Logitech Harmony Elite & Sky Q / Amazon Alexa / Philips Hue
Discussion
Having a 'personal admin day' today hence starting so many threads!
Getting round to unboxing my Logitech Harmony Elite and I'm envisaging getting frustrated at it not doing what I want it to do.
Initially, I'll be (trying to be) using it with;
- Sony Bravia KD55XF9005 Android based TV;
- Sony CT-390 Sound Bar (not ideal but came with TV);
- Amazon Alexa;
- Philips Hue Hub;
- Hive Heating (some Googling is throwing up mixed reports on whether it's possible at the moment).
If anyone has any tips that might help when I inevitably come unstuck later on any of the above or similar devices, that would be helpful.
Ideally in the not so distant future it would be great if I could get this thing to do the curtains in the living room, dim the lights, turn on Netflix etc but one step at a time. I'd just like to get it working with with the devices I have. I've downloaded the app and I'm leaving the office shortly to give it a go.
Thanks for any help in advance
Getting round to unboxing my Logitech Harmony Elite and I'm envisaging getting frustrated at it not doing what I want it to do.
Initially, I'll be (trying to be) using it with;
- Sony Bravia KD55XF9005 Android based TV;
- Sony CT-390 Sound Bar (not ideal but came with TV);
- Amazon Alexa;
- Philips Hue Hub;
- Hive Heating (some Googling is throwing up mixed reports on whether it's possible at the moment).
If anyone has any tips that might help when I inevitably come unstuck later on any of the above or similar devices, that would be helpful.
Ideally in the not so distant future it would be great if I could get this thing to do the curtains in the living room, dim the lights, turn on Netflix etc but one step at a time. I'd just like to get it working with with the devices I have. I've downloaded the app and I'm leaving the office shortly to give it a go.
Thanks for any help in advance
I am a long-time Logitech Harmony user but the latest web based models are poor. The build quality of Harmony Remotes has never been up to much and the latest ones appear to be worse. Some of the buttons on my Elite are sticking after only a year or so.
The app is woeful and the reaction times of the Elite can be described as lethargic at best. I've just about mastered how to get Amazon Alexa to turn on my Activities (TV, Sky, AV Receiver etc.) , although switching channels can be a bit hit and miss but I'm sticking with it.
Amazon Echo works very well to perform simple tasks like turning on individual lights or groups of lights and is getting better at the more complex tasks.
Stick with it as I"m sure it will get better but I completely agree about the app.
The app is woeful and the reaction times of the Elite can be described as lethargic at best. I've just about mastered how to get Amazon Alexa to turn on my Activities (TV, Sky, AV Receiver etc.) , although switching channels can be a bit hit and miss but I'm sticking with it.
Amazon Echo works very well to perform simple tasks like turning on individual lights or groups of lights and is getting better at the more complex tasks.
Stick with it as I"m sure it will get better but I completely agree about the app.
I didn't get in until fairly late and the wife was a bit annoyed when I started trying to set up the remote as she was relaxing watching rubbish on the TV.
I started going through the set up using the app but got frustrated when it found the Hue hub and lost the will to live with the options. It still says "set up your remote using the app" on the remote.
I'm used to using Alexa (or "Hey Siri") for the heating and the lighting but was quite excited at the thought of using it to control the TV and perhaps adding some motorised curtains and other fairly useless stuff.
I'm away for a couple of days now so I'll more than likely do some online research whilst holed up in a hotel on my own with cold soggy room service.
I started going through the set up using the app but got frustrated when it found the Hue hub and lost the will to live with the options. It still says "set up your remote using the app" on the remote.
I'm used to using Alexa (or "Hey Siri") for the heating and the lighting but was quite excited at the thought of using it to control the TV and perhaps adding some motorised curtains and other fairly useless stuff.
I'm away for a couple of days now so I'll more than likely do some online research whilst holed up in a hotel on my own with cold soggy room service.
AB said:
I didn't get in until fairly late and the wife was a bit annoyed when I started trying to set up the remote as she was relaxing watching rubbish on the TV.
I started going through the set up using the app but got frustrated when it found the Hue hub and lost the will to live with the options. It still says "set up your remote using the app" on the remote.
