MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY ASSIGNMENT

(SMART HOMES: GOOGLE HOME)

REGISTRATION NO- 191344

NAME- SUMEDHA PAUL
CR- PUJA BHOWMICK AND HEMANTH REDDY
DATE OF SUBMISSION- 19.02.2020
TIME OD SUBMISSION- 17:00 P.M
ROLE- SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION
PROJECT HEAD AT SITE.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SMART HOMES?

Smart home technology has become somewhat ubiquitous. More and more families
across the world are adopting smart technology into their homes and daily routines. If
you are just being introduced or are curious about smart tech, it can be somewhat
overwhelming as there are many companies and products in the space. Technology
moves fast and keeping up with the latest and greatest can be a struggle. Each
technology company is eager to earn our business and they do that by putting out
quality and useful products.
• Smart home is a term that refers to modern homes that have appliances, lighting
and/or electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by the owner, often via a
mobile app.
• Smart home-enabled devices can also operate in conjunction with other devices in the
home and communicate information to other smart devices.
• Some examples of smart home-enabled electronic devices are audio and video
entertainment systems, camera and security systems, and computers, laptops and other
electronics mobile devices.
• The appeal of the smart home is that it enables owners to remotely control parts of the
home and configure time schedules for smart home-enabled devices to help control
costs and be more energy-efficient (i.e. green homes) while providing added
convenience and potential time savings.
• While the nascent smart home market still has plenty of room for growth, examples of
smart home technology currently on the market include internet-enabled and
controlled refrigerators, smart thermostats like the Nest thermostat, smart lights with
light occupancy sensors, and smart door locks and security systems. Most of these
smart home devices now include a mobile app for managing them via a smartphone or
tablet.
How does this actually work?
A smart home’s devices are connected with each other and can be accessed through one
central point—a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or game console. Door locks, televisions,
thermostats, home monitors, cameras, lights, and even appliances such as the refrigerator can
be controlled through one home automation system. The system is installed on a mobile or
other networked device, and the user can create time schedules for certain changes to take
effect.

Smart home appliances come with self-learning skills so they can learn the homeowner’s
schedules and make adjustments as needed. Smart homes enabled with lighting control allow
homeowners to reduce electricity use and benefit from energy-related cost savings. Some
home automation systems alert the homeowner if any motion is detected in the home when
they're away, while others can call the authorities—police or the fire department—in case of
imminent situations. Once connected, services such as a smart doorbell, smart security
system, and smart appliances are all part of the internet of things (IoT) technology, a network
of physical objects that can gather and share electronic information.

Smart homes can feature either wireless or hardwired systems—or both. Wireless systems are
easier to install. Putting in a wireless home automation system with features such as smart
lighting, climate control, and security can cost several thousand dollars, making it very cost-
friendly. Hardwired systems, on the other hand, are considered more reliable and are
typically more difficult to hack. A hardwired system can increase the resale value of a home.
But there is a drawback—it's fairly expensive. Installing a luxury and hardwired smart system
can cost homeowners tens of thousands of dollars.

The global home automation market was valued at about $24 billion in 2016. That figure is
expected to grow as more people begin to adopt smart home technology to the tune of
about $53.5 billion by 2022. Video entertainment is expected to be the largest component of
smart home technology, followed by home security and monitoring services. Smart speaker
technology has already successfully penetrated the U.S. market, where roughly 31% of
households use a device like the Amazon Echo or Google Nest.

Advantages and disadvantages of smart homes

A smart home has many advantages and few disadvantages. A smart home is a home outfitted
with technology that enables communication between smart devices and more control of your
home. Advantages include energy efficiency, customization and ease of use while
disadvantages include cost and internet reliance.
Advantages:

Functionality: One advantage is that your house may be more functional for you. For
example, you can connect with your house using an app and turn on the lights so they are on
when you come home. You can use a voice sensor to turn the lights off at night so you don’t
have to get out of bed. This functionality is very helpful to people with medical issues.

Environmentally Friendly: Your smart house can also be more environmentally friendly,
since you can control things like thermostats and light bulbs. You can program those things
so that they will only come on if they meet certain criteria or you turn them on yourself. That
way your air conditioner doesn’t blow when the weather is cool outside.

Insurance Benefits: You may not realize it, but a smart home can get you a discount on your
homeowner’s insurance. This is especially true if you have your smart home set up with a
security system that is monitored by an outside source. This is one that you can’t
automatically count on, so make sure that you check your insurance policy or with an agent.

