Logitech is getting smarter about smart homes. Logitech Harmony Elite review: Smart home integration As I found with every other remote I've ever used, you should be able to change the channels and volume without having to look at the remote itself. Other than that, I really didn't interact with the Elite's touch screen all that much, and used the physical buttons. I really liked the Activities and Devices buttons on the Ultimate, switching between Activities and Devices wasn't as intuitive - even after a few weeks, I still searched for the correct button if I had to change a setting. I couldn't change the colors of the lights from the remote, but I was able to do so easily from the iOS app. For example, I could adjust the temperature of my Nest thermostat or change the brightness of each of my Philips Hue lights. Here, you have more precise control over each product. When you select the Devices button, you'll see a list of the devices you've connected to the remote - such as your TV, cable box and stereo - as well as any smart home products. The former changes the screen to show the activities you have programmed, such as "Watch Apple TV" or "Watch DishTV." If you swipe on the screen, you can see your Favorite channels. Below the display are two touch-sensitive buttons: Activities and Devices. Logitech made navigating on-screen menus much more intuitive than on its previous remote. As with the previous-generation Harmony Ultimate, you can also program activities to include smart home devices - for example, my Apple TV activity now includes a command to dim my Philips Hue lights. For example, I created an Activity called Apple TV, which, when pressed, turned on my Samsung TV, Apple TV and Panasonic stereo to the correct settings. MORE: Our Favorite 4K (Ultra HD) TVs Available NowĪfter you download the app and create a free account, you can then create "Activities," a sequence of commands that will set any number of devices to the correct settings. While the Elite still has a micro-USB port - so that you can plug it into your computer to set it up - the entire process can now be handled via an Android or iOS app. If you’re already using a Harmony Hub, you likely already have it all set up, but if not, we have a thorough guide that takes you through the process.With each successive generation of the Harmony, Logitech has made the setup easier. Alexa can also adjust the volume, play or pause whatever you're watching, set a sleep timer, and even switch to specific channels (either when viewing live TV or using Roku). It can control “activities” that you have set up on your Harmony Hub, which means it can turn any number of devices on and off. The Echo’s Harmony integration isn’t all-powerful, but it's capabilities are continuously growing. Related: How to Control Your Entire Home Theater with a Logitech Harmony Remote And, as of January 2017, it can do more than just turn your TV on and off. But Logitech eventually added native support for the Amazon Echo, making it easier than before to hook up the two devices and control your home theater with custom voice commands. Once upon a time, you had to use the mildly clunky IFTTT to link these two together. Unfortunately, you generally can't do this with just an Echo and a TV-you need some sort of smart hub hooked up to your TV that the Echo can communicate with.
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