I'm used to using Alexa (or "Hey Siri") for the heating and the lighting but was quite excited at the thought of using it to control the TV and perhaps adding some motorised curtains and other fairly useless stuff.
I'm away for a couple of days now so I'll more than likely do some online research whilst holed up in a hotel on my own with cold soggy room service.
Any further thoughts on this????I started going through the set up using the app but got frustrated when it found the Hue hub and lost the will to live with the options. It still says "set up your remote using the app" on the remote.
I'm used to using Alexa (or "Hey Siri") for the heating and the lighting but was quite excited at the thought of using it to control the TV and perhaps adding some motorised curtains and other fairly useless stuff.
I'm away for a couple of days now so I'll more than likely do some online research whilst holed up in a hotel on my own with cold soggy room service.
I'm considering making the same leap!!!
It’s set up and I can either press ‘watch tv’ on the remote or say “Alexa, watch TV” for it to power everything up. I’ve set a couple of keys on the remote to control lights.
Some of the ‘activities’ I’ve set up work well I.e. ‘Goodnight’ which turns all AV gear off, Sky box etc but also turns all living room lights off and puts one GU10 on in the bathroom, the landing light and bedroom lights on dim. No more walking up the stairs in the dark. Simple but handy.
Still learning and messing about with it but I’m generally happy. Biggest PITA is I can’t work out how to get the surround sound system to power up with the ‘Netflix’ activity on the Sony Bravia.
Having favourite channels on the touchscreen is handy as I can never remember channel numbers and saves going through the TV guide
The novelty of walking into the living room in the morning and asking Alexa to turn the tv on will wear off and changing channel using the remote is easier than “Alexa, turn to Sky Sports 1” but it’s good for showing off.
Overall, glad I bought it.
Some of the ‘activities’ I’ve set up work well I.e. ‘Goodnight’ which turns all AV gear off, Sky box etc but also turns all living room lights off and puts one GU10 on in the bathroom, the landing light and bedroom lights on dim. No more walking up the stairs in the dark. Simple but handy.
Still learning and messing about with it but I’m generally happy. Biggest PITA is I can’t work out how to get the surround sound system to power up with the ‘Netflix’ activity on the Sony Bravia.
Having favourite channels on the touchscreen is handy as I can never remember channel numbers and saves going through the TV guide
The novelty of walking into the living room in the morning and asking Alexa to turn the tv on will wear off and changing channel using the remote is easier than “Alexa, turn to Sky Sports 1” but it’s good for showing off.
Overall, glad I bought it.
I think it actually all works well together. I have
Elite
Alexa
Smartthings (with loads of modules)
Hive heating
I can say,
Alexa, turn on lounge lights
Alexa, turn on BBC1
Alexa, turn off TV
Alexa , Turn on Amp Sonos, Alexa, play BBC radio 2 in the lounge
Alexa, Turn on bed time (all lights and hifi off, bedroom lights on)
Alexa, play radio 6 in the garage
Alexa, set thermostat to 20 degrees
etc etc
All works well.
Smartthings can sometimes be sluggish - its their end I believe
Elite can be sluggish unless I put a piece of paper in front of my Youview IR receiver (apparently it gets "noise" from my LCD TV)
I dont bother with volume and pausing etc, Alexa gets too confused over which volume (Her's or the amp etc)
MY advice:
Setup smartthings first and get your scenes working
Setup Harmony elite and get all your "Activities" working via the remote
Finally, setup Alexa with the Harmony (and smartthings) plugins, and MAKE A NOTE of the phrases you choose for each event. i.e. I can naturally say, "Alexa, turn on hallway lights" (because the virtual switch in ST is called "Hallway Lights"), but when I set up the ALexa-Smartthings plugin, I set an alternative phrase of "Alexa, turn on Hall lights", as she kept mis understanding "hallway". It is very confusing to try and locate your alternative phrases in the Alexa plugins after you have set them.
