The smart home used to be more science fiction than everybody’s domestic experience, with only rich early adopters able to afford the technology. But the rise of connected heating, smart speakers and video doorbells has begun to bring smart homes into the mainstream. While connected capabilities are increasingly something people want for their houses, they are still far from being a service you can just buy and plug in. This is opening a new opportunity for independent IT providers.

When you are having problems with your electrical wiring, an electrician can help you solve them. There are specialists for your heating and your alarm system. You call in a builder to fix your roof tiles. The smart home is a new domestic frontier that presents a different set of puzzles to solve that are more suited to an IT professional. Skills that have been built for servicing small businesses and for limited-time contracts potentially have a new outlet with consumers looking to add connected features to their house.

According to figures collated by Statista, there were nearly 259 million smart homes worldwide in 2021, equating to 12.2% of domiciles. The market is now a huge $99.41 billion. In other words, this is already a lucrative area, but there are still hundreds of millions of homes worldwide that could benefit from becoming smart, so there is plenty of room for expansion. A survey by Smart Home Week revealed that 57% of UK homes now have some sort of smart device, but that is not quite the same as being a smart home. According to YouGov, only 8% of the 27.8 million homes in the UK have two or more smart devices, equating to 2.22 million residences.

This leaves a lot of homes clearly interested in what smart technology can bring to their accommodation, but who haven’t taken the next step towards a more sophisticated setup. In fact, industry insiders reckon the growth could be as much as 37% over the next five years. But these newcomers also probably won’t have considered the key foundational element of a dependable, feature-rich smart home setup. This is where an installation specialist can help to make these customers’ journeys towards smart home nirvana as seamless as possible.

The cornerstone of a smart home is ubiquitous networking, and in most cases that means Wi-Fi. We’re not talking here about Wi-Fi that just about reaches remote parts of a building to provide a trickle of data, but reliable wireless networking that can provide dependable throughput to all the distributed devices that make up a smart home system. The categories here are constantly expanding. The most likely first steps will be smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa or SmartTVs that bundle streaming video facilities with additional features. These are now being joined by wireless cameras, which can enable home surveillance at a much lower price than previous dedicated CCTV systems. Then there are heating controllers, enabling dynamic per-room adjustment of temperatures, and connected light bulbs. More categories of device are arriving, placing the smart home firmly within the realm of the Internet of Things.

Strong, dependable bandwidth is an essential underpinning, particularly for devices that provide video-related services. But you also don’t want, for example, your heating controllers to drop off the Wi-Fi just when you’re sending a signal to turn them on ready for your return home from work or holiday. As the number of devices on the network goes up, the domestic Wi-Fi needs to be able to cope both with bandwidth hogs such as video streaming and the proliferation of devices wanting a persistent connection, even if many of these have more frugal data throughput needs (such as a smart lightbulb).

If you’re an IT support and installation specialist looking to offer services to this kind of customer, your most effective way to ensure the system that you are setting up for your client will operate as planned is to provide a rock-solid Wi-Fi basis. Simply relying on the wireless router that came with the domestic broadband won’t be enough, particularly when you want to ensure that the WLAN reaches every nook and cranny of the residence. Wherever smart home devices are placed, you want them to be able to deliver the services the customer wants to enjoy – from a smart doorbell to the radiator controller in the loft conversion.

Aruba Instant On takes smart home Wi-Fi to a new level, delivering business-grade wireless networking to a domestic environment. The AP11D Instant On system leverages mesh networking with six access points that can be strategically placed around the home to deliver Wi-Fi comfortably throughout a 1,000 square foot space. It can even provide connectivity to outdoor devices – such as an external surveillance camera, or a car in the driveway downloading an over-the-air firmware update. The AP22 takes this a step further by using the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology to deliver enough bandwidth for the largest video streams and file transfers.

The set up and control of either Aruba Instant On system takes place via the Aruba Instant On app, which enables configuration in a matter of minutes. Whether your clients are working from home, gaming or looking to support a plethora of smart home devices, Aruba Instant On will deliver the perfect environment. The app allows customers to directly operate their heating, locks, lights, audio devices, streaming, smart speakers with virtual assistants and even fridges, either while in the house or remotely.

Connection to smart TVs, SkyQ boxes, and gaming consoles as well as all smart home devices is seamless. If you want to deliver a smart home experience to your customers that just works and helps them realise the full potential of the connected residence, Aruba Instant On has what you need. It can turn you from an IT specialist to a smart home guru, ready to take advantage of the massive growth expected as this market explodes over the next few years.

Ready to become an Aruba Instant On partner and boost your income? Click here to speak to an expert

Amazon and Google have signed into an industry alliance that allows smart home devices from different companies to sync. However, a senator, citing antitrust concerns, wants to know how committed to the agreement the tech giants are.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote to the CEOs of both companies, asking pointed questions about how their smart home devices will allow competition and user privacy, according to Reuters and The Hill.

She specifically wants to know how Amazon and Google will comply with a newly announced industry alliance known as “Matter,” which both companies have endorsed. The alliance, which also includes Apple and Ikea, allows smart home devices from different manufacturers to sync with each other.

Klobuchar, who chairs the Senate Judiciary subcommittee overseeing antitrust, wrote to the CEOs that she was concerned about testimony by the companies’ attorneys at last week’s Senate hearing.

“I am deeply concerned about competition and the future of innovation related to connected home devices,” Klobuchar wrote.

“For what period of time do you commit to support the Matter interoperability project, and who at your companies is responsible for determining whether to extend the length of your commitment to Matter?”

Last week’s hearing followed complaints by Sonos and other home device makers about anti-competitive tactics. At that hearing, Klobuchar noted that Amazon’s Echo line captures more than 50% of the smart speaker market, and Google’s Nest products account for 30%.

The senator also wants to know what Amazon and Google are doing with all the data that their smart home devices gather. “Your corporate witnesses testified that you value consumer privacy, but I need more details about how your companies use sensitive data collected through connected home devices and digital voice assistants,” Klobuchar wrote.

Due mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of smart devices in the average US home has more than doubled over the past two years. And with adults working at home and children schooling at home, nearly 40% of Americans added more internet-connected devices to their homes during the pandemic.

Smart home device makers Amazon, Apple, and Google began promoting device interoperability in 2019. The aim was to increase compatibility, so your smart home system could work with voice assistants such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, or Apple Siri.

“We value your privacy,” says the big splash banner on the Daily Express website, shortly before you click “I Accept” to the recommended settings and it drops no fewer than 50 trackers on your computer.

Still, that’s the well-known price of business on the web, right? We put up with a horrendous number of ad trackers, trying to sell us the thing we already bought on Amazon last Thursday, just so we can read the story about Princess Diana posthumously warning us not to eat Marmite on a Tuesday (or whatever other nonsense the Express is churning out today).

What about your TV? Surely the worst advertising excesses you’ve got to put up with there are the two minutes of pre-roll ads before you get to watch Gogglebox on catch-up? Afraid not. A new study called Watching You Watch, conducted by researchers from Princeton and the University of Chicago, has shed light on the trackers that are hidden within internet television services such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku. The report makes for more shocking viewing than Channel 4’s Naked Attraction.

No fewer than 89% of the channels on Amazon’s Fire TV service have trackers built into them, feeding information about your viewing habits and more back to companies such as Google.

On Roku, it’s 69% of channels. The information the trackers are feeding back includes what you’re watching, which ads you’ve sat through, the unique identifiers of your devices, your postcode and more. Four channels – two on Amazon and two on Roku – even feed back the email address used to create your internet TV account to third-party advertisers.

Of course, you’ve probably agreed to this in chapter VI, paragraph VIII of the 45-screen User Agreement you blithely clicked to accept when you first installed the hardware, because if you actually bothered to fully read such documents, you wouldn’t have time to watch TV in the first place. But I’m willing to bet my kids’ savings accounts that fewer than 1% of viewers had any idea that their TV was relaying their personal information to advertisers.

Even if you’ve fiddled around in the Amazon or Roku settings and found the options to switch off the tracking, the US researchers claim you might as well not have bothered, describing the TV services’ privacy-protecting options as “practically ineffective”.

What’s to be done about this? The researchers recommend that the TV services come with a web browser-style private-browsing mode that allows viewers to watch without fear of their data being fed to the wolves. I’d go further. An outright ban on viewers’ data being sent to any third parties unless they have explicitly agreed to it – not just clicked through a massive user agreement – in the first place.

Google has no more right to know what I’m watching than a bloke pressing his nose against my living room window, trying to catch a glimpse of my TV. I’d call the police if someone were doing that. It’s time that sneakily tracking your viewing habits on internet devices was treated with equal force

Smart speakers are rapidly becoming as common in the household as TVs and sofas, with Amazon Echo's, Google Home speakers and Apple HomePod's popping up in living rooms around the world.

Pushing buttons and remote controls are almost defunct now that we can control everything from our lighting to our TVs with voice assistants. Even browsing the web for information has taken a back seat to the effortless capability of a smart speaker. The phrase 'Google it' has serious competition from 'Alexa...'

