Here's How You Can Use Android Auto To Control Your Smart Home
There's no denying the convenience of a fully connected smart home. You can turn on and off lights at the appropriate times, adjust the temperature, control connected devices, and much more. But to take it a step further, there's also a way you could control nearly all of these things from your car using Google Assistant through Android Auto. This means you can touch a button to turn on lights and adjust the temperature in your home, open your garage door, and more, all using the infotainment system on your car's head unit.
With Android Auto properly connected to your car and phone, you can press a button or even use voice commands through Google Assistant to control smart-connected devices at home. Note that this will only work if you have installed smart home devices that are also compatible with Google Assistant. With that in mind, here are some basic smart home actions you can control from your car using Android Auto.
Lights out
Sure, it's easy enough to switch a light on and off, but if you're properly connected, you could have specific lights come on when the need arises as you're driving home from work. You would need to have smart bulbs or smart plugs installed and your various lighting systems would need to be plugged in and powered up. You also likely would have needed to create a "scene" within your smart home system that grouped the lights together.
Where this can come in handy is while on the drive home, you know you have to bring in groceries through the garage and want to be able to see everything as you come in. By using Google Assistant, you could simply say "Bringing in groceries" and the lights in the garage, the hallway connected to your kitchen, and the kitchen lights will automatically turn on. As another example, as you're pulling out of the driveway to go to work, you might notice you left your bedroom lights on. With a connected phone and Google Assistant working through Android Auto, you could say "Turn off upstairs lights" and watch as they obediently turn off.
With the right setup, you'd also be able to dim lights, change light colors, and more, all from the car as you're pulling into the driveway.
Heating up
In some situations having control over your smart home from your car is all about convenience. Maybe as you're driving home in the rain you crave a cup of something hot. If you have it set up correctly, you could use Google Assistant through Android Auto and say, "Turn on the kettle" or "Start coffee" to begin heating up those appliances. Now, when you arrive home, you're ready to pour your hot drink right away.
Another possibility is that you have all the food set up in the slow cooker, but wanted it to start cooking later in your work day while you're on the road. As long as your crock pot is connected to a smart plug and synced with your smart home system, you could say "Start the slow cooker" and your food will begin heating so it's ready when you get home.
When you start to realize the possibilities once your smart home is accessible from your car, you begin to see how much easier life can be when you're fully connected.
Opening doors
With some additional smart-connected hardware, you could also control access to your garage or front door lock from your car. While we all have used garage door-opening units where you press a button to make the door open or close, having it programmed into your car's head unit means you just touch a button on your screen. It requires some installation and extra hardware, but the convenience is worth it.
Another possibility is you're on the way home and know you're going to be moving something heavy through the front door. While driving, you could access your car's head unit, unlock the front door, and turn on the appropriate entryway lights as you're pulling into the driveway. Having control over your door locks and lighting makes the whole operation easier.
With the ability to use Android Auto through Google Assistant, the possibilities for controlling your smart home are virtually endless.
More apps!
Early in 2023, Google announced it would allow more apps for Android Auto, providing a framework for what developers could and could not do when it came to in-car infotainment systems. After all, safety should come first when you're driving, so while you won't be able to engage with more immersive apps, the announcement allowed for home apps like Smart Things and Samsung's Home Assistant.
This means that along with popular streaming apps like Spotify and TuneIn Radio that quickly made the move to car screens, you'll also be able to control things at home using the home software you already know. For example, using the Android Auto version of Home Assistant, you can open a garage door, turn on different sets of lights, and control smart connected locks in your home. It even displays the same folder-based interface to get to the various controls you've set up for your home in the app.
As new apps are developed and released over time, you can expect to have even more control over your smart home systems when behind the wheel.