Pressing the Watch TV button at the top of the Harmony Companion turned on all three of those devices, switched to the correct inputs (HDMI 1 on the TV and "TV" on the AV receiver) and mapped the buttons on the physical remote and the app to the right device commands. So for my test system above, the Watch TV activity included the TV, the cable DVR and the AV receiver (for sound). An activity can include whichever devices you specify. The quintessential activity is Watch TV, and indeed it's the first activity the Harmony app ask you to create during initial setup (assuming your system includes a TV). You can always access every command directly using the Device tab on the Harmony app-the physical remote does not offers access to every device command-but you'll mostly be using Activities.
I have yet to find a device it doesn't support, although at times I've had to take advantage of the IR learning function (which works great) to "teach" the system a stray command. They range from basics like Power On/Off, Play, OK, and Volume Up to extras like Pay Per View, 5-channel stereo, MTS and Thumbs Down.Ī single device can have half a hundred commands or more, and Harmony supports 270,000 devices and adds up to 1,100 new ones each month. The best way to think of a command is as a button on the remote control that originally came with the device.
The company's rep told me some Companion users have already integrated more than twenty home automation devices into their systems.įor each home theater device you own, the Companion automatically loads commands for each function. These totals do not include home control devices like lights and thermostats you can have an unlimited number of those according to Harmony. If you need to control more devices, consider the Harmony Elite with its limit of 15. For my test system, for example, I set up a TV, an AV receiver, and six different source devices: a cable DVR, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Roku 3 and an Amazon Fire TV. The Harmony Companion can command up to eight different home theater devices. Activities and devices: A Harmony primerīefore I get much further it's worth explaining to Harmony novices the notion of "activities" versus basic device control. For additional activities beyond those six, you'll need to resort to the app for control (or get the Harmony Elite, which moves activity selection to its touchscreen). Yes, you can long-press each of the keys to access a second activity, but that can be confusing especially for people unfamiliar with your setup. That doesn't seem like enough to me when device itself supports a "virtually unlimited" number of activities, according to Logitech. There are still only three dedicated activity buttons, represented by musical notes, a TV and a strip of film. The review has not otherwise been modified. This review has been updated to reflect that change, and to mention the new Harmony Elite. Nothing else comes close to its level of home theater control, ease of use and value.Įditors' Note : Logitech has changed the name of this product from the Harmony Home Control to the Harmony Companion. But once you get everything set up - a lengthy chore but easier than you may think - the Companion works beautifully. Such a complex system does have its rough edges still, and despite its lofty aspirations the app for control is a poor substitute for the physical remote. Harmony's system just works, seamlessly tying together just about any device with a single remote a child can use.
But she doesn't know or care about any of that she just presses a single button and Netflix appears on the screen. Doing so involves turning on the TV and AV receiver, switching them to the correct inputs, and selecting the Netflix app on Roku. With it my 5-year-old daughter can easily "turn on Neh-falix"and watch "Pound Puppies" without me having to get out of bed (I'm a bad parent, sue me). I've been living with the original Smart Control for a year and it's amazing.
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