Smart speakers, like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Echo devices, are listening to your every word – but only when they hear their name do they start paying attention say the manufacturers. Otherwise, everything passes them by.

For some, such assurances aren’t good enough, and they reject the whole idea of smart homes in the belief that, without an ear-wigging assistant, wireless-enabled lighting and remote-controlled heating are out of reach. If you are among them, think again.

Smart without the speaker

Smart speakers are just one tool you can use to interact with your home, and only a very brave manufacturer would develop a new smart home device that couldn’t work without one.

TP-Link’s highly regarded Wi-Fi-enabled lightbulbs and plugs can all be controlled using its free Kasa app for iPhones and Android devices. Likewise, Ikea’s keenly priced network-ready speakers, switches and bulbs are entirely programmable and controllable using its companion Tradfri app, again available for both iOS and Android. (Tradfri, if you’re curious, is the Swedish for thread free.)

When it comes to heating, both Hive, from British Gas, and Nest, from Google’s parent company, Alphabet, are likewise managed through your smartphone, which in many ways is more convenient than using your voice, as you can address them remotely. Better yet, they are location aware, so can turn down your heating when you leave home and boost it on your return. Naturally, you will need to agree to be tracked for this feature to work but, if that makes you uncomfortable, it is an option, not an obligation, and the system works perfectly well without it.

Big brother isn’t watching

Smart devices have a part to play in keeping our homes safe, too. Ring produces a range of camera-equipped doorbells that feed video to Echo Show, Amazon’s screen-equipped smart speakers. It does this by uploading the video to Amazon’s servers but, once there, there are strict rules over who can – and can’t – access it. Ring’s own staff can’t watch your video, and it can only disclose the contents to very specific third parties: namely, law enforcement officials in possession of the appropriate warrants, or if there is a danger of death.

Crucially, you can define the areas that the doorbell pays attention to, to minimise the number of times it is triggered and captures footage. Not only will this reduce the number of interruptions you suffer; it also lets you reassure your neighbours that you won’t be tracking their every move.

Once again, although Ring doorbells work well with smart devices like Echo Show, there is no obligation to pair the two and, with apps for both Android and iOS, they work just as well stand-alone, controlled using your phone.

New kit on the block

The leading voice assistants are all produced by commercial enterprises: Alexa on Echo devices from Amazon, Siri from Apple, Cortana from Microsoft and Assistant from Google. Each maintains strict limits on how your data can be used but, if you still feel queasy about teaming up with a company that could – in theory – have valid commercial reasons for learning more about you, take a look at Mycroft.

Mycroft’s smart speaker, which goes by the same name as its parent company, is built from the ground up with privacy in mind. The code that underpins it is open to public inspection, the team behind it doesn’t rely on advertising or selling products other than its own assistant, and it deletes your data in real time, if you ask it.

Better yet, we reckon that its Mark II device, which should be heading into production soon, is one of the best-looking smart speakers going. Unfortunately, support for smart home devices like lightbulbs, heating and Wi-Fi connected plugs is thin on the ground, but with another player in the market there could be even fewer reasons not to make your home a bit smarter over the next few years.

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