I know this video is old but I haven’t seen any videos on how to setup control for two different rooms, like 2 different zones you can switch between and control.
I have two Elites with 8 & 9 activities on each respectively for my living room (8 devices) and home theatre (9 devices). My wife was struggling with turning on the home theatre (projector, receiver and one of the 7 various sources) after setting up the Elite she was able to use the home theatre with ease. I had a Harmony in the past but the TV we had at the time was a real pain that didn't have discrete IR codes for each input, the input had to be cycled and it was always getting out of sync with the remote so it got sold and we went back to use individual remotes. After the success of the Home Theatre Elite I bought another Elite for the living room when it was on sale and set that up there too. She's loving it and I'm loving not ever having to use the AppleTV remote ever again. AppleTV 2/3/4 remotes have got to be the worst remotes in history, too damn small for the 2/3 and the 4 is annoying to use. I've setup a Echo Dot for integration with the Living Room hub too. Was pretty easy to do. The positives, once the remotes are programmed they work very well. Swapping a device out with a new device is pretty easy but could be better. I recently replaced a AppleTV 3 with a Apple TV 4K and it wasn't too bad of an experience. The negatives. The Elite are very pricey, keep an eye out for when they go on sale and you can save a heap of money. The screen on the Elite means you can get into some the seldom used but important commands that you might need for a device. I'm in Australia and there's noticeable latency using the hub with Alexa and sometimes the remote when switching activities. The app or desktop software to set up the remotes isn't very intuitive some times. I find I have to dig into lots of menus to change a setting or I have to Google what I want to do to find where the setting is buried. We recently had a TV network rebrand all their channels I getting the Favourite icons to update on the remote was painful, I had to reset the remote to achieve it, the app was just a resync. Logitech need to add the ability to sync some settings across remotes if if you have multiple remotes of the same model. As I have two Elite's if I change a menu layout on the touch screen on one remote I have to manually replicate the change on the other remote if that has a same activity. eg TV or Blu-ray. An example here would be the TV channel favourites layout. You really want them in the same order on both devices as you get used to the order they are in. There's inconsistencies between the desktop software and the app, I prefer using the desktop software as it's more powerful but Logitech really try and steer you to use the less powerful app. Whenever you make a change to a remote it needs to sync and that can take 2 to 3 minutes. Make a few changes in a row and this waiting for the remote to sync gets old really quick. Lastly, the testing of each activity setup on a remote when you have a projector is down right painful as it's always wanting to turn on and off the projector which takes a few minutes. If you have lots of devices these remotes are great but they aren't a 10 minute and forget setup. The first remote I set up took an hour easily to get all the activities configured and tweaked to initially how I liked it. But over the next few weeks as I used all the activities for real I was always tweaking the menu's on the touch screen, mostly reordering for the more commonly used ones. Spend the time setting these up and you'll be rewarded.
Great writeup! And I agree 100% on the Apple remote. I do like that touchpad for scrubbing through video, but it’s a horrible remote overall. Trying using it in the dark ... you’ll never be 100% sure you’ve got it right side up when you pick it up. I really like Apple products, but I’ve never liked their peripherals like remotes and mice. It sounds like you’re really at the upper end of pushing those remotes to their limits with 8+ devices on each. I maxed out a 7 and 8 devices.
I own the Logitech Harmony Smart Keyboard which sadly they discontinued a year ago and have no plans to update the design. I was expecting them to create a backlit version. I’ll be picking up one of these, but I’m not looking forward to going back to hunt-and-peck inputs in search boxes when looking for a program to watch.
Residence application..We have 5 separate sound zones with 3 tv's (inside/outside) all controlled by 3 Harmony Elites...integration with your cell phone using Harmony remotes is worth every dime...BTW, good review of a superior product...
Not sure about 3 at a time, but with ifttt integration you can control a second harmony at least, the voice integration comes in handy when kids leave the electronics on, but Google home only can link to one directly.
I have 2 Harmony One's. Works fine but now considering "upgrading" to something that I might like more (?). Getting Denon AVR-X4700H and LG OLED 77" CX. Finding that Denon remote is not yet availabe to add to Harmony One. Not sure if it would be any different with Harmony Elite.
We have a 6 year old smart Panasonic tv with a terrible mx-450 universal remote that has gone crazy! We have a blu-ray player, Direct Tv box and a marantz Sound system. Would this remote work with these devices?
Hi, can you advise if this or anything else is available to control my Mums TV remote at distance (200 miles away) ideally I want to replicate her LG remote control on my Samsung S9+ and select/play programs for her as she gets confused. I cannot believe I can't fimd something to what I am sure is a common problem Thank you,m Keith
Same! My moms disabled, shes paralysed from shoulders down so i desperately need a voice controlled TV/remote and would also love a way to remotely control her t.v. in case she is unable to do it by voice.
Actually you can have multiple hubs work with Google Home. You just have to use more than one gmail account. Invite your other gmails as a home member and then add one hub on each Gmail account. You only need the one harmony account. It can be linked to multiple logins on Google home.
If I turn on my TV, receiver, and Apple TV using an activity direction via Google Home, will it coordinate with the remote so the remote knows that the tv is already on so I can change volume controls or other using the remote?
NIce, However I am more concerned with the secondary menus. For example; I was testing a ultimate on my setup as a test for my mom (80) and was using it on my roku and my TV only. I wanted to set the movie mode (vivid, std, gaming... brightness) and there was no easy way to get to a setting. In fact, since it was set to roku... I do not think the settings for my TV other than volume and a few other settings was there. Even if I was able to pull up the wheel to navigate to the setting, there would be no way to navigate the settings wheel as the buttons needed on the remote were for the roku in this setting. Have you noticed anything with the elite that makes this easier?
Great video Matt, You explain the functionality of the remote nicely without getting into all the technical aspects of what the remote is fully capable of....thank you for your time!
What are major differences between the Elite and companion? Also the remote to hub link is the only RF link? Will it work with FireTV which has a RF remote?
Can you set custom sound levels for various devices? So switching to Roku to watch a movie the sound automatically turns the sonos up for movies, switch to ps4 it would turn the volume automatically down on the sonos?
Hi Matt, Im thinking of the universal hub remote for my mom. She is't techie AT ALL. But what I"m wanting if for is the ability to use my smartphone remotely. Do you know if it's possible to turn on / off TV from a different home? What about launch and switch shows off Netflix or other providers? Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it!
Do you have a definitive troubleshooting guide if your MyHarmony computer app (or mobile) won't see Roku Ultra? Same network, rebooted everything. It saw it at one time but not any more. Many Thanks.
I have one and generally love it for the reasons you state. However, it will at times just "gets stupid" and refuse to work. Setups that worked fine for months suddenly quit and I must delete the activity and set up from scratch. Additionally, when I use the TV's apps, the Elite will show that it can't control the TV through wifi. Lastly, Harmony's troubleshooting only guides you through simple issues; if you have something that doesn't fit within those parameters you run into a dead-end. And you have to pay to get any personal attention. So, my final thought is that when it works, it's the best. When it doesn't, it's incredibly frustrating.
Hi, thanks for the video, do you happen to know if it can be connected to MI Box S ? I need a button for the voice assistance of Google, does this remote has it?
