It’s spring, and you’re stuck at home, so this is a great time to focus your attention on home improvement. Smart lighting is a perfect first function for any smart home project, and Dell has just the deal to simplify the project and help you save money: A Google Smart Light Starter Kit with Google Assistant — including a Google Home Mini and GE C-Life Smart Bulb — for only $45, down $10 from the usual $55.
Use the Google Home app on your smartphone to install the Google Home Mini first. You can experiment with how far you want to place the device from where family members might make a voice request, but the Mini’s two microphones support far-field voice detection. In testing, Digital Trends found the Mini could understand commands spoken with a normal speaking voice from as far as 20 feet away.
The Google Home Mini smart speaker has a full-range driver adequate for background music and casual listening. You can bring your playlists with support for streaming music from Spotify, Tunein, Google Play Music, and Chromecast. The smart speaker connects to other devices via Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi.
The smart device’s most significant function is proving hands-free access to Google’s search engine. Say, “Hey Google” or “OK Google” and then ask the Google Home Mini anything you’d ordinarily type in a Google search. If the answer is complicated, the Home Mini gives a partial response and sends a link with more information to your email account. The Google Home Mini also functions as a management and control point for other Google Assistant-compatible smart devices in your home.
As for the GE C-Life Smart Bulb, it emits a warm 2700K light. If you use the bulb for three hours a day, GE estimates the bulb will last for around 13.7 years at an estimated yearly cost of $1.14.
Google’s Smart Light Starter Kit with the Google Home Mini and the GE C-Life Smart Bulb is a good starting point if you want to start introducing smart lights to your home without dropping a ton of cash at once. The Google Smart Light Starter Kit usually sells for $55, but Dell dropped the price to $45 for this deal. Take advantage of this offer, and after just a few minutes of installation time, you’ll be able to say, “Hey Google, turn on the lights.”
Looking for something a bit different? We’ve rounded up all the best Philips Hue deals.
