Everything you need to know about setting up your Google Home Mini device

WhatKatySaid
Guest blogger

Smart homes are not something out of those futuristic movies we grew up with, they are very much a reality but it can be a really daunting prospect if you don't know where to start, can't it?

 

No doubt you'll have seen gadgets such as the Google Home or Amazon Echo and if you have one, you may be wondering what to do with it beyond the basic functions.

 

 

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As standalone devices, they can offer quite a lot, with music streaming, access to facts, weather reports and sports updates. But when combined with other devices such as lighting, heating or smart TVs, they can become so much more!

 

 

So how do you get started?

 

The first thing you need to do is make sure you have a good broadband package, as streaming music will need a good connection to get the best experience. We are lucky that our EE package gives us a great signal so we never need to worry about our music cutting out mid-tune. If you don’t have home broadband you can also connect to your phone 4G via hotspot - so handy!

 

Once you have an internet connection, you are ready to go!

 

Setting up your device in 4 easy steps:

 

  1. Download the associated app for your device and from there you are able to sync your device to WiFi.
  2. Plug your device into the nearest power source and wait for it to initialise.
  3. Open up the app and select ‘set up new device’. Choose your device from the list and click to continue.
  4. The app will now prompt you to connect to    WiFi. You must leave the app and go to your phone WiFi settings. You’ll see your device listed in the WiFi list - click on it to complete set up.

Return to the app and choose your home network or mobile hotspot from the list given to you. Tap connect and you are done!
Our app also gives us prompts for new things to try - we found out recently that it can read books aloud and the girls loved that they could find out where Santa was over Christmas. We also have email alerts set up to let us know of any updates available so that we always get the best out of our device.

 

 

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How can I get the most out of my connected device?

 

Once you have a smart speaker, you need to have a think about what other devices would fit your home and lifestyle. The list is growing all of the time, with connected vacuums, kettles, washing machines, lights, TVs ... so many amazing possibilities. I saw a smart fridge advertised the other day - it is just incredible how fast technology is moving now.

 

We have several devices around our home and they all work to make our life easier. Because that is what we want isn't it?

 

 

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If we can have one device to control everything else, we free ourselves up for more important things - like being together as a family.

 

We actually have two devices, one for upstairs and one for downstairs, so by using just our voice, we can control our heating, our lighting, our vacuum and of course we can use the Google Home Mini itself to play music and get other information.

 

 

Linking up other smart devices

 

Our heating is controlled by a Tado system, it was so easy to install - we simply switched our old thermostat for the Tado front plate and connected it to the associated app.

 

  1. Launch the app for your new device. It will prompt you to scan for the device - select it from the list given.
  2. Go into your smart speaker app and select ‘discover skills’. Search through the various skills and select the new device from the list.
  3. The two apps will now synchronise and connect.

 

The Tado app itself is so clever, it knows when we are on our way home using phone location and turns on our lights if necessary. This means you do need to have a good 4G connection so that the app can update the system and set the thermostat accordingly. Once home, being connected to our Google Home Mini means I can use my voice to change the temperature to whatever is comfortable. So easy! 

 

 

Green is just one of the colour options the Philips Hue.Green is just one of the colour options the Philips Hue.

 

 We also have a Phillips Hue light system which my children think is some sort of magic trick. We wanted them because we see them an investment - they last 15 years or more! The most impressive thing for us is that they turn on as we approach home and turn off as we leave in the morning. One less thing to think about! The Hue Hub connects to our smart home in the same was as listed above and you are then able to turn the lights on and off or change the colour should you wish to create an ambiance.

 

 

The small but mighty iRobot RoombaThe small but mighty iRobot Roomba

 

My favourite device has to be our iRobot Roomba, which connects to our smart home system via the iRobot app. From that point, we can either use the app or ask Google to start the cleaning. Being able to do this remotely is brilliant though - it means our home is connected even when we aren't at home ourselves.

 

There are so many possibilities and I know that future birthdays and Christmases will mean more devices added to our collection!

 

Have you got a smart device? What other devices would you like to add to your collection?

 

You could be in with the chance of winning a Google Home Mini. All you have to do is tell us in the comments how your home is connected. We’ll pick a winner for the most ingenious use! Terms and Conditions apply.

 

*This competition is now closed* 

6 Comments
lisface
Explorer

We currently have no tablets that make our house smart however my phone is currently linked to our tv which is great untill the little one goes to bed and uses daddies phone and changes the volume or channel from upstairs. Im also connected to our heating which is fab! Our thermostate is wireless so you can move it to the coldest room or the room you are in so you dont waste energy #LifeChanged i totally think a Google home mini would change our lives and looks great. Time for me to vamp up using smart devices to change my world. Great blog 😊 p.s if i did have one id link it to my fridge so everytime i open it, it would tell me 'dont snack between meals' as i think my snack conscience has done a runner!

Knicol83
New Member

We currently have Sky Q, which links all the TVs in the house and also our phones/tablets. My children think this is magic as they can start watching a program downstairs and continue it upstairs. We are looking at purchasing a new smart fridge freezer as this would really bebenfit our home. As well as smart heating and lighting. 

impatient
Established Contributor
Established Contributor

Couple of my favourite connected home things.

 

Being able to check from a widget on my phone home screen of any of our lights have been left on and turn them off if they have. Got to be saving us money!

 

Also it is really nice to be able to have things switch on as we get close to home using the IFTT app. Allows the heating to start warming the house up and the outside lights to come on ready for us to arrive home.

GarethP89
New Member

We've got out TV, games console and lights all connected to a smart speaker in the living room, and it makes things so easy to be able to din the lights, turn on the TV and console so that we can play a game or watch a film without moving at all, and without any remotes.

 

If only smart speakers could cook good and bring it over too!

98rwm
New Member

Without a 'smart' speaker or device it can be somewhat difficult to connect all your devices into one eco-system. 

Saying this I'm doing alright for myself... In my living room I've got an Amazon Fire TV stick which gets pretty much all the TV I need with the press of only one button with the handy Alexa voice controlled remote.

In my work (and play) space I have my Xbox, PC and non-smart speaker all connected to my monitor, the monitor uses some kind of wizardry to turn itself on when either the Xbox or pc is booted up. With the help of my phone I can easily cast YouTube to the Xbox and use my phone as the remote. Unfortunately with the speaker not being smart, if I talk to it I'll be responded to with silence. Winning the Google home mini would be pretty damn useful, as I could get a chromecast ultra and plug it into my monitor and a chromecast audio for my non-smart speaker and bring my setup into the year 3018 and further connect all my devices. Saying that, I'd probably have to get some smart lighting too, and heating, and a smart tv, and... the list goes on...

Jack01
New Member

Good information.