Hello! I’m a spanish guy and i have some questions about this controller. 1. Its worth it to buy this harmony in 2020? 2. It works in English only or it have Spanish too? 3. Alexa works also in spanish? Thank you for your fantastic review!
Can the elite stagger the power on order of devices? I have a Panasonic ST60 TV, Nvidia Shield TV and Yamaha 681 Receiver. All 3 wifi and basically hooked up pretty standard with the HDMI out of the shield going to an input of the yamaha and then out to the TV but for whatever reason, if I don't power the shield on FIRST and then the yamaha and then TV, there will be zero audio unless I turn the yamaha off and then back on again. It's annoying and I got no idea why it does this but it is what it is.
Since moving I've discovered that the Hub isn't perfect. I have the Companion remote which has the hub. It was working perfectly but since moving I've had all kinds of problems with devices not responding. After countless hours testing I've made the following observations: my new setup is very open concept behind the seating area (no walls). I believe the hub and blasters send out the IR signal and have to bounce around in order to eventually trigger the devices. Because my setup is so open concept there is nothing to bounce off of. Additionally my devices are somewhat recessed so I can't bring out the blaster/hub in order for them to be in front of devices. I was able to eventually get it to work most of the time by literally turning one of the devices (xfininity cable streaming box) sideways and pointing it directly at one of the blasters (they are about 2" apart otherwise it doesn't work). Most of the time, with this configuration, it works however, I've further discovered that on sunny days, in the afternoon, the sun shines into the room and disrupts the ir signal enough so that 1 or more devices won't respond. I think the blaster or hub (or both) must not have a very powerful signal since when I use the tv remote under same conditions, it works fine. I think I just have an unfortunate setup but just wanted to write this in case anybody else is having similar issues. It seems to be backwards, but now I just want a good Harmony remote with IR. I think the Elite you've reviewed actually has IR built-in as well so that may actually be the solution but it is just unfortunate that my Companion doesn't quite work perfectly anymore.
I went through the same thing with my wife, even when the 1st iPhone came out, she said, I will never use something like that, now I can't get off it, she loves voice activated , lights, tv on, tv off, we have ours setup to echo dots and spots, she loves it now, we even have cameras that she uses, she may even keep tabs on me with the cameras, this is when the creator becomes the created, she is taking over
I am coming from a Harmony 900 but have been relying more on device remotes for quick launching of apps or voice input. While it appears the Harmony Elite has been discontinued by Logitech - would that mean the app would still offer the core functionality? I'm contemplating spending $400 to get an Elite before the remaining inventory disappears. Thoughts?
I subscribed to “Undecided” for the great Tesla content. Have now learned much from the channel. Picked up the aforementioned remote on your advice. Outstanding product. Consolidated seven remotes. Thanks for the great information.
Have a couple companion hubs and love it. the only problem is the companion remotes are favorite dog chew toys if get lazy with placement. Since changing Internet service provider have not gotten Alexa and harmony working. Added Orbi mesh to hang items off since then to allow the ability to change ISP with little or no headaches in future.
Matt - With the Harmony Elite - in addition to cable TV, can I program the Elite to turn on the following: Netflix - TH-cam - Apple TV - Amazon Prim TV? Will the Elite remote use voice commands to change cable channels?
If you’re using something like Alexa, then yep, you can program in voice commands for specific cable channels on your cable TV. But pulling up specific apps like Netflix, TH-cam, etc. on something like an Apple TV is tricky and problematic at best. If you have something like an Amazon Fire TV paired with Alexa, then yes. Some smart TVs are also capable of that with Harmony ... I believe it’s possible on Roku too.
You should be able to follow this: support.myharmony.com/en-es/changing-the-network-harmony-uses All of your activities should still be active within your Logitech account since it’s cloud based.
Hey there! So my wife and I have built a tiny house on wheels and I've packed a formidable amount of smart technology into the house. From Wireless Sensor Tags to monitor temperature and Kasa Dimmers and every light, to smart TVs and Assistant controlled heating and cooling. There's even a washer dryer combo that has some IFTTT capabilities. I'm looking into this hub because I've been trying to find an all around solution for our two interlinked entertainment systems as well as some additional perks controlling lights and such. A snag we run into is that I have two smart TVs running back to one tech cupboard with HDMI splitters on our primary forms of entertainment. Essentially so we don't have to have two of everything in such a small space. (The screen mirror is great for Mario Kart) Essentially I'm wondering if the remote should be able to control each TV individually as well as a sound bar that uses a separate remote for volume. Or is the system, like most, only designed around using one TV per setup?
I used to own a harmony and I got rid of it since I mostly use the Apple TV which is HDMI CEC compatible. But now I kinda regret it since it's actually pretty limited. I was wondering since you can control the harmony through Alexa voice commands, can you do things the other way around and press a button on your remote in order to give Alexa some commands?
Hi Matt, something like this would be e blessing in the Philippines where there are numerous neighbours who put their videoke machines at such blaringly loud levels. Would this remote work? PLEASE let me know ASAP
*The Logitech Harmony remote shown in this video is far from being "The Ultimate Smart Remote" and I would highly recommend that you look into other products. This remote is hampered by it's old school design. As well as it's low grade materials, software, and capabilities. It is also WAY TOO OVERPRICED for what it is.* The only reason Logitech can successfully charge $399 for a "smart" remote that cost them $50 to make. Is because of their name, poor consumer education, and their long standing dominance in this product segment. A segment dominance that is quickly diminishing. In my opinion the all around "Ultimate *SMART* Remote" is the Sevenhugs "Smart Remote U" for $199.99. It's has an innovative design, uses quality materials, and has truly intuitive software. It is significantly more capable than any of the handheld Logitech remotes that are currently offered, while being priced appreciably lower. Look up the Sevenhugs "Smart Remote U" and you will not disagree with me. P.S. I found out about the Sevenhugs remotes while at my local Best Buy, they may be at your's too. I went in planning to buy the best Logitech 'Smart' Remote that they had there. However, I ended up buying the Smart Remote U after comparing it with a few of the other top-tier "smart" universal remotes at Best Buy, and it frankly wasn't even a competition. Lastly, I'm not sure about the Logitech Harmony remotes, but I do know that you can program the IR blaster on the Sevenhugs to work with pretty much anything. Even if your HDMI switch box isn't one of the over 650,000 products that is preprogrammed to immediately work with the Sevenhugs remote. As long as you have the original remote. You can manually program the Sevenhugs to work with the box.
I´m still using my Sunwave src 3000 but it´s time to upgrade, is it easy to connect random ir devices that has a random brand to the Harmony? and can the harmony copy the signal with like a reading eye? I got the Homey yesterday but the Ir function doesn't work..
Yep. Logitech has somewhere over 200,000 devices in their database, but if it’s not in there you can train the IR yourself. You essentially point your device’s remote at the Logitech remote for a step by step training session. support.myharmony.com/en-us/adding-a-device-thats-not-found-in-the-harmony-database
Thanks, I just subscribed. You speak quickly and clearly, and are very respectful of a viewers clock cycles, which is much appreciated. (This is how I strive to be on my channel, so I can appreciate how well you do this.) Thanks again.
