Late last year, Google introduced the Home Panel for Google TV, initially launching it on the Google TV Streamer and subsequently expanding its availability to Chromecast for Public Preview users. Recently, Google has made the Home Panel accessible to all users of the Chromecast with Google TV, eliminating the need for a Public Preview account.
The Home Panel has become a central hub for managing various smart home devices straight from your TV screen. Users can control lights, adjust thermostats, and view security cams without needing a separate smartphone.
Additionally, it provides real-time alerts from smart doorbells and allows for door locking and plug management, all while remaining comfortably seated. Over the past few days, 9to5Google has noted an increase in the Home Panel’s availability across multiple devices.
It’s now also operational on TVs from brands like Hisense, enhancing its reach. This feature offers live updates on the status of devices, such as light brightness and speaker volume, thus providing seamless control through the TV remote.
Upon starting your Chromecast with Google TV, a prompt will appear asking if you’d like to set up the Home Panel. The setup process is straightforward and even integrates Nest Doorbell alerts directly onto your TV screen, which was previously only available on the TV Streamer.
In addition to smart TVs from TCL, the Home Panel is making its way to Xiaomi set-top boxes. Users can locate it via the Quick Settings menu, generally accessed by holding down the home button on the remote.
To ensure functionality, it’s advisable to keep the Google TV Home app and related applications updated via the Google Play Store. Although it may lack some features of the full Google Home app, the Home Panel greatly simplifies managing your smart home technology from your TV.
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