Google has one of the most solid smart home ecosystems around with Google Home and Google Nest. For those of you who want to get a little bit more technical with automations and routines, the script editor is a useful way to have a more automated and overall robust smart home. Now, new improvements are being made to the editor, potentially making Google Home one of the most capable smart home platforms currently available.
Following the successful launch of the script editor in Public Preview earlier this year, Google has announced a slew of new changes and additions to the script editor, making it more versatile and useful. One important addition here is the integration of camera event types as automation starters. This feature allows Google Nest cameras to trigger home automations by recognizing certain things. Examples of where this could become useful include activating announcements and lights upon detecting package deliveries, playing welcoming tunes upon recognizing familiar faces, and even using calming music to soothe pets upon detection.
Another feature we should mention here is the introduction of custom notifications, permitting users to create tailor-made alerts as part of their automation routines. These notifications can be personalized with specific rules and information, offering a versatile range of applications, from monitoring children’s arrivals to managing energy consumption.
In addition, we also have something called starter suppression, which will greatly improve your smart home experience by preventing repetitive triggers. By imposing a brief cooldown period after an automation is initiated, you can avoid the annoyance of frequent, unnecessary activations. If you ever find yourself in need of troubleshooting something, an automation log is also available — you can pull it up and see what exactly is wrong with your automations and take swift action if needed.
If you want to give these changes a spin, make sure to check out the script editor now. It’s still in a Public Preview stage, and opening the editor will clearly let you know about this fact, but it’s sure getting there. It also only works for devices added to your Google Home, so if you have devices only compatible with Alexa or other ecosystems, you’re out of luck.
Source: Google