Latest News

14/11/2018: Alexa skills blueprints now available to UK users

Amazon has unveiled a blueprint for it's Alexa voice assistant. Alexa, which is used in its Echo range of smart speakers, comes with 'skills' that enable its users to play games, learn, listen to music or interact with the device with novelty applications.

Now, thanks to the blueprints made available on Alexa's website, UK users can create their own skills. This has been available in the US for the best part of 2018 but has now been rolled out to the wider world.

Skill Blueprints let the user create a skill for their home with the help of 22 pre-set templates that can be customised, so no coding required.

10/08/2018: Samsung enters Bixby into the smart speaker market

Samsung has announced its entry into the smart speaker market with the Galaxy Home, a rival to Apple's HomePod and the Amazon Echo that has Bixby voice assistant built-in.

The speaker is said to deliver surround sound-style audio by using six built-in speakers and a subwoofer. It's also stocked with eight far-reaching microphones to detect your voice from as wide a range as possible.

The device will house Bixby and, like the Echo with "Alexa", you activate it by saying "Hi Bixby". Samsung has indicated that it will have many of the same capabilities as Bixby does on its phones.

More details of the device will be revealed at the developer conference in November, but an update to Bixby was revealed along with the Galaxy Note 9. Bixby 2.0 is said to have better natural language processing and will be quicker in response times.

If Samsung is to compete with the other smart speakers in the market, it will need to get more from its voice assistant, so far it hasn't proven to be too popular, but the second version has added capabilities like follow up questions and quicker response times, but it still seems a little off the pace of Alexa.

As for the hardware, the device is shaped like a black wine glass with three legs, or a witches cauldron and a BBQ as some have pointed out on Twitter.

05/07/2018: If you haven't heard, the England National team won on penalties in a World Cup match for the first time ever. You'll have no trouble finding someone to discuss the news with, especially if you have an Amazon Echo.

Alexa, Echo's voice assistant is very clued up on the current happenings of the nation's football team and it's got a dose of World Cup fever. By that, we mean the developers have programmed in new responses following the dramatic win over Colombia on Tuesday.

Currently, the phrase "it's coming home", from the famous song by Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds is trending and saying it to Alexa will receive the reply: "52 years of hurt hasn't stopped me dreaming! I hope it doesn't go to penalties again in the quarter-final though. My circuits can't take the stress."

Throughout the tournament, the smart assistant is offering up a range of knowledge and football jargon to help even the most casual football fan join in the debate.

The answers are being regularly updated and if you ask Alexa: "help me bluff my way through the World Cup" it will respond: "England found themselves in a World Cup penalty shootout and for once they won. England had lost their three previous World Cup shootouts, but against Colombia, they broke their hoodoo."

For those that want football terms explained, Alexa can answer a range of questions such as "what is a false nine?" and "what is 'parking the bus' in football?".

If you did miss England's big game, Alexa can fill you in:

"Eric Dier scored the decisive penalty after Jordan Pickford saved from Carlos Bacca. England will now face Sweden, who beat Switzerland to reach their first World Cup quarter-final since 1994."

25/05/2018: Google shifted more of its Home and Home Mini devices than Amazon sold its Echo smart home speaker in the first quarter of 2018, according to Canalys.

The research firm revealed Google shipped 3.2 million Google Home and Google Home Minis, while Amazon sold 2.5 million of its Amazon Echo collection, comprising the Echo, the Echo Dot, and the Echo Plus.

Canalys' study covered the entire smart speaker market. Amazon and Google were the frontrunners in terms of market share, although 9 million total units were sold in the first three months altogether.

Google's late success isn't really surprising though. It only launched its Home speaker in 2016, a year after Amazon's speaker made its debut. This latency has continued throughout Google's smart speaker lifecycle, with Google launching its Home Mini almost 18 months after Amazon unveiled the Echo Dot pint-sized device.

"Google has several advantages over Amazon that have helped it move ahead," said Canalys Analyst Ben Stanton. "But its biggest advantage is in the channel. Operators and retailers tend to prioritize Google's speakers over those from Amazon, as Amazon is in the tricky position of being a direct competitor. But Amazon is fighting back hard, and the sheer quantity of Alexa Skills and smart home integrations will be tough for any competitor to match."

21/05/2018: A parrot has fooled an Amazon Echo by putting through an order for decorative boxes by mimicking its owner's voice.

The pesky pet overheard a conversation that owner Corienne Pretorius was having and then copied it to order the boxes. A few days later, the boxes were delivered, much to Pretorius' dismay.

"We've had the device for four months and I use it to play music or make to do' lists but I've never ordered anything online," she said. "When I came home on Sunday, I could hear Buddy talking but couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Then I heard Alexa say, Sorry I didn't quite get that.' Buddy said Alexa' and some gibberish, and the machine replied, What is it you want to order?"

"I didn't hear what happened after that and didn't think anything of it until I got a notification that my Amazon order had been placed."

Pretorius thought her husband or son had ordered them at first, but it turns out it was Buddy the African Grey Parrot.

Although it is possible to set Amazon Alexa up with a password to stop it accidentally ordering items, the owners obviously didn't do this when they hooked the assistant up to their Wi-Fi and so Buddy was given free reign to order anything he liked. Good job it was just cheap boxes rather than a car or something.

08/03/2018: It will soon be possible to make free voice calls using Google's Home smart speaker, the company announced on Wednesday, without it needing to be tethered to a smartphone.

An update scheduled to arrive this week will bring features offered by Google Home in the UK in line with the US, which already allows users to make hands-free calls across a WiFi network to any number in their Google Contacts list, as reported by the Guardian.

The feature will also let owners of the Home or Home Mini smart assistant make calls directly to millions of businesses that have registered numbers with Google.

Until now, the Google Home has acted like a hands-free speaker for a smartphone much in the same way as Amazon's Echo and Apple's HomePod, with calls connecting over the internet to an app and making use of the user's phone contract allowance. However, Google's smart assistant will be the first to support calls on its own using the company's free call service.

The commands for making a call will stay the same, and users need only to say "Hey Google, call..." and then state the name of a person or business. The Home's profiling feature, which is able to differentiate between six different voices, also means individual users can access their own contacts list.

It's a major win for Google in the battle for the smart assistant market, particularly as Amazon's Alexa smart assistant started offering its own feature this week in the form of random creepy laughter.

Thankfully, Amazon has said it's aware of the issue and is working on a fix.

05/02/2018: Apple HomePod won't support streaming via Bluetooth

Apple has confirmed that its HomePod speaker will not support music streaming via Bluetooth if you're using a tablet or phone, despite listing Bluetooth 5.0 as one of its features.

Although it will support a range of streaming services including Apple Music, iTunes, Beats 1 Live Radio and podcasts, anyone wanting to send music to the speaker via third-party services will only be able to do so through its own AirPlay technology - which is only available on Apple-branded devices such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV and Mac.

What Apple isn't particularly open about is which services can be streamed to its speaker system, although we expect many of the services already available to stream via AirPlay will be supported (including Spotify). It also didn't reveal whether you'll be able to use Siri to control third-party streaming service, but we'd assume not.

Of course, it doesn't really come as much of a surprise, as the HomePod needs an iOS-powered device to set it up and act as the controller. Nevertheless, it's a little disappointing, especially for Android users that may want to test out Apple's speaker, or if the iPhone user in the house is out with their iPhone and you fancy listening to music.

Operating system

The Amazon Echo family is powered by Alexa, an AI core built on AWS' cloud infrastructure. It's essentially a voice-operated digital assistant, but thanks to machine learning algorithms, it's designed to get smarter the more you use it, adapting to your vocabulary, speech patterns, and usage habits.

Google Now has been part of the company's ecosystem for a while now, but it's now been upgraded to become the Google assistant. Like Google Now, it works across the whole Google portfolio, including Android, ChromeOS and the new Google Home. It's designed to respond in a natural, conversational manner to voice queries, and is also powered by cloud-based AI technology.

Apple was the first major company to introduce a digital assistant into its devices, with the launch of Siri. iPhone users can interact with their apps through Siri, and as of recent software upgrades, can also use Siri voice commands to control their Apple TV. This is what underpins Apple's HomePod, allowing users to ask questions, control music playback and interact with HomeKit devices.

At the moment, the Google Assistant is the most useful of the current crop. Not only does it feature a wide range of commands, tasks and integrations with various services, it also understands context, meaning you can string consecutive requests together. On top of that, it's synced across Android, ChromeOS and Google Home devices. However, it loses points for its speech engine, which doesn't sound quite as smooth and fluid as Alexa.

Design

The Amazon Echo family features a number of different Alexa-powered devices. There's the flagship Echo Plus, identical in design to the original Echo, the redesigned Echo, which is smaller than the original with a fabric or wood-effect covering, and the Echo Dot. The company also produces the Echo Show and the Echo Spot, which have displays for tasks like making video calls or displaying news headlines.

The Echo Plus is designed primarily as a connected speaker, and that's what it looks like a smooth cylinder, with a speaker grille around the lower half. Accented by a snazzy ring of blue light around the top, the Echo looks sleek and professional and would be at home in either an office or a bedroom.

