Google Home Mini vs Amazon Echo Dot 3: The Ultimate Showdown

Table of Content

• How to Set Up the Google Home Mini
• Google Home Mini vs Amazon Echo Dot 3 – Which one to buy?
• Which are the best smart speakers?
• Connectivity
• Wifi Smart Plug Remote Control US Socket Outlet Support Alexa Echo / Google Home
• Amazon Echo Dot vs Google Home Mini
• Shop it: Echo Dot (3rd gen), $35 (was $ , amazon.com

We're going to be comparing these two speakers side by side to see how they each perform. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Enter your address if you want to get customized local data for traffic, weather, and other services. The first screen of the app should automatically detect the Home Mini. (If it doesn't, tap the Device button in the top right and then tap the Add New Device button to get instructions on how to find the device.) Tap Set Up.

Check out our roundup of things Google Assistant can do for more info, or head to the Google Assistant partners page for all the brands Google Home can work with. If you want better sound, the Echo Dot has a 3.5mm aux output, so you can connect it to external speakers (including battery/speaker combos, such as the Ninety7 Vaux). And both the Dot and the Mini can be connected to external Bluetooth speakers, but those solutions diminish the benefits of having a small, compact unit. Both allow you to review your history of commands, listen to the audio picked up by the speaker, and delete individual commands if you wish. Here's what to know before choosing a miniature smart speaker.

How to Set Up the Google Home Mini

But the Google portion of the Nest Mini isn’t quite as capable as we’d like. And while it has some smart-home integrations and third-party Actions comparable to Alexa’s Skills, it has fewer of either than Alexa does, though it continues to improve. We recommend a few other Google Assistant devices below and have a guide to the best smart displays and the best Google Assistant devices. Alternatively, if you already have a set of speakers you like, the Echo Dot is the better option because it can connect wirelessly to any Bluetooth speaker.

Still, Google made a point of saying that people would be surprised by how much sound the Mini can put out. Sure enough, it sounded stronger than I expected -- and noticeably stronger than the Echo Dot -- as I began testing it out. The Google Home Mini puts all of the smarts of Google Assistant into a small and affordable package. The Mini sounds surprisingly good for its size and features a colorful design that can blend into your home's decor. First, go into your Alexa app, select Alexa Devices from the menu, choose the speaker you wish to use with the Google Home Mini and click on Bluetooth Devices. However, that huge speaker increase didn't come at some other sacrifice.

Google Home Mini vs Amazon Echo Dot 3 – Which one to buy?

The Nest Mini may not have a clock option, but it still uses LED dots to communicate, and it’s available in chalk, charcoal, coral, and sky. Again, the build quality is excellent, and the Nest Mini’s pincushion form gives the device its own identity. Google’s recent design upgrade made the nest Mini more eco-friendly too. But, what sets it apart is the notch on its underside, which allows you to hang it on a wall.

Again, the Echo Dot leads here, with a plethora of different types of skills available for the device . Google’s offering is certainly smaller at this point but is expanding quickly, adding features like a multilingual mode, a translator mode, and step-by-step cooking instructions. That said, both can connect to mainstream smart home tech like Philips Hue lighting, smart locks, power outlets and more.

Which are the best smart speakers?

A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, and home networking. If it would work in sync with all other alexa speakers it would be another story.. If you're deep in the Google ecosystem and don't care so much about speaker quality, you should participate in the Google Home ecosystem with a Home Mini. However, if you know you're alright with Alexa being limited or all you really care about is a cheap speaker to stream music to, you absolutely want to get yourself an Echo Dot.

Echo Dot handles calls a little better than the Google Home Mini right now. In simple words, if you have two echo dot devices at home, you can use them as an intercom. While Home mini does broadcast prerecorded voice messages to other Home Mini devices which is nowhere near the Echo Dot’s Drop-in.

