The handheld remote has a built-in IR emitter, and there’s a lot of programming flexibility as to which emitters/blasters send commands to what devices. The Harmony Home Hub has a built-in IR blaster but includes only two output jacks for external IR emitters-a disappointment considering that the system is designed to control as many as 15 AV components. As a result, if you want reliable, responsive performance, especially when it comes to a lot of the home automation integration, you need a robust Wi-Fi network in your home. It includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity but does not have an Ethernet port. The free Harmony Mobile App-with iOS and Android versions for phones and tablets-does everything the handheld remote can do plus a little more, including initial setup of the remote and truly “remote” control of your AV components (and smart devices) from anywhere in the world as long as you have access to the Internet.Īlthough the handheld remote gets all the attention, the small Harmony Home Hub is the system’s command center where all the magic happens. And then there’s that other question: Is the DIY world really ready to mix AV control and home automation in one wand or app, with all the setup and programming that entails, or is this still too soon?įirst and foremost, the Harmony Ultimate Home is a universal AV remote control that uses IR, Bluetooth, or IP (Internet Protocol) to control up to 15 “home entertainment devices.” It consists of two separate parts: 1) a handheld remote with a stellar ergonomic design and 2.4-inch color touchscreen (and a recharging cradle) and 2) the Harmony Home Hub. The question is whether Logitech has blended the two control technologies in a way that’s intuitive and convenient to use, or wound up with a kludgey, Rube-Goldbergian nightmare of a user interface. Logitech’s new $350 Harmony Ultimate Home Control is a bit like the old 890 in that it’s Harmony’s top-of-the-line universal remote control that’s also on the cutting edge of current home automation technology. Today, however, it’s a different story, with many smart lights, locks, and other devices readily available and affordable. That’s because, as great as it was for home theater, with respect to DIY home automation, the Harmony 890 was simply too far ahead of its time with too few smart devices to control. I liked the Harmony 890 Advanced and used one in my system for many years-albeit, I’ll admit, without utilizing the lighting control capabilities. Almost a decade ago, Harmony included basic Z-Wave-based lighting control in the Harmony 890. Some might call it surprising that it’s taken so long for Harmony to get this deeply involved in home automation. More importantly, many of these new remotes include some level of home automation, finally creating one controller that can be used to handle all the AV gear in the living room along with all the smart devices spread throughout the rest of the house. Through some sort of deus ex machine of the home theater gods, though, Logitech not only held onto the Harmony division, it doubled down on development and recently released multiple new Harmony models. As if the soundbar hadn’t kicked home theater in the crotch hard enough already, now home automation was adding extra insult to the injury by ignoring AV systems altogether. A few of the new DIY hub-based home automation systems-notably, Revolv (now defunct after being sucked into Google last fall) and SmartThings-provided limited integration with Sonos multiroom audio components, but they offered zilch when it came to controlling AVRs, HDTVs, and source devices in a theater setup. Yet, the extent of the automation these systems offered always stopped at the door to the home theater. So a dim, non-Harmonious future looked imminent for DIY home theater enthusiasts wanting more than the standard, three-in-one, el-cheapo universal hanging on a peg at Walgreens.Īt the same time, smartphone app-based do-it-yourself home automation was working hard to become “the next big thing”-or at least the next big part of the Internet of Things. Unfortunately, by that time, short of the fancy installer-only control systems from the likes of URC, Control4, and others, Harmony had pretty much eliminated the competition for remote controls selling for more than $50. It was January of 2013, and Logitech, in an effort to “refocus its strategic direction,” announced it would divest itself (by end of the year) of several non-core product categories-among them speaker docks, digital video security cameras, and, notably, its Harmony activity-based universal remote controls.
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