Google Home may still be catching up to Amazon Echo, but the internet search titan has a second-gen smart speaker under the works to one-up its chief rival. Rumours are rife with details about Google Home 2.0 that is also going to act as a Wi-Fi router and mesh network.
With this integration, Google is solving the headache of buying and setting up two devices. It could also help the integrated Google Assistant interact better with other smart devices around the house as the Wi-Fi router and mesh network would extend the Wi-Fi network around the house and cover any deadzones.
If the rumour holds true, the upgraded version of Google Home could solve all your poor connections around the home.
"They want to have complete coverage of Wi-Fi in the house," an anonymous source told The Information. "Alphabet's goal is to get more devices in the home that do more. Coverage of Wi-Fi is a huge pain point."
Google and Amazon's battle in the smart home arena is an intense one. While Amazon Echo leads with thousands of skills, Google Home has been catching up quickly to give a tough fight to its biggest rival. The web-giant partnered with 12 smart home brands and added support for their gadgets in Google Home.
So if you want to check if your August smart lock is locked or control lights connected to Wink, Google Home has you covered. But it is still far from Amazon Echo's capabilities to control a vast variety of third-party smart devices.
Based on the rumours, the new Google Home will have an edge over Amazon Echo as the Alexa-powered smart speaker lacks any such thing. But that doesn't mean there's absolutely no hope for Amazon Echo in the future. According to CNET, Amazon's has invested $12.5 million in a mesh networking firm called Luma. But Amazon lacks the hardware here and Google has an edge with its Google Wi-Fi, so it's Amazon's turn to do some catching up.
The launch and price details of the new Google Home aren't available just yet, but we are guessing it to cost cheaper than Amazon Echo 2.0 or even the original Amazon Echo, which is available for $180.