I know you dont have ST but it is the same principal in setup. Get the main things working well first, then integrate Alexa last
Elite
Alexa
Smartthings (with loads of modules)
Hive heating
I can say,
Alexa, turn on lounge lights
Alexa, turn on BBC1
Alexa, turn off TV
Alexa , Turn on Amp Sonos, Alexa, play BBC radio 2 in the lounge
Alexa, Turn on bed time (all lights and hifi off, bedroom lights on)
Alexa, play radio 6 in the garage
Alexa, set thermostat to 20 degrees
etc etc
All works well.
Smartthings can sometimes be sluggish - its their end I believe
Elite can be sluggish unless I put a piece of paper in front of my Youview IR receiver (apparently it gets "noise" from my LCD TV)
I dont bother with volume and pausing etc, Alexa gets too confused over which volume (Her's or the amp etc)
MY advice:
Setup smartthings first and get your scenes working
Setup Harmony elite and get all your "Activities" working via the remote
Finally, setup Alexa with the Harmony (and smartthings) plugins, and MAKE A NOTE of the phrases you choose for each event. i.e. I can naturally say, "Alexa, turn on hallway lights" (because the virtual switch in ST is called "Hallway Lights"), but when I set up the ALexa-Smartthings plugin, I set an alternative phrase of "Alexa, turn on Hall lights", as she kept mis understanding "hallway". It is very confusing to try and locate your alternative phrases in the Alexa plugins after you have set them.
I know you dont have ST but it is the same principal in setup. Get the main things working well first, then integrate Alexa last
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 11th October 08:50
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 11th October 08:52
AB said:
It’s set up and I can either press ‘watch tv’ on the remote or say “Alexa, watch TV” for it to power everything up. I’ve set a couple of keys on the remote to control lights.
Some of the ‘activities’ I’ve set up work well I.e. ‘Goodnight’ which turns all AV gear off, Sky box etc but also turns all living room lights off and puts one GU10 on in the bathroom, the landing light and bedroom lights on dim. No more walking up the stairs in the dark. Simple but handy.
Still learning and messing about with it but I’m generally happy. Biggest PITA is I can’t work out how to get the surround sound system to power up with the ‘Netflix’ activity on the Sony Bravia.
Having favourite channels on the touchscreen is handy as I can never remember channel numbers and saves going through the TV guide
The novelty of walking into the living room in the morning and asking Alexa to turn the tv on will wear off and changing channel using the remote is easier than “Alexa, turn to Sky Sports 1” but it’s good for showing off.
Overall, glad I bought it.
Sounds promising, thanks for the updateSome of the ‘activities’ I’ve set up work well I.e. ‘Goodnight’ which turns all AV gear off, Sky box etc but also turns all living room lights off and puts one GU10 on in the bathroom, the landing light and bedroom lights on dim. No more walking up the stairs in the dark. Simple but handy.
Still learning and messing about with it but I’m generally happy. Biggest PITA is I can’t work out how to get the surround sound system to power up with the ‘Netflix’ activity on the Sony Bravia.
Having favourite channels on the touchscreen is handy as I can never remember channel numbers and saves going through the TV guide
The novelty of walking into the living room in the morning and asking Alexa to turn the tv on will wear off and changing channel using the remote is easier than “Alexa, turn to Sky Sports 1” but it’s good for showing off.
Overall, glad I bought it.
Didn't have any of this stuff a few months ago now have a house full of it cost me a fortune 
.
Just started off getting the Harmony remote because of being sick of have loads of remotes about. After getting it I noticed it said it worked with Alexa and after having a bit of a search a few Alexa dots with a some remote plugs where on there way. Then a few days later some Philips hue lights a few days later some Sonoff relays and now just ordered a lightwave thermostat and radiator valves.
Like others have done I've got it doing some nice little routines like when it's time for bed it turns everything off in the living room but then turns on the other lights for a few minutes so I can get up stairs things like that.
Im particulier pleased with with how I've linked in to my intruder alarm it is a smart alarm (Enforcer) but it's just a stand alone app that doesn't link with any third party devices like Alexa. So instead I used a Sonoff relay module connected to spare zones on the alarm panel and programed them as key switch inputs (you should be able to do this with any half decent alarms but need some spare zones). This lets me then use Alexa to set and unset the alarm so now when I say time for bed it does everything else but also sets night set on the alarm and when my morning alarm goes off it automatically unsets it so I don't need to worry when I go downstairs.
