How to build your own Home Hub on Android
GET A FULL TIME ASSISTANT FOR FREE.
We love gadgets, and intelligent speakers or home hubs are very popular this year.
The Google Home speaker gives you an audio system with Google Assistant built in, while Google Home Hub takes that one better by including a touch screen. And it’s not just Google popping its Assistant into new gadgets: the Amazon Echo and Show ranges fill similar niches, and the Lenovo Smart Display has 8and 10inch screen versions that are highly regarded. In this article we will use the generic term: “home hub” for all such devices.
CHECK YOUR OLD TECHNOLOGY DRAWER
But… do we really need another gadget, will it be used, and which one to spend the dollars on?
There is an alternative: use a discarded device or two and build your own home hub. Fortunately, this is really easy to do. Google started rolling out Assistant with the introduction of Android 6 devices, so it might be pre-installed in your old phone – maybe.
First stop was a much loved LG G4 with the curved screen and Italian leather back. Being dropped one too many times broke the earpiece speaker and made the main camera lose focus, so it was retired to primarily become a leather-clad alarm clock. I checked the Google apps on the G4, no sign of Assistant, checked the OS – Android 5.1. Time for a trip to the Play Store. Connected to Wi-Fi and minutes later Google Assistant was installed – for smartphones the Assistant app requires Android 5.0 or later, so all was well.
GET YOUR ASSISTANT STARTED
Opening the Assistant app and setting it up, including voice registration, took only a minute. So, my Assistant was now listening, but what to say? Playing it safe, I asked about the weather: and received a comprehensive spoken and screen-based response. Google Assistant suggested some more demanding topics, so I opted for “What is this song” – a random Spotify offering playing in the background. Before you could say ‘shazam’ my new Assistant told me. Impressive!
My Assistant has a sense of humour too, and knows old movie lines. Check the response to “Ok Google, play it again Sam.”
IN THE KITCHEN
After this friendly banter it was time to get serious and tackle some home hub functions. It’s reported that home hubs are particularly useful in the kitchen, for example to ask for recipes or to create a shopping list. Having established how to boil eggs, saying “set a timer for three minutes” did just that. Or if cooking is too hard and you want a delivery, asking “order pizza” brought up a list of local pizza parlours, and saying “call xyz pizza” had them on the line pronto.
If you want to go beyond your Assistant’s suggestions, install your favourite recipe app or two and just ask Assistant to open them when needed.
MAKING IT A HOME HUB
So far so good, and good fun, but most newer Android phones can do all this. So what makes it a home hub?
First, you want your hub to always be on and
listening for your commands. On the LG G4 if the screen is off it is not listening, so you need to set the screen to stay on. There may be a launcher or app that puts the screen to sleep while the microphone stays on, but we haven’t found it yet. We set the G4 to stay on, unless the power button is pressed to toggle it off. To switch on you press the power button and talk.
Note that, in Google Assistant settings, you can set most devices to unlock on hearing your voice. This lets you leave the screen locked for security if required.
Of course you will need to keep your always-on hub connected to power most of the time, plus it would be good to have a neat stand for it to sit in. Suitable stands are available for less than $10 on EBay – just search for smartphone or tablet desk stand and see what you like.
IMPROVING THE AUDIO
The commercially available home hubs essentially combine an Android tablet with a speaker into one neat unit. Sound quality varies between models, but all will have better audio than your Android device’s tiny built-in speakers. A key home hub function is to play music or videos on demand, so you need an audio upgrade.
If you are happy to go old-school, and your device has a 3.5mm socket, you can use just about any computer speakers. You probably have a disused old pair somewhere, and if you don’t they are not expensive. Anything from Logitech tends to sound good for the price. We took this path all the way, connecting to a set of Logitech Z553 speakers for serious sound.
GO WIRELESS
But cables are so last century, Bluetooth speakers are the go and much neater. You might have some spares already, if not, just search on “buy Bluetooth speakers” to view a huge selection. Another advantage of Bluetooth speakers is that you can put them further away from your hub device, with no connecting cables.
MAXING YOUR HOME HUB
So far we have looked at setting up an old smartphone with Google Assistant and external speakers to create a pretty useful device with good audio. Assistant has some amazing capabilities and the simplest way to explore them is to just ask. Half the research in this article was done by our Assistant!
Your Assistant can translate words, tell you what words mean, do maths and conversions, manage and play music and videos, handle your messaging and calls, schedule your calendar and appointments – all by simple spoken requests. It can also manage other apps on your device. So really the applications are endless.
You can download a Launcher app from the Play Store to simplify and personalise your home screen to be more of a hub than a phone. We like the look of Microsoft Launcher from the Play Store, although the LG “Simple Home” option was probably best. With a bit of experimentation you can display just what you want on your home screen.
And if you plan to use that screen in a big way, look for a disused Android tablet rather than a smartphone. We tried for exactly the same setup on a 7inch Lenovo Android 5.0.1 tablet, but the Google Assistant app requires Android 6.0 or later on a tablet. It is possible to implement some of the features with other apps, and the 7inch screen works well, but for the full hub experience you need a more recent tablet.
SLIDESHOWS
One of the popular home hub features is photo slideshows. You will need to add an app for that, and there is a lot of choice – in a quick comparison we liked Pixgram, free from the Play Store. Google Assistant also supports Chromecast, so you can cast your slideshow or videos to other devices such as smart TVs. Our Lenovo tablet has both these functions built in, so with a few updates and adjustments should make a decent home-built hub.
PRIVACY
For privacy Google Home Hub does not have a camera, and the Lenovo Smart Display features a camera cover. While it might seem unlikely that anyone can log into your device’s camera, it has been proven possible. If concerned, just search for “webcam slider cover” and for a few dollars you can have your camera and cover it too!