The basic Echo looks to have taken some design cues from Google Home, with a more aesthetically-pleasing exterior and a smaller, more compact footprint. The Echo Dot is a smaller and more affordable version, lacking the proper inbuilt speaker seen in the full-size Echo. This is similarly small and unobtrusive and looks like what you'd get if somebody pulled off the top two inches of the Echo.

Google Home, as the name would suggest, appears much more domestic in its appeal. It's shorter and fatter, with a rounded base and a slanted top. The base is also available in different colours and materials, so you'll be able to customise it depending on your interior decorating tastes.

Google also has a couple of variants of its smart speaker - the smaller Google Home Mini, and the beefy Google Home Max, touted as offering superior audio quality.

Physically, Apple's HomePod is the largest of the three products. It's squat and cylindrical, with a fine mesh covering. In fact, it's been described as 'a Mac Pro with a sock on it', and the two products are eerily similar in size and shape. It's somewhat surprising, considering Apple's design pedigree, that the HomePod is perhaps the least visually arresting of the three devices, and while it's unlikely to look out of place in your boardroom or living room it's not particularly inspiring either.

App integrations

As you'd expect from connected speakers, the Echo devices have great integrations with various music services. Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora and iHeartRadio are all supported, as are both Amazon Music and Amazon Prime Music. They also work with Amazon's shopping platform, allowing users to order products with voice commands or check on the status of an order.

However, Alexa also connects to a host of other third-party applications. The most frequently-cited ones are the ability to order a pizza via Dominos or call an Uber, but you can also use the Echo to check the weather, get the latest headlines, or check what time the big game starts.

Smart home technology is supported too, and the Echo can talk to Internet of Things appliances from the likes of Wemo, Samsung, Nest, Hue and others to perform tasks like turning off the TV or dimming the lights. It's also got the advantage of being an open ecosystem, meaning any developer can create 'skills' for Alexa.

Google Home offers similar integrations, which is no surprise, as Google's ecosystem is one of the strongest around. It features integrations with a range of smart home products and music streaming services like Spotify and Google Play Music, with support for Deezer, Soundcloud and Spotify's free tier coming in a future update.

Its most interesting feature, however, is that it integrates directly with Google's Chromecast devices. This means you can ask it to play videos from Netflix and YouTube on your TV, or have it show details about your calendar schedule on the big screen.

The main service that HomePod is built to connect with is Apple Music, and the company claims that Siri will act as a 'musicologist', intelligently helping you to discover new songs based on your listening habits. However, HomePod will also interact with every HomeKit-enabled device, as well as every app and service that features integrations with Siri.

In practice, all three products work in much the same way to each other. The only real differences are that the Echo connects to Amazon's shopping services, HomePod connects to Apple Music and Google Home can control your TV. Aside from these elements, there's not a great deal to differentiate the three.

Price and release date

Both the Amazon Echo and Google Home are currently available in the UK. The top-end Echo Plus retails for a total of 140 including VAT, while Google Home is slightly cheaper at 129. If you're slightly more budget-conscious, you can also get the smaller Echo for 90 or the slightly less capable Echo Dot for the very reasonable sum of 50. Similarly, you can pick up the Google Home Mini for just 49, although the Max is yet to make it to the UK. Apple's HomePod is, unsurprisingly, the most expensive of the three devices. Retailing on 9 February for the princely sum of 349, it's more than double the price of its two main competitors.

Previous news

24/01/2018: Apple has officially announced a release date for the HomePod, its answer to smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

The gadget will hit stores on 9 February next month, with pre-orders opening this Friday. The device is priced at 349 - significantly more than similar rivals like the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Many have criticised the HomePod for being overpriced and lacking in features; Amazon's most expensive Echo speaker, the Echo Plus, tops out at 140 and includes a built-in smart home hub. HomePod, by contrast, lacks key features such as multi-room audio and stereo output.

Apple appears to be banking on the audio quality of its device, however, rather than its technological capabilities. The company will be hoping to use the HomePod as a means to drive Apple Music subscriptions, which is part of one of the company's primary revenue streams.

Apple is also approaching the market significantly later than its competition; the Amazon Echo has been out for over three years, while Google Home has been offering stiff competition for over six months. Critics argue that at this point, Apple will struggle to find a gap in the market.

11/01/2018: Transport technology company the Voyage Team has collaborated with Heathrow Airport on a new skill for Amazon Alexa that provides flight information.

Heathrow has become the UK's first airport to get the feature, which allows travellers to ask Amazon's virtual assistant about flight status information, gate updates and details about arrivals and departures.

The two organisations put together a joint project team to explore ways artificial intelligence could be used to improve efficiencies in Europe's largest airport, which resulted in the development of the new Alexa skill.

The skill, which users can access through the Echo speakers, takes information from an estimated 1,300 aircraft movements that happen daily at the airport.

Currently, Heathrow works with more than 84 airlines, so it's constantly inundated with flight data. The Alexa skill aims to sort this information, and it can, the organisations claim, "understand queries related to multiple carriers and interpret alphanumeric codes".

The skill taps into information taken from Heathrow's internal data hub, which is responsible for managing flight schedule information. Customers can access the Alexa skill alongside the official Heathrow website and mobile app.

Stephen Glenfield, senior digital manager at Heathrow, said the airport is constantly looking at ways it can improve customer information services through technology.

"Delivering detailed flight information directly to customers within their homes is another fantastic milestone in improving our digital experience," he said.

"Launching the first airport-specific Alexa Skill in the UK ensures easy access to the latest flight information, helping passengers to plan their journey more effectively and improve their experience from start to finish."

Dave Wood, client Director at the Voyage Team, praised the partnership. "We have worked with Heathrow since 2005 and have a shared focus on providing the best experience for Heathrow customers," he said.

"Alexa is an exciting new frontier in customer service, and by adding an Alexa Skill, Heathrow is ensuring that it is serving technology-savvy customers and is ready for the growing trend in voice-based services."

Graham Fletcher, head of research and development at Cubic Transportation systems, told IT Pro AI initiatives like this could revolutionise the transport sector.

"As AI continues to evolve, we'll see digital assistants make their way into new into the transport sector such as in train stations and airports, where high volumes of commuters can benefit from automated, real-time assistance," he said.

"Virtual ticketing machines with human guides are already being trialled in stations across the globe, and it's easy to see how this technology can be enhanced with AI, especially for routine queries, frequently asked questions and directing travellers to local points of interest around cities.

"AI will certainly make these experiences more conversational and reduce the strain on staff, but the key to a successful customer experience will be ensuring a seamless escalation from a virtual bot to a human agent, should a traveller require more personalised guidance."

20/11/2017: The launch of Apple's eagerly awaited HomePod smart speaker has been pushed back from December to early 2018, as it "needs a little more time" to be developed.

The HomePod, which initially appeared at Apple's WWDC event in June, was slated for release in time for the Christmas shopping surge, placing it in a great position to take on the likes of Amazon's Echo and Google's Home smart speakers. However, that has now changed, with the device perhaps proving more complex to produce than initially thought, though Apple hasn't given a specific reason.

"We can't wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple's breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it's ready for our customers," an Apple spokesperson said, speaking to CNET. "We'll start shipping in the US, UK and Australia in early 2018."

At 349, the HomePod promises to be able to deliver Siri-enabled features using some groundbreaking audio hardware, although the specific IoT functions have been kept hidden so far.

Apple needs to have something compelling to show when it releases the device early next year, as its steep asking price risks pushing customers towards the more attractive price points of its rivals, which offer similar features at almost half the cost.

What we do know is that one of its biggest selling points will come from the HomePod's 'Spatial Awareness' feature, a technology that allows the device to automatically detect the space around it, adjusting the audio to best match its surroundings. It also supports Apple Music and will be able to access your library and recommend content based on your history.

06/11/2017: The BBC has announced an interactive audio drama pilot set to be released on voice devices.

Henry Cooke, a producer part of the BBC's R&D team, wrote that the company has teamed up with Rosina Sound to create audio for the story.

Cooke wrote: "The project took shape collaboratively between R&D and Rosina Sound - together, we listened to existing interactive audio stories and, taking inspiration from computer games like The Stanley Parable and Papa Sangre and authors like Franz Kafka and Douglas Adams, the piece evolved into a comedy science fiction audio drama."

He also added that in the pilot users will be able to play an active part in the story with their voice, to make it feel like they are having a direct interaction with the characters.

Cooke said: "We haven't come across any other interactive stories like this on voice devices, and we're excited to see how people respond to it."

The BBC has built a "story engine" which allows them to release the same story across different voice devices. For now, it will be released on the Amazon Alexa and Google Home but Cooke wrote it may make its way across to Microsoft & Harman/Kardon's Invoke speaker, or Apple's HomePod and other devices as they come along.

The pilot is scheduled to be released on BBC Taster before the end of the year.

The BBC trialled AI voice capabilities on iPlayer with Microsoft back in August. Users could issue voice commands to login to the service by saying their name and a phrase.

12/10/2017: Google disables snooping feature in Home Mini

The Google Home Mini's top touch function is now disabled as it was found listening and recording users unknowingly.

