming media from a device, such as a phone, directly to a speaker. So, smart speakers do use both but for different purposes. An internet connection is often required to have smart home control. This connection is normally provided by Wi-Fi in the case of a smart speaker.

5. How do I set up a smart speaker for someone else?

Setting up a smart device for someone else will require you to ask the other person what they're comfortable with in their home. Discuss their privacy concerns and find out how they want to use the smart home speaker. Set it up to perform the tasks they want and explain the commands they need to use.