Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote Control

Kurn · 09-11-2016 11:11AM #1

Anyone try one of these? I hear you can make them work with Amazon Echo also. They seem a 'tad' expensive and the latest model is very expensive.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Harmony-Ultimate-Remote-Control/dp/B00C80JFSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478689786&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+-+harmony+one

AndersLimpar · 09-11-2016 11:32AM

Is it possible to use this as an air mouse also?

I have the tv, sound system, satellite so it will operate all of them by IR but I also have an android box with an airmouse. Will it operate all of these together or is there something else available that might?

Kurn · 09-11-2016 11:46AM

I think it has a learning feature, so maybe it could be programmed to work your android box, it seems to support RF, IR and Bluetooth. At a guess i'd imagine it does not work as a mouse pointer though....

beanian · 09-11-2016 11:50AM

Yes I have had this for some time now. It's a pretty neat piece of kit and worth every penny in my opinion.
I have 2 toddlers who love fiddling with all the knobs and dials on the gear in my av cabinet. Using this I can put all the gear behind a solid door out of sight and still control it.
It also give me control of it via the app and also home-assistant (via a node js app).
It works out of the box with the echo. So you can say "Alexa, watch sky news" and depending on the state of your devices it will power them on and change the inputs and finally switch over the channel.
Unfortunately the lure of Echo's light is too much for my kids so my Echo is packed away till I can find a suitable place to put it where they cant get at it

Kurn · 09-11-2016 11:54AM

beanian wrote: »

Yes I have had this for some time now. It's a pretty neat piece of kit and worth every penny in my opinion.
I have 2 toddlers who love fiddling with all the knobs and dials on the gear in my av cabinet. Using this I can put all the gear behind a solid door out of sight and still control it.
It also give me control of it via the app and also home-assistant (via a node js app).
It works out of the box with the echo. So you can say "Alexa, watch sky news" and depending on the state of your devices it will power them on and change the inputs and finally switch over the channel.
Unfortunately the lure of Echo's light is too much for my kids so my Echo is packed away till I can find a suitable place to put it where they cant get at it

Is this with sky, did not know you could actually change over - I assumed it was on and off (using Amazon Echo - I mean)

bk · 09-11-2016 12:04PM

Yes, I've both this and the even more expensive Elite model. They are both excellent devices.

I use mine by having all my AV equipment (AV, sat box, playstation, etc. in the study) and using a long HDMI cable from the AV in the study to the TV in the living room. This keeps the living room looking much tidier and my gear away from sticky hands!

This is possible thanks to the Harmony Remote, as the remote works over wifi and the IR signals are actually sent by IR hub in the study.

In terms of HA integration, Philips Hue lights can be controlled by this remote and act in activities, for instance dim lights when you start watching the "movie" activity. The Elite model takes this to the next level by having 6 dedicated buttons on the remote to control Philips Hue lights, though this is probably unnecessary if you are also using Amazon Echo to control lights.

In terms of Amazon Echo, it has basic official support in the US. Basic in terms of you can turn on/off activities by voice, but not play/pause/change channel, etc. This hasn't come to the UK/Ireland yet, but you can get the same effect using the Yonomi app. In fact I think Yonomi is superior then the official app, as you can combine different home automation tasks in one command on yonomi. For instance I can say "Alexa, turn on night time" and this will trigger Yonomi to switch off my TV (via Harmony), turn on my bedside lamps and turn off all the other lights off in my house gradually over 60 seconds (enough time to get to the bedroom).

In terms of pricing, note that these remotes often drop significantly in price during Amazon Prime sales, for instance I've seen the linked remote for £99 and I bought my Elite model for £165.

bk · 09-11-2016 12:06PM

AndersLimpar wrote: »

Is it possible to use this as an air mouse also?

I have the tv, sound system, satellite so it will operate all of them by IR but I also have an android box with an airmouse. Will it operate all of these together or is there something else available that might?