Connectivity

It's an oblong orb of plastic and fabric with no visible buttons, save for a slider to mute the microphone that's hidden in the back. It comes in your choice of three colors -- chalk , charcoal , or coral . He's reviewed everything from vacuum cleaners to beer brewing robots in pursuit of the perfect smart home. He wants the smart home to make him feel powerful, and it's getting there. Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook.

When it comes to answering life’s questions, big or small, Google’s main advantage over Alexa is, well, Google. In countless hours of testing, Google Assistant attempts to answer more questions, offers a bit more contextual information, and usually gives a longer answer than Alexa almost every time. The Google Home app is used mostly for setup, though you still need to access it for things like shopping lists. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.

While the Google Home Mini has outperformed the Echo Dot in the past, providing deeper, richer sound, this is no longer the case. The 3rd generation Dot features a 1.6” speaker and a larger driver than previous generations, producing up to 70 percent better sound than before. You’ll really hear the difference when streaming music, but even calls sound better with the Dot.

You can use Alexa and Google Home or Google Mini under the same roof. The most straightforward way to connect these devices is to have them all under the same command center, which we'll mention later. In the Alexa app, select Add Device or the plus "+" button on the app's top-right corner to add a new device. Both shopping options can shop by recognized voice, but Alexa provides an additional security code option you can enable for safety. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times.

Imagine you're cooking a new recipe and need to set timers with Alexa. You can set a timer with Alexa and stream your favorite songs on Google Home simultaneously. Using these devices together often provides better results than using them individually.

Amazon Echo Dot vs Google Home Mini: What is the difference?

Table of Content

• Google Home Mini
• Amazon Echo Dot vs. Google Home Mini: Which Should You Get?
• Google Nest Hub Max
• Best for video: Tie
• Google Home Mini in pictures: Smaller, cheaper, just as smart
• Can Alexa drop in on Google Home?

These smart displays are ideal for making Google Duo video calls to friends and family members. Like a larger version of the Google Home Hub, the Nest Hub Max is big-screen smart display for your home, with a front-facing camera for video calls and the facility to check on your home remotely. However, it keeps its four physical buttons on top for volume up, volume down, microphone mute, and the action button to activate Alexa without having to say the wake word. On the back, you're going to find a power port with a 3.5 millimeter auxiliary jack to connect this to an external speaker or to a better sound system. This way, you can control the different features and a string of voice commands that will benefit most from each device. Alongside hardware connectivity, both devices can also access “skills” or “actions” that deliver enhanced features like news reports, recipes, reservation bookings, jokes, quizzes, and more.

So for example, I can say, Hey Google, move music to the kitchen. Now, unfortunately, as of right now, you can't do that with your Echo device. The Echo Dot has a radical new design with its 4th generation. Instead of the traditional hockey puck look, it's now a ball with a flat, rubber bottom to keep it from sliding. If you're looking to bring some smarts into your home, we've got two great candidates right here.

Google Home Mini

Please allow additional time if international delivery is subject to customs processing. Cleared payment cleared payment - opens in a new window or tab. Google's Home Mini is clearly inferior as a hardware product, but there's no denying Google Assistant is superior to Alexa in just about every way. It's easier to use, you have access to more useful features, and the multi-account system on Google Assistant actually works. Google Assistant simply has access to more of your life, and is able to use that information to be more useful to you. Alexa is mostly just in your house for now, and unless you do a lot of shopping through Alexa there isn't a compelling reason to use it over Assistant most of the time.

If you plan to mute the mics regularly, the process is more straightforward with the Echo Dot, which has its buttons up top. What’s more, you must hold the device steady to flip the switch, but holding the sides can adjust the volume controls—a design that clearly presumes most users won’t do this often. Again, your location may determine what other music services you'll be able to access on your Google Home.

Amazon Echo Dot vs. Google Home Mini: Which Should You Get?

Integrated Chromecast and enhanced audio format support demonstrate Google’s belief that the Nest Mini can serve as a competent, if compact, stand-alone speaker, alongside other duties. We think more people may like the softer, rounded look of the Home Mini more than the Echo Dot, though neither is something to set in the middle of your dining room table. The Echo Dot comes in white or black, while the Home Mini comes in white/light gray, dark gray, or red/orange with matching fabric covers. At best, they disappear into the background equally until they light up upon hearing their names.