Great review, thanks you! Will the Elite address the issue of my Receiver occasionally changing devices due to the HDMI/ARC functions? Will the hub know the best order to turn on devices? I NEED to find something because like you my wife only gets more irritated when I try to "make the system better".
Thanks! You can customize every little detail on the order it turns things on, you can add delays, etc. As for the HDMI/CEC (ARC is the audio return channel, CEC is the electronics control) issues, no ... it won’t solve that. I’ve run into the same problem on my more elaborate home theater setups. If it’s something simple like an Apple TV, soundbar, and a TV, HDMI CEC works well. I’ve found that the more stuff you add it tends to go sideways on you. I’d recommend turning off CEC functions, which you can usually find buried in menus on things like your TV ... same for your receiver. They sometimes rename it from CEC, so you keep an eye out for other keywords like “control,” “link,” etc. If it’s one device that’s really mucking up the works and it doesn’t have HDMI CEC options to turn that off, you can actually buy these little HDMI adapters that kill the CEC signal (amzn.to/2MaJsmG).
Obviously the IR blaster has to be insight of the devices being controlled, but does the Hub have to be insight of the remote? or can the hub be in a different room then the hub and IR blaster?
1. Have you experienced your app getting stuck in like "powering off mode forever" ? 2. Is it ok to un-install the app and re-install ? if so does all the previous configured settings in the harmony gets erased ?
I've had an Harmony 1000 since so long I can't remember when I bought the device...2007 maybe? Anyhow I finally managed to break it (by letting it fall from high enough) and I just ordered the Elite after seeing your interesting review. Looking forward to playing with it and Alexa :)
Can you use the Elite to control your smart lights through Google Home? The brand of lights I use are not specifically supported by Logitech on a standalone basis.
No, not through Google in that fashion. If the lights you use are accessible on IFTTT, you could most likely access it that way. And if you’re comfortable with a little coding, you can create custom integrations with something like Home Assistant (Hass.io) and link them up directly.
I’m seriously considering getting the Harmony Elite setup. I just recently got a 665 as a free item from Best Buy. And after playing around with it, I’ve been really enjoying the harmony remote.
Coming from a 10 year old Harmony one to the Harmony Elite would be more intimidating that what it turned out to be. I am just getting started and love it.
I used the logitech remotes in the past and this one looks great too. Have you tired the sevenhugs x smart remote. Very comparable to this one. Still debating tho.
I have the elite but I need more range out of the hub. It is in my electronics room with my equipment for my master bedroom that’s up stairs. I am constantly getting notified that it can’t connect with the hub. Do you know if a way to extend the range maybe link it to another hub. If not I will have to use cat 5 to run back to the ir blasters. Thoughts?
Is it a range issue between the remote and the hub? If so, I don’t know of a way to extend it. You’d probably need to run cabling for the IR blasters like you’re thinking, so you can get the hub closer to the remote.
Insofar as I've been able to determine, the Elite is not compatible with Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina). Kind of a big deal for the Apple user. This should have been mentioned in your video.
Yep! The remote works through walls. You just have to keep the Harmony Hub or the IR extenders in the storage room with the peripherals. I’m doing this in my bedroom. My devices are actually in the closest with the hub and I have an IR extender strung into the room so the TV can get the IR signals.
Great video and review. I have used a bunch of Harmony remotes in the past, but gave them all up. the software just wasn't..enough. There was always something/some feature/command I couldn't figure out how to program and would still have to keep all the other remotes around. what about the "serialization delay" i.e. : "watch TV" 1) turn on TV to correct input 2) turn on cable box 3) turn on receiver t correct input... that took a while for the old harmony's to go through. the Directv remote can do most of that, and faster, it seems. does the elite still have to go through each step? do I have to turn off CEC in the receiver (denon) as well as the TV(sony) adn the cablebox(directv)?
is fire TV cube the best voice control device for someone who is disabled? Can harmony + alexa actually control a DVR menu or only change channels / launch apps? can it control the apps like a cube?
It can to an extent. You can setup favorite channels in the Harmony app and set Alexa commands to work, so you could say, “Turn on Food Network” and it would change to that channel. You can also manually say channel numbers. It can switch to any activity and control the volume as well. There’s also play, pause, etc. control, and if you have a Roku, you can pull up specific apps like Netflix or Hulu. As for navigating a DVR to play a specific show, sadly no. There’s no directional arrow controls to use voice to navigate like that ... which is a huge downside.
Does the harmony hub keeps track of the tv state, can i see if the tvs on or off in the app? if i create a routine that turns off all my media when i go out, if the tv is off, will it turn on?
Yep, it keeps track of the state of things, so you can see what’s going on in the app. And there are ways to tie it into your smart home routines (depending on your system). I actually have it tied into my Hubitat Hub and can do exactly what you’re asking about if I wanted to.
Most likely not. It would either need to be IR or be a compatible smart plug (usually WiFi, z-wave, or Zigbee tech). There’s a full list here: support.myharmony.com/en-us/compatibility
Sadly, no on the IP front. If you put the hub in the other room with that gear, you can use the remote from wherever your TV is though. Or you might be able to string an IR blaster from from the hub to the other location. The remote control acts as one of the IR blasters too.
Im curious how harmony elite works with lg magic remote. I would like to keep the cursor moving feature on the magic remote. Still it would be nice to get rid of a few remotes :D
I have LG TVs with the magic remote and Harmony won’t give you that functionality. It can still go through all of the smart TV menus, but it’s a typical directional pad control scheme.
OK I'm nearly sold. I'm already running lights with the google hub and smart things wall switches. I'm already turning on/off the TV using voice commands using google hub due to the Samsung Anynet feature. But I still need to use the remote of the TV to change channels or turn down the volume when watching aired television. Will this remote/hub respond to a voice command like "OK Google change to channel 10" or "OK Google Set Volume on TV to 20" or "OK Google change to input HDMI2". If not, I can't condone the extra expense. Please say yes so I can bring the future to me.
Ha! And yes, those do work ... with some limitations. I don’t have cable TV anymore to test it out, but I have read that Google can change to any channel names in your Harmony favorites list, so something like, “Google turn TV to NBC” will work if it’s in your favorites list. Asking it to “turn TV to channel 13” will also work. I’ve been able to get it to mute and control the volume of my TV. Here’s a article on it: www.androidpolice.com/2018/10/16/logitech-harmony-direct-control-finally-live-google-assistant-home-limitations/
Had a Harmony Ultimate, then updated to a 950 remote, which is the Elite. The hub I'd been using with the Ultimate worked perfectly with the Elite, just by using the 'Upgrade" tool in the Harmony desktop software to integrate it. IR blasters still work as they always have, too.
Hi, My ideia is hide all DVD's, tvbox, soundbar, every thing works by remote control inside the wardrobe under the TV. With This Harmony Control it's possible? Thanks
Matt, did you trot this vid out to Logitech for them to purchase? It is pretty awesome. It could be embedded on their support page. This is the first of your vids I've watched. I really liked it. Well done, sir.
Hi Matt, sorry to jump on the thread but I want to put my media stuff under the stairs and be able to watch everything in lounge and control everything from there, do I need a IR blaster in the lounge or will the harmony remote be able to control the TV via IR and I just put the hub under the stairs? Its about 20ft about where all the media devices are. I have the elite and 2 IR blasters.