Customization: You can also customize your system so it works the way you want it to. You
can add whatever devices you want to use and ignore the ones you don’t. Some devices and
programs come with open-source coding, which will let you alter the way the program works
so that it will suit your needs better.

Disadvantages:

Privacy: One problem regarding smart homes is voice activation. In order for it to work,
voice activation has to be on and listening all the time. Some news outlets suggest that some
companies listen to smart assistant devices and can overhear what is said in your home.

Bandwidth: The more things that you have hooked to your wifi, the more bandwidth you are
going to take up. Since your smart house uses that wifi to do its job, you run the risk of
slowing down everything on your system if you don’t have enough bandwidth. You can sign
up for more bandwidth through your Internet service provider.

Internet Security: One big problem with the IoT is that hackers can use all those machines
and devices to host attacks and viruses on the rest of the Internet. Luckily, you can relatively
easily overcome this by making sure that you change default passwords and use strong
passwords. Strong passwords are generally long, with numbers, letters, and special
characters.
Power Surges: Another disadvantage is that power surges can cause problems with the entire
automation system, so you will have to make sure that you protect everything from surges.

GOOGLE HOME

Developer Google
Type Smart speaker
Release date November 4, 2016; 3 years ago
Units sold 52 million
Input Voice commands, limited physical touch surface
Connectivity Wi-Fi dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth
Website Google Nest

Google Nest, previously named Google Home, is a line of smart speakers developed
by Google under the Google Nest brand. The devices enable users to speak voice commands
to interact with services through Google Assistant, the company's virtual assistant. Both in-
house and third-party services are integrated, allowing users to listen to music, control
playback of videos or photos, or receive news updates entirely by voice. Google Nest devices
also have integrated support for home automation, letting users control smart home
appliances with their voice command. The first device, Google Home, was released in the
United States in November 2016; subsequent product releases occurred globally from 2017–
2019.
Through software updates to Google Nest devices and Google Assistant, additional
functionality has been added over time. For example, multiple speakers can be set up for
synchronized playback of music. An update in April 2017 brought multi-user support,
allowing the device to distinguish between up to six people by voice. In May 2017, Google
announced multiple updates, including: hands-free phone calling at no cost in Canada and the
United States; proactive reminders ahead of scheduled events; visual responses on mobile
devices or Chromecast-enabled televisions; Bluetooth audio streaming; and the ability to add
reminders and calendar appointments.
Google Home is a Wi-Fi speaker that also works as a smart home control centre and an
assistant for the whole family. You can use it to playback entertainment throughout your
entire home, effortlessly manage everyday tasks, and ask Google things you want to know.
The device itself has interchangeable bases available in various colours and finishes (such as
metal and fabric, allowing you to match it to your decor). Underneath that swappable shell
there is a speaker that can playback songs and allow Google Assistant to talk to you.
• Google home is a voice activated; hands free speaker powered by the Google
assistant. You ask it questions by starting with ‘Ok Google…’ and it will give you an
answer.
• You can get real-time answers on facts, the weather, traffic, finance, sports, local
businesses, it delivers news briefings and plays music.
• With your permission, Google Home will learn about you and retrieve your flight
information, set alarms and timers, and even tell you about the traffic on your way to
work.
• Google harvests information from across the web and uses AI so it can answer a
variety of questions including the more complicated.
• Google Home connects with smart devices like Chromecast, Nest and Philips Hue, so
you can use your voice to set the perfect temperature or turn down the lights.
 Aspects of MOT

Artificial Intelligence- AI-powered systems like Google Assistant are at the heart of this
strategy, tying together a range of tools and services from first- and third-party brands to
create new means of controlling the home and to allow Google to automate and anticipate
the wants and needs of consumers at home. Google Assistant is an artificial intelligence–
powered virtual assistant developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and
smart home devices. Unlike the company's previous virtual assistant, Google Now, the
Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations.
Cloud Computing- Google Home saves the users’ voice and personal and preference
setting in its cloud computer. If the owner has saved his voice, Google Home will verify it
with its cloud-based service and load the routine of its user saved on the cloud storage.
This makes Google Home much more user-friendly.
Cloud IOT Core is a fully managed service for securely connecting and managing IoT
devices. Using the MQTT or HTTP bridge, IoT devices can connect to Google Cloud
using per-device public/private key authentication and exchange data. Incoming device
data is published to a Cloud Pub/Sub event stream.
Cloud Firestore is a flexible, scalable NoSQL cloud database to store and sync data for
client- and server-side development. It keeps your data in sync across client apps through
realtime listeners and offers offline support for mobile and web through their native
SDKs. Firestore also pairs with Firebase Authentication to control access to data through
built-in security rules.
Cloud Functions enable backend code to run in response to events triggered by Firebase
and Google Cloud features. We can use this to marshal device data between IoT Core and
Firestore. Using this architecture, Cloud Firestore becomes the central data hub and
source of truth for the state of all connected devices and exposes that state to
authenticated client applications.

