By Tim Brookes
Publication Date: 2025-11-29 19:30:00
Google and Amazon are particularly good at selling the smart home vision, but these platforms have some big drawbacks, too. Consider switching to or starting out with a more capable and reliable alternative, which will save you money and frustration in the long run.
Here’s why Google and Amazon’s smart home platforms aren’t all that.
The problem with Google and Amazon smart homes
The biggest problem with Google and Amazon smart homes is their dependence on the cloud. This was put on full display in October 2025 when Amazon’s AWS web hosting service encountered a huge outage. In addition to breaking Snapchat, Reddit, and IMDb, it also brought Amazon’s smart home ecosystem to its knees.
Both Alexa and Ring were unavailable during this time, which means Amazon’s voice assistant and its line of video doorbells were completely unresponsive. With no offline recording facilities, Ring doorbells didn’t capture anything during…