The "top touch" tool lets users interact with Google Assistant by pressing on the top of the Home Mini, rather than using voice controls. The Home Mini hasn't yet been released but is already in the hands of reviewers and Google's own employee testers.

While testing the device, Android Police reviewer Artem Russakovskii discovered that his held thousands of unintended recordings. Russakovskii reported that his Home Mini would repeatedly light up and Google Assistant would speak without any activation or instruction.

Within 24 hours of the issue being brought to Google's attention, a software update had been issued. Google also created a support page and removed any top touch initiated interactions with the device between October 4 and October 7.

Google also deleted any activities initiated through the top touch feature in My Activity, where all Google Assistant interactions are stored.

A Google spokesperson, as reported by VentureBeat, stated that: "Although we only received a few reports of this issue, we want people to have complete peace of mind while using the Google Home Mini. We have made the decision to permanently remove all top touch functionality on the Google Home Mini. As before, the best way to control and activate the Google Home Mini is through voice, by saying Ok Google' or Hey Google,' which is already how most people engage with our Google Home products."

The device, which made its first appearance at the Google event earlier this month, will go on sale October 18 for $49.

12/10/2017: Alexa updated to recognise the voices of individual users

Amazon's Alexa voice assistant can now recognise individual users, thanks to an update. This brings it in line with Google Home, which has had the same feature since April this year.

This means that Alexa can personalise its response, giving other members within a home access to their own playlists, calendars, shopping lists, among other things. Voice profiles currently support the following Alexa features: calling/messaging, flash briefing, shopping, and the Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan.

This feature will be handy for anyone using Amazon Echo's new calling facility as this will help Alexa phone only a particular user's contacts when that person uses the feature.

In order to use the new feature, a user has to create a voice profile, either on the Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Show. Setting up a profile invoices a user reading out ten sample phrases, after which, the training is complete. Voice Profiles can also be set up via the Alexa app on a smartphone.

Voice Profiles will roll out to other features in Alexa soon. The feature is available on any Echo product from now and should get smarter over time as it is used more. However, Amazon said that touch-to-talk devices, such as Amazon Tap and the Fire TV remote, will not support voice profiles.

03/10/2017: Home Mini appears on California resident's Google app

Google's alleged Amazon Echo Dot rival has appeared on a Google Home app belonging to someone living nearby the Google campus in California.

New evidence of Google's new Home smart speaker, the Google Home Mini, has emerged just days before the Google event where it's likely to be announced. According to Android Police, a device named "GoogleHome2787" appeared on the Google Home app of Raymond Durk, who lives mere blocks away from the Mountain View Google campus.

The name was accompanied by a picture of a pebble-shaped device, that is identical to the early images leaked by Droid Life in August. Because any new Home or Chromecast device appears on the Google Home app until it is connected to WiFi, it seems that an employee of Google who lives near Durk has received the device but has yet to set it up completely.

Alongside the Home Mini, it's rumoured that Google will announce another addition to the Google Home family, the Home Max. This larger device, supposedly having a more premium design and better hardware, will compete with Apple's Homepod, although no specific details of it have been revealed.

The Google Home Mini, aimed at those who want the access to Google's assistant without the giant speaker, is rumoured to cost $49 when it goes on sale.

29/09/2017: Google could be creating a smart screen device to compete with the Amazon Echo Show.

The device can be used for video calling and help bolster Google's presence in the AI smart home market, as reported by TechCrunch.

Sources have told the publication that the device has been codenamed "Manhattan" and will possess a similar screen to the Echo Show. It will offer Google Assistant, Google Photos, YouTube and video calling and can act as a smart hub to control smart home devices.

TechCrunch was told that the device launch was set for mid-2018 but thanks to the Echo Show there is pressure on Google to get it launched by 2017. It may still launch in 2018 as the tech giant seeks to establish smart hub partnerships and service partnerships too.

The device is set to run Android, opening it up to developers who want to build apps. There's currently no price for the device or images of what it will look like.

IT Pro has contacted Google for comment.

Google pulled YouTube from the Echo Show this week which means users can no longer access it on their devices to watch cooking shows or music videos. Google said Amazon's use of YouTube on the Echo Show violated its terms of service which is why it was pulled.

Amazon introduced its brand-new Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Spot devices at an event in Seattle this week. It also made the Echo Show available in the UK for the first time priced at 199.99.

27/09/2017: Google removes YouTube from Amazon Echo Show

Google has pulled YouTube from the Echo Show, meaning that users can no longer access the service.

If a user asks the device to play a video on Youtube, Alexa replies: "Currently, Google is not supporting Youtube on Echo Show", according to The Verge.

An Amazon spokesperson told the publication: "Google made a change today at around 3pm. YouTube used to be available to our shared customers on Echo Show. As of this afternoon, Google has chosen to no longer make YouTube available on Echo Show, without explanation and without notification to customers. There is no technical reason for that decision, which is disappointing and hurts both of our customers."

Google told IT Pro: "We've been in negotiations with Amazon for a long time, working towards an agreement that provides great experiences for customers on both platforms. Amazon's implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience. We hope to be able to reach an agreement and resolve these issues soon."

IT Pro has contacted Amazon for comment.

Earlier this month, it emerged that Amazon may be working on its own set of smart glasses. The device would allow users to talk to their Alexa system at any time, wherever they are. The glasses would connect to a user's smartphone and would be designed to be lightweight. Users would be able to listen to Alexa without using headphones through a "bone-conduction audio system" too.

21/09/2017: Amazon working on Alexa-powered smart glasses

Amazon's first wearable powered by Alexa could be smart glasses, the FT has reported. The glasses would apparently allow the user to talk to their home Alexa system at any time, wherever they are.

The glasses would connect to a smartphone and would feature a lightweight design that looks just like standard glasses rather than the bulky smart glasses other manufacturers have previously released.

It would utilise a "bone-conduction audio system" so the user could hear Alexa without the use of earphones, which, although useful, could provide a strange experience.

The FT's source expects Alexa-powered smart glasses to launch before the year is out, although they were very secretive about revealing any further details about the device.

Another new product in Amazon's Alexa portfolio could be a smart security system that would connect to the Echo home speaker and allow users to view footage on Echo Show's screen. It could also let Amazon customers see when their orders have arrived and are waiting on their doorstep.

The FT's source said there are plenty of other Alexa updates coming before the year is out, but they could not go into more details about what those updates may be.

30/08/2017: Amazon has announced new capabilities for its Echo smart speaker system, including a partnership with Ocado allowing customers to order groceries through the power of their voice and a new Sonos-like multi-room music streaming feature.

The first new addition provides the ability for customers to edit existing Ocado orders, including adding new items or removing things you no longer need. You can find out when your order's due to arrive and ask the smart system whether you've already added a particular item to your order.

If you like to cook using seasonal ingredients, you'll be able to find out about the most in-season items and Echo will recommend how you can add them to recipes.

"Grocery shopping should be quick, easy and convenient. Using voice technology, we've made it even easier by developing our new app that will enable our customers to add to their Ocado baskets without lifting a finger," Lawrence Hene, Marketing and Commercial Director at Ocado.

"Consumer demand for increasingly convenient ways to shop is growing rapidly and we're excited to be the first supermarket in the UK to offer this technology, making customers' lives ever easier. Alexa will add any item to your Ocado basket simply by asking her to do so. It's as easy as that."

The other new feature supported on Echo is the ability to sync speakers in different rooms together and play different music in each 'zone', just like connected speaker systems such as Sonos. However, at the moment, this will only work through Amazon Music and TuneIn Radio rather than all third-party integrations currently supported on Amazon Echo.

Amazon has opened up the API for multi-room music to third parties through the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Multi-Room Music SDK, so expect to see more soon. Amazon also revealed that other speaker systems will also be able to communicate with the Connected Speaker API, including devices from Sonos, Bose, Sound United, and Samsung.

18/08/2017: Following Amazon's drive for third-party development on the Alexa platform, the company has now released a software kit that makes it easier for companies to develop their own devices powered by the smart assistant.

The Alexa Voice Service (AVS), which was released in the UK in February, allowed manufacturers to create products with Alexa voice controls built in. This has now been expanded with the release of the AVS Device SDK, providing a means for companies to create their own software that can process audio inputs and triggers, as well as granting access to the AVS API library.

Third-party devices will now able to handle speech recognition, media streaming, timers and alarms, weather reports and other custom skills, essentially creating a fully-functioning version of Alexa.

This also means that companies will be able to create more bespoke versions of Alexa for products aimed at the business market.

Marc Vontobel, CTO of Swiss-based AI firm Starmind, argued that the release of AVS Device SDK will allow developers to create products that solve many limitations that prevent AI-powered devices from entering the workplace, including the lack of connection between human information sources.

"The typical default skill of Alexa is: 'What is', which commands her to look up information on Wikipedia. There are other skills to access our music or to switch lights on and off-- but anytime the answer is not available in the data set, Alexa will say: 'Sorry I didn't understand'," said Vontobel.

However, by using Amazon's SDK, companies will now be able to develop devices that "connect you to the right human to answer that question - then Alexa would learn from the human conversation and next time Alexa could give the right answer directly".

The AVS Device SDK is now generally available for all Alexa developers and users, and supporting documentation, including tutorials and a sample app, can be found on a dedicated support page.