ASR (Automatic speech recognition)- Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is

technology that converts spoken words into text. In short, it's the first step in enabling voice
technologies like Google Home to respond when we ask, “okay google, what is the weather
outside?” With ASR, voice technology can detect spoken sounds and recognize them as words.
ASR has been making quiet advancements for decades. It’s been used in education to help
people learn second languages, as accessibility tools for those hard of hearing, and even for
hands-free computing. Today, ASR enables us to have conversations with computers. We don’t
have to learn how to use a mouse and keyboard or a touch-screen UI just to set a timer, to look
up a sports score, or to call another person. We just have to speak the way we already do in
everyday life. This opens up the doors to so many other possibilities. Now that computers can
understand our language, what else can we teach them to do? What other magical experiences
can we build with voice? That part is still up to us.
Process Flow of Google Home

JSON format is used for serializing and transmitting structured data over network
connection. It is primarily used to transmit data between a server and web applications.
Web services and APIs use JSON format to provide public data. It can be used with
modern programming languages.
Value for customers

• Having previously relied on IFTTT add-ons, Google introduced native compatibility

to find your phone using its smart speaker. Google Home can make your phone ring
when you’ve left it under a cushion or in the other room, even when it’s on silent. All
you have to do to get the job done is say, “Ok, Google find/ring my phone.”
• As well as finding your phone, Google Home can also work as a handy reminder for
those all-important, yet easily forgotten items dotted around your home, like your
passport or house keys. For example, say something along the lines of, “Ok, Google,
my passport is in the filing cabinet,” and it will remember when you later ask, “Hey,
Google, where’s my passport?”
• Exchanging Wi-Fi passwords with guests is a chore at the best of times, and setting up
a friend on your smart home is even more laborious, especially if they just want to
cast a new song for you to check out. One of our favorite Google Home tips makes
this process simpler with its “Guest Mode.”
• Enabling this Google Home feature in its settings allows other people with the Home
app to quickly connect to your home’s devices by bursting an inaudible four-digit PIN
to your guest’s smartphone. Simple. To get the job done, open the Google Home app
on your phone, switch to the home you want to share, tap the + icon up top, select the
“Invite home member” option, and then add in the person’s email address and tap
“Add.” The person will then receive an email with instructions on what to do.
• To make sure the feature works, you’ll need to be on the same Google account on
both your phone and Home hub. Google should be able to call your phone if it’s
connected to a mobile network or Wi-Fi. Keep in mind that you can also view all your
visible devices under android.com/fin
• Google Home measures 5.6 inches tall and 3.8 inches around. It comes in white, with
swappable fabric and metal bases in seven colours.
• The Home's aesthetic is inspired by candles and wine glasses, with a top half made of
smooth, hard plastic that lights up with LEDs in four colours when it's listening.
• It also has a touch interface you can use to play and pause music, change volume, and
activate Google Assistant. On the back there's a physical Mute button.
• Google has superior multi-user functions. The Home can recognize up to six people's
voices and seamlessly switch between their accounts and preferences.
• Google Home now let you make outbound voice calls to regular phones. Google
Home devices can't receive calls.
• The Home provides richer, more well-rounded sound than the Echo does, although it
doesn't get as loud—there's a 3-4dB difference in maximum volume at a one-foot
distance. The Home delivers much better sound quality
• The Home supports Google Play Music, YouTube Red, iHeartRadio, Pandora,
Spotify, and TuneIn.
• Expanding your smart home beyond a single Google Home hub opens up a world of
possibilities. The first add-on you should consider is a Chromecast, freeing your TV
to stream pretty much anything from the internet.
• Google Home also supports pause, skip, and volume controls via voice, so you won’t
need to reach for your phone or remote.
• You can also search for something less specific, such as a recipe video guide, and
Google will send a video result straight to your Chromecast.

