Smart Speaker

What Is a Smart Speaker? Why You Need One & Which One to Buy?

BySean McKlveen

What is a Smart Speaker?

At a basic level, a Smart Speaker is a digital assistant that is given to you by the manufacturer of a product you own. A computer, an iPhone, or an Amazon Echo will all have an assistant that is added to the device. A smart speaker can be a standalone speaker that is connected to your phone, or it can be a voice assistant that is built into a smart home product. It is almost impossible to live in 2022 without knowing at least one smart speaker, so we are going to go over the features and options in detail. Here are some of the best smart speakers on the market at this time:

Smart Speaker

Google Nest Audio

Google’s smart speakers can connect to music services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more. Google Home uses Google’s smart assistant, Google Assistant, and is available in three different colors. The Google Home Mini is the first of the Google Home line, and it will compete directly with the Amazon Echo Dot. Google Home Max is the more powerful version, and it has some cool functionality that is exclusive to this speaker, including a built-in subwoofer and sound that is generated by upward-firing tweeters. Google also introduced Google Home Hub, and it is the most popular of the Google Home line.

Yamaha YAS-209

If you’re into a simple, all-in-one smart speaker, then the Yamaha YAS-209 is a great choice. It is a small speaker that is about the size of a large bowl, and it can connect with devices such as a phone, tablets, PC, and much more. The YAS-209 connects to your Wi-Fi network and can play music from almost any source, including your own devices. The YAS-209 also has an integrated music player that will play any digital music you have on your phone. The YAS-209 is portable and it can be plugged into a power outlet, or it can also be used as a portable speaker. It has two loud built-in bass speakers that will fill any room with quality sound.

Sonos One

Sonos is probably the most popular smart speaker system on the market. These speakers are great because they can play music in any room, and the addition of Alexa voice control gives them a unique edge. They are also available in a wide range of sizes, colors, and audio quality, making them a great choice for any space. Sonos One and Sonos Play:3 can work as stereo speakers, which is a very unique feature that can turn the music into an immersive experience. The Sonos Play:5 has a built-in amp, which means that it can be used for home theater and stereo systems. The Sonos One does the heavy lifting for you.

Google Nest Hub Max

If you want to be the coolest person in the house, then you need a Google Home Hub Max. It has a built-in smart display, and it can display information such as news, weather, YouTube videos, and more. You can speak to the Google Home Hub Max, and it will be activated by its name. If you’re a Google Home user, then you know that it has some awesome voice commands, which are known as Actions. These commands are used to turn on the lights in the home, for example. The Google Home Hub Max can act as a smart speaker, a smart display, a home hub, a video calling device, and a speaker for your smart home devices.

Sonos Beam

Sonos is a solid choice, and the Sonos Beam is a great example of what this company can do. This speaker is a great audio system in its own right, but it can also connect to other Sonos speakers to produce one powerful audio experience. One of the more unique aspects of this speaker is that it has a built-in soundbar, and it can play music from streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. If you like listening to music while you cook, then you will love the Sonos Beam. It also can act as a home theater, for anyone who is into TV shows and movies.

Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

Amazon is the king of online shopping, and the Amazon Echo Show is its most advanced Alexa product. If you are looking to add a smart display to your home, then the Echo Show 10 is a great option. The Echo Show 10 is a compact screen that can act as a smart home hub and an entertainment device. It also has a built-in smart home hub, so you can start controlling your smart home devices with a simple voice command. All of the information that you need is on the screen, so you don’t have to have your smartphone to make adjustments.

Sonos Roam

If you’re interested in having the whole family share music experiences, then you should consider Sonos Roam. This is another amazing product from the Sonos company, which adds surround sound to several speakers. The Sonos Roam system allows you to pick up Sonos speakers throughout the house and give you a total experience. In addition to listening to music, you can control the TV, play games, and even browse the internet. The Sonos Roam has an easy-to-use touchscreen that makes navigation easy. You can use the touchscreen to select a dferent surround sound system, find out the source of the sound in each room and adjust volume levels. The Sonos Roam is truly a great option for music lovers.

Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo is by far the best-selling smart speaker on the market. The price range and quality are excellent, and they are constantly updated with the newest software. The speakers in the Echo range are not bass-heavy, so they can be integrated into most existing spaces and they sound pretty good. Alexa also knows about a thousand different things, so she can act as a personal assistant. It can set alarms and timers, so you can get into the habit of setting them. The Echo can also tell the weather and news, read the news, and answer any kind of question that is asked to it.