10/07/2017: Smart home assistant dials 911 to stop alleged assault

A smart home device has intervened in an alleged violent assault, calling 911 in response to what it perceived to be a voice command.

New Mexico resident Eduardo Barros and his girlfriend were house sitting in a town 15 miles outside Albuquerque, with his girlfriend's daughter also being present, according to ABC News.

The two adults got into an argument, which reportedly escalated to a physical fight. According to the report, Barros threatened brandished a gun, asking her: "Did you call the sheriffs?"

A smart speaker in the home apparently heard this threat and took it as a command to call 911, Bernalillo County Sheriff Department spokeswoman Felicia Romero said.

Law enforcement officers responded to the call and were able to rescue the woman and the child who haven't been named. A standoff between Barros, a crisis negotiation team and SWAT then ensued but was ended without injury and the man was taken into custody.

In a statement, Bernalillo County sheriff Manuel Gonzalez said: "The unexpected use of this new technology to contact emergency services has possibly helped save a life. This amazing technology definitely helped save a mother and her child from a very violent situation."

The brand of the smart speaker involved hasn't been revealed.

The story is the latest relating to alleged crimes where a smart home device has been a crucial witness.

In Arkansas, prosecutors were earlier in the year locked in a battle with Amazon over an Amazon Echo belonging to an alleged murderer, as reported by CNN.

Benton County prosecuting attorney Nathan Smith believed the Echo may have picked up the sounds of the final moments of a man who was found dead in a hot tub. Amazon would have potentially been in possession of the audio files on its servers, but pushed back against the request on the grounds of privacy.

Things don't always go as intended when it comes to alerting emergency services via a smart home device. Late last year, a video emerged of a man telling his Amazon Echo he needed urgent medical assistance.

Alexa, the AI that powers the Echo, helpfully added the item to his shopping list.

28/06/2017: Amazon Echo Show offers Drop-In snooping

The Amazon Echo Show could offer friends and family a little more than they bargained for, with the Drop In feature that allows people you know to watch what you're doing as and when they like.

However, Amazon will give you a bit of warning, blurring you out for ten seconds before you must decide whether to ignore the call, disable the camera or accept - if you're not doing anything too dodgy at the time.

Unsurprisingly, this has triggered privacy concerns, although you will have to turn it on from the settings menu of the touchscreen speaker-come-smart home device because it's turned off by default.

You can also pre-approve those who are allowed to just 'drop in', so it could be wise to limit the people who can watch you while you're showering, getting dressed or doing anything else private to those that know you best (and maybe not your mum, either).

"Drop In is an optional feature for Alexa customers to enable and use," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC. "If customers decide to enable it, they have the option to turn on Do Not Disturb on one, or all, of their devices, which will block calls and messages from coming in. Customers will know when they are in a Drop In call as they will first hear a 'chime' and the green light on their Echo device will rotate throughout the call"

The company added Drop In could be useful to use as an intercom in a household, for example, to check in on an elderly relative, or to monitor a child being babysat if the parents are out for the evening.

26/06/2017: Google beats Amazon in home assistant trivia

Google Home is better at trivia than Amazon's Alexa, according to a competition between the two voice assistants run by marketing firm 360i.

The New York agency developed its own software to pit the two AI-backed helpers against each other in a battle of their wits, asking each 3,000 unique questions. Google Home ran away with the competition, getting the correct answer six times more frequently than Amazon's Alexa, according to a report in AdWeek.

It's unclear whether Alexa was tripped up by its requirement to install "skills" before some questions can be asked, or if Home simply does better with search queries thanks to Google's rather extensive background in the subject.

The results may lead trivia hungry smart assistant shoppers to favour Home, but so far Amazon's Echo leads the real battle: sales. Marketing research suggests 70% of smarGt assistant speakers will use Alexa in 2017, not Google Home or Apple HomePod.

08/06/2017: Get live UK general election results through Alexa

Britain goes to the polls today to choose a new government to navigate the challenges ahead. Rather than staying glued to Jeremy Vine's graphic visualisations on election night, however, Amazon Echo owners can simply ask Alexa for an update.

Amazon's voice assistant will be able to provide a rundown of current polling information, as well as a summary of opinion polls, news and information on the major political parties and their respective leaders.

Users can also ask general questions about the election, such as who is eligible to vote and who can call a general election, as well as asking for the latest news and headlines surrounding the campaign.

When asked by the Independent if the information would come from Amazon internally or from third-party sources, the company said that the polling data "is part of Alexa's knowledge graph".

Once the ballots close, users will be able to receive live information on the results as they come in, including the results in specific regions, current seat totals for each party and the current overall winner.

05/06/2017: Apple has finally revealed its long-awaited Siri-connected speaker at this year's WWDC, a direct rival to the likes of the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

The cylindrical speaker, known as the 'HomePod', resembles the Mac Pro at 7in tall and promises to "reinvent music in the home". From initial images, it appears the HomePod will be available in white or dark grey.

Its biggest selling point comes from its 'Spatial Awareness' feature, technology that allows the device to automatically detect the space around it, adjusting the audio to best match its surroundings. Demoed live on stage at the San Jose event on Monday, the HomePod showed off some pretty impressive auto-adjustment that meant sound was directed into open spaces rather than against nearby walls.

Apple also states that two HomePods will work in tandem to help create richer sounds. Powered by an A8 chip, the device also boasts echo cancellation technology and real-time acoustic and bass modelling.

It is also designed to work with Apple Music subscriptions, able to access your music library and make recommendations based on song history.

Yet Apple wants to directly compete against the likes of Amazon's Echo and the Google Home, and has built its smart assistant Siri into the speaker. Through six microphones fitted around the edges of the device, users are able to not only control music through voice commands, but also use Siri to access services like news, weather, translation apps, and reminders. It is also compatible with Apple's HomeKit, allowing users to control connected home devices with speech.

"HomePod packs powerful speaker technology, Siri intelligence and wireless access to the entire Apple Music library into a beautiful speaker that is less than 7 inches tall, can rock most any room with distortion-free music and be a helpful assistant around your home," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior VP of worldwide marketing.

HomePod will be initially available in the US, UK and Australia this December. It will be priced at $349 in the US, with local pricing announced later in the year.

An examination of a number of mobile apps to control smart home devices has discovered that the security in place is not good enough to prevent hackers from taking control.

According to research carried out by IT security firm Pradeo Security Systems, 80% of tested applications carry vulnerabilities, with an average of 15 per application. Moreover, 15% of them can lead to a man-in-the-middle attack. Researchers said this was of particular concern as this can lead to an object takeover by a cybercriminal.

The researchers looked at 100 IoT mobile applications (thermostat, electrical blinds, remote control, baby phone) available on Google Play and App Store.

The researchers said that while official stores applications rarely include a malware but they are not necessarily safe. They added that apps analysed by the company are sending the data they handle to 17 servers in average, and 8% of them are transmitting the information to uncertified servers.

"Among these, some have expired and are available for sale. Anyone buying them could access all the data they receive," said Vivian Raoul, CTO of Pradeo Security Systems.

The research also found that 90% of applications leak the data they manipulate. Among these are application file content (81%), hardware information (device manufacturer, commercial name, battery status) (73%), device information (OS version number) (73%).

Raoul said that his firm has notified the IoT device manufacturers about the security problems they are exposed to.

While the number of smart home apps and devices are expanding with more developers getting in on the action, there's clearly a need for security to be seriously considered, otherwise homes and offices could end up with a deluge of potential vulnerabilities on their networks.

Amazon has introduced a slew of brand new Echo devices, expanding its range of AI-powered smart speakers.

At an event in its home base of Seattle, the company took the wraps off several new devices, as well as announcing UK availability for its touchscreen-enabled Echo Show device.

The range now starts with a new look Echo unit, which features a smaller and more compact design, available in a variety of different colours, materials and finishes in a similar manner to Google Home. In addition, it's also got improved speakers and a dedicated tweeter, and better microphone technology for improved voice recognition.

The original-flavour Echo is back, but it's had some upgrades, and it's now dubbed the 'Echo Plus'. It's got a built-in hub for smart home devices too - which means that you'll no longer need an external hub or bridge device to get your smart home products set up. Instead, the Echo Plus will directly connect to compatible plugs, bulbs and other devices from the likes of Philips Hue, Hive and others.

Like the entry-level Echo, the Echo Plus has had an upgrade in audio quality and includes Dolby audio processing and features second-generation far-field voice recognition. It's also now available in a snazzy silver finish.

It's not all about the hardware, though - Amazon hasn't forgotten the brain behind the Echo. Alexa has some new capabilities, including the addition of 'Routines', which allows you to trigger a series of customisable actions with your Echo and connected devices based on the time of day, or on a specific trigger word.

Smart home groups have also been tuned up, allowing users to designate certain rooms for certain Echo units and smart devices, which means that Alexa can make intelligent decisions about which devices to activate when you ask her to do something based on where you are.

Calling and messaging is also coming to Alexa, allowing you to swap voice calls and text messages with your Echo-owning friends and family via their Echo device or Alexa app. There's a new 'Drop In' feature as well, that basically lets two Echo units function like an intercom system.

