How to Build Reliable, Private Voice Control for Corner of the Home

Turn lights on/off, adjust thermostats, and set scenes—all with local voice processing for instant, private control—fully under your brand.
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How to Build Reliable, Private Voice Control for Corner of the Home
Loved by developers, trusted by enterprises
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Overview

Enable homeowners to control lights, climate, and devices using natural voice—on-device, fast, and secure.

LIVING ROOMBEDROOMCLOSETBATHROOMPANTRYHALLWAYKITCHEN

The speech-to-intent engine didn't understand the command.

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  • Branded wake words like "Hey Casa" or "Lights"
  • Instant responses—no network lag
  • Fully local processing—no third-party servers
  • Accent-agnostic & multilingual support
  • Predictable usage-based licensing—no per-command cloud charges
  • Lightweight SDK that runs on microcontrollers to edge systems

👤 Who this is for

Role
How you benefit
Appliance & Lighting OEMs
Add branded voice control without Alexa or Google
Smart Home Integrators
Build on-device voice UIs for any room
Product & UX Designers
Craft seamless voice workflows—"Hey Casa, movie mode"
Privacy-Focused Homeowners
Ensure voice never leaves the house
Voice Engineers
Build fast voice stacks with Porcupine Wake Word, Cobra Voice Activity Detection, Rhino Speech to Intent

Use Case Scenarios

💡

Voice-Controlled Lighting

Users want to adjust lights without physical controls.

  • Lights, dim to 30%
  • Turn kitchen lights off
  • Lights, set scene 'movie night'
  • Commands processed locally—instant, accurate, room-by-room control.
🌡

Thermostat & Climate Control

Adjusting temperature in the middle of tasks.

  • Thermostat, raise temperature by 3 degrees
  • Set bedroom to 19°C
  • Temperature adjusts seamlessly—no app needed, even during connectivity issues.
🔌

Switch & Fan Control

Voice control for outlets, fans, or other appliances.

  • Fan, on low speed
  • Turn off living room outlet
  • Fast, cloud-free automation—turn devices on/off with no lag or privacy concerns.
🚀

Key benefits

  • Fully Private: Voice data never leaves the device or home
  • Ultra-Fast: Guaranteed response times—no network required
  • Branded, Intuitive UX: Custom wake words and conversational flows
  • Multi-Language Ready: Works across accents and languages
  • Cost Predictability: Unlimited voice, zero cloud costs
  • Ultra-Lightweight: Engineered for MCUs and embedded systems

Why Picovoice for Smart Home?

Feature
Cloud Assistants (Alexa, Google)
Picovoice (On‑Device)
Branded Wake Word
❌ Shared assistant names
✅ Custom to your brand
Privacy
❌ Voice data goes to cloud
✅ Fully local
Offline Reliability
❌ Needs internet connection
✅ Always available
Cost
❌ Ongoing cloud fees
✅ Tiered Model
Custom Voice Flows
⚠️ Skills with limitations
✅ Rhino intents

Related Products: Build Your Voice Home Stack

Porcupine
Wake Word
Trigger appliances with words like "Casa," "Lights," or your brand name
Cobra
Voice Activity Detection
Detect speech in noisy home environments
Rhino
Speech-to-Intent
Map commands such as light levels, temperature, and scenes
Koala
Noise Suppression
Improve accuracy amid vacuum or music noise
Eagle
Speaker Recognition
Recognize who's speaking to apply personalized settings (e.g., mom's preferences)
🔆

Time to add voice control without losing control

Picovoice-powered smart voice-controlled home automation solutions are accurate, private, and reliable without needing a third-party smart speaker or cloud.
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Frequently asked questions

Will it work if the internet goes down?

Yes. All voice commands are processed locally, so core functionality works even during outages. While billing and updates require connectivity, the voice control itself doesn't depend on the cloud.

Can I use my own wake word and voice commands?

Yes. With Picovoice Console, developers can create custom wake words like "Hey Casa" and define voice commands using a browser-based interface—no machine learning background required.

Is the system accurate in noisy environments?

Yes. Picovoice uses Cobra (Voice Activity Detection) and Koala (Noise Suppression) to ensure clear, accurate voice recognition—even with background noise like kitchen appliances, music, or multiple people talking.

Does it support multiple languages or accents?

Yes—Picovoice offers multilingual support and is trained on a wide range of global accents. This ensures consistent performance across diverse households, from New York to New Delhi.

Are there voice usage limits or hidden fees?

Picovoice offers usage-based licensing with no per-command charges. Once deployed, voice commands can be used freely within your selected plan.

Which platforms are supported?

Picovoice works on embedded Linux, microcontrollers, web browsers, Android, iOS, and edge devices. No matter what smart home product you're building, we've got the platform covered.