This tip comes in handy for those with multiple Google Home devices in their house.
If you’re one of them, you can broadcast a message to all Google Home speakers by
saying something like, “Hey Google, broadcast that it’s time to go.” You can use
Google’s smart speakers like an intercom system, which means you don’t have to go
upstairs to let the kids know it’s time to go or yell like a crazy person. You can also
broadcast to Google Home devices via your phone that you’re on your way to the
house while still on the road. If you do, your dinner may be waiting for you when you
get home. Or not. It’s worth a shot, though.
You don’t just have to stream music and video to your Chromecast, games are
perfectly viable too. In fact, there are games designed specifically for the Chromecast
available to download from the Play Store, so it’s not just a case of casting your
Android display onto the big screen. You can see another list of supported partners
here. If you’re up for something a little more experimental, you should try out Super
Sync Sports, which is played via motion controls from your phone. Add the game to
Chrome, cast the webpage from your laptop to your TV, and start playing on the big
screen with up to four players.

• Google Home for Business is a paid subscription service allowing companies to use it
to join conference calls, schedule meeting rooms, and custom skills designed by 3rd-
 party vendors. At launch, notable skills are available from SAP, Microsoft, and
Salesforce.
• Google Home users also have access to information from the Mayo Clinic when they
say, "Hey Google, talk to Mayo First Aid.” You can say things like, “Talk to Mayo
First Aid about eye cut signs,” or, “Talk to Mayo First Aid and tell me about spider
bites.” However, Google Assistant cannot diagnose a medical problem or treat you for
an injury. If you're facing a life-threatening medical problem, you should seek help
right away from a medical professional.
• Burglar deterrent is also available on Google Assistant-enabled speakers like the
Google Home Mini or Google Nest Hub Max. To play sounds, ask Google Assistant,
"Speak to Burglar Deterrent and play garage sounds," or, "Ask Burglar Deterrent to
play bathroom sounds."
• With Google Home, you can always get to work on time by hearing information about
your commute, traffic conditions, and your estimated time of arrival.
• With Google Home, you can listen to the current weather and upcoming forecast for
your location using only your voice.

Implementation methodology of Google Home

Google Home was announced at Google I/O in May 2016 and it went on sale in the
US in November 2016. Since then Google has added two versions: The Google Home
Mini (which is similar in size to the Echo Dot) and the Google Home Max (which is a
larger, better-sounding stereo speaker designed for improved music playback).

Several new Google Home features were announced at I/O 2017 that promise to make
it even more usable as a smart home hub.

Google Home can be used to make hands-free calls to any US or Canadian phone
number. One of the best features? It's totally free.
Proactive notifications provide time-sensitive information without you needing to
prompt your Google Home unit--when a calendar event is coming up, you'll just be
told.
Google Home will integrate more closely with other Google devices in order to
provide a continuous series of notifications on multiple devices. You can now call up
your calendar on a Chromecast-enabled TV, get directions you asked about sent to
your phone, or ask what's hot on YouTube and watch it pop up on the nearest screen.
There wasn't much Google Home news from Google I/O 2018, with most of the
Home-related news centered on improvements to Google Assistant. Features like
Google Duplex, which will call businesses to schedule appointments on your behalf,
and Continued Conversation, which will allow for users to have a back-and-forth
conversation with Assistant without having to say "Hey, Google" repeatedly, aren't
specific to Google Home. Google Home units are powered by Google Assistant,
which means those improvements will be available on the company's smart speakers
as well.

Google announced the release of the Nest Hub, its smart speaker with a touchscreen,
in October 2018, and added the larger Nest Hub Max in September 2019. Like the
Amazon Echo Show and Facebook's Alexa-powered Portal, Google's Nest Hub is a
control center for other smart home and smart office devices. The hub acts as a
Google Home (with the built-in Google Assistant able to respond to commands) and
adds a visual element that can make often-forgotten digital assistant skills more likely
to be used.

In October 2019 Google added two new Google Home units to its product lineup:
Nest Wifi and the second generation of the Nest Home Mini. Nest Wifi looks a lot
like a fatter version of the Google Home, and that's what it essentially is, with the
added functionality of being a Wi-Fi router. Nest Wifi setups come with two
components: The Wi-Fi router that plugs into a home or office router, and Points,
which are Wi-Fi signal boosters and Google Assistant-powered smart speakers. Paired
together, the router and point units can be used to construct a wide-ranging network
that Google said can give "coverage in every corner." The Nest Mini is still the same
tiny puck it was before, but with improved sound quality and an added wall mount to
make hanging it in an out-of-the-way place as easy as hammering in a nail.
Big question: Should Google Home be installed in Smart Home
without customer’s investment?
Google has invested a lot of it’s time, money and inventory in developing this cloud-
based service. It is equipped with almost all the advanced technologies. It can connect
to almost every wireless device like smart TV, Bluetooth speaker, climate control,
smart lock etc. All these things are needed in a smart home. Beside this any customer
looking for a Smart Home with all the advanced technology will be willing to invest
on this technology.
THANK YOU