How To Set Up A Google Home Mini

Google Home is a voice-activated speaker that you control with your voice. You can ask it questions, tell it to set a timer, play music or news, and control other smart home devices. A Google Home device also comes with a free Google Home Mini that you can place in another room so you can ask your original device to do things like read you the news while you’re in the kitchen. These devices are not cheap and some people may have difficulty justifying the cost when they could just get an Echo Dot for half the price and accomplish exactly the same thing as a result. However, if you want to take advantage of all of the cool things that Google Home has to offer, adding a Mini is definitely worth it. Here’s how to set up your Google Home Mini.

How To Set Up Google Home Mini

First things first, you need to set up your original Google Home. You can do this by downloading the Google Home app on your phone or tablet.
Now that you have your original Google Home set up on your home network, you’ll need to turn on “Home Control” in the settings menu. This is the same for both phones and tablets so you won’t have to do it twice.
Once you’ve turned on “Home Control” in the settings menu, open the Google Home app and tap “Add a device” at the bottom of the home screen.
The next step will ask if this should be a new device or an existing one that is connected through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Select “Existing one that is connected through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth” and then make sure to connect it with a compatible router (you can find out what type of router it needs by looking in the Settings menu of your router).
Once your device is connected to your router, you’ll need to add it as a “Smart Speaker”. To do this, tap the “Home control” icon in the top left corner of the Google Home app and select “Add a new device” at the bottom of that menu.
Once you have added your new device as a Smart Speaker, you can begin using it using the same voice commands that you would use for an Echo or Dot!

What You Need To Set Up Your Google Home Mini

Google Home Mini
A micro-USB cable to connect your devices to a power source; you can use the one that came with your device or purchase an additional one.
Google Home Mini’s base and top, which you will remove from the box and place on their respective sides in order to connect them together. You will also need some adhesive foam that can be found at any craft store or hardware store for about $5.
Some double-sided tape, which you can find at any craft store or hardware store for around $2.00
A 12v adapter that is rated at 3 amps, if you don’t have one already (you can get one here on Amazon)
An HDMI cable that is rated at 2 meters in length (you can get one here on Amazon)
An audio cable, which is just a 3-inch mini stereo jack extension cable that you can find at any electronics store or online.

Hook Up Your Google Home

First, you’ll need to hook up your speaker so it can talk to the rest of your smart home. Google Home Mini comes with a small power cord that plugs into the back of the device. Plug this into an outlet and then plug in your speaker as you would a traditional speaker.
Next, plug your speaker into a power outlet and then connect it to Wi-Fi by pressing the blue button on top of the device until you see “Wi-Fi” appear on the screen. This is where you tell Google Home what network it should join when it has finished setting up Wi-Fi for the first time. You can do this by going to Settings > Wi-Fi > Add network > Select “Your Network Name” or “Guest Network” (depending on if you want guests to be able to access your Google Home Mini). Please note that if you have multiple speakers throughout your home, each one will need its own Wi-Fi network.
Now that you’ve plugged your speaker into a power outlet and connected it to Wi-Fi, your Google Home Mini is ready to go! To get started, you can say, “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” to activate the device. You’ll then be asked to give your Mini a name when you first use it. You can do this by saying, “Ok Google, what is the name of my Google Home?” or if you prefer to use a different voice command, you can say, “Hey Google, tell me what my name is.”
Once your Mini has been given a name and you have successfully connected it to Wi-Fi (or if it asks for your Wi-Fi password), it will ask if you want to pair Bluetooth devices with your speaker. If so, go ahead and connect any Bluetooth devices that are in the range of the Mini (your phone will show up as an option). If not, skip this step and continue on with the setup.

Set Up The Google Home App

Download the Google Home app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Open the app and sign in with your Google Account
Tap the menu icon in the top right corner of your screen and then tap “Add A Device”
Tap “Google Home Mini” to add it to your account.
Make sure you’re signed in to your account before you tap “Next” on this screen, as that will allow you to set up multiple devices using this method.
Tap “Next” on this screen, too, as that will allow you to set up multiple devices using this method.
When prompted, enter the Wi-Fi password for your Google Home Mini and tap “Next”. You can also choose not to use a password if you’d like and just grant it access to your home network by tapping “OK”. In addition, note that all of these settings are stored on Google’s servers so if something happens to one of your devices, you can restore it to factory settings by using this method.
You will be asked if you want to change the name of your device. Tap “Yes”, then “Next”
Tap “Finish”. Your device should now be set up and ready to use!

Set Language And Voice Match

Open the Google Home app and go to settings.
Tap the “Language” tab and choose the language you want to use.
Tap “Voice Match” and follow the on-screen instructions until you’ve completed them all.
Once done, open the Google Home app on your phone and go to settings, then “Voice Match.”
Tap “Matching” and wait for it to finish matching before you continue with the rest of this setup process.
You’ll see that a blue check has been placed next to your Google Home Mini in your house, indicating that it’s ready to pair with your phone! Tap “OK” next to your Mini in order for it to pair with your phone so you can control it from there!

Add Rooms And Devices

First, you need to add your Google Home Mini to a room in your home. To do this, you need to be in the “My Home” section of the Google Home app. Click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner and select “Add Device”.
From here, you can choose to put it anywhere within your home that is close enough to an outlet and has WiFi coverage. Click on “Add Room” at the bottom of the screen and select a room name from the list of options that appears. When you have finished adding rooms, click on “Done” at the bottom of the screen.
Now that your Google Mini is added to a room in your house, you need to add it as an accessory for another device so that it will work with them together. From within My Home on your phone or tablet, click on “My Home” again and then head over to Devices. Click on “Add Device” from here and choose Google Home Mini from the list that appears.
Now that your Google Home Mini is added as an accessory for your other device, you can start using it. You can ask it to play music, tell you the weather, or read news or articles from various websites including the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Final Words

Once you’ve completed all of these steps, your Google Home Mini will be all set up and ready to go. You can use it to play music, set timers, and alarms, and ask it questions, just like you can with full-sized devices. You can also use it to control the other smart home devices that are connected to your Google Home devices, like smart lights or thermostats.