Very interested in getting myself a Harmony remote but unsure whether to wait for the Elite to come down on price/go on offer. Is the Elite worth the extra £££ ?
b1g1an to baz84
4 Sep 17#3
If you like a proper hard button remote, albeit with a screen too so you have infinite extra buttons, most definitely. If you're happy using your phone/tablet for most functions then no. You don't get access to the full experience with the remote included here.
I've had several harmony remotes over the years, the Touch which is basically the same as the Ultimate was the last and the 950 which comes with the Elite is a massive improvement.
baz84 to b1g1an
4 Sep 17#5
Thanks. I'm not sure i'd want to use my phone or tablet for most functions. I expected that I'd need to use a tablet to set up the remote in the first instance etc but following that was hoping that the remote would be OK on its own. Hmmm, price makes this appealing though!
I need to research whether controlling the new Shield TV with Harmony Companion is possible also. Not sure if the remote can do the job or whether Harmony Hub supports via Bluetooth for this model?
crabby09 to baz84
4 Sep 17#7
Yes.. the Elite is definitely worth it... And is usually £130 on Black Fridays. The contextual screen is great for many reasons - special buttons are easy to see instead of having to know which one you assigned it to. Light scenes etc on Philips Hue are a doddle. You can sync to bluetooth devices directly from the remote instead of having to use the app. The screen can be used as a mouse on certain bluetooth devices. You can control single devices instead of just activites (useful for example if you want to change the setting on your telly whilst watching tv). It's exceptionally versitile!
crabby
Shovon to crabby09
4 Sep 17#8
But if you did want to save money and get the cheaper package with the plain remote or even just the hub itself, would you be able to perform those elite functions on your smartphone, similar to the Elite remote?
crabby09 to Shovon
4 Sep 17#9
Yes, you can perform them all from the app... I find it a bit more clunky because my fire tablet is too low resolution for it. In fact, just get a hub and you can complete forgo the remote if that's your thing... I just find the remote much more user friendly than swiping between screens etc on the app.
b1g1an to Shovon
4 Sep 17#10
The app is awful to use much like any full touchscreen remote, a lot of that down to having to wake it up to use it, but just to add insult to injury you can only connect to the hub over your local network if your device is using 2.4Ghz, if you're phone/tablet is using 5Ghz, like most do nowadays, the app goes via the cloud...total madness.
Shovon to b1g1an
4 Sep 17#12
Thanks for this useful information so: get one with a remote definitely, preferably an ultimate or elite remote. Although that pushes the cost up. I was hoping to use this with a google home?
b1g1an to Shovon
4 Sep 17#13
It definitely works with Alexa, I use it that way sometimes, and you can definitely use it with Google Assistant through IFTTT, don't know if there is direct control through Google Home yet.
If you just wanted it for voice control, no need for a hardware remote.
baz84 to crabby09
4 Sep 17#17
Is there absolutely no way to do this with the companion without using the app? Seems strange that it can't control single devices as well as activities. Changing TV settings or AVR sound settings is a must for me...
ro53ben
4 Sep 17#2
I've got an Elite with hub, very happy with it.
Babbler
4 Sep 17#4
used like new not much more...
XEntity
4 Sep 17#6
Looks like it's gone!
WolFishAntics
4 Sep 17#11
Does someone who has this know what the 8 device limit refers to? I see the ultimate can have 15 Is it just that 8 other remotes that can be mapped to it? And an unlimited number of smart devices like lights and switches?
b1g1an to WolFishAntics
4 Sep 17#14
Devices as in TV, amp, sat box etc. In a typical Harmony like fashion, smart devices are added like an after thought and treated separately from the main devices. Not come across a limit but think of Hue as one device and then all the lights attached are just remote buttons under that device.
Mr.No
4 Sep 17#15
Works well with Amazon Echo too, I use a few of these around the house (with Yonomi instead of the official Logitech skill). Handy for "Turn on TV", "Turn on Air Con" etc
mfactor to Mr.No
25 Sep 17#18
Works with google home as well, I bit the bullet and bought the elite for £171 , at first I was going to send it back as way to hard to set up but persevered and after 4 days love it , have all my boxes set up and my hue lights, shame it cant control my dyson 360....
Max-Power
4 Sep 17#16
oh man, forgot about checking for this earlier, gone now :disappointed:
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Opening post
18 comments
I've had several harmony remotes over the years, the Touch which is basically the same as the Ultimate was the last and the 950 which comes with the Elite is a massive improvement.
I need to research whether controlling the new Shield TV with Harmony Companion is possible also. Not sure if the remote can do the job or whether Harmony Hub supports via Bluetooth for this model?
crabby
Although that pushes the cost up. I was hoping to use this with a google home?
If you just wanted it for voice control, no need for a hardware remote.
Is it just that 8 other remotes that can be mapped to it? And an unlimited number of smart devices like lights and switches?