One of the biggest announcements for businesses, however, is the Echo Connect - an accessory which lets you connect your Echo device to an existing landline or VoIP connection for making and receiving hands-free calls. Presumably, this means that companies will be able to use the Echo as a proper conference-calling and speakerphone solution, making it a much more attractive proposition.

Amazon also unveiled an entirely new product - the Echo Spot. This small, round device features a 2.5in circular display, Alexa functionality and support for making video calls and viewing feeds from security cameras. The Echo Spot feels like a smaller version of the Echo Show, much like how the Echo Dot is for the full-size Echo.

Speaking of the Echo Show, Amazon revealed that the Echo Show is coming to the UK. Priced at 200, the company's screen-based Echo device is available to order now, and will start shipping to customers on 16 November.

The Echo and Echo Plus - priced at 90 and 140, respectively - are also available for pre-order now, and will start being delivered to customers next month. The Echo Connect is coming to the UK early next year, as is the Echo Spot. UK pricing is still to be confirmed for both devices.

Picture credit: Amazon

It would appear that AI is finally, properly, officially here. Between Cortana,Alexa, Siri and Bixby, it seems like every major tech company has their own personal robot helper, and naturally Google is no exception. Google Home is the company's first foray into moving AI technology from our pockets and into our homes, putting the virtually infinite knowledge and brainpower of Google into a little pod that sits in your kitchen.

Like most of the recent crop of AI companions, Google Home's role in your life is to answer questions - the type of questions you might usually Google, for example - as well as controlling your smart home and helping you plan your day. It also has the added advantage of tying into all of Google's various products and services.

The question is, can Google Home stand out amid the wave of rival AI assistants? And, more importantly, can it convince the general public that having a digital secretary is genuinely useful, rather than just a passing fad?

Design

While most tech hardware is designed to be stuck under a desk or housed in an entertainment system, Google Home is supposed to be placed out in the open. Thankfully, it doesn't look nearly as garish as it could do.

While the Echo is tall and thin, Google Home is short and squat, with a rounded base housing the three speakers. The base is covered by an interchangeable shell, available in a number of colours and materials to suit your decor and personal preferences.

Like the Amazon Echo, Google Home is minimalist and understated, with none of the flashy design flourishes that typically adorn consumer tech products. Instead, it is compact and unassuming. It also doesn't look as obviously 'techy' as the Echo, and does a better job of blending into its surroundings. It looks uncannily like a motion-activated air freshener, in fact. But that's no bad thing.

In addition to using voice commands, Google Home also features a touchpad built into the top of the unit for physical interactions. You can pause any media that's playing with a tap, long-press to start it listening, or change the volume by rotating an imaginary dial.

These controls are excellent and, because it's all done via a single touchpad, they're actually more intuitive than the Echo's. There's also a mute button on the side, which we'll go into in more detail later.

Features

Broadly speaking, Google Home has the same basic feature-set as the Echo. Using voice commands, you can tell it to play music, ask it questions, play games and get updates on news, weather and traffic.

Google Home's AI brain will look at your calendar and compare it to incoming real-time information to keep you updated on any changes you should know about. If there's heavy traffic, for example, it might tell you to leave for an appointment a little earlier.

For US users, Google has also brought calling capabilities to Google Home, allowing you to make handsfree calls with no extra apps required. It doesn't even need to be tethered to your phone. This seems like a neat feature, but unfortunately, it's unknown when (or if) it will make it to UK units. However, the addition of support for Bluetooth pairing may make this something of a moot point.

Another seriously cool feature that Google Home has is support for multiple users. This allows up to six people in the same household to access their own personalised playlists, commute times, news reports, calendar and more.

While the Amazon Echo also features the ability to switch between multiple user profiles, Alexa lacks the capacity to switch between them on the fly. Google Home, on the other hand, uses machine learning and voice recognition algorithms to automatically detect who's talking and adjust its responses accordingly.

All each person needs to do to register their voice is download the Google Home app, link it to the Home unit in their household and repeat Google's trigger phrases a few times in order to train it to their vocal patterns.

As with the Amazon Echo, Google Home can control various smart home devices like connected thermostats and smart lights. Nine providers are currently supported, including Samsung SmartThings, Philips Hue and Nest. Pairing promises to be swift and simple, but as Hive isn't currently supported, our reviewer was unable to test this out.

Thankfully, the Google Assistant supports homebrew automation via IFTTT, so you can get virtually any connected device working with Home to some degree. It also means that you can use all of your existing recipes with Home and add rudimentary voice control to a number of third-party products.

Google apps integration

Because it uses Google's exemplary search algorithms - as opposed to the Echo, which relies on Bing - Google Home's search functionality is excellent. It can also handle contextual questions, meaning you can string related queries together.

Ask it for the nearest pizza place, for example, and it will give you a list of nearby restaurants. If you say "what time is the first one open until?" it will understand what you mean and answer appropriately. Follow up with "what's the phone number?" and it will read it out with no issues.

As expected, it integrates with Google's other apps, including Google Calendar, Google Keep and Gmail, which mean you can manage your calendar, check and update your shopping list and check any flight times stored in your inbox respectively. Sadly, it doesn't allow you to add new reminders to your calendar, but otherwise it's very well-rounded.

One of Google Home's real headline features, and the thing that primarily sets it apart from the Echo, is that you can use it to control your Chromecast devices. You can use voice commands to cast content to your Chromecast or Chromecast audio, fast-forward or rewind by specific increments and play and pause at will.

This is an excellent feature, and one that's smooth and intuitive to control. This already-impressive functionality has been made even more essential since Google expanded its capability, allowing Google Home to cast relevant data to your Chromecast based on queries. Ask it about your calendar, for example, and Google Home will flash up your schedule on your TV.

The list of supported streaming services has been beefed up substantially too; Deezer, Soundcloud and the free tier of Spotify have been added for audio, and a laundry list of video services like Hulu and HBO Go have also been confirmed. However, we don't yet know whether or not any of these will be supported in the UK.

Google Assistant

The inarguable centerpiece of any smart home hub is the AI brain that powers it. In the case of Google Home, that's the Google Assistant - the company's answer to Alexa, Amazon's cloud-powered digital assistant. It's effectively the same version found in phones like the Google Pixel, LG G6 and OnePlus 3T, but, in a lot of ways, the Assistant just isn't as good as Alexa.

For a start, the speech is much more stilted; while Alexa's responses are all smooth, measured and natural-sounding, the Google Assistant has speech patterns more akin to Microsoft Sam, with jarring changes in inflection and tone.

It's also not as good at speech recognition either. While the far-field microphones picked up our commands with few problems, it quite often had trouble correctly hearing and understanding them. It's not common enough to be an issue, but it's an annoyance that we could really do without.

Audio quality

One of the primary functions of any connected speaker is going to be playing music, and Google Home performs well in this respect. It can pump out a surprising amount of volume considering its compact frame, and the the tone and audio quality is generally good. The only slight quibble we had was that the bass tended to be somewhat overpowering, occasionally drowning out the higher ranges.

Privacy

Google is one of the most notoriously data-hungry companies in the world, and frequently finds itself accused of breaching its users privacy. In order to allay any fears consumers might have about placing a constantly-connected microphone in their own home, the company has built a number of privacy measures into its AI hub, similar to the protections found in the Amazon Echo.

The first of these is the fact that Google claims that the Home unit will only start listening once it detects the 'OK, Google' command, rather than constantly recording. For the truly paranoid, Google has included a mute button, which completely shuts off the microphone, including stopping it from listening for the wake command. Google keeps a record of what you've said to your assistant, but you've always got the ability to delete specific entries, or scrub it entirely.

You can also choose whether or not to grant it access to details of your Google account, like your calendar and emails. If you're considering getting Google's digital hub at all, however, chances are you're not too fussed about the company's data-gathering.

Verdict

If you're looking for a smart home hub and haven't yet invested in one of the Echo devices, there's really not much to choose between Google Home and Amazon's offering. Their range of features and functionalities is all but identical, save for a few key differences.

Google Home's integration with the rest of the company's products, apps and services is excellent, it's got slicker controls and a nicer design, and it's even 20 cheaper. However, the Echo has a better speech and language engine, more third-party integrations and (to our ears) more enjoyable audio quality.

Whether you prefer the Echo or the Home is likely going to come down to how much you value these individual strengths - audiovisual fanatics will like Google Home's compatibility with Chromecast devices, while the Echo's e-commerce chops will be best-suited to those who do a lot of online shopping through Amazon's various platforms.

Google Home is a superb AI hub. It's an excellent example of how voice-controlled AIs can simplify your digital world. And, while it's not going to immediately change your life, over time it's likely to make a big difference to your productivity and daily routine.

Verdict

Google Home is pretty much neck and neck with it's biggest rival, the Amazon Echo. That doesn't mean it's not an excellent product, though - especially for those who have already bought into Google's ecosystem.