It also has a 3.5 mm output jack to connect to a non-wireless audio system with a cable. I have one wired into my home theater receiver, which plays through a 7.2 speaker system. Not only does it allow you to use Siri for voice commands and interactions, but a HomePod Mini doubles as a HomeKit Hub. That means you can control smart home devices when you’re not home.

Google Nest Hub Max

One other point worth mentioning is the Google Home Mini's array of far-field microphones. In almost all of my tests, they were able to hear me about as well as the ones in the Echo Dot. Both did a great job in a quiet setting, but required the occasional raised voice during music playback. Small speakers like the Mini aren't going to replace your full-scale home audio setup anytime soon.

Unless you hook up a Dot to another speaker over Bluetooth or the 3.5mm jack, it's just too thin and harsh to fully enjoy. With beefed-up sound at the price of a standard Echo model it's well worth looking at the third-gen Echo if you're thinking of buying a new smart speaker. However, lots of users who have put the two devices head-to-head believe Google Assistant could be the smarter of the two.

Best for video: Tie

Now click Pair Bluetooth speaker and you should hopefully see your Echo there waiting to be selected.

One of the things I like best about a Google Assistant-powered speaker is that it shares relevant information with my Android phone. So if I ask for the traffic to San Francisco, it tells me and sends the route to Google Maps. Or when I ask where to buy Chinese food, it sends details on local restaurants. Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime, anywhere.

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Each is fairly good at hearing commands, even when you’re in a different room. Despite the lack of physical buttons, the Home Mini still has touch controls you can use. To adjust the volume, you tap the sides of the device, or you can long press the sides to play and pause music. I wasn't a huge fan of the touch controls — they aren't quite responsive enough when you want to use them, and yet it's hard not to activate them by mistake whenever you pick the thing up. Alexa is the voice assistant for Echo and it is powered by Bing as its main search engine. Home Mini, on the other hand, has the Google Assistant which is widely used by Android smartphone users.

Amazon Echo versus Nest Audio versus HomePod Mini specs at a glance

Check out our roundup of things Google Assistant can do for more info, or head to the Google Assistant partners page for all the brands Google Home can work with. If you want better sound, the Echo Dot has a 3.5mm aux output, so you can connect it to external speakers (including battery/speaker combos, such as the Ninety7 Vaux). And both the Dot and the Mini can be connected to external Bluetooth speakers, but those solutions diminish the benefits of having a small, compact unit. Both allow you to review your history of commands, listen to the audio picked up by the speaker, and delete individual commands if you wish. Here's what to know before choosing a miniature smart speaker.

In a head-to-head audio test, the Home Mini simply blew the Echo Dot out of the water. At 1.7 inches tall and 3.9 inches in diameter, Google Home Mini is slightly larger than the Echo Dot (1.5 inches tall and 3.3 inches in diameter), but you won't notice the difference on your nightstand. So kudos to Google for making the Home Mini something that looks and feels friendlier. It's small and round like the Echo Dot, but its curved sides give it a softer look. Like with the larger Google Home, the top of the Mini is swathed in a gray fabric, which only adds to its homeyness. There's no right or wrong approach really – Google's is simpler, but Alexa's encourages faster and broader development and support from third-parties.

Google wants users to have a true hands-free experience using the Google Assistant voice control. Pair it with the Domino’s Pizza app for the easiest delivery ever. Order my usual from Domino’s.” The voice assistant will then send your order to Domino’s for delivery. Goes from here forward, the Dot has an important hardware feature that the Mini surprisingly lacks -- a line-out jack. You can plug the Dot into your own speakers to make up for its own lack of sound quality. Both assistants -- and thus both speakers -- are very capable at this point and will adequately respond to most questions and commands you can think to throw at them.

