That migration from one independent Harmony configuration to another did pose some difficulty. While I have used Harmony devices for several years across many iterations of hardware, for the purposes of this review, I set everything up as new, though I did link it to the same account. If you're coming from a previous Harmony product, you may be interested to hear that the Harmony Express app asks if you’d like to set up the device as new or merge info over from another Logitech account. So much for the convenience of an iOS-based setup.The Harmony Express app handles the configuration process, and for 95% of folks, it should be a breeze, taking no more than ten or fifteen minutes to get up and running thanks to an easy question-and-answer format. It covers turning things on or off, and setting inputs, but to solve my problem, I had to download a MyHarmony application to my Mac, and tweak a few command sequences by hand, and then sync the changes to my Hub. If something doesn’t work right, the app guides you through a series of Yes/No questions to try and suss out the problem, but it doesn’t go deep enough. The receiver turned off, Apple TV turned on, and the television stubbornly decided to switch to an unused HDMI input.īasic setup and troubleshooting happens via the Harmony iOS app.Īn hour and a half and much button mashing later, I got the kinks worked out. The iOS app walked me through programming the Activity, and when it came time to test it-no dice. It’s not a terribly complicated sequence, and obviously a very common setup. So for a task like “Watch Apple TV,” all I really need to do is turn the TV on, turn Apple TV on, turn the receiver on, and set the correct inputs. My normal media setup is pretty simple, involving just a Sharp TV, Yamaha receiver, Apple TV, PlayStation 3, and a turntable from Pro-Ject. ![]() ![]() Things only get difficult when you start creating Activities, which are groups of commands sent to particular devices. The app first scans your Wi-Fi network for compatible devices, and then you enter the makes and models of other equipment that you own, so that the Harmony can program the appropriate commands. Setting up your various devices to work with the remote is also simple. Connect the hub to AC power, place it in your entertainment center, and put it on your Wi-Fi nework and you’re ready to go. It works with both IR and Bluetooth devices, such as game consoles. The hub receives commands from your remote and relays them to your various devices. Harmony Home Hub (say that three times fast). The Harmony remote communicates with all your devices via the Wi-Fi-connected If you need it, the capability is there, however. You can also create your own gestures, but the button layout on the remote is pretty complete, making custom gestures seem more like a flashy demo feature than a necessity. The touchscreen can also be used with gestures, to do things like play/pause and adjust volume. Once everything’s programmed correctly, you’ll mostly use the touchscreen to swap Activities, but depending on the devices you use, there are several unused buttons that could also be mapped to specific functions or sets of commands. ![]() The banner feature here is integration with a wide variety of other devices from companies like Nest, Peq, Lutron, SmartThings, and more. For one, your Harmony app-equipped phone can double as a second remote, which is perfect for those moments when your actual remote goes missing. So yeah, in addition to your $350 remote, you’ll also need an iPhone. Logitech has gotten rid of the tethered setup in favor of app-based setup from an iOS (or Android) app.
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