No, the remote can't work as an air mouse, however it is likely you could use the Harmony app to control the mouse movement by touch. You should check Logitech's Harmony database for your android devices, they usually have details of the level of support for each device.

bk · 09-11-2016 12:10PM

Kurn wrote: »

Is this with sky, did not know you could actually change over - I assumed it was on and off (using Amazon Echo - I mean)

There is no official support to do this. However there is software that you can run on a raspberry pie or always on pc or mac that you can use to "hack" support to do this. This is semi-technical to set up. Great to hear beanian has it working, I was going to look into it myself in a couple of weeks.

Kurn · 09-11-2016 12:36PM

bk wrote: »

There is no official support to do this. However there is software that you can run on a raspberry pie or always on pc or mac that you can use to "hack" support to do this. This is semi-technical to set up. Great to hear beanian has it working, I was going to look into it myself in a couple of weeks.

Love to mess around with this kind of stuff!

Atomic Pineapple · 09-11-2016 01:17PM

bk wrote: »

This is possible thanks to the Harmony Remote, as the remote works over wifi and the IR signals are actually sent by IR hub in the study.

Does that mean the hub needs line of sight to all of the devices you wish to control?

bk · 09-11-2016 03:16PM

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

bk wrote: »

This is possible thanks to the Harmony Remote, as the remote works over wifi and the IR signals are actually sent by IR hub in the study.

Does that mean the hub needs line of sight to all of the devices you wish to control?

In general yes, the hub needs line of sight to most devices. However the hub also comes with two IR blasters on long leads to help with positioning, plus it seems to be a very powerful blaster and the IR signal bounces off walls. For instance I've my hub just sitting on top of my various boxes, not facing them and it works fine.

Also devices that support IP control (e.g. Roku, now TV) or Bluetooth (e.g. PlayStation) can use those more reliable, non line of sight Control methods.

Basically Harmony is obviously simply limited to what your devices use to control them and most old fashioned devices just use IR and there is no way of avoiding that for those devices. Harmony tries its best to overcome this limitation.

The high horse brigade · 09-11-2016 03:32PM

The Harmony one is one of the best home investments I've ever made. It replaces 5 different remotes for a clunky linux sat box + HDMI switch + separate audio receiver + custom OpenPHT Plex box setup that passes the the missus test with flying colours. I can single press change to any source and i even have 50 favorite TV channels with icons on the remote. I can click the RTE1 icon on the remote from standby, the hub starts exactly the devices needed, waits for them to start, changes to the right source, sets the volume, then changes the channel to RTE1.

beanian · 09-11-2016 04:03PM

bk wrote: »

There is no official support to do this.

This changed about 2 weeks ago with the release of an official Harmony Skill for alexa. See below
https://support.myharmony.com/en-ie/harmony-experience-with-amazon-alexa?utm_source=logitech.com&utm_medium=press%20release&utm_source=support%20article%20-%20s-m-4090

bk · 09-11-2016 04:30PM

beanian wrote: »

This changed about 2 weeks ago with the release of an official Harmony Skill for alexa. See below
https://support.myharmony.com/en-ie/harmony-experience-with-amazon-alexa?utm_source=logitech.com&utm_medium=press%20release&utm_source=support%20article%20-%20s-m-4090

Yes, but two things:

1) As I mentioned above it only works for Echo's set to a US account for the moment.
2) You can't play/pause/change the channel, etc. You can only set it to launch a particular channel on startup, but you can't subsequently change the channel, at least not without creating an activity for each channel, which while possible for one or two channels, definitely wouldn't scale for many channels.

BTW all the above is already possible in UK/Ireland indirectly via Yonomi.