Music playback was more passable with the Home Mini, too -- though, like the Dot, you really shouldn't plan on using it for anything more than close-range, casual listening. To wake it up, you say "OK, Google" or "Hey, Google," and then you give it a question or command. You can ask it to play music, turn your smart home gadgets on and off, look up a fact for you, control Netflix and YouTube on your Chromecast-enabled TV plus a whole host of other tricks.

How to Set Up a Media Server for a Home Theater

Table of Content

• Home Server – Everything you want to Know!
• BEST Media Server Software for Windows 10 PC (Free/Paid) in 2022
• How to build a Windows Server 2022 home lab and why
• What is NAS (Network Attached Storage) and why is it important?
• What is Windows Vista? What is Windows Vista?

You can however replace the fans with quiet models, like these from Noctua. Keep in mind that you will need a decent internet connection. Mainly the upload speed of your internet connection is import to run a website.

In my case, having a monitor on the box saved me more than once when an install went awry. Either way, connecting this device to one of these programs mean your media server is almost up and running. This free and open-source software is perfect for people who want personalization power. You’ll find a ton of add-ons, but you can’t access your content when you’re away from the house, and it’s not as easy to start using as Plex is. If you’re new to lingo like LAN, check out our easy guide to internet connectivity.

Home Server – Everything you want to Know!

This helps avoid wasted time and frustration with troubleshooting if something doesn't work as expected. Microsoft requires Windows Server licenses for servers used in a production environment. If you are using the licenses solely for lab use; however, you can use a trial version of Windows Server for 180 days. A home lab gives you the opportunity to work with services that you might never use, thereby helping to increase your skill level. For example, you might use a home lab to experiment with an advanced network configuration, Active Directory, disaster recovery, or just about anything else you might want to try.

You can stick with the stock cooler if you don't care about sound levels. The stock coolers will work just fine under the stresses of running Windows Home Server. If you've chosen an AMD Sempron CPU, you might want to check out the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro, or the Akasa AK-876.

BEST Media Server Software for Windows 10 PC (Free/Paid) in 2022

However, for most enclosures, you will only need a screwdriver to get the job done. You can screw off the back panel to reveal the HDD drive cage and simply but carefully screw the drives into the slots. Some casings will have removable trays where you can mount the drives and insert them back into the enclosure. Good quality enclosures for dedicated servers like from Synology go for between $400 and $800 per enclosure. You can also get a high-quality desktop computer with server-grade gear for around $400 enough for your needs . When compared to storing all your data in external drives, you or other people can access the stored data simultaneously as it is cloud storage.

The Microsoft spec suggests a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive, and throwing more gigahertz or RAM at the OS makes little difference to the data transfer performance. As the basis for a system I'd suggest a modest CPU such as the AMD Sempron 3200+. You could go for something beefier like an Intel Core 2 Duo, but all you'll be doing is chucking away money so that you can chuck away more money by eating up electricity. Take my advice and stick with a low power consumption CPU (the Sempron 3200+ comes in 62W and 35W flavours, so try to get the 35W version if you can). Remember, a NAS enclosure isn’t just meant to be a media server.

How to build a Windows Server 2022 home lab and why

For more info on RAID configurations, check out this video. Lack of Support – With all of the configuring necessary, you will find it difficult to find an easy support channel to assist with setting it up. You are kind of stuck with youtube videos and google searches . Keep in mind that not all devices use the same type of file.

For the other Vista PCs in the house, each of them monitor the same media libraries on the WHS shares and provide the same user experience via the VMC interface. The couple of XP PCs we have can still access the content but must do so using Windows Media player. From a user experience, the VMC PC is configured to automatically log into its primary user account and automatically start media center.

Something on which to play your media after connecting to the server. Plex supports mobile devices, tablets, TVs, Mac’s and computers, but there is a small $5 fee for the mobile apps . The OS you choose depends on what type of computer user you are. Windows Home Server had a set-it-and-forget-it appeal that required minimum management time. But we found the Ubuntu server more rewarding for the geeky hobbyist who is willing to spend time experimenting with the software creations of the open-source community.