The remote does have IR built into it, so it should handle the TV just fine with the hub in another location. If you found it hit or miss, you could run a long extension for one of the IR blasters into the lounge, but I don’t think you’ll need to.
Hi MattGreat video btw, quick question, I have multiple tv's,5 in total,a cinema room,tv,sky tv,amp,dvd player etc, and in another room smart tv sound bar sub sky tv etc, what remote should I buy,& do I need more than one ?,
Thanks for watching! You’d need to get one remote per setup. It looks like you have a lot of TVs, but probably not too many things plugged into each TV (TV, a couple of video sources, and a sound source). That being the case I think something like the Harmony Companion might be a good fit. You’d get the benefits of the hub, but would save some cash over the Harmony Elite. The biggest difference is the remote control itself. The Elite has buttons and a touch screen, while the Companion has buttons only. It might be worth looking at some of the other options I mentioned too, like Caavo (not sure if it’s available where you are). Regardless, the easiest/best path is one remote/hub per setup ... and I’d start small ... just setup one and see how it goes. Sounds like you’ve got a media rich house!
Hi Matt Thanks for the info,I bought & installed 2 Elites yesterday,a bit of a faf to set up,that's me not the units,but overall very pleased,and we have done away with 4 remotes per room. Keep up the good work. Happy New year from over the pond.
The 950 is the Elite without the hub. It works purely with IR from the remote itself and doesn’t offer any of the integrations you get with the hub. But you can add a hub to the 950 at any time to turn it into an Elite.
Undecided with Matt Ferrell Ok thank you so basically if I want to control my firestick which doesn’t use IR it uses bluetooth I need to purchase the elite for the hub
I’ve seen it at $250 and even less on a rare occasion, but most of the time you see it hovering around $300. I’ve often seen Best Buy have some good sales on them.
Is the hub really necessary? I'm currently controlling my setup (Sony-ht-st5000-soundbar, LG oled65b6v, Playstation and nvidia shield) via CEC. This works great for the basic controls like arrow keys, enter and to some extent back. But there however some custom buttons for each device that are not covered for this reason I was thinking of getting a smart remote to control all devices and my understanding was that custom buttons could be programed. I also have a Luxaflex powerview blinds that I would like to to control. Of course I have plans on getting more smart home devices like Philips Hue. I however don't want to clutter TV bench with more gateways. The luxaflex gateway would probably be a must and I have also been looking at Homey device but I think a smart remote would do the trick.
One of the biggest issues with CEC is that DVR's go from a sleep like state to 'on' to initiate recordings. If you are watching any other source at the time, then you have to fumble with remotes to modify inputs and hope it doesn't happen again. I use the hub with a non-CEC, IR, HDMI switch to handle my HDMI switching and it works very well. DVR, ATV, HTPC, BluRay and NintendoSwitch all just work.
If you mean the Nvidia Shield, it sure does (I used to have a Shield). While I haven’t personally tried it with Kodi, I have seen that it has full support.
The Companion has the same feature set as the Elite because of the hub, but the remote itself doesn’t have a screen. The screen makes it easier to quickly flip the remote from an activity into a device specific remote. On the screen you’ll see a list of every possible command you can use for something like your TV, or your DVD player. If that’s not something you’ll think you’ll get a lot of use out of, or are good with using your phone or tablet when that’s needed, then the Companion is a great choice. I’d probably brake it down to ... if you have lots of devices and activities you want to set up, go with the Elite. If you have a handful of devices, the Companion will probably fit the bill and save some money.
Undecided with Matt Ferrell Thank you for taking the time to provide such a comprehensive response. Do either of these remotes or the iPhone app provide a reasonable facsimile of the Apple TV remote touchpad and/or “voice” button?
Sure thing ... happy to help. Sadly, the remotes and app don’t replicate the Apple TV touch remote touchpad. They only provide arrow up/down/left/right type of functionality, and for fast forward or rewinding you can press and hold for faster speeds. Not as nice as the touchpad, but it works.
There is no user programmable remote comparable to the Harmony Elite on the market (and there will not be for quite a while). I purchased a NIB Elite off of eBay, as they become more scarce, the prices will continue to climb. The next step up to a Savant or Control4 are not user programmable, and the prices can vary into thousands of dollars depending on the amount of devices you are connecting throughout your home.
I know this video is old but I haven’t seen any videos on how to setup control for two different rooms, like 2 different zones you can switch between and control.
It's really only possible to setup one.
@@UndecidedMF I was looking and found this
support.myharmony.com/en-us/how-to-add-a-multi-zone-device
I have two Elites with 8 & 9 activities on each respectively for my living room (8 devices) and home theatre (9 devices). My wife was struggling with turning on the home theatre (projector, receiver and one of the 7 various sources) after setting up the Elite she was able to use the home theatre with ease. I had a Harmony in the past but the TV we had at the time was a real pain that didn't have discrete IR codes for each input, the input had to be cycled and it was always getting out of sync with the remote so it got sold and we went back to use individual remotes. After the success of the Home Theatre Elite I bought another Elite for the living room when it was on sale and set that up there too. She's loving it and I'm loving not ever having to use the AppleTV remote ever again. AppleTV 2/3/4 remotes have got to be the worst remotes in history, too damn small for the 2/3 and the 4 is annoying to use. I've setup a Echo Dot for integration with the Living Room hub too. Was pretty easy to do.
The positives, once the remotes are programmed they work very well. Swapping a device out with a new device is pretty easy but could be better. I recently replaced a AppleTV 3 with a Apple TV 4K and it wasn't too bad of an experience. The negatives. The Elite are very pricey, keep an eye out for when they go on sale and you can save a heap of money. The screen on the Elite means you can get into some the seldom used but important commands that you might need for a device. I'm in Australia and there's noticeable latency using the hub with Alexa and sometimes the remote when switching activities. The app or desktop software to set up the remotes isn't very intuitive some times. I find I have to dig into lots of menus to change a setting or I have to Google what I want to do to find where the setting is buried. We recently had a TV network rebrand all their channels I getting the Favourite icons to update on the remote was painful, I had to reset the remote to achieve it, the app was just a resync. Logitech need to add the ability to sync some settings across remotes if if you have multiple remotes of the same model. As I have two Elite's if I change a menu layout on the touch screen on one remote I have to manually replicate the change on the other remote if that has a same activity. eg TV or Blu-ray. An example here would be the TV channel favourites layout. You really want them in the same order on both devices as you get used to the order they are in. There's inconsistencies between the desktop software and the app, I prefer using the desktop software as it's more powerful but Logitech really try and steer you to use the less powerful app. Whenever you make a change to a remote it needs to sync and that can take 2 to 3 minutes. Make a few changes in a row and this waiting for the remote to sync gets old really quick. Lastly, the testing of each activity setup on a remote when you have a projector is down right painful as it's always wanting to turn on and off the projector which takes a few minutes.
If you have lots of devices these remotes are great but they aren't a 10 minute and forget setup. The first remote I set up took an hour easily to get all the activities configured and tweaked to initially how I liked it. But over the next few weeks as I used all the activities for real I was always tweaking the menu's on the touch screen, mostly reordering for the more commonly used ones. Spend the time setting these up and you'll be rewarded.
