Google Assistant gets support for equipment from LIFX and TP-Link

Google makes its Assistant compatible with smart home equipment from LIFX, TP-Link, Wink and Insignia, a brand of the American electronics chain Best Buy. The search giant has also started selling its smart home speaker in the United Kingdom.

Google announces the support in a short post on its blog. The individual brands themselves provide more information in press releases. For example, TP-Link reports that its Smart Plug and Smart Wi-Fi Bulb can now work with Google Assistant. LIFX announces that the integration applies to its lamps and LED strips and gives an overview of the available commands.

In addition, products that are compatible with the Wink smart home app can now be controlled with Google Assistant. The same applies to the products of Insignia, Best Buy’s private label, but they are not for sale in Europe.

Initially, Google Assistant could handle smart home devices from Nest, Philips Hue and Samsung SmartThings. Later, Belkin, Wemo and Honeywell were added. Google’s virtual assistant is part of the Google Home speaker, but is also coming to more and more Android smartphones with version 6.0 or newer of the mobile operating system. Later this year, Google Assistant will also come to televisions with Android TV.

The Google Home was released in the US last year and was not yet available for sale in Europe. Google announced Tuesday morning that the smart home speaker is coming to the United Kingdom. From April 6, the device is for sale for 129 pounds, converted about 149 euros.