Reader Josh Evans got in touch recently. He explained how he's a bit of a "neatness freak" (his words, not mine), and how this obsession has caused him issues with home and office automation experiments to date. He went on to explain: "I'm one of those people who likes things to look neat and tidy. I can't stand seeing wires everywhere, and that's one of the reasons why, despite having been interested in the technology for some time, I've only recently started playing with automation products in any serious way. And that's because it's only in the past year or two that wire-free sensors, switches and other devices have become widely available."

For a long time he'd wanted to replace the lock on his studio door (he's an art restorer) with an electronic version, so that he'd be able to let in visitors from his desk. Only recently have insurance-approved Z-Wave locks become available, allowing him to do this neatly and reliably.

Although wireless technology has started to help Josh achieve his dreams, he still has one big problem: "Why does so much of the equipment on the market just look like horrible, unattractive boxes? What's the point of eliminating wires if you're just going to replace them with something equally ugly? Where's the design? My friends and family take the mickey, saying I'm 'a bit OCD', but I see that as a compliment rather than a put-down. Please can you recommend some home automation kit that actually looks nice (or even better, is invisible)? In particular, door and window sensors that don't look like you've glued an old matchbox to the frame."

I think it's perfectly reasonable to have such aesthetic sensibilities, and it certainly shouldn't result in mockery. Josh is right: most home automation devices are just plain ugly! In this Internet of Things (IoT) age we seem to have swapped unsightly wires for unsightly boxes.

So I had a chat with the lovely and always helpful people at Vesternet and asked them to send me a few sensors to have a play with, on the proviso that they needed to be pleasing to the eye. A few days later, Postman Pat turned up with a package of goodies that Vesternet had kindly sent for evaluation.

The first device out of the box is one that I don't think will suit Josh, but let's take a look at it anyway, because it's interesting. It's the Fibaro FGK-10x. It's a conventional two-box door or window sensor. One very small box contains a magnet; the other, larger box contains the battery, wireless electronics, and a way to detect the magnet.

There are three common methods for doing the latter manufacturers can use a reed switch, a Hall effect sensor or an anisotropic magneto-resistive (AMR) sensor. A reed switch is essentially two skinny bits of metal in a tiny glass tube. Under normal circumstances there's a small air-gap between the contacts, but when the switch enters a magnetic field, the two contacts come together and so a circuit is made. It's a simple idea, which was invented in the 1930s, but it works well.

A Hall effect sensor, on the other hand, is a solid-state device where a signal is generated by the magnetic field density around it; and an anisotropic magnetoresistive sensor is a device where the resistance is changed by the magnetic field. Hall and AMR-based sensors can be more sensitive, but require complex supporting electronics. If your tablet or phone is a unit that goes to sleep when a flip cover is shut, it probably uses magnets in the flap and Hall effect or AMR sensors in the device body to sense when it should switch off.

It's pretty simple to tell whether or not a sensor uses a reed switch you simply listen to it. With such a device you'll hear a quiet but perceptible click as you bring the magnet close to the main body. And it's by doing this that I'm able to tell you that the FGK-10x like most door and window sensors does indeed use a reed switch.

So far it all sounds a little conventional, but there are a few reasons why this particular device is interesting. For starters, it doesn't quite have the "ugly box" form factor of many of its competitors. The main unit is index-finger-sized, and rounded rather than square. The magnet is tiny.

But interestingly, this sensor comes in a range of colours. If you have a dark brown door frame then a normal white sensor will stick out like a sore thumb, but you can order the FGK-10x in dark brown. In fact, the "x" in the product code isn't really an "x" at all (although this is how the device is usually referred to) it's replaced with a number. FGK-101 is white, 102 is grey, 103 black, and so on. A dark brown one would be FGK-107.

The other reason the device is interesting is that it has additional inputs. There's a binary input that you can connect to a volt-free contact such as a push button. Note, though, that this input is wired in parallel with the internal reed switch, so it isn't really suitable for use as, say, a door-open contact and external doorbell push at the same time.

More usefully, there's also a temperature input you simply need to connect a DS18B20 (a three-pin device that looks like a transistor). These are readily available and cheap so cheap, in fact, that it's a pity Fibaro didn't just include one in the design.

Battery life should easily be over a year in most situations, which is good since it takes a not-that-easy-to-find ER14250 battery; it's half the size of an AA, but pumps out 3.6V. In summary: the FGK-10x is an interesting device, and certainly different from most other door sensors, but it still might fail Josh's "ugly" test, so let's move on.

Paint your own

Next out of the box of goodies from Vesternet is the Door/Window Sensor 6 from Aeon Labs' Aeotec range. This one certainly isn't an ugly square box it's triangular! Imagine a pub beer mat folded in half across the corners and that will give you a rough idea of the size. It's only 9mm thick, so much thinner than traditional sensors.

The triangular form factor means that it can fit discreetly into the corner of a door or window you'll hardly notice it's there. The supplied magnets are incredibly small too. Aeon Labs describes them as "shards", and that's a great name since they're barely 2mm thick. The obvious difference between the Door/Window Sensor 6 and a more traditional sensor such as the Fibaro above is that normally you'd attach the sensor to the frame and the activating magnet to the door or window, but with this device it's the other way around. This obviously means that the sensor needs to be more robust, as it will get quite a bang when a door slams. It seems to be up to the job, though, and the super- light weight helps in this respect.

Unlike the Fibaro, it isn't available in a range of colours only white. But the case of the sensor is made from a special matte plastic, which is designed to be painted, after which it becomes pretty much invisible. It's such a simple idea that it makes you wonder why other sensors are made from that shiny plastic that's almost impossible to paint.

Another point of departure from the FGK-10x is that the Aeon Labs Door/Window Sensor 6 uses a fifth-generation Z-Wave chipset, usually referred to as either Gen5 or Z-Wave Plus, depending on the manufacturer. The major benefits are greater range and battery life, although increased bandwidth and better noise immunity are important too. Most of the sensor manufacturers are slowly updating their product lines to include Gen5 capabilities.

Unlike more traditional sensors, which have only a single point of activation, the Door/Window Sensor 6 includes magnetic detectors (reed switches you can hear the faint click) on both of the shorter sides of the right-angle triangle. This means there's plenty of flexibility when it comes to mounting the device.

One really interesting aspect of this little triangular sensor, and it's one that you don't see often in this type of kit, is that it uses a rechargeable battery. In normal use you should get between ten months and a year from the sensor; when your home automation system starts to display battery warnings, simply unclip the sensor from the door or window and recharge it using a standard micro-USB phone charger. It even comes with a micro-USB cable in the box. A full charge takes a few hours, so obviously you need to arrange to do this at a time when the sensor isn't needed for security reasons. The lack of removable battery is partly what helps with the robustness mentioned earlier give most removable-battery-powered devices a knock and it's usually the battery that goes flying.

I'm really impressed with this latest Aeon Labs sensor, and I think Josh will be too. It certainly isn't one of the bland ugly boxes that he wrote about. But just in case he still isn't satisfied, let's keep plundering the box of stuff from Vesternet. Next out is another device from Aeon Labs, but this one is completely different. Known as the Recessed Door Sensor, it actually sits inside the door.

Through the door

Size-wise, it's about the size of a tube of lipstick. So with this one you make a 19mm hole into the edge of your door, to a depth of 65mm, and a matching hole in the frame 15mm deep to hold the magnet. With the door closed, the sensor is completely invisible!

Sounds perfect, doesn't it? Exactly what Josh needs? Well, maybe. There are a few "gotchas" with this sensor. First, it only works in doors, not windows, due to the depth of the hole needed. I guess the clue is in the product name: Recessed Door Sensor. Second, it's only really suitable for wooden doors. It might fit some uPVC doors, but many don't have the required depth; in those that do, the sensor wouldn't be held securely because it would be sitting in a void. Drilling into a uPVC door can also damage the seals and drainage channels built into the structure. I'd stick to wooden doors with this one.

I also don't think it feels as robust as the other sensors here. In particular, to change the battery you need to pull a PCB from the main body of the device, but it's a tight fit (especially once the sensor is wedged into its hole in the door), and there's nothing to easily grab hold of. The temptation is to take a pair of pliers to the circuit board, but if you look closely, it has components right up to the edge. A simple design tweak could have solved this, but without that my advice is to loop some thin string around the underside of the board before inserting it. That way, you can just pull the cord to remove the innards from the tube when you next need to change the battery.

Incidentally, at first sight the battery might look identical to the ER14250 in the Fibaro, but in this case it's a CR2 they're slightly different in size, and the CR2 is much more commonly available due to its use in many photographic products. The battery should be good for around a year. It's a Gen5 Z-Wave product, which helps with that battery life and also the range.

To be fair, although I've criticised the fiddly construction of the sensor, this doesn't affect the day-to-day operation. Once fitted, it works really well, and like I said above, with the door closed it's totally invisible. That's exactly what Josh wanted, so should suit his needs perfectly. Provided, of course, that he has wooden doors. Oh, and a house with no windows...

Strip joint

Which brings me to the last item in the box a Sensative Strip. A slightly strange name, perhaps, but at least it's easier to remember than an obscure model number. The device doesn't come from one of the existing home automation manufacturers; it started life as a crowdfunded product on Indiegogo.

