We’ve had lights and speakers and refrigerators and security systems becoming smarter as the years go by and of course, we’ll keep on adding to them, as obscure as the appliance or gadget may be. If you want more things to be given native support for Google Assistant so you can order more things around through voice (or even typing) commands, you’ll be happy to know that you can now connect certain brands of sprinklers and leak detectors to your Google Home app or Google Assistant settings.
If you have a Rachio or Rain Bird sprinkler, these two brands now have native support for Google Assistant. Go to the Google Home app or the Home tab in your Google Assistant settings section. You can add either of the two brands’ newly added actions and let it connect to your controller unit. However, you can only choose to link one of these at a time so if you have both, only one can be controlled natively.
After you’ve connected the sprinkler, you can now say “Hey Google, start watering” and you don’t have to specify which device you’re referring to. Other commands you can use are “water the lawn in the backyard” or you can also ask “is the sprinkler running?” if you’re out of the house and want to check. You can also add a sprinkler to your morning and/or night routine but you’ll have to manually type out the commands as there are no suggested actions yet in the Assistant routines.
As for pipe leak detector brands, only two are available to be added with native controls. If you have a LeakSmart or Flo by Moen, you can also now add them through the Google Home app or the Assistant settings. Then you’ll be able to ask Google Assistant if there are any leaks in your house or if you need to shut off the water from your house.
If your sprinkler or leak detectors are other brands but are still smart, then you can still add Assistant support but you’ll have to say something like “Hey Google, ask _______ to ________”. In other words, you have to be more specific as opposed to just saying “Start watering” or “Are there any leaks?”. Hopefully more brands will be added with native support.