TheTubes · 10-11-2016 05:23PM

Looks like its been down to 83£.
Will def keep an eye out for one of these.
amazon.png?force=1&zero=0&w=725&h=440&desired=false&legend=1&ilt=1&tp=all&fo=0&lang=en

amazon.png?force=1&zero=0&w=725&h=440&desired=false&legend=1&ilt=1&tp=all&fo=0&lang=en

from here

setanta1984 · 10-11-2016 05:54PM

Whats the difference between the remote and this product, Harmony Universal Hub? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-915-000262-Harmony-Universal-Hub/dp/B014GXQ9YW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478798779&sr=8-1&keywords=harmony+hub

Is it just that with the Hub you can only control things with your phone rather than having a seperate device?
It's not that much cheaper, would be worth spending extra £30? Wondering what it's limitations are.
I'm mostly interested in the integration with the Echo.

The high horse brigade · 10-11-2016 08:43PM

The hub is to add Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and IR extenders to the cheaper harmony remotes like the 650 that just have IR

mik_da_man · 10-11-2016 09:38PM

I've had harmony for years and have the ultimate now - it's a godsend tbh.

I have a lot of devices and it controls all very well, including some in closed cabinets, the IR blasters are very handy and can be extended with 2.5 mm jack audio cables very easily.

as mentioned above it is really good with ip controlable devices and you can use the touch screen for gesture control

I use it with my echo and it's ok, not perfect as sometimes it does not recognize the commands.

I got all of mine in Amazon sales - well worth every penny

mik_da_man · 10-11-2016 09:38PM

I've had harmony for years and have the ultimate now - it's a godsend tbh.

I have a lot of devices and it controls all very well, including some in closed cabinets, the IR blasters are very handy and can be extended with 2.5 mm jack audio cables very easily.

as mentioned above it is really good with ip controlable devices and you can use the touch screen for gesture control

I use it with my echo and it's ok, not perfect as sometimes it does not recognize the commands.

I got all of mine in Amazon sales - well worth every penny

Atomic Pineapple · 11-11-2016 08:49AM

bk wrote: »

In general yes, the hub needs line of sight to most devices. However the hub also comes with two IR blasters on long leads to help with positioning, plus it seems to be a very powerful blaster and the IR signal bounces off walls. For instance I've my hub just sitting on top of my various boxes, not facing them and it works fine.

Also devices that support IP control (e.g. Roku, now TV) or Bluetooth (e.g. PlayStation) can use those more reliable, non line of sight Control methods.

Basically Harmony is obviously simply limited to what your devices use to control them and most old fashioned devices just use IR and there is no way of avoiding that for those devices. Harmony tries its best to overcome this limitation.

Ah nice, so if I got the Harmony remote I could have a setting on it that will fire up my TV, my sound bar, my PS4 and automatically switch the TV to the HDMI input for the PS4?

mik_da_man · 11-11-2016 09:14AM

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

Ah nice, so if I got the Harmony remote I could have a setting on it that will fire up my TV, my sound bar, my PS4 and automatically switch the TV to the HDMI input for the PS4?

Yep - you set activities, those can contain as many devices as you want/need.

In the activity you set what device does what, Sky box for channels, Soundbar for Volume and so on.

Eg my TV Activity turns on the Sat box, Turns the TV on, switches it to the correct HDMI input, switches the surround sound on and switches it to the correct input also. You can include a favorite channel to start on too if you wish.
Then if I press the Xbox Activity it switches off all it does not need, changes inputs and works the Xbox.
The PS4 is slightly different as the Harmony can't turn it on due to Sony restrictions, you need to start it with the controller.

Also in my TV activity you can set favorite channels, with a small bit of setup you can display the TV channel icons on the touch screen for fast switching when it's in that activity.

Add Echo on top and you just say - Alexa Turn on Tv, Alexa Turn on XBOX, Alexa Everything off ect.

setanta1984 · 12-11-2016 12:18AM

bk wrote: »

Yes, I've both this and the even more expensive Elite model. They are both excellent devices.

What is the difference between the Ultimate and Elite models? I get that the Elite replaces the Ultimate, but is there any difference in functionality between the two other than a redesign of the handset? The descriptions on Amazon are not very clear, but the price difference is pretty massive, feel like I'm missing something.
Thanks.

bk · 12-11-2016 09:30AM

setanta1984 wrote: »

What is the difference between the Ultimate and Elite models? I get that the Elite replaces the Ultimate, but is there any difference in functionality between the two other than a redesign of the handset? The descriptions on Amazon are not very clear, but the price difference is pretty massive, feel like I'm missing something.
Thanks.

