The Roku Ultra made my home smarter, the streaming was just a bonus

Summary

Smart technology integration: Roku Ultra pairs easily with Google Home and Alexa for seamless smart home control.
Versatile hub: Roku Ultra offers a range of features beyond streaming TV, like camera views and lighting control.
Budget-friendly upgrade: At $100 or less on sale, the Roku Ultra provides a cost-effective smart home solution and TV interface.

Over the years, whether it’s free promotions, curiosity, or impulse buys, I’ve amassed a few Google Home devices. I have one in my kitchen, bedroom, and an unplugged one in my basement just sitting around doing nothing. For a while, I wasn’t aware of how these could be incorporated into my room until I stumbled across light bulbs that could be controlled by voice. I have since bought a set and now my bedroom lights are tied into my Google Home hub, and it lets me turn off the lights without having to get up. I also use a Google Home device to control the Google Chromecast in my bedroom, so while I don’t have a full smart home, I have a smart room.

I picked up a Roku Ultra with the intention of putting it in my bedroom too, without even thinking about how it’d integrate into my home. My Apple TV 4K only works with other Apple devices, of which I have none, so I didn’t expect to get much mileage out of my Roku Ultra. As it turns out, it can do quite a bit more than what I initially thought. If you have an Alexa or Google Home-powered house, then you can get a lot of mileage out of a Roku, whether it’s an Ultra or something else entirely.

Roku Ultra (2024)

The Roku Ultra has refreshed for the first time since 2021. A new backlit remote, faster performance, and Wi-Fi 6 support separate this 2024 edition from the past generation.

Dimensions: 4.9 x 5.0 x 1.0 inches
Connective Technology: Bluetooth® streaming, 802.11ax dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz), 10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Brand: Roku
Audio outputs: Digital stereo over HDMI, DTS Digital Surround pass through over HDMI, Dolby Atmos decode via HDMI (with compatible speakers)
Integrations: Works with Roku Smart Home, Apple AirPlay and HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa
Wi-Fi: 802.11ax dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz)

The new Roku Ultra skips one feature it really needed to be worth the upgrade

The newest generation of the Roku Ultra has just been released, representing the first update to Roku’s top-of-the-line streamer since 2021.

The Roku Ultra feels right at home

Fits like a glove

Something I’ve talked about a lot is how the Apple TV 4K leaves a lot on the table if you don’t have other Apple products. For example, it can perform FaceTime calls and use the Find my Remote functionality, but only if you have an iPhone. To be fair, many people who buy into an ecosystem like Apple’s don’t typically buy just one product. You’re rewarded for buying in, as is the case for just about any company.

Part of what lets Roku shine is the fact there is no overarching ecosystem from Roku. You can have other Roku devices, but you don’t have to worry about picking up a Roku phone or tablet to get the most out of the products. There are some Roku products you can pick up in the ecosystem, like cameras, but any camera that works with Alexa or Google will also work. Sadly, I can’t say the same about my Apple TV, at least not intuitively.

From the comfort of your TV, you can view your cameras, control your lights, and check your doorbell. It’s a really nice thing to have around, and even if I don’t have cameras myself to look at, it’s nice to know the functionality exists. The best thing about all of this is I don’t have to buy just one brand for things to work. I can even mix and match Google and Alexa devices if I want. While I’m not the biggest fan of the Roku Ultra remote, I can’t deny how nice the voice features are on it if I want to do something other than watch a show. While I don’t have a ton of smart home devices to fully take advantage of, I imagine the Roku Ultra is a big game-changer for somebody who does.

I bought a Roku Ultra over an Apple TV 4K for a very good reason

I left Apple behind and went with Roku.

This is a very versatile device

I wish all streamers were like this

I’ve been using the Apple TV 4K for so long that I didn’t know what type of functionality I was leaving behind. I knew I was missing out on by not having Apple products, but I couldn’t envision being able to control so much from my couch. What makes it so cool is I don’t have to have a Google Home or Alexa device nearby as long as I have my remote to talk to. I know there are a lot of people who still aren’t smart home believers, and no matter how many times I tell my parents about what they can do, they don’t budge.

Smart bulbs don’t require anything other than plugging them into a lamp, and that’s a perfect entry point into the smart home. People who have streaming devices like the Google Streamer or Roku Ultra are already very close to having a smart home. Adding bulbs was the first step I took, and another easy step to take is adding cameras around your house or on your doorbell. You can control quite a bit without having to break the bank or change up your day-to-day life.

The Roku Ultra costs $100, but it frequently goes on sale for less, and it’s a major upgrade over your smart TV user interface if that’s how you’ve been enjoying your favorite Max and Disney+ shows. It’s not as fast as the Apple TV 4K, but it has the nice benefit of coming it at a much lower price. There are other Roku devices that can fill this niche, so don’t feel like you’re locked into the Ultra. The Roku Express works fine for this, for example, but I’m just talking about the Ultra since that’s the device I ultimately bought. If that’s too expensive for your needs, you can greatly slash the price if you want.

Even if you don’t plan on building out your smart home, I think it’s a worthwhile purchase. You can certainly get a lot more out of your Roku Ultra if you have smart products like cameras, but it works perfectly fine without that. Part of what I think makes this such a good purchase is the ability to add on to it in the future. In my scenario, that couldn’t happen with the Apple TV 4K since I didn’t have any other Apple products to pair with it.

I didn’t buy my Roku Ultra with the intention of making it my smart home hub, but I’m glad it can do that. I didn’t have plans to add security cameras in the near future, but after seeing I can view the footage right on my TV, I want to pick some up in the near future. While your phone or tablet will typically handle this through an app, it’s cool to have a quick glance if I’m watching TV upstairs and hear a noise outside my door.