Google Home & Google Wifi on sale from July 20

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 18 July 2017

Google is set to expand its Australian hardware offering with the impending launch of its Google Home smart speaker and Google Wifi routers on July 20.

Google Home is Google's voice-activated smart speaker, powered by Google Assistant. Calling out "OK Google" will bring the speaker to life and allow you to ask questions and issue commands. For example, Google Home is able to provide news updates, answer general questions, translate phrases, read our your schedule, and let you know how long your commute will take.

Given that it's a speaker, it shouldn't be surprising that Google Home also has multimedia capabilities. You can use your voice to get Google Home to play music through Spotify or Google Play Music, and if you've got a Chromecast, you can also issue commands to play Netflix, Stan and YouTube content on your TV.

Google Home is compatible with select smart home appliances and applications, such as Philips Hue bulbs and IFTTT.

Google has optimised Home to understand Australian accents, and says it will understand common abbreviations like "brekkie" and "servo".

Google Home will retail for $199 and will be available direct through Google, or through JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, The Good Guys, Telstra, Optus, and the Qantas Store. Google is throwing in six-months of free YouTube Red to customers who purchase a Google Home, which allows ad-free YouTube access and unlimited streaming through Google Play Music.

Google Wifi is Google's take on a mesh wireless router system. While you can buy a single Google Wifi router, the puck-shaped devices are designed to be used in a group to ensure stronger Wi-Fi coverage in a household. Each Google Wifi unit has two gigabit Ethernet ports, and supports dual band AC12000 Wi-Fi.

A companion app is a key part of the Google Wifi system, helping you to setup the device, share Wi-Fi passwords, see what devices are connected to your network, block specific devices from accessing the internet, and prioritise individual devices when higher speeds are required.

Google Wifi will retail for $199 for a single unit, or $499 for a three-pack. You'll be able to get your hands on Google Wifi direct from Google, or through JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, and Officeworks.

Google Home and Google Wifi are compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

Read full bio