Great writeup! And I agree 100% on the Apple remote. I do like that touchpad for scrubbing through video, but it’s a horrible remote overall. Trying using it in the dark ... you’ll never be 100% sure you’ve got it right side up when you pick it up. I really like Apple products, but I’ve never liked their peripherals like remotes and mice.
It sounds like you’re really at the upper end of pushing those remotes to their limits with 8+ devices on each. I maxed out a 7 and 8 devices.
I own the Logitech Harmony Smart Keyboard which sadly they discontinued a year ago and have no plans to update the design. I was expecting them to create a backlit version. I’ll be picking up one of these, but I’m not looking forward to going back to hunt-and-peck inputs in search boxes when looking for a program to watch.
Great review on the Elite. I’ve had it more than a year and my wife loves it!
Matt: EXCELLENT video!......Clear/concise/articulate/factual!.....What a nice change from 99+% of the stuff that is posted these days, THANK-YOU!.....
Glad it was helpful!
Residence application..We have 5 separate sound zones with 3 tv's (inside/outside) all controlled by 3 Harmony Elites...integration with your cell phone using Harmony remotes is worth every dime...BTW, good review of a superior product...
Not sure about 3 at a time, but with ifttt integration you can control a second harmony at least, the voice integration comes in handy when kids leave the electronics on, but Google home only can link to one directly.
I have 2 Harmony One's. Works fine but now considering "upgrading" to something that I might like more (?). Getting Denon AVR-X4700H and LG OLED 77" CX. Finding that Denon remote is not yet availabe to add to Harmony One. Not sure if it would be any different with Harmony Elite.
I own the Harmony 900, do you think it’s worth grabbing the Elite or just use the 900 for current (new) tech/tv/receiver…
We have a 6 year old smart Panasonic tv with a terrible mx-450 universal remote that has gone crazy! We have a blu-ray player, Direct Tv box and a marantz Sound system. Would this remote work with these devices?
Can the Harmony Hub directly access TH-cam channels on a Samsung smart TV?
Hi, can you advise if this or anything else is available to control my Mums TV remote at distance (200 miles away) ideally I want to replicate her LG remote control on my Samsung S9+ and select/play programs for her as she gets confused. I cannot believe I can't fimd something to what I am sure is a common problem
Thank you,m Keith
Same! My moms disabled, shes paralysed from shoulders down so i desperately need a voice controlled TV/remote and would also love a way to remotely control her t.v. in case she is unable to do it by voice.
@@nomdeplume2213 Hi - if I find a solution I will post/msg you
You can actually do that with the Logitech Harmony Elite running the Harmony app on your smartphone.
@@UndecidedMF Thanks Matt for reply. I will get it and set up the app. Will be great for my Mum
Actually you can have multiple hubs work with Google Home. You just have to use more than one gmail account. Invite your other gmails as a home member and then add one hub on each Gmail account. You only need the one harmony account. It can be linked to multiple logins on Google home.
If I turn on my TV, receiver, and Apple TV using an activity direction via Google Home, will it coordinate with the remote so the remote knows that the tv is already on so I can change volume controls or other using the remote?
This remote is awesome, but can i buy a second remote and have it function within the system?
Will this work with the 2020 lg TVs? The LG Cx utilizes a pointer.
NIce, However I am more concerned with the secondary menus. For example; I was testing a ultimate on my setup as a test for my mom (80) and was using it on my roku and my TV only. I wanted to set the movie mode (vivid, std, gaming... brightness) and there was no easy way to get to a setting. In fact, since it was set to roku... I do not think the settings for my TV other than volume and a few other settings was there. Even if I was able to pull up the wheel to navigate to the setting, there would be no way to navigate the settings wheel as the buttons needed on the remote were for the roku in this setting. Have you noticed anything with the elite that makes this easier?
Great video Matt, You explain the functionality of the remote nicely without getting into all the technical aspects of what the remote is fully capable of....thank you for your time!
What are major differences between the Elite and companion? Also the remote to hub link is the only RF link? Will it work with FireTV which has a RF remote?
Can you set custom sound levels for various devices? So switching to Roku to watch a movie the sound automatically turns the sonos up for movies, switch to ps4 it would turn the volume automatically down on the sonos?
Hi Matt, Im thinking of the universal hub remote for my mom. She is't techie AT ALL. But what I"m wanting if for is the ability to use my smartphone remotely. Do you know if it's possible to turn on / off TV from a different home? What about launch and switch shows off Netflix or other providers? Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it!
Do you have a definitive troubleshooting guide if your MyHarmony computer app (or mobile) won't see Roku Ultra? Same network, rebooted everything. It saw it at one time but not any more. Many Thanks.
I have one and generally love it for the reasons you state. However, it will at times just "gets stupid" and refuse to work. Setups that worked fine for months suddenly quit and I must delete the activity and set up from scratch. Additionally, when I use the TV's apps, the Elite will show that it can't control the TV through wifi.
Lastly, Harmony's troubleshooting only guides you through simple issues; if you have something that doesn't fit within those parameters you run into a dead-end. And you have to pay to get any personal attention. So, my final thought is that when it works, it's the best. When it doesn't, it's incredibly frustrating.
Hi, thanks for the video, do you happen to know if it can be connected to MI Box S ? I need a button for the voice assistance of Google, does this remote has it?
Hello! I’m a spanish guy and i have some questions about this controller.
1. Its worth it to buy this harmony in 2020?
2. It works in English only or it have Spanish too?
3. Alexa works also in spanish?
Thank you for your fantastic review!
Can the elite stagger the power on order of devices? I have a Panasonic ST60 TV, Nvidia Shield TV and Yamaha 681 Receiver. All 3 wifi and basically hooked up pretty standard with the HDMI out of the shield going to an input of the yamaha and then out to the TV but for whatever reason, if I don't power the shield on FIRST and then the yamaha and then TV, there will be zero audio unless I turn the yamaha off and then back on again. It's annoying and I got no idea why it does this but it is what it is.
Since moving I've discovered that the Hub isn't perfect. I have the Companion remote which has the hub. It was working perfectly but since moving I've had all kinds of problems with devices not responding. After countless hours testing I've made the following observations: my new setup is very open concept behind the seating area (no walls). I believe the hub and blasters send out the IR signal and have to bounce around in order to eventually trigger the devices. Because my setup is so open concept there is nothing to bounce off of. Additionally my devices are somewhat recessed so I can't bring out the blaster/hub in order for them to be in front of devices. I was able to eventually get it to work most of the time by literally turning one of the devices (xfininity cable streaming box) sideways and pointing it directly at one of the blasters (they are about 2" apart otherwise it doesn't work). Most of the time, with this configuration, it works however, I've further discovered that on sunny days, in the afternoon, the sun shines into the room and disrupts the ir signal enough so that 1 or more devices won't respond. I think the blaster or hub (or both) must not have a very powerful signal since when I use the tv remote under same conditions, it works fine. I think I just have an unfortunate setup but just wanted to write this in case anybody else is having similar issues. It seems to be backwards, but now I just want a good Harmony remote with IR. I think the Elite you've reviewed actually has IR built-in as well so that may actually be the solution but it is just unfortunate that my Companion doesn't quite work perfectly anymore.