On January 30 in 2007, Microsoft officially launched Windows Vista for individual users. The mControl software has some other nice features which lend it to integration with VMC. For example, there is a capability to trigger VMC actions based on external events. If we’re watching a movie in the theater (where we can’t hear the doorbell) and someone rings the bell, the movie is automatically paused and a message windows pops up on the screen.

What is NAS (Network Attached Storage) and why is it important?

As an office technology company, we specialize in setting up technology like copiers, servers, networks, mailing equipment, video surveillence and such in our clients' businesses. But for many here who work to implement such technology in others' businesses, innovative use of technology is not just for the workplace, but for the comfort of home as well. You don't need a high-power PC or specialized equipment to build a server; you can make one out of that old PC in your closet. You will be able to remote-control the server under most (all?) operative systems, and if the native way isn't convenient to you, there will be third-party utilities for it. Hence, you should be covered on that dimension regardless of how you choose to set your server up.

Are you looking for a central place to store all your pictures and movies? A home server can be used in many different scenarios and can be a great addition to your home network. I ran these scripts in a VM a couple of times before the actual installation to make sure everything works as intended. Since then I have added a couple of new features though and reworked parts of the existing ones.

Windows Server 2022 prerequisites and costs

You can even tinker with your router to control traffic with network prioritization and beef up security. Tap or click here to get better Wi-Fi using these features on your router. Before completing the setup wizard, you’ll be required to check a box acknowledging that installing WHS will wipe out the all data on the hard drive. Needless to say, be absolutely certain there’s nothing important on the system before proceeding.

The other issue I encountered was instability with my HDDs – I would get a drive error every 1-2 days and the server would stop functioning. A lesson learned from this was to make certain that the MB manufacturer provided explicit support for Windows 2003 Server . When I bought a replacement MB I decided to switch to Intel because people seemed to be having better experience with driver support. It also gave me an excuse to upgrade my desktop to a quad core, so my WHS ended up with a fairly beefy processor that has worked very well. Fortunately, you don’t really need to have a crazy-powerful system lying around unused to run WHS, because its hardware requirements are pretty modest.

What is Windows Vista? What is Windows Vista?

It has the advantage of being easier to configure and can control more sophisticated devices (e.g. thermostats) than X10. On the downside, they’re much more expensive than X10 and don’t have nearly as many device options. In addition to the various standard streaming features in VMC, I’ve added a couple of add-ins. For NetFlix Watch Now movies I’ve been using the vmcNetFlix add-in which works relatively well, although I have not been able to get it functioning on the extenders yet (yet another project…).

Over time, I began to add other features as I came to better understand the capability of the core product as well as some great add-ins available in the community. Here’s a quick overview if you’ve never heard of a home media server. It’s like a private streaming service that keeps copies of your favorite movies, photos, shows, podcasts and more.

List of Microsoft Windows versions Wikipedia

Table of Content

• Tech 101: How to record your computer screen
• Building a Home Server
• Build Windows Home Media Server
• thoughts on “Home Server – Everything you want to Know!”
• Do you remember Windows Vista once?
• Hard Drives for a NAS Media Server

For more info on RAID configurations, check out this video. Lack of Support – With all of the configuring necessary, you will find it difficult to find an easy support channel to assist with setting it up. You are kind of stuck with youtube videos and google searches . Keep in mind that not all devices use the same type of file.

Just ensure it has an appropriate amount of processing power, RAM, and hard drive storage. NAS servers also allow you to access the stored files from any location with internet access. What is the most reasonable way to store data for now and even future families? Generally speaking, many people think of cloud storage first. Many websites have launched a cloud storage business for individual users, which shows that everyone is optimistic about this prospect ... Streaming media is actually a kind of multimedia file, which is used in the process of network transmission.

