Japanese smart speaker "QuUn" from Kyushu, can it beat overseas players?

Smart speakers have the impression that they are dominated by overseas manufacturers such as Amazon, Google, and Apple. We sell the smart home service “QuUn”, which includes smart speakers that adopt I tried to see if the unknown Japanese smart speaker QuUn is better than overseas companies.

Smart home service that allows you to combine your favorite services

QuUn is a monthly smart home service launched by Kyushu Electric Power in July 2019. The smart speaker uses a unique voice assistant that can customize the voice, and it is ambitious that it can be used nationwide. This time, I actually tried using it in Tokyo, which is outside the jurisdiction of Kyushu Electric Power.

"QuUn Voice" (550 yen including tax per month, free with other paid service contracts) that can be used as a voice assistant with a smart speaker, "QuUn Automation" (572 yen including tax per month) for operating home appliances, If you add your favorite services such as "QuUn Safety" (792 yen including tax per month) to protect your safety, you will be sent the necessary equipment. Of course, contracts and usage are also possible in areas outside the jurisdiction of Kyushu Electric Power.

It can be broadly divided into smart speakers "AI speakers" that perform various operations by talking to them, various smart home-related devices such as remote controls, sirens, sensors, etc. that are operated through the AI ​​speakers, and all devices connected to the Internet. It consists of three devices, the "home gateway" that controls the operation. Therefore, in order to use QuUn, there are three steps: connect the home gateway to the Internet, connect the AI ​​speaker to the Wi-Fi network, and then pair the AI ​​speaker and smart home related devices through the smartphone app. will become necessary.

WPS compatible router is required for Wi-Fi connection

The important point here is your home Wi-Fi environment. This is because "WPS" is essential for connecting home gateways and smart speakers to Wi-Fi. If you have a router or access point equipped with WPS, you can easily connect to each device by simply pressing a button, but there is no connection method for routers without WPS.

The home gateway can be connected to a wired LAN, but the AI ​​speaker can only be connected to Wi-Fi, so if you are using a router that does not support WPS, please connect the Wi-Fi router itself. It is necessary to replace it or add a WPS compatible access point. In fact, the router I used at my house did not support WPS, so I had to prepare a WPS-compatible access point to use QuUn.

Recently, there are more than a few Wi-Fi routers and access points that do not support WPS, mainly those made overseas, such as Google's "Google Wifi". They probably wanted to emphasize simplicity by limiting the connection method to WPS only, but if they wanted to provide services to a wide range of users outside the jurisdiction of Kyushu Electric Power, they wanted a mechanism that would allow devices to be connected even in environments that do not support WPS. .

The functions of the AI ​​speaker are general, but the performance is somewhat dissatisfying

Once the device is connected to Wi-Fi and paired, you can actually use the QuUn service. . Of particular note is the usability of the AI ​​speaker equipped with its own voice assistant.

Comparing the AI ​​speaker with Google's "Google Home", the height is almost the same, but the width is slightly larger. The size and design give the impression of a general smart speaker. However, the surface processing gives the impression that the resin body is the same, and it is a pity that the interior does not have a high-class impression. Nonetheless, the top of the main unit is equipped with buttons such as volume control and microphone mute, making the operation easy to understand.

To actually operate, after saying the standard trigger word "Hellomint", you can say something like "What's the weather like today?" It doesn't change much. However, the microphone performance of the AI ​​speaker does not seem to be as high as Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc., and I felt that people with low voices needed to speak in a slightly louder voice.

The available functions are similar to those of general smart speakers, such as checking the news and weather, playing fortune-telling and rock-paper-scissors, and setting alarms and timers. It doesn't mean you can add skills, etc., but it's enough unless you want advanced features.

The only thing that bothered me was the BGM playback. Although QuUn does not support music services, etc., it has a function to play back BGM from more than 70,000 songs by specifying genres and scenes such as "night" and "lively".

However, when I actually instructed the AI ​​speaker to play the BGM, it took nearly a minute to play the BGM after giving the instruction. Even if you play background music, the sound quality is not as high as Google Home or Amazon Echo, so it may be better to regard this function as a "bonus".

The fun of changing the voice of the AI ​​speaker

One of the unique features of QuUn is the ability to change the voice of the voice assistant. The standard voice was created by voice actor Sora Amamiya, and compared to other voice assistants that have a strong mechanical impression, the voice is warm and distinctive.

In QuUn, apart from the standard voices, it is also possible to add voices by selecting from six such as "SMART", "FRIENDLY", and "PRETTY". It is possible to change the voice from the smartphone application, and of course the voice changes depending on the voice you choose. It also has the unique feature of being different.

What's more, you can freely set the trigger word when calling these voices. Many voice assistants cannot change the trigger word, so this is a big point unique to QuUn.

In addition, by paying a monthly fee of 385 yen (tax included), you can also use the voice of the popular Yokai Watch character "Whisper". A special trigger word is also prepared here, and it can be called by speaking to it. Expressions used by Whisper, such as "Whisper", are firmly incorporated, and it seems to be an irresistible content for Yokai Watch fans.

Easy to set up home appliances using dedicated devices

Lastly, let's touch on services related to smart homes. This time, I actually tried using "QuUn Automation" using an "infrared controller" that can operate home appliances.

QuUn automation allows home appliances registered in each room to be operated through an infrared controller paired with an AI speaker. There are three types of home appliances that can be registered: air conditioners, lighting, and TVs. You can set them based on the manufacturer of the home appliance and the model number of the main unit, or the model number of the remote control from the smartphone app. can also be trained using

Once you set it, you can operate it by saying "Turn on the TV" or "Turn off the air conditioner" after the trigger word. You can also control the TV with a timer, such as "Turn off after 30 minutes", and you can also change the TV channel by saying "Turn on NHK".

Furthermore, by setting "integrated operation" that allows you to perform multiple operations from a specific word at the same time from the smartphone app, for example, if you say "good morning" to the AI ​​speaker, it will tell you the weather of the day as well as the air conditioner. It is also possible to perform operations such as turning on the TV all at once.

In order to set up a smart home environment using Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc., it is necessary to prepare the corresponding peripheral devices one by one and make detailed settings, so the appeal of being able to customize it to your liking. Although there is, it is a disadvantage that there are many troubles and the threshold is high. In addition to providing equipment and services as a set, QuUn is developed in Japan, so it is compatible with many domestic home appliances, so you can easily set up smart homes without much hassle. can be used as an advantage.

However, perhaps because we are particular about simplicity, there are some inflexible parts, such as not supporting routers that do not support WPS, as I mentioned earlier. It is a service that has unique appeal such as being able to change the voice, so I would like to see improvements to be made to accommodate a wider range of usage scenes in the future.

From Fukushima Prefecture, graduated from Tohoku Institute of Technology. After working as an engineer in the development of digital content, he became a writer specializing in mobile phones and mobile phones. Currently, he writes in a wide range of fields related to mobile phones, from industry trends to culture.