I went through the same thing with my wife, even when the 1st iPhone came out, she said, I will never use something like that, now I can't get off it, she loves voice activated , lights, tv on, tv off, we have ours setup to echo dots and spots, she loves it now, we even have cameras that she uses, she may even keep tabs on me with the cameras, this is when the creator becomes the created, she is taking over
Ha! That's awesome.
Do they offer discrete codes? On/off etc?
I am coming from a Harmony 900 but have been relying more on device remotes for quick launching of apps or voice input. While it appears the Harmony Elite has been discontinued by Logitech - would that mean the app would still offer the core functionality? I'm contemplating spending $400 to get an Elite before the remaining inventory disappears. Thoughts?
I subscribed to “Undecided” for the great Tesla content. Have now learned much from the channel. Picked up the aforementioned remote on your advice. Outstanding product. Consolidated seven remotes. Thanks for the great information.
Seriously can't wait for this channel to get insanely big and for you to get some well deserved recognition :)
Thanks for the kind words!
is it still worth it today?
Have a couple companion hubs and love it. the only problem is the companion remotes are favorite dog chew toys if get lazy with placement. Since changing Internet service provider have not gotten Alexa and harmony working. Added Orbi mesh to hang items off since then to allow the ability to change ISP with little or no headaches in future.
Is there an HDMI switch that you recommend to use with the Harmony Elite?
Matt - With the Harmony Elite - in addition to cable TV, can I program the Elite to turn on the following: Netflix - TH-cam - Apple TV - Amazon Prim TV? Will the Elite remote use voice commands to change cable channels?
If you’re using something like Alexa, then yep, you can program in voice commands for specific cable channels on your cable TV. But pulling up specific apps like Netflix, TH-cam, etc. on something like an Apple TV is tricky and problematic at best. If you have something like an Amazon Fire TV paired with Alexa, then yes. Some smart TVs are also capable of that with Harmony ... I believe it’s possible on Roku too.
By any chance do you know what to do if you change routers? How do you change the WiFi the hub connects to without erasing commands. Tks.
You should be able to follow this: support.myharmony.com/en-es/changing-the-network-harmony-uses
All of your activities should still be active within your Logitech account since it’s cloud based.
Hey there! So my wife and I have built a tiny house on wheels and I've packed a formidable amount of smart technology into the house. From Wireless Sensor Tags to monitor temperature and Kasa Dimmers and every light, to smart TVs and Assistant controlled heating and cooling. There's even a washer dryer combo that has some IFTTT capabilities. I'm looking into this hub because I've been trying to find an all around solution for our two interlinked entertainment systems as well as some additional perks controlling lights and such. A snag we run into is that I have two smart TVs running back to one tech cupboard with HDMI splitters on our primary forms of entertainment. Essentially so we don't have to have two of everything in such a small space. (The screen mirror is great for Mario Kart) Essentially I'm wondering if the remote should be able to control each TV individually as well as a sound bar that uses a separate remote for volume. Or is the system, like most, only designed around using one TV per setup?
Is it possible to disable the spy Alexa?
I used to own a harmony and I got rid of it since I mostly use the Apple TV which is HDMI CEC compatible. But now I kinda regret it since it's actually pretty limited. I was wondering since you can control the harmony through Alexa voice commands, can you do things the other way around and press a button on your remote in order to give Alexa some commands?
Which are the differents with the Logitech Harmony ultimate one?
Hi, does the elite run a blue tooth dvr? I upgraded to a 4K dvr and it is bluetooth run.
Hi Matt, something like this would be e blessing in the Philippines where there are numerous neighbours who put their videoke machines at such blaringly loud levels. Would this remote work? PLEASE let me know ASAP
How does this work with Hue Sync?
Will this work with an HDMI switch box and fiber optic switch box that has a remote?
*The Logitech Harmony remote shown in this video is far from being "The Ultimate Smart Remote" and I would highly recommend that you look into other products. This remote is hampered by it's old school design. As well as it's low grade materials, software, and capabilities. It is also WAY TOO OVERPRICED for what it is.* The only reason Logitech can successfully charge $399 for a "smart" remote that cost them $50 to make. Is because of their name, poor consumer education, and their long standing dominance in this product segment. A segment dominance that is quickly diminishing. In my opinion the all around "Ultimate *SMART* Remote" is the Sevenhugs "Smart Remote U" for $199.99. It's has an innovative design, uses quality materials, and has truly intuitive software. It is significantly more capable than any of the handheld Logitech remotes that are currently offered, while being priced appreciably lower. Look up the Sevenhugs "Smart Remote U" and you will not disagree with me.
P.S. I found out about the Sevenhugs remotes while at my local Best Buy, they may be at your's too. I went in planning to buy the best Logitech 'Smart' Remote that they had there. However, I ended up buying the Smart Remote U after comparing it with a few of the other top-tier "smart" universal remotes at Best Buy, and it frankly wasn't even a competition. Lastly, I'm not sure about the Logitech Harmony remotes, but I do know that you can program the IR blaster on the Sevenhugs to work with pretty much anything. Even if your HDMI switch box isn't one of the over 650,000 products that is preprogrammed to immediately work with the Sevenhugs remote. As long as you have the original remote. You can manually program the Sevenhugs to work with the box.
I´m still using my Sunwave src 3000 but it´s time to upgrade, is it easy to connect random ir devices that has a random brand to the Harmony? and can the harmony copy the signal with like a reading eye? I got the Homey yesterday but the Ir function doesn't work..
Yep. Logitech has somewhere over 200,000 devices in their database, but if it’s not in there you can train the IR yourself. You essentially point your device’s remote at the Logitech remote for a step by step training session. support.myharmony.com/en-us/adding-a-device-thats-not-found-in-the-harmony-database
Thanks, I just subscribed. You speak quickly and clearly, and are very respectful of a viewers clock cycles, which is much appreciated. (This is how I strive to be on my channel, so I can appreciate how well you do this.) Thanks again.
What ir extender and denon avr model you got?
Great review, thanks you! Will the Elite address the issue of my Receiver occasionally changing devices due to the HDMI/ARC functions? Will the hub know the best order to turn on devices? I NEED to find something because like you my wife only gets more irritated when I try to "make the system better".
Thanks! You can customize every little detail on the order it turns things on, you can add delays, etc. As for the HDMI/CEC (ARC is the audio return channel, CEC is the electronics control) issues, no ... it won’t solve that. I’ve run into the same problem on my more elaborate home theater setups. If it’s something simple like an Apple TV, soundbar, and a TV, HDMI CEC works well. I’ve found that the more stuff you add it tends to go sideways on you. I’d recommend turning off CEC functions, which you can usually find buried in menus on things like your TV ... same for your receiver. They sometimes rename it from CEC, so you keep an eye out for other keywords like “control,” “link,” etc. If it’s one device that’s really mucking up the works and it doesn’t have HDMI CEC options to turn that off, you can actually buy these little HDMI adapters that kill the CEC signal (amzn.to/2MaJsmG).
Does killing CEC/ARC/eARC or turning it off stop the backward audio channel from my LG tv to my AMP (ARCAM AVR30)?