Then when going to work I just say "I'm going to work" it turns everything off in the house unsets the wireless alarm detector in my van also connected to my house alarm and starts the full set. Same when I come home but with a particular phrase not a simple "Im home" didn't think that would be to secure.
I'm just about to have a mess with one of the Alexa buttons you can get and try and make that operate when my alarm goes off by the looks of it shouldn't be to hard. So then I can get Alexa to send me a phone notification message, Turn on all the lights in the house and maybe even turn on all the sound systems and TV on when the alarm goes off.
. Just started off getting the Harmony remote because of being sick of have loads of remotes about. After getting it I noticed it said it worked with Alexa and after having a bit of a search a few Alexa dots with a some remote plugs where on there way. Then a few days later some Philips hue lights a few days later some Sonoff relays and now just ordered a lightwave thermostat and radiator valves.
Like others have done I've got it doing some nice little routines like when it's time for bed it turns everything off in the living room but then turns on the other lights for a few minutes so I can get up stairs things like that.
Im particulier pleased with with how I've linked in to my intruder alarm it is a smart alarm (Enforcer) but it's just a stand alone app that doesn't link with any third party devices like Alexa. So instead I used a Sonoff relay module connected to spare zones on the alarm panel and programed them as key switch inputs (you should be able to do this with any half decent alarms but need some spare zones). This lets me then use Alexa to set and unset the alarm so now when I say time for bed it does everything else but also sets night set on the alarm and when my morning alarm goes off it automatically unsets it so I don't need to worry when I go downstairs.
Then when going to work I just say "I'm going to work" it turns everything off in the house unsets the wireless alarm detector in my van also connected to my house alarm and starts the full set. Same when I come home but with a particular phrase not a simple "Im home" didn't think that would be to secure.
I'm just about to have a mess with one of the Alexa buttons you can get and try and make that operate when my alarm goes off by the looks of it shouldn't be to hard. So then I can get Alexa to send me a phone notification message, Turn on all the lights in the house and maybe even turn on all the sound systems and TV on when the alarm goes off.
Edited by Not-The-Messiah on Tuesday 11th June 00:24
AB said:
As expected, the remote is lucky not to have been thrown in the bin.
The app is awful.
The desktop (pc) app - it is miles better, and honestly, excellent.The app is awful.
My harmony elite controls:
Hifi home cinema
Lighting
Hive
Alexa linked
I don't bother controlling hive with the harmony as I do that via Alexa. There is a hive plugin / skill for Alexa.
"Alexa set thermostat to 22", "Alexa, increase thermostat" etc
AB said:
I didn't get in until fairly late and the wife was a bit annoyed when I started trying to set up the remote as she was relaxing watching rubbish on the TV.
I started going through the set up using the app but got frustrated when it found the Hue hub and lost the will to live with the options. It still says "set up your remote using the app" on the remote.
I'm used to using Alexa (or "Hey Siri") for the heating and the lighting but was quite excited at the thought of using it to control the TV and perhaps adding some motorised curtains and other fairly useless stuff.
I'm away for a couple of days now so I'll more than likely do some online research whilst holed up in a hotel on my own with cold soggy room service.
If you can, do all of the harmony setup on the desktop app - my harmony desktop aoftware. The phone app, and the web app are compromises. The pc app is very well written and intuitive.I started going through the set up using the app but got frustrated when it found the Hue hub and lost the will to live with the options. It still says "set up your remote using the app" on the remote.
I'm used to using Alexa (or "Hey Siri") for the heating and the lighting but was quite excited at the thought of using it to control the TV and perhaps adding some motorised curtains and other fairly useless stuff.
I'm away for a couple of days now so I'll more than likely do some online research whilst holed up in a hotel on my own with cold soggy room service.
I use a Samsung smartthings hub to control my lighting, and the harmony instructs the smartthings hub.
When integrating Alexa with your harmony, get your harmony working as you want it BEFORE involving alexa.