Tech 101: How to record your computer screen

I tried the DVD library feature native to VMC but wasn’t happy with it, so I looked into add-ins and finally selected My Movies. This free application developed by Brian Binnerup is extremely well done and provides a great user experience on both PCs and extenders. With the new 2TB drives now hitting the market, I can almost double the current capacity of my server using the remaining 3 open slots. After that, I guess I’ll have to start swapping out the 750GB drives. Our home uses wired networking as the primary infrastructure.

For the other Vista PCs in the house, each of them monitor the same media libraries on the WHS shares and provide the same user experience via the VMC interface. The couple of XP PCs we have can still access the content but must do so using Windows Media player. From a user experience, the VMC PC is configured to automatically log into its primary user account and automatically start media center.

Building a Home Server

Plus, once a server is set up, it can operate without a screen or keyboard. We put together a server using a mother­board and dual-core chip we had lying around in our lab. This is an excellent backup if you ever deal with cloud storage issues or lost thumb drives. All you need is the right free software and a little ingenuity.

These are some of the main costs that you will incur when setting up the server. However, you can have additional costs to customize the network. A good example would be adding a TV tuner card to the motherboard that can let you record some of your favorite shows and store them on the server. Having a media room server for your media room or home theater entertainment system is a great way to consolidate and back up all your movies, music libraries, games, family photos, and so on.

Build Windows Home Media Server

The 890 also has RF capability which can be used in conjunction with home automation systems . Now you are ready to start transferring media files to your home server, and set it up as a source in your media center software. Note that Windows Home Server is limited to 10 client computers. Microsoft's Windows Home Server is built using the same code base as the company's robust Windows Server 2003, but it's been streamlined for consumer use. In addition to automatically backing up every Windows XP and Vista computer on your network, WHS can monitor the health of all the Vista PCs on its network. If the server is equipped with two or more drives, it will automatically duplicate all its files to provide data redundancy in case one drive ever fails.

X10 has the advantages of being very inexpensive, having a large variety of devices (sensors, switches etc.) available, and wide support in most HA software packages. The downside is that the signals are susceptible to noise on the power lines which can make things unreliable at times. You’re also somewhat limited on wireless options and mostly simple on/off type modules.

Windows MultiPoint Server

With these features, an initial investment for a NAS HDD may be expensive but it is worth it in the long run. They are less prone to failure from heat and vibration and in the long run, it is all about reliability. Black HDDs are mainly used for slightly heavier duties such as content creation. Let us look at some of the benefits of using a NAS home-based server. Be sure that your memory matches the specs of your motherboard.

The outdoor model features a spotlight and siren that can be triggered when motion is detected, deterring potential intruders. The indoor model pans around to give a full 360-degree view of any room and tracks motion. One of the great things about WHS and VMC is the number of community developed add-ins which have been developed. I’ve talked about a number of them already that I rely on heavily. Get tech updates and breaking news on the go with the Komando.com App, available in the Apple and Google Play app stores. Setting up a computer with FreeNAS is quite easy, and you will need to reserve an hour to complete the following steps.

WebGuide also allows you to stream video at different bandwidths to meet your needs. This is particularly nice for relatives who live far away to keep up with the latest without large downloads. WebGuide is a fantastic application developed by Doug Berrett and available in both VMC and WHS versions.

Plex and Media Browser both offer servers that run on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, BSD, and various NAS devices. You can install it on a desktop computer, a dedicated server, or get a pre-made NAS device that supports the server software. Sure, you could just connect a PC to your TV, but these provide convenient interfaces across all your devices. That means apps for TV streaming boxes, smartphones, tablets, and web-based interfaces for everything else. Microsoft no longer makes Windows Home Server and is phasing out Windows Media Center.

thoughts on “Home Server – Everything you want to Know!”

We use wireless more sparingly for convenience and for situations like a temporary installation or in areas without cable pulled to it. We have a primary 801.11N router and a secondary access point to improve coverage, but still see occasional drop-outs. Because intermittent network problems take away from the overall experience and drops the WAF, I chose to stick with wired for most of the installation. I used the D-Link DGS-2208 gigabit switches – they’re part of their “Green” line which turns off unused ports to save power.