Can you use this remote to turn on a laptop
Hi, thanks for the video! I have a question, this remote works with Directv devices?? Thank u
Obviously the IR blaster has to be insight of the devices being controlled, but does the Hub have to be insight of the remote? or can the hub be in a different room then the hub and IR blaster?
The hub can be anywhere you want it to be (doesn’t need to be line of sight to the remote). It’s an IR blaster itself!
1. Have you experienced your app getting stuck in like "powering off mode forever" ?
2. Is it ok to un-install the app and re-install ? if so does all the previous configured settings in the harmony gets erased ?
I haven’t experienced that specifically, but it’s completely safe to uninstall and reinstall without losing anything.
I've had an Harmony 1000 since so long I can't remember when I bought the device...2007 maybe? Anyhow I finally managed to break it (by letting it fall from high enough) and I just ordered the Elite after seeing your interesting review. Looking forward to playing with it and Alexa :)
Nice! Well ... nice about the new Elite on the way, not breaking the old remote. 😜 Let me know what you think when you get it working.
Can you use the Elite to control your smart lights through Google Home? The brand of lights I use are not specifically supported by Logitech on a standalone basis.
No, not through Google in that fashion. If the lights you use are accessible on IFTTT, you could most likely access it that way. And if you’re comfortable with a little coding, you can create custom integrations with something like Home Assistant (Hass.io) and link them up directly.
Philips Hue is the only lamp that works
I’m seriously considering getting the Harmony Elite setup. I just recently got a 665 as a free item from Best Buy. And after playing around with it, I’ve been really enjoying the harmony remote.
That’s a great remote ... and a gateway drug into the higher end Harmony remotes like the Elite. ;-)
Undecided with Matt Ferrell 😂😂 that’s exactly what it seems like is happening.
I have harmony 650's and 700's. May upgrade. It's all on ebay now, although I've found some refurbished stuff on Amazon.
Coming from a 10 year old Harmony one to the Harmony Elite would be more intimidating that what it turned out to be. I am just getting started and love it.
Nice! It’s a big step up.
Can you operate the Hub online via the web from a different location (eg. different city) all together?
I used the logitech remotes in the past and this one looks great too. Have you tired the sevenhugs x smart remote. Very comparable to this one. Still debating tho.
I have the elite but I need more range out of the hub. It is in my electronics room with my equipment for my master bedroom that’s up stairs. I am constantly getting notified that it can’t connect with the hub. Do you know if a way to extend the range maybe link it to another hub. If not I will have to use cat 5 to run back to the ir blasters. Thoughts?
Is it a range issue between the remote and the hub? If so, I don’t know of a way to extend it. You’d probably need to run cabling for the IR blasters like you’re thinking, so you can get the hub closer to the remote.
It is a range issue. I will move the hub to the bedroom and extend the ir wires. Thank you for the reply.
Insofar as I've been able to determine, the Elite is not compatible with Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina). Kind of a big deal for the Apple user. This should have been mentioned in your video.
Will this control a ps3? I use it as my main blu ray / dvd player.
Can i put my peripherals in the storage room and still use the harmony?
Yep! The remote works through walls. You just have to keep the Harmony Hub or the IR extenders in the storage room with the peripherals. I’m doing this in my bedroom. My devices are actually in the closest with the hub and I have an IR extender strung into the room so the TV can get the IR signals.
This just sold me on the Harmony Elite👍🏾
Great video and review. I have used a bunch of Harmony remotes in the past, but gave them all up. the software just wasn't..enough. There was always something/some feature/command I couldn't figure out how to program and would still have to keep all the other remotes around. what about the "serialization delay" i.e. : "watch TV" 1) turn on TV to correct input 2) turn on cable box 3) turn on receiver t correct input... that took a while for the old harmony's to go through.
the Directv remote can do most of that, and faster, it seems. does the elite still have to go through each step? do I have to turn off CEC in the receiver (denon) as well as the TV(sony) adn the cablebox(directv)?
Will this work with rotle processor, pre amp and oppo 205 dvd player?
is fire TV cube the best voice control device for someone who is disabled? Can harmony + alexa actually control a DVR menu or only change channels / launch apps? can it control the apps like a cube?
It can to an extent. You can setup favorite channels in the Harmony app and set Alexa commands to work, so you could say, “Turn on Food Network” and it would change to that channel. You can also manually say channel numbers. It can switch to any activity and control the volume as well. There’s also play, pause, etc. control, and if you have a Roku, you can pull up specific apps like Netflix or Hulu. As for navigating a DVR to play a specific show, sadly no. There’s no directional arrow controls to use voice to navigate like that ... which is a huge downside.
I'm thinking about picking up the U version what's your take on this remote?
Does the harmony hub keeps track of the tv state, can i see if the tvs on or off in the app? if i create a routine that turns off all my media when i go out, if the tv is off, will it turn on?
Yep, it keeps track of the state of things, so you can see what’s going on in the app. And there are ways to tie it into your smart home routines (depending on your system). I actually have it tied into my Hubitat Hub and can do exactly what you’re asking about if I wanted to.
I have a remote wall plug using RF to turn on a woofer for movies, but apparently this won't work since it need RF, right?
Most likely not. It would either need to be IR or be a compatible smart plug (usually WiFi, z-wave, or Zigbee tech). There’s a full list here: support.myharmony.com/en-us/compatibility
Great review. Made my purchase much easier to make. Thank you
I have my gear in another room can the harmony remote connect with devices via ip through the same router?
Sadly, no on the IP front. If you put the hub in the other room with that gear, you can use the remote from wherever your TV is though. Or you might be able to string an IR blaster from from the hub to the other location. The remote control acts as one of the IR blasters too.
Im curious how harmony elite works with lg magic remote. I would like to keep the cursor moving feature on the magic remote. Still it would be nice to get rid of a few remotes :D
I have LG TVs with the magic remote and Harmony won’t give you that functionality. It can still go through all of the smart TV menus, but it’s a typical directional pad control scheme.
@@UndecidedMF yea i figured that. It's too bad, but maybe if it's on sale i might get it one day.
OK I'm nearly sold. I'm already running lights with the google hub and smart things wall switches. I'm already turning on/off the TV using voice commands using google hub due to the Samsung Anynet feature. But I still need to use the remote of the TV to change channels or turn down the volume when watching aired television. Will this remote/hub respond to a voice command like "OK Google change to channel 10" or "OK Google Set Volume on TV to 20" or "OK Google change to input HDMI2". If not, I can't condone the extra expense. Please say yes so I can bring the future to me.
Ha! And yes, those do work ... with some limitations. I don’t have cable TV anymore to test it out, but I have read that Google can change to any channel names in your Harmony favorites list, so something like, “Google turn TV to NBC” will work if it’s in your favorites list. Asking it to “turn TV to channel 13” will also work. I’ve been able to get it to mute and control the volume of my TV.
Here’s a article on it: www.androidpolice.com/2018/10/16/logitech-harmony-direct-control-finally-live-google-assistant-home-limitations/
OK It's on my wish list. I'll try to remember to feed back when I get it all going.
Had a Harmony Ultimate, then updated to a 950 remote, which is the Elite. The hub I'd been using with the Ultimate worked perfectly with the Elite, just by using the 'Upgrade" tool in the Harmony desktop software to integrate it. IR blasters still work as they always have, too.