Once you have your harmony working well,then, add the harmony skill to your Alexa / echo and tell Alexa to discover new devices. She will then discover everything you have setup on your harmony, such as all the activities . So you if you have set up "watch sky TV" activity on your harmony, there will now be an Alexa command "Alexa, watch sky TV".
The one thing that can be a minefield is this: when you setup Alexa to support your harmony you will be prompted at some stage if you want to give more friendly / memorable names to your harmony tasks - this can be handy, but finding it again at a later date required quite a bit of googling!
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 11th June 00:56
Not-The-Messiah said:
Im particulier pleased with with how I've linked in to my intruder alarm it is a smart alarm (Enforcer) but it's just a stand alone app that doesn't link with any third party devices like Alexa. So instead I used a Sonoff relay module connected to spare zones on the alarm panel and programed them as key switch inputs (you should be able to do this with any half decent alarms but need some spare zones).
Tell us more. Oakey said:
Tell us more.
All depends on what alarm system you have and how many zone are free. You will need to get a Sonoff 4ch pro and wire the outputs to the free alarm inputs on the alarm panel (you may need resistors which match the alarm panel to do this). Then program the zones as latched key switch or whatever equivalent on the system you have. Then select which area you want it to work on. Basically then if that zone goes closed it sets that zone, open unsets it. Just name each really switch to match what you want it to do for example call one night set, then all you need to say is "Alexa turn night set on and it will set your alarm".
I only had two spurs zones but would have wired more if I could and then programmed one as panic alarm. So you could say "Alexa panic alarm" and it would set your alarm off.
Oakey said:
We've got a Honeywell G4 Accenta with four free zones but I think this might be a bit beyond me.
Sadly the accenta won't let you do it as you can't program the zones to be key switchs. Only way I could sort of think of doing it is because you only used 4 zones. And the Sonoff as 4 channels. Wire them into the same zones. This will override the alarm zones so they won't go into alarm when the Alexa is unset. Then just leave the alarm set all the time. So when you say "Alexa arm the alarm" or "Alexa night set" it just turns off the channels overriding the zones you want to arm. Just give it a minute delay in the Alexa routines to let you get out the house.
Only problem with this is you will need to manually disarm it and re arm the alarm every time you come home because the door contact will start the timer. Or you could disarm it on your phone before you go in.
Edited by Not-The-Messiah on Tuesday 11th June 15:50
jesusbuiltmycar said:
AB said:
As expected, the remote is lucky not to have been thrown in the bin.
The app is awful.
Great review! The app is awful.
Is it still annoying and something I should avoid - I have a low tolerance of buggy apps and a very short temper!
Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Tuesday 11th June 22:00
So managed to link one of the echo buttons you can get to the alarm system. So now when my alarm goes off it triggers a routine. It sends a notification to my phone, turns on all my smart lights, and starts playing The sound of the police on one of my echos full blast.
This can be done with any alarm just fit a 12-volt relay across bell and 12v on the panel. Then wire the other side of the relay (normally open) to the button. For now I've just taped the two wires on top of where the plastic button normally hits which creates the circuit triggering the button. It could do with some solder but not got any at the moment. Would be good if they just had a input unit you could easily wire to.
The buttons where I think originally designed just for games but after having a mess they could be used for loads of things.
Things like help buttons for the elderly when they press it sends whoever a massage. And then they can drop in on the Alexa to see if they are ok.
You could have one next to the TV for the kids so when they press it, it turns the TV onto a set channel so you can then lock all the boxes and remotes away.
And probably loads of other things I've not thought of.
This can be done with any alarm just fit a 12-volt relay across bell and 12v on the panel. Then wire the other side of the relay (normally open) to the button. For now I've just taped the two wires on top of where the plastic button normally hits which creates the circuit triggering the button. It could do with some solder but not got any at the moment. Would be good if they just had a input unit you could easily wire to.
The buttons where I think originally designed just for games but after having a mess they could be used for loads of things.
Things like help buttons for the elderly when they press it sends whoever a massage. And then they can drop in on the Alexa to see if they are ok.
You could have one next to the TV for the kids so when they press it, it turns the TV onto a set channel so you can then lock all the boxes and remotes away.
And probably loads of other things I've not thought of.
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