Recently, a smart house was built around a smartphone. Today is the home appliance center—smart speakers. Using the new SberBoom Home and SberBoom Mini 2 with GigaChat artificial intelligence, we show how to assemble a smart home. Inexpensive, and effective for the whole family.
In this article, we’ll explore how to select a smart speaker for your home and which smart home gadgets are essential for creating a comprehensive ecosystem. Additionally, the editor-in-chief of Hi-Tech Mail will share his experience with the SberBoom Home and Sber sensors and offer tips on setting up a smart home.
Which Smart Speaker to Choose
To build a smart home around a speaker, you first need to determine which speaker fits your needs. Its features will influence how you connect other sensors, whether you need a second speaker for enhanced sound, and where you should place it. Let’s examine the SberBoom Home and SberBoom Mini 2 as examples. These entry-level devices won’t break the bank, yet they boast advanced technology. For example, the new smart speakers from Sber include the virtual assistant Salyut, who can:
- Craft a fairytale and narrate an exciting story with your children’s favorite characters.
- Offer advice on writing a business letter or congratulating your mother-in-law on her anniversary, among many other tasks.
Moreover, you can connect these new smart speakers to the TV Sber and televisions with the SberBox set-top box to output sound through them. This feature is just one of many—llet’s dive into the details.
SberBoom Home
The SberBoom Home represents a new line of smart speakers from Sber, positioned between the SberBoom Mini 2 and the SberBoom. Here are its key features:
- Monochrome Display: While people show emotions through facial expressions, the SberBoom Home communicates via a display on its front panel. It displays city traffic conditions, weather information (temperature and cloudiness), and features a visual equalizer that animates with pixel graphics when you pause or play music. The screen feels almost alive, making the gadget feel more interactive. It even winks and smiles at the user! The brightness adjusts automatically; it’s visible during the day and not blinding at night.
- ZigBee 3.0 Support: This is essential for a modern smart home. Thanks to ZigBee 3.0, sensors, smart lamps, and other devices can operate locally even without internet access.
- 8W Sound Power: The SberBoom Home provides 360-degree sound, and thanks to the neodymium magnet in the speaker and Magnetic Sound technology, it delivers excellent sound for its size. If you want clear sound without buying a large, expensive speaker, this is a great choice.
- Practical Design: The SberBoom Home blends into any interior and remains appealing over time. The fabric covering gives it a soft look and feels pleasant to touch. It comes in 5 colors. The fabric also has a water-repellent coating; even if ketchup, coffee, or cocoa spills, a wet cloth will clean it up.
SberBoom Mini 2
This is Sber’s most affordable smart speaker. It connects to smart home sensors via Wi-Fi rather than ZigBee, but still includes several useful features:
- Improved Sound: Engineers at SberDevices have enhanced the sound of this “mini” speaker. The power remains 5W, but the music feels more immersive, especially the low frequencies. It also uses Magnetic Sound technology with a neodymium magnet.
- New Transparent Design: While other manufacturers use solid-colored plastic, Sber plays with color and texture. The transparent body and bold “SberBoom Mini 2” branding look fresh and intriguing. It’s available in 5 colors.
- “Radio Point” Mount: This feature, first seen in the SberBoom Mini, was so popular it was included in the SberBoom 2. Like the Soviet “radio point,” you can hang the speaker on a hook or nail. It saves desk space and fills the room with sound.
In Summary: Which Speaker to Choose
- SberBoom Mini 2: Ideal for children, grandparents, or if you need a speaker for music and smart home control in a summer house or kitchen.
- SberBoom Home: Perfect if you want good sound without cluttering shelves, have ZigBee-compatible sensors, and value a display. For instance, if you use the speaker as a clock radio.
- SberBoom: A larger speaker with powerful 40W sound for those who prioritize high-quality audio and deep bass.
Building a Smart Home: Maximizing the Use of Smart Speakers
Here are some tips for setting up a budget-friendly smart home system:
- Quick Setup: Setting up a new speaker is a family event, especially for tech enthusiasts. If this isn’t your first smart speaker, you might want to speed up the process. Use the “Salyut!” app on Android, a PWA app on iOS, or “Sberbank Online” to ask the voice assistant to connect the new speaker. This process takes a few minutes. It’s even more convenient if your Sber smart speaker recognizes the “newcomer.” Simply press the “+” button and wait for synchronization—aand you’re done. Wi-Fi connection and account synchronization will happen automatically.
- Working with Smart Devices: Smart speakers should sync with various devices. Sensors detect temperature, humidity, leaks, motion, and send commands to the smart speaker. Useful devices include smart plugs, smart bulbs, and LED RGB strips. You can control household appliances like kettles, air humidifiers, and air conditioners via voice commands through the speaker. Sber offers a range of ZigBee-supported sensors and devices. If you uncheck “Works with Zigbee speaker or hub” in the app, you’ll find dozens of partner integrations, including Yeelight, Philips Hue, Aqara, Sonoff, and many other major brands’ devices that work with the Sber smart home system.
A detailed guide on connecting Sber smart home sensors is available from Hi-Tech Mail. However, the main feature of the SberBoom Home is support for ZigBee 3.0, allowing direct connection of Sber (and other) sensors to the smart speaker without needing a separate hub. Sensors can send real-time data. Additionally, any SberBoom speaker can act as a security monitor. If you leave the house and the speaker hears a sharp sound, you’ll receive a notification on your smartphone. It recognizes crying, water noise, and barking—ffive “warning signals” in total. To use this feature, enable the noise detector in the app.
- Stereo Pairing: To enhance sound and create a stereo effect, you can pair two smart speakers into a stereo pair. Not all devices can do this, but all SberBoom speakers can, including the first-generation SberBoom Mini. Both speakers need to be of the same generation; SberBoom Mini 2 and SberBoom Home cannot be paired. If both are connected, the closest SberBoom speaker will respond to the voice assistant. Engineers at SberDevices have addressed this: the nearest speaker will respond and communicate with you.
- TV Synchronization: This feature is especially useful for those with a Sber smart TV or any generation SberBox set-top box. You can connect SberBoom Mini 2 and SberBoom Home to them and control the TV with your voice. Most importantly, you can output sound through the speakers! No wires are needed. You can:
- Turn the TV on and off (available for SberBox and some Sber TV models, and by the end of the year for all).
- Play movies and TV shows, and manage live TV.
- Control playback in any app and online cinema.
Additionally, remember the possibility of pairing two speakers. You can connect them to the TV and create a real soundbar effect. Placing the speakers farther apart will enhance the sound experience. A pair of SberBoom Mini 2 is cheaper than a basic soundbar—aa cost-effective way to upgrade your TV audio system. Plus, unlike a monolithic soundbar, two speakers can be positioned to improve sound quality and provide immersive audio.
Summary
Early smart home systems depended on smartphones, and voice assistants resided in mobile devices. However, with the advent of smart speakers, the dynamics changed: they now serve as the hub for sensors, smart bulbs, and outlets. They tell stories to children and play music for adults. You can check traffic and weather directly from the speaker and view it on the SberBoom Home screen. Even if the power goes out, ZigBee 3.0 allows continued interaction with the smart home through local scenarios. Connecting to Sber TVs is a standout feature of the new speakers. With quality sound and stereo pairing, you get an affordable alternative to an audio system.