Amazon Echo Dot

This is the second version of the Echo speaker. It has the same great sound quality but is smaller and has a cheaper price. There is another option called Amazon Echo Plus, this is the Echo speaker with the built-in Zigbee hub. It is still powered by Amazon Alexa, so it does everything the original Echo does, plus it has a temperature sensor, Bluetooth, and many other smart features. It also connects to the other Echo devices.

Google Home

Similar to the Amazon Echo, Google Home offers an AI assistant. While the voice AI is great, I did not get the best reviews for Google Home because of the sound quality. The Google Home Max is another option. This is a speaker for people that love music. It has the same general sound quality as the regular Google Home, but it is huge and has a built-in subwoofer.

Apple HomePod

This is Apple’s take on the Smart Speaker. It has a huge sound quality and can play a lot of songs. It’s not the best-sounding speaker on the market, but it can fill a room with sound. It can also connect to all other HomePod devices and has some unique features like AirPlay. It also has Siri, Apple’s answer to the Alexa assistant.

Why a Smart Speaker is Needed?

Smart Speakers are here to stay. With the introduction of better smart home products, new Bluetooth speakers, and inexpensive Bluetooth adapters, they are becoming increasingly popular. This type of technology is far more advanced than the voice assistant built into a speaker, and it is expanding in all kinds of directions. The idea that we can talk to our devices has been around for years, but in the past, we have only talked to our phones. Now we can talk to our TV, to our Amazon Echo, or our Google Home.

Here are 10 reasons why smart speakers are needed and why you need one to use in your home:

  • Voice Recognition: Voice recognition is one of the most basic features of a smart speaker. Using a microphone and voice recognition, you can control your lights, change the volume of your speakers, and even tell your car to start or stop. Smart Home Integration: This is an area where most people don’t fully use their smart speakers. With smart home products, you can connect to your home appliances to monitor them and make adjustments. Here are some examples of products that can be plugged into your smart speaker:
  • The Hub: There are two ways you can get your smart speaker to work with the hub. The first is that you can put the hub right into your router. You can also connect to the smart hub using a cable or Bluetooth connection. Connect your lights and your thermostat, for example.
  • The All-In-One Speaker: A second way to get the smart speaker to work with your smart home devices is to buy an all-in-one speaker. These speakers can be connected to the hub, so you only have to plug them into a wall. You can then add a smart home device to the speaker.
  • Keeps You Connected: As we move towards the age of the smart home, we will need ways to be connected and stay connected. Not only does your smart speaker let you connect to your smart home devices, but it also keeps you connected to your family and friends. You can talk to Alexa to ask for news, play games, and more.
  • Works as a Speaker: This is something I think many people miss. Amazon Echo is great for playing music and for voice commands, but that’s not all it is. You can also use it as a speakerphone, ask for news, and more. It’s great to be able to talk to your speaker while it’s in your room, instead of only when you are in the living room or the kitchen. Allows to listen to and set reminders. This is one of the most common uses for a smart speaker, and it’s where the most functionality lies.
  • Save Money: The cheaper your smart speaker, the more money you’ll save. You’ll be able to add features as you go along or even take your existing product and improve it with the addition of a smart speaker.
  • Access all Your Smart Home Devices: With smart home technology, you can control everything from your lights to your thermostat. You can set scenes and schedules, so you can go to bed when you want to and wake up when you want to.
  • Gives You Peace of Mind: There’s nothing more stressful than a lightning storm or a power outage. With smart home products, there is an opportunity to have the lights turn off automatically or the thermostat set at a certain temperature.
  • Get Personalization: Some of the smart home devices will offer you a certain amount of customization. With Amazon Echo, you can ask Alexa questions, have it read your stories, or even tell you jokes. To get more personalized products, you need smart speaker technology.

This is not an exhaustive list of the reasons smart speakers are important, but it does provide an overview of some of the advantages smart speakers provide. There are many other features of smart speakers, and they can be used in several ways. Some of the most popular smart speaker technologies include:

  • Amazon Alexa
  • Google Assistant
  • Microsoft Cortana
  • Apple Siri

As I mentioned above, the benefits of smart speakers are not limited to the devices themselves. The ecosystem that allows smart speakers to connect to smart home devices and provide a home automation solution is an important and growing trend. As the IoT space continues to grow and smart homes become more popular, smart speaker technology will only grow in popularity.

So, why should you consider buying a smart speaker? That’s up to you. What are your reasons for buying a smart speaker? Let us know in the comments.

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