I have both the Ultimate and the Elite.

As you say, the only difference if the physical design of the remote, otherwise I haven't found anything that works differently, in fact they are both working off the same app now.

However I do really like the physical design of the Elite. It has 6 buttons that work with my Philips Hue lights, very handy when settling down to watch a movie. The ultimate also can control Hue lights, but it involves using the touch screen and multiple button presses and is thus much less convenient.

I also much prefer the layout of the buttons, which puts the play/pause buttons right under your fingers just about the direction guys, rather then stupidly at the top of the remote above the touch screen, out of reach like the Ultimate does. The positioning of the play/pause buttons on the Ultimate never made sense.

Finally the Elite is narrower and much heavier. That might sound weird, but it is actually really good. The ultimate fells far too light, almost like a toy and it is too wide too naturally fit in your hand. The Elite on the other hand fits perfectly in your grip and the extra weight makes it feel more substantial and well built.

Now I wouldn't try and convince anyone to buy the Elite over the Ultimate. They are both excellent and will do the job, but just FYI of the differences.

BTW I got the Elite for 165 in a sale, they often drop in price significantly during prime sales, so worth waiting for the upcoming black friday/cyber monday sales.

The high horse brigade · 12-11-2016 10:52AM

One thing anyone buying needs to be aware of, cheaper harmony remotes are limited to just 5 devices. So buying a cheaper remote and adding a hub separate still leaves you with less than buying the ultimate with it.

setanta1984 · 12-11-2016 12:03PM

Thanks very much bk.

I'm such a sucker, just bought the Elite because it's newer, and can't be getting an old version something you know has a newer, shinier version...

£500+ worth of smart home stuff in a month, I think I have a problem...

bk · 12-11-2016 12:29PM

setanta1984 wrote: »

£500+ worth of smart home stuff in a month, I think I have a problem...

Haha, yes same here, we will need to start another forum, Home Automation Anonymous!

TheTubes · 24-11-2016 11:11PM

The Elite is down to 179 on Amazon.de

130£ on .co.uk
Pulled the trigger.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Harmony-Elite-Remote-Control/dp/B014GXQOJ2/ref=gbph_img_m-5_62ef_e2487171?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=b1583de8-ab23-443b-bb8e-4d1c5f5462ef&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=161428031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=785909WHM7DFHQSBVHAY

Atomic Pineapple · 25-11-2016 08:29AM

TheTubes wrote: »

The Elite is down to 179 on Amazon.de

130£ on .co.uk
Pulled the trigger.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Harmony-Elite-Remote-Control/dp/B014GXQOJ2/ref=gbph_img_m-5_62ef_e2487171?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=b1583de8-ab23-443b-bb8e-4d1c5f5462ef&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=161428031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=785909WHM7DFHQSBVHAY

Does this come with/need a hub?

EDIT: Nevermind I see it comes with a hub.

bk · 25-11-2016 09:42AM

Awesome deal, great remote and cheapest I've ever seen it. I got it for 160 back in June and thought that was a great deal, but at this price I'd highly recommend it.

setanta1984 · 25-11-2016 10:25AM

It's an absolute no brainer at that price.

Gutted I paid £230 for it a few weeks ago knowing deep down it would probably be on sale this week

Just had to have it to show off to visitors a few weeks ago :rolleyes:
I was happy with what I was getting for the price then so anyone with a slight interest in this area should jump at this deal

Shane732 · 26-12-2016 01:01PM

Any good deals on this? Thinking of taking the plunge.

I have Phillips Hue, Sonos, Samsung TV, Virgin Media (****ty Horizon box), Xbox, Apple TV and just got Alexa. Would the Harmony be a runner for all these?

Any deals at present?

Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote Control

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