Nice! Good way to save a little money in the upgrade process.
I have the Elite and love it.
Hi,
My ideia is hide all DVD's, tvbox, soundbar, every thing works by remote control inside the wardrobe under the TV.
With This Harmony Control it's possible?
Thanks
Does this remote work with Lutron ra2 lighting?
I'm not 100% sure. It works with Caseta for sure (I'm using that).
Matt. Great video. Have you used the elite and the caavo as the hdmi switch? Would love to see a video in using elite to control caavo.
I haven’t. I’m 100% harmony elite and have most things routed into a Denon receiver.
My father in law is having problems using this remote with the Bose lifestyle 650.
Can you try if works with nvidia shield pro tv? I would like to have this control.
Thanks for answer in advance.
I used to have an nvidia shield tv and it worked great.
@@UndecidedMF Oh Ok thank you. I'll going to get my.
Best universal remote by a long way
I *LOVE* my harmony hub and remote. Guests that come over are still amazed by it when I turn on my tv with Alexa. Great video!
Ha! That's always a real crowd pleaser ... and a, "wait ... how did you do that?" moment.
Matt, did you trot this vid out to Logitech for them to purchase? It is pretty awesome. It could be embedded on their support page. This is the first of your vids I've watched. I really liked it. Well done, sir.
Hi Matt, sorry to jump on the thread but I want to put my media stuff under the stairs and be able to watch everything in lounge and control everything from there, do I need a IR blaster in the lounge or will the harmony remote be able to control the TV via IR and I just put the hub under the stairs? Its about 20ft about where all the media devices are. I have the elite and 2 IR blasters.
The remote does have IR built into it, so it should handle the TV just fine with the hub in another location. If you found it hit or miss, you could run a long extension for one of the IR blasters into the lounge, but I don’t think you’ll need to.
@@UndecidedMF many thanks for your reply, excellent video!
The best video on this setup I've seen. Thanks for your work, Matt! I hope your channel will get well-deserved recognition soon!
Thanks! Appreciate it.
Anyone know how to setup the 10sec skip on the apple tv?
great video, I will have to look into the harmony Elite as my wife is having some trouble with all of my remotes :)
It can be a marriage saver. ;-) Thanks for watching!
Where did you get the signal blasters?
They came with the Logitech Harmony Elite (2 of them).
Really good video and wonderful editing.
Awesome video I like music and even they part you put those message words on gray area awesome look good video there !!!!
Hi MattGreat video btw, quick question, I have multiple tv's,5 in total,a cinema room,tv,sky tv,amp,dvd player etc, and in another room smart tv sound bar sub sky tv etc, what remote should I buy,& do I need more than one ?,
Thanks for watching! You’d need to get one remote per setup. It looks like you have a lot of TVs, but probably not too many things plugged into each TV (TV, a couple of video sources, and a sound source). That being the case I think something like the Harmony Companion might be a good fit. You’d get the benefits of the hub, but would save some cash over the Harmony Elite. The biggest difference is the remote control itself. The Elite has buttons and a touch screen, while the Companion has buttons only. It might be worth looking at some of the other options I mentioned too, like Caavo (not sure if it’s available where you are). Regardless, the easiest/best path is one remote/hub per setup ... and I’d start small ... just setup one and see how it goes. Sounds like you’ve got a media rich house!
Hi Matt
Thanks for the info,I bought & installed 2 Elites yesterday,a bit of a faf to set up,that's me not the units,but overall very pleased,and we have done away with 4 remotes per room.
Keep up the good work.
Happy New year from over the pond.
Ha! It can take a bit to set up, but once it is ... it should just work. Glad to hear it’s working out!
What's the difference between the Harmony Elite and the Harmony 950?
The 950 is the Elite without the hub. It works purely with IR from the remote itself and doesn’t offer any of the integrations you get with the hub. But you can add a hub to the 950 at any time to turn it into an Elite.
Undecided with Matt Ferrell Ok thank you so basically if I want to control my firestick which doesn’t use IR it uses bluetooth I need to purchase the elite for the hub
Correct.
Undecided with Matt Ferrell Last question what do you think is the lowest price you’ve seen it
I’ve seen it at $250 and even less on a rare occasion, but most of the time you see it hovering around $300. I’ve often seen Best Buy have some good sales on them.
Is the hub really necessary?
I'm currently controlling my setup (Sony-ht-st5000-soundbar, LG oled65b6v, Playstation and nvidia shield) via CEC. This works great for the basic controls like arrow keys, enter and to some extent back. But there however some custom buttons for each device that are not covered for this reason I was thinking of getting a smart remote to control all devices and my understanding was that custom buttons could be programed. I also have a Luxaflex powerview blinds that I would like to to control. Of course I have plans on getting more smart home devices like Philips Hue. I however don't want to clutter TV bench with more gateways. The luxaflex gateway would probably be a must and I have also been looking at Homey device but I think a smart remote would do the trick.
One of the biggest issues with CEC is that DVR's go from a sleep like state to 'on' to initiate recordings. If you are watching any other source at the time, then you have to fumble with remotes to modify inputs and hope it doesn't happen again.
I use the hub with a non-CEC, IR, HDMI switch to handle my HDMI switching and it works very well.
DVR, ATV, HTPC, BluRay and NintendoSwitch all just work.
If i manage to get hold of a hub, can I just download the free app and use it without even the need for the remote itself?
Yep, that can work.
Anyone know if this will work the Shield? ..more importantly Kodi, or APK's. To control the functions ..
Like to navigate within?
If you mean the Nvidia Shield, it sure does (I used to have a Shield). While I haven’t personally tried it with Kodi, I have seen that it has full support.
How do DVR functions cable such as Verizon FiOS work?
Excellent. What's the real difference between the Elite and the Companion? I'm fed up with my old "pro installers only" URC MX-850.
The Companion has the same feature set as the Elite because of the hub, but the remote itself doesn’t have a screen. The screen makes it easier to quickly flip the remote from an activity into a device specific remote. On the screen you’ll see a list of every possible command you can use for something like your TV, or your DVD player. If that’s not something you’ll think you’ll get a lot of use out of, or are good with using your phone or tablet when that’s needed, then the Companion is a great choice. I’d probably brake it down to ... if you have lots of devices and activities you want to set up, go with the Elite. If you have a handful of devices, the Companion will probably fit the bill and save some money.
Undecided with Matt Ferrell Thank you for taking the time to provide such a comprehensive response. Do either of these remotes or the iPhone app provide a reasonable facsimile of the Apple TV remote touchpad and/or “voice” button?
Sure thing ... happy to help. Sadly, the remotes and app don’t replicate the Apple TV touch remote touchpad. They only provide arrow up/down/left/right type of functionality, and for fast forward or rewinding you can press and hold for faster speeds. Not as nice as the touchpad, but it works.
Nice review Matt. Thanks
Now that Logitech has quit the Harmony market do you has a recommendation for a replacement.
There is no user programmable remote comparable to the Harmony Elite on the market (and there will not be for quite a while). I purchased a NIB Elite off of eBay, as they become more scarce, the prices will continue to climb. The next step up to a Savant or Control4 are not user programmable, and the prices can vary into thousands of dollars depending on the amount of devices you are connecting throughout your home.