Best Google Home add-ons and accessories

Welcome to the Google Home shadow market, a symbiotic ecosystem of third-party merchandise that add a bit extra versatility to the Google Home Mini and unique Google Home good speaker. Some grant true portability to Google’s otherwise-tethered audio system. Others aid you place the audio system in a extra handy place. Intrigued? Let’s bounce in.Mount Genie Google Home Mini Outlet Wall MountThe Google Home Mini is already sufficiently small to position nearly anyplace, however its USB energy cable is gangly and ugly, and Google gives no in-box adapter to plug the Mini straight right into a wall outlet. Luckily, the Google Home Mini Outlet Wall Mount from Mount Genie is an efficient widget for slapping the speaker straight in your wall, although its construct high quality aligns carefully with its $8 worth. Jon Phillips/IDG
The Mount Genie Wall Mount has a low sufficient profile to accommodate my hair dryer plug.
This plastic mount is available in both black or white, and when inserted into socket, it left sufficient room to plug in both my electrical toothbrush, beard trimmer, or hair dryer plug pictured right here. The far fringe of the speaker extends lower than 5 inches from the sting of the outlet cowl, so it will possibly slot in tight areas whether or not your outlet is oriented horizontally or vertically, and whether or not you plug the Mini the wrong way up or proper facet up. There’s a gap within the mount to achieve the mute button, however be forewarned: If you orient your Mini above the outlet, as proven right here, you’ll must reverse your contact quantity controls. Jon Phillips/IDG
It is usually a battle to get the ability wire tucked beneath the Wall Mount’s clips.
You set up the Mini by mounting Google’s energy adapter, snapping within the speaker, after which threading Google’s energy wire beneath the mount’s plastic clips. It’s tough to get the USB connector beneath the clips, and I discovered I needed to elevate these flimsy plastic items to slot in the wire. One clip broke throughout the course of, however the remaining clips saved the wire in place. Sure, construct high quality could possibly be higher, however the mount prices solely $8, and it solves an enormous drawback.Dot Genie Google Home Mini BackpackIt seems like the oldsters at Mount Genie have continued to evolve their expertise for slapping a Google Home Mini straight on a wall. We do not know why the $15 Google Home Mini Backpack is offered below the Dot Genie model, however the field is labeled Mount Genie, and the meeting course of is a vexing because the Outlet Wall Mount coated above. Jon Phillips/IDG
The Google Home Mini Backpack seems low-profile, nevertheless it nonetheless takes up sufficient area to crowd the neighboring outlet plug.
Ostensibly, meeting must be straightforward. First you pop within the included energy adapter, which replaces the adapter Google ships with its good speaker. Next you insert the speaker into the Backpack chassis—it’s speculated to click on along with an apparent snap. Finally, you hyperlink the ability adapter to the Mini with a bundled USB connector. This teeny, tiny cable replaces Google’s gangly cable, fully obviating the query, “What do I do with this stupid cord?”Just one drawback: It took six or seven makes an attempt to get the speaker to snap into the Backpack. I used to be about to provide this widget a foul evaluate, complaining the plastic bracket was molded too brief to really grip the speaker. But I gave it one remaining strive, and, alas, the Mini snapped in. Jon Phillips/IDG
The Backpack has a plastic floor pin that helps hold your speaker caught to the wall, however forces a right-side up orientation.
The Google Home Mini Backpack is available in black, white, or coral to match Google’s colours. Its outlet footprint is greater than the Outlet Wall Mount, and whereas my electrical toothbrush plug settled in properly, the hair dryer plug was a really tight match, and the beard trimmer plug wouldn’t match within the neighboring outlet in any respect. What’s extra, the Backpack can solely be inserted into three-prong retailers due to its plastic “dummy ground” pin, which retains the unit secure in your wall. And due to this plastic pin, the unit can solely be oriented right-side up—however at the very least that positions your quantity contact controls accurately.The Backpack makes use of thicker plastic than the Outlet Wall Mount, and I believe it’s the higher alternative, regardless of costing a whopping $15 (that’s, until you could have massive plugs that must share the identical outlet). Just be sure you pop all of it the best way in, even when it refuses to snap.JOT Portable Battery Case for Google Home MiniThe idea is easy: Pop your Google Home Mini into the JOT Portable Battery Case, and it’ll allow you to use your speaker anyplace inside Wi-Fi vary, fully untethered from Google’s energy adapter. Obviously, a cord-free Google Home doesn’t supply any advantages until you want portability. But by utilizing the $30 JOT, I’m capable of take my Mini outdoors and hearken to music and podcasts anyplace within the yard. You might produce other makes use of in thoughts. Consider the probabilities. Jon Phillips/IDG
The JOT Battery Case offers you about eight hours of moveable Google Home Mini energy.
Of all of the Mini equipment I’ve examined, the JOT Portable Battery Case has one of the best construct high quality and best set up. To insert the Mini, you depress two buttons on the thick plastic shell; align the speaker’s USB port with JOT’s built-in micro USB plug; snap the shell again along with a satisfying click on, and… that’s it. Now it’s time to cost the battery case with Google’s energy adapter. It takes about three hours to cost absolutely, however as soon as it’s carried out, you’ll be able to benefit from the Mini for a claimed eight hours of run time. Four LED lights point out cost ranges, and the unit leaves a gap so that you can entry the speaker’s mute swap.It’s a easy product that will get the job carried out. Available in carbon or silver.Mount Genie Google Home Mini PedestalThe Mount Genie Google Home Mini Pedestal lifts your wee good speaker off a flat floor and orients it kind of upright. In this place, you’ll be able to higher see its colourful Google lights, and the audio soundscape ought to enhance too. The pedestal is only a single piece of molded plastic, however that’s what you get for $11. Jon Phillips/IDG
The Google Home Mini Pedestal is exceedingly easy however performs an essential process.
The plastic feels somewhat skinny and insubstantial, however when you thread Google’s USB cable by means of the pedestal’s base, and plug it into the speaker, the Mini sits confidently inside. Just make sure that to reverse your contact controls, as a result of, technically, your speaker can be sitting upside-down. The pedestal is available in charcoal, silver, and white.Ninety7 Loft Portable Battery BaseFinally, now we have somewhat accent love for Google’s unique good speaker, the full-size Google Home. The Loft Portable Battery Base ($39.95) replaces the present base on Google’s speaker, and provides you as much as 10 hours of cord-free energy, due to its built-in Lithium-Ion battery. (Battery life will actually rely upon how arduous you push the speaker itself.) Alexandria Haslam
Ninety7’s Loft is a must have accent for Google Home customers who need true portability.
We had been impressed by the Loft’s lightness, and the way nicely its design integrates with Google’s speaker. And it’s straightforward to take away Google’s base and shortly snap the Loft base into place. You cost the Loft with Google’s personal energy adapter, and the whole cost time is about 4 hours.If you’re trying to take your Google Home anyplace inside Wi-Fi vary (the yard maybe), the Loft is your ticket. We want it got here with a USB port to cost different units, and it appears a bit expensive contemplating the Google Home itself prices solely $99, as of press time. But apart from that, we actually can’t complain.