What is home voice control?
Forgotten to turn the thermostat off before going to bed and don’t want to get out of your comfy slumber? Wish you had some background music while cooking but your hands are covered in buttery flour? We have all been there. It’s at times like these you could really do with an extra set of hands with voice-controlled home automation. would it not be great if you could just call out a command and your wishes are magically granted? Now you can. Thanks to a huge range of voice-controllable devices, you can control your home completely hands-free. You can turn the smart thermostat off from bed and the music on from the kitchen with a simple voice command.
Many people find the voice assistant fun too and more natural than typing. Plus, it is much easier for children to use.

The home assistant is easy to use and inexpensive to set up
It's also a local service, which means it won't send any data to the cloud, even if it has to retrieve data from the internet. The actions and commands you have set up are for your eyes only. It is also very easy to "program" actions using Home Assistant's locally hosted web interface. This is important because a service like this can get quite complex if you want to program large-scale routines, so having a nice, simple interface makes doing this a lot easier. I think anyone with more than just gadgets and even a slight interest in taking the next step really needs to check out Home Assistant.

1 - think about compatibility
Evaluate any home automation devices you already own and which hubs integrate with them. If you intend to integrate multiple devices, such as security or lighting, you’ll want to make sure your internet and router are up to the task. Consider setting up a separate network to protect home automation devices from hackers. In the case you live in a rural area where bandwidth is an issue, explore options like satellite internet to bolster your speed and ensure the connectivity your smart home requires.
​When you need broad compatibility with multiple devices, Alexa is your best bet. Alexa is Amazon’s virtual assistant powered by AI, and it comes preloaded on devices like the Amazon Echo—the smart speaker that spearheaded broad adaption of voice assistants. amazon also boasts one of the cheaper ways to get into smart home control with the compact Echo Dot. However, you should be aware that, like always, you get what you pay for. Those cheaper speakers can be lackluster, and Alexa has a more difficult time discerning voice recognition. Better options for Alexa can be smart displays, such as the Echo Show 5.

Alexa’s impressive library of over 80,000 skills, including third-party capabilities, makes it the most versatile of the virtual assistants. From lighting control and the weather to integrating thermostats and controlling streaming sticks, Alexa stays busy. It does have some shortcomings though, such as clunky smartphone integration and difficulties playing nice with things in Google’s repertoire, such as YouTube.

 2 - The smarts: think about Google Assistant
Saying Google’s digital assistant is the brainchild of the smart home family is probably an understatement. The Google Nest ecosystem runs on Android and iOS, but the Google Assistant is powered by the behemoth that is Google search. This puts the internet at your fingertips and makes Google Assistant adept at more complex requests. While Google Assistant can be used on smartphones, smart speakers such as the Google Nest Mini also have an attractive entry cost to match Amazon’s prices for the comparable Echo. The Google Nest Hub, a smart display with Google Assistant integrated, is also a well-built choice here.

As you might expect from a Silicon Valley giant, Google’s advanced technology and focus on AI also makes it a superior digital assistant when it comes to voice recognition. Google Assistant offers multiple languages, and its dynamic multiuser functionality allows it to recognize up to six different voices tied to different accounts. If you use the Google suite of products online, you’re in luck because your home hub is going to integrate seamlessly, allowing you to call up Google calendar, add appointments, get driving directions, and more.
Google’s Achilles heel is its less extensive compatibility. While it does work with a select group of third-party devices, including Nest products, the menu of home automation choices is less robust than Alexa’s.

 3 - Are you Apple Fans: think about: Siri
Google and Amazon dominate the smart home assistant market, but there is a third option, and it’s one you should already know—Siri. Because Siri is exclusive to Apple products, you’ll find fewer choices for compatible home automation. But if you’re already a fan of the Apple brand (and hardware), you may find an unparalleled user experience in the way Apple’s platform integrates with the Apple HomeKit ecosystem and the Apple Home app.Siri is, of course, the voice of your iPhone, so many people will find it soothing and familiar. HomeKit also presents the distinct advantage of being able to control your smart home devices without a hub or speaker through Siri’s voice recognition on an iPad, Apple TV, or smartphone.

Because of this broad capability, if you already own Apple products, Siri paired with a cadre of HomeKit accessories can be a cheaper way to get smart home control without purchasing more devices.Smart speakers are another matter. The only choice for a smart speaker with Siri capability is the Apple HomePod. In the future, more Siri-compatible speakers may come to the market from Apple and third parties.

The Risks
 Should hackers then break into the devices or the cloud systems where the data is stored
they could access these private conversations. “The minute you have microphones in people’s offices, you are creating a situation where other people will want to listen in,” Green said. Businesses with voice data that must be protected from competitors’ prying ears should especially be thinking about these types of risks.
1 - - Devices are awake—even when you think they’re not.
Although digital voice assistants are activated by a certain command, for example, for Google it is “Ok Google” and for Echo it is “Alexa”, research shows that very often they are actually awake by the sound of your voice or a simple sentence unintended to activate them. When this happens the device may record your conversation and transmit it to the cloud—consumer agencies stated that Google keeps copies of these clips each time. If this all seems relatively harmless to you, consider the case of the couple whose private conversation was recorded and then sent to one of the contacts in their address book or the many incidents of accidental orders made when a voice assistant misheard a command. Another incident involved the accidental recording of a woman giving the passcode to her home’s back door to a friend.
2 - An easy target for hackers
If the fact that your smart device is recording you makes you uneasy, you should also know that hackers can find their way into your saved recordings and use them to access personal information. In fact, experts say that hackers need only a snippet of your voice to copy it and compromise a device or even trick another human being. And it is believed that the threat of breaches will increase as the technology becomes more advanced; voice assistants can already make phone calls and order items on your behalf.
​You can read the whole security technique in the links below

The links
https://smarthomeworks.com.au/2020/06/09/what-is-voice-controlled-home-automation/
https://digitized.house/how-to-choose-the-perfect-smart-home-assistant-for-you/
https://www.popsci.com/how-to-add-voice-control-alexa-google-assistant-siri/
https://symspire.com/how-to-use-voice-assistants-with-control4-home-automation/
https://www.aferm.org/erm_feed/the-risks-of-voice-technology/
​https://allpointsprotects.com/do-voice-activated-devices-pose-a-security-risk/