Google set to launch Google Home and Google WiFi in the UK next week

Google set to launch Google Home on April 6th priced at £129

Google originally launched its Home speaker and assistant back in November in the US, and the search giant is already bringing it to other countries. Today sees the launch of Google Home in the UK, a natural expansion market for an English speaking digital assistant. Google Home will be available online on April 6th for £129 for a single device from the Google Store, or Argos, Dixons, John Lewis, and Maplins. Google is also launching coloured bases for customization, these will be available for £18 for fabric and £36 for metal versions.

Like Amazon’s Echo, Home can answer basic queries, and do tasks like timers or control smart home devices. Google’s main advantage over the Echo is its ability to handle contextual conversations. You can ask Google Home “Who is the president of the United States?” and then immediately ask “When was he born?” and Google Assistant will handle the query.

What is Google Home?

Google Home is a hands-free smart speaker powered by the Google Assistant that does just that. Whether you want to get answers from Google, turn up the music, sort out some everyday tasks or control compatible smart devices in your home, all you have to do is say “Ok Google.”

Google says it has “hidden a few British treats” inside Home for the UK, including answering queries about hobbies or favorite foods. It appears the features available in the US version of Google Home will be supported in the UK, including any integrations with smart home devices.

To customise its service in the UK, Google has teamed up with the BBC, Guardian, Financial Times, The Sun, Telegraph, Huffington Post, Sky News, Sky Sports to provide news updates based on your location.

The tech giant also announced its Wi-Fi router will go on sale locally soon, too. Google Wi-Fi is a collection of small routers that can be placed around a home, which the company claims will improve wireless signal.

How big is the market and where is Siri?

The market for home personal assistants is slowly becoming more saturated but has been largely dominated by Amazon. Apple’s version is said to be a year from completion…

Introducing Google Wifi

We all know how frustrating it can be when wireless connectivity fails at home, especially if you’re streaming a TV show. Google Wifi is a home Wi-Fi solution that works with your modem and internet provider to bring you reliable coverage.

Traditionally Wi-Fi routers haven’t always been built to support the increasing number of devices we use or high bandwidth activities like gaming or watching videos. Google Wifi is a connected system that replaces your current router to bring smarts, security and simplicity to home Wi-Fi to give you consistently strong coverage in your home.

Google Wifi uses a technology called mesh Wi-Fi (something usually only seen in expensive commercial installations). Within our mesh network, each Google Wifi point creates a high-powered connection, and the different Wifi points work together to determine the best path for your data. The result is Wi-Fi coverage even in hard-to reach areas, not just right next to the router.

To make sure you’re always in control, Google Wifi comes with an app that lets you do things like pause Wi-Fi on kids’ devices (when it’s time to come to the dinner table) and is built to help keep your data safe and secure.

Google Wifi will be available online on April 6th for £129 in a 1-pack and £229 in a 2-pack from the Google Store. It is also available from Dixons, Argos, Maplin and John Lewis and coming soon to Amazon.

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