Google Home
Google's smart home platform, and the one many people meet first through a Nest speaker or a Google TV Streamer. What it is, what it needs, and what to do when something will not connect.
- Apple Home
- Google Home
- Amazon Alexa
- SmartThings
- Home Assistant
- Philips Hue
- Shelly
Releases
What Google changed
Google ships changes to the Home app and its speakers through the year. Here is the newest one in plain English.
Full release archive Latest release · August 2026
Google Home August 2026: Storytime you can interrupt
Google shipped two Google Home updates since our July write-up, on 23 July and 5 August 2026. The headline is Interactive Storytime on Gemini for Home, a story a child can redirect halfway through, with a long run of camera work behind it. Neither release removed anything or broke anything.
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Read the rundown How Google Home works
The plain-English versions first: what the platform is, what it needs in the house to run properly, what happens when the internet drops, and what you are paying for if you subscribe.
Explainer Explainer Explainer Explainer
What is Google Home?
Google Home is Google's free smart home app for Android and iPhone. Here is what it does, the Nest hub you need, and how Gemini fits in.
Does Google Home need a hub?
No for the platform, yes for Matter, and for Thread a hub is not enough on its own. The answer in the order you need it, with the cheapest ways into one in Australia.
Does Google Home work without internet?
Google Home is mostly cloud, with local Matter control. Here is what survives an internet outage, what does not, and why buying a hub does not change the answer.
Do you need Google Home Premium?
Google Home Premium is the subscription that used to be Nest Aware. A$15 or A$30 a month in Australia, one price for every Nest camera in the home, and here is when it is worth paying.
Speakers, hubs and cameras
Which Google devices carry the radios that matter, what the new speaker actually does, and the fix for the camera that will not join your Wi-Fi.
Explainer Explainer Setup
Which Google devices are Matter hubs, and which have Thread?
Eleven Google device types act as a Matter hub. Only five carry a Thread radio. Here is the full list, what you can still buy in Australia, and why you must never infer one from the other.
Google Home Speaker: what it does, and how to set it up
Google's 2026 smart speaker is $199, the only Google speaker still sold in Australia, and the only one that is also a Thread border router. What it does, and how to set it up.
Why your Nest Cam won't connect to your Wi-Fi
Most Nest cameras sold in Australia are 2.4 GHz only, and a modern router hides that band. Here is what breaks setup and how to fix it.
The library
Everything Google Home
Every guide we have written about Google Home, filtered by what kind of read it is.
Setup Explainer Setup Comparison Setup Update hub Explainer Explainer Explainer Explainer Explainer
Shelly and Matter: supported devices, setup and limits
Gen4 Shellys ship with Matter on by default; Gen3 needs a firmware update and a toggle. Which devices support it, what your network needs, and how to pair with Apple Home, Google Home or Alexa.
Do you need Google Home Premium?
Google Home Premium is the subscription that used to be Nest Aware. A$15 or A$30 a month in Australia, one price for every Nest camera in the home, and here is when it is worth paying.
Why your Nest Cam won't connect to your Wi-Fi
Most Nest cameras sold in Australia are 2.4 GHz only, and a modern router hides that band. Here is what breaks setup and how to fix it.
Apple Home vs Google Home
The decision usually follows the phones in the house, and saying that plainly beats a feature matrix. Where each platform genuinely wins, what each costs, and when we would not sell you Apple Home.
Sharing SmartThings devices with Google Home, Alexa or Apple Home
SmartThings hands a Matter device to another platform happily. It will not republish the Zigbee and Z-Wave gear already on its hub as Matter devices, and that is the half people get wrong.
Google Home updates
Every Google Home and Nest change that matters, summarised in plain English each month. What's new, what moved, and what to check.
Google Home Speaker: what it does, and how to set it up
Google's 2026 smart speaker is $199, the only Google speaker still sold in Australia, and the only one that is also a Thread border router. What it does, and how to set it up.
Does Google Home work without internet?
Google Home is mostly cloud, with local Matter control. Here is what survives an internet outage, what does not, and why buying a hub does not change the answer.
Does Google Home need a hub?
No for the platform, yes for Matter, and for Thread a hub is not enough on its own. The answer in the order you need it, with the cheapest ways into one in Australia.
Which Google devices are Matter hubs, and which have Thread?
Eleven Google device types act as a Matter hub. Only five carry a Thread radio. Here is the full list, what you can still buy in Australia, and why you must never infer one from the other.
What is Google Home?
Google Home is Google's free smart home app for Android and iPhone. Here is what it does, the Nest hub you need, and how Gemini fits in.
Ready to add something to Google Home?
The Philips Hue lights we stock reach Google Home through the Hue Bridge, and the WiZ bulbs connect straight over Wi-Fi with no bridge at all.