Google announced the Google TV Streamer, a successor of the Google Chromecast. Next to the ability to watch your favourite show on a streaming service or listen to music like you’re used to with the Chromecast, the Google TV Streamer also works as a Smart Home hub with Matter and Thread. It will be available from September 24th for $99,99/€119 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon (US).
Features
The Google TV Streamer is a significant upgrade from the popular Chromecast, as it now also acts as a Smart Home hub. It’s no longer a dongle with a HDMI cable attached, but a set-up box design, including a port for an ethernet cable. With these new features, it is a lot more similar to the Apple TV, which already serves as a Smart Home hub for quite some time. It’s of course also still able to do everything you are used to do with a Chromecast. It can stream in 4K, the memory is doubled and has 32GB of storage. The included remote is also updated, with a larger design and an added favourites button which you can configure yourself. With this button, you’re able to open the new Smart Home Panel, which can show your camera’s and where you can control all your Google Home devices, such as lights, thermostats or fans.
Matter and Thread support
With Matter and Thread becoming the standard in Smart Home to connect and control your devices, Google adds another Smart Home Hub to their range with the Google TV Streamer. With the Google Nest Hub 2 as a more dedicated Smart Home Hub, this Google TV Streamer will probably be used by a wider range of people, also those without a Smart Home. Having these protocols already available in the Google TV Streamer allows people to easily take their first steps in the Smart Home world, without the need to buy another dedicated hub. Similar to Apple, Google now also offers both a set-up box and a speaker as a Smart Home hub. There are also more and more rumours about a new HomePod from Apple with a screen, which would equalise the options even more.
Availability and Price
The Google TV Streamer is available from September 24th for $99,99/€119 in the Google Store and at other retailers. You can already pre-order the Google TV Streamer on Amazon (US). Google also announced an updated version of the Nest Learning Thermostat, the 4th generation. This thermostat will be available from August 20th in the United States and Canada ands supports Matter over WiFI. A release date for Europe is currently not announced yet.