There are a number of things that set the Sensative Strip apart from the others here, with the first being its form factor. I think it looks like an emery board (nail file); my wife suggested a long lolly stick. It's less than 3mm thick, and is designed to fit into the gap between a door or window and its frame.

In practice, most doors and windows, especially double-glazed units, will have sufficient space. If, for some reason, the strip doesn't fit then it will still be possible to mount it externally, like a traditional sensor, and because of the slim profile it's almost invisible especially if mounted above a door, rather than to the side.

Unlike the other sensors here, there's no reed switch. The Sensative Strip uses an AMR sensor. In fact, it uses two of them but more on that in a moment. And, also uniquely among this group, the battery isn't replaceable. It's built in, non-rechargeable, and the manufacturer reckons it's good for around ten years of use.

It goes without saying that a device as innovative as this uses Gen5 Z-Wave. It's waterproof, too that's important if you use it on windows that might be left open when it rains.

I mentioned that the device has two AMR sensors. One is used for the main open/closed detection, and the other for programming the device. With the other sensors here, you have to press a button to put them into pairing mode; with the Sensative Strip, you pass a secondary small magnet (which is supplied) over a control zone on one end of the strip. If I was to be picky, such programming is probably the weak spot of this device, but it's hard to be critical of a device that is as brilliant and, indeed, as different as this one.

Of all of the sensors mentioned here, I suspect the Sensative Strip will be the one that's most pleasing to Josh's aesthetic sensibilities, and his desire for non-intrusive automation sensors.

Thanks for the brilliant question, Josh. It's been an interesting investigation. And thanks to Vesternet, too, for its help.

This article originally appeared in PC Pro magazine

The government's smart meter project could leave homes open to cyber attack, MPs have warned.

The scheme aims to have offered every home and business in the UK a new way of monitoring their energy usage by the end of 2020, which means installing up to 53 million meters in 30 million homes and business premises over the next four years.

A study ocommissioned by the Science and Technology Committee consulted experts from the Royal Academy of Engineering and private technology companies about the security of the meters. During their investigations, programmers found they could hack into the smart meters' systems, potentially taking them offline.

Nick Hunn, a wireless technology consultant, said the inclusion of an isolation switch in each meter was, in particular, an "unnecessary risk".

"If somebody could hack into that or turn off very large numbers of meters by mistake, the sudden shock of taking them off the grid...would cause significant damage," Hunn said.

He also warned of the potential risk of a "rougue programmer" working within a metering company.

"If I were working for one of those companies, I could insert code that would make every meter turn off on a particular date in a year's time," he added.

The government has invited GCHQ to help design the security for the smart meter system, including the addition of multiple layers of security to stop them all being disconnected at the same time. Anyone wanting to make significant changes to the system also has to be vetted first.

"GCHQ's involvement in designing the security for the smart metering system gives confidence that security is being taken seriously," Tania Mathias, the committee's interim chair said.

"But the government will need to do more to convince and reassure customers that the technology is safe from being hacked."

The report also said people don't know the benefits to using smart meters, adding that home and business owners don't realise that if they decide to switch providers, their meter may not work.

"The government has known for years that early smart meters can lose their smartness if the customer switches supplier," Mathias said.

"Ministers merely have an 'ambition' to fix this by 2020. Taxpayers will be unimpressed with this situation, and timely action is needed. The evidence shows that homeowners and businesses need to receive tailored advice about how they can benefit from smart metering.

"The 'smartness' comes from what customers can do with them - fit and forget would be a wasted opportunity," she added.

Google and Amazon's entrance into the Internet of Things (IoT) industry will help sell the concept of a 'smart home', according to major tech players.

The launch of smart home assistants like Google Home and Amazon Echo proves that the technology is rapidly approaching maturity, but the public has been noticeably slow to jump on board the connected bandwagon.

However, Bosch, a company that has been very active in IoT, believes that these kind of products with wide consumer appeal will also benefit other manufacturers of smart home technology.

Speaking to IT Pro at Paris's Connected Conference event today,Thomas Finke, director of sales for Bosch's smart home division, said:"Every marketing dollar currently spent by one of the big players is actually 50 cents in the pockets of everyone else," Finke said, "because we created this market first."

But he added: "Itwill be at least 12 to 18 months before the industry really takes off. Already we see the first seeds of it,but it's not yet a mass market."

One of the challenges to wider smart home adoption is convincing people they are not "useless", according to Craft AI engineer Lionel Ferrand.

"We're getting closer to people acknowledging that a smart home is useful," he said, but noted that public perception of smart home technology was still a barrier.

Smart home assistants like Google Home can be an excellent way to combat this, however, acting as a sort of 'gateway drug' for connected living. This is because they are "more plug-and-play, more simple to use" than other IoT products, said Ferrand.

This is because these products use conversational voice commands rather than complicated interfaces, making them a lot less intimidating for non-technical people, added Matthieu Boussard, also a Craft AI engineer.

While Ferrand warned that simply buying one of these device won't automatically make your home truly connected, "they help give a first preview of what a smart home can be".

"It could save us time, and time is an enormous resource for humanity, and if we can save time doing maintenance, using a house, we could have more time to do personal things that will make us better people."

Hackers could take over your home by exploiting serious flaws in at least three smart devices on the market today.

Criminals could discover when you have left home, change your alarm settings, open locks, access LANs and even hijack smart hubs to launch DDoS attacks, according to cyber security firm Tripwire.

Its Vulnerability and Exposure Research Team (VERT) discovered zero-day flaws in three popular devices available on Amazon, the SmartThings Hub, Wink Hub and a product called Mios from another company called Vera.

All the products are hubs that connect various smart home devices and sensors together and also deliver notifications regarding their statuses to your smartphone, letting you control things like heating levels remotely.

But Tripwire security researcher Craig Young said functionality has come at the cost of secure systems.

"Smart home hubs enable users to have control over the connected devices in their house, but they also open new doors for criminals," he said. "The threat is relatively low for now, but it will increase as malicious actors recognise how much information can be gained by attacking these devices."

While SmartThings and Quirky, the maker of Wink Hub, have released patches, Vera has not yet issued a patch, according to Tripwire.

Hackers could use malicious web pages to take full control of the Vera and Wink hubs, while the SmartThings hub was vulnerable to privileged attackers on the network, such as a telecom firm employee or a state-sponsored attacker.

"These devices can also be used as a gateway to inflict physical damage to a home, and ironically, they actually make homes less secure," said Lamar Bailey, director of research and development at Tripwire.

"For example, many of these devices interface with heating, ventilating and air conditioning controls. An attacker could turn off the heat on a freezing cold night while a family sleeps or worse, when the family is away for the weekend, causing pipes to freeze and burst."

The research firm has urged Internet of Things (IoT) vendors to issue patches, and stressed that customers must apply them regularly.

IT Pro has contacted all affected vendors and has received replies from SmartThings and Wink so far.

A spokeswoman for SmartThings said: "SmartThings was made aware of the issue and worked with a third party security firm to remedy it in full. The firmware update that fixed the issue was pushed automatically to all active hubs in early February 2015.

"This was a mandatory update and all active SmartThings Hubs have been updated. Any inactive hub that was not updated, cannot connect to the SmartThings service and is automatically redirected to an update server."

A Wink spokesman claimed Tripwire took measures to stop its product updating, saying: "In this particular example, Tripwire used an older version of the product and took deliberate extra measures to prevent it from updating to make a specific point. All Wink users received immediate updates to fix this vulnerability. All Wink Hubs from the factory and at our retail partners have been updated with the latest firmware and security measures, as well."

He added: "It is best practice to always keep the software on your connected products up to date. These updates not only give you new features, but help keep your products secure. Wink makes frequent updates to our products and notifies users as soon as updates are available. With critical updates, users are required to update their Wink Hub before continuing to use their products. That ensures they always have the latest features and security measures installed."

Apple has stopped selling Google's Nest home automation devices because it wants to dominate the market with its HomeKit developed hardware, according to reports.

Although Nest was formed by two ex-Apple engineers, it was bought by Google last year for $3.2 billion (1.94 billion) and Apple seemingly does not want to give one of its biggest rivals a leg-up in the smart home space.

If customers want a smart thermostat like Nest's, the ecobee3, which runs on Apple HomeKit, is still available to buy. Other smart home devices Apple will continue selling include Elgato's Eve series of connected devices, the iHome smart plug, Insteons' Hub Pro smart device controller and Lutron's smart lighting system, all of which have been developed with HomeKit.

Apple said in a statement that it regularly makes changes to the products available in its stores and there had no more information to provide regarding the decision to remove Nest.

Nest did not comment on the changes either, but did say a new range of products would be available from Apple in the coming weeks. Apple is apparently a "valued partner" for Nest according to the company's spokeswoman Ivy Choi.

HomeKit made its debut last year at Apple's WWDC 2014 conference, with the intention of bringing a single standard to connected devices and building a strong, comprehensive market based on its own technology.

While there has been a gradual flow of new HomeKit devices over the past 12 months, Apple really threw its weight behind the software and the products that use it at WWDC 2015, where it announced HomeKit support for iCloud and Apple Watch. Our sister title, Alphr, has more analysis on what this means for Apple here.