Beginner/Lightweight

Bluefoam

I'm new to all of this & currently renting... so wiring up my apartment isn't an option for Home Automation, but I do want to install a lighter version of HA... without any hard wiring (where possible). However, I'm a little stumped when it comes to the central control... A standard Harmony will only operate 8 devices & a more advanced version will support 15... If I have a Hue starter kit & 4 wireless speakers, that uses 7 of my 8 slots!? so do I use one of these for home entertainment & a separate hub for lighting and HA?

The plan would be to centralise the system around a Google Assistant/Home device (I know harmony isn't yet supported, but I'm sure it will be implemented soon, so willing to wait).

My Home Ents will include:
Smart TV with Nvidia Shield 2017 & non intelligent cable box
Non-Smart TV with Chromecast
4 x Cast Speakers (also surround sound to main TV via HDMI ARC) (LG MusicFlow)

Initially I will also include:
3 x Hue Light Bulbs (Starter Kit)
Alro Q Security Camera
DoorBell
2 x sockets (adapters/not hardwired)

This is to start & I'd intend to build up a larger system... one that will be flexible and be able to move apartments with me.

Question is, what is the best way to control the system? Harmony, Smart Things, Other? Is each light bulb & each speaker an individual item on Harmonny? Help appreciated... I'm in the early stages, but want to plan it well so that I don't do it the wrong way or spend money on the wrong things... It'll be expensive enough to set up as it is...

What other smart things should I consider adding?

bk

I think we covered a lot of this over in the other thread.

I've a similar setup as what you are planning. I live in an apartment too, though I own it, but I'm still do little hard wiring, so my setup will be similar to yours.

BTW if you want Harmony to control both TV's (and I assume they are in different rooms) then you will need two separate Harmony Hubs, one for each TV. BTW Only one hub will work with the Echo Dot you are going to buy for voice commands, at least for the moment.

Other then that, all your TV setup should work great with Harmony.

You could also consider a Netatmo Thermostat, depending on the setup of your boiler and existing thermostat. Yes this requires some wiring work. But in my case it was super easy, took just 15 minutes for me to do and would take the same to undo and put the old thermostat back. Now I'm not saying definitely do this, depends on your setup, but certainly worth considering.

I've both a Canary and Logi Circle IP cameras, let us know how the Arlo Q works out. The Canary is a nice option if your apartment doesn't have an existing alarm system, as it has a siren built in that you can trigger if someone breaks in. Netatmo's Welcome camera and separate siren or another option to consider.

With a Nvidia Shield TV and 4 CCA devices you will certainly want to consider GHome when it becomes available here. Also check out the Nvidia Spot as an alternative to GHome (it is the same Google Assistant, just in different hardware).

Being a Google person Nest Thermostat could also be worth considering for you, though it probably needs a qualified installer, so probably no for your apartment.

Nest Protect Smoke Alarms, the battery ones would be well worth considering.

Bluefoam

bk wrote: »

I think we covered a lot of this over in the other thread.

I've a similar setup as what you are planning. I live in an apartment too, though I own it, but I'm still do little hard wiring, so my setup will be similar to yours.

BTW if you want Harmony to control both TV's (and I assume they are in different rooms) then you will need two separate Harmony Hubs, one for each TV. BTW Only one hub will work with the Echo Dot you are going to buy for voice commands, at least for the moment.

Other then that, all your TV setup should work great with Harmony.

You could also consider a Netatmo Thermostat, depending on the setup of your boiler and existing thermostat. Yes this requires some wiring work. But in my case it was super easy, took just 15 minutes for me to do and would take the same to undo and put the old thermostat back. Now I'm not saying definitely do this, depends on your setup, but certainly worth considering.

I've both a Canary and Logi Circle IP cameras, let us know how the Arlo Q works out. The Canary is a nice option if your apartment doesn't have an existing alarm system, as it has a siren built in that you can trigger if someone breaks in. Netatmo's Welcome camera and separate siren or another option to consider.

With a Nvidia Shield TV and 4 CCA devices you will certainly want to consider GHome when it becomes available here. Also check out the Nvidia Spot as an alternative to GHome (it is the same Google Assistant, just in different hardware).

Hey, thanks for the feedback

I'm in the Middle East, so we're in air conditioning... In my building it is centralised & while I can effect the temperature, but I'm not sure the controls will work out... Also better not feck with the landlords fittings... not worth the heartache... It's not uncommon to move every two years here, so I don't want anything nailed down.

The Shield should be ideal for me... + there is a voice control from both the game pad & the remote... so I might be able to put them in different locations... The spot will be ideal if I can't get it to work from the bedroom.

The biggest issues with the camera for me is that I don't want to add monthly subscriptions to use my hardware... so the Arlo seems like a good option.

bk

Bluefoam wrote: »

The biggest issues with the camera for me is that I don't want to add monthly subscriptions to use my hardware... so the Arlo seems like a good option.

It does, though just FYI Canary gives you 12 hours of free storage and Logi Circle gives you 24 hours of free storage. I agree Arlo tops that at 7 days. But I think the other two are good enough to consider too.

For instance even though the Canary is only 12 hours, you get a notification of movement when away and that means you have 12 hours to check it, which should be plenty of time for most people.

BTW I'm not sure about your setup, but most Air Conditioning units use a remote control to control them. It maybe possible to get the Harmony Hub to control it too.

Bluefoam

Nah... My AC control is like something from the 80s... Very basic...

mossym

your wireless speakers, what are they? are they all fed from a central source, can they all play seperately or do they have to play the same thing, how are they usually controlled? i'm not sure they would need to be treated as independent devices depending on what they are

Bluefoam

mossym wrote: »

your wireless speakers, what are they? are they all fed from a central source, can they all play separately or do they have to play the same thing, how are they usually controlled? i'm not sure they would need to be treated as independent devices depending on what they are

They are LG Musicflow... Actually very capable. Play via wifi, bluetooth, cast audio, hdmi (arc), optical etc... They even have NFC & if you walk into the house listening on your headphones, they'll automatically continue play over the speakers...

I have them linked to the Telly via a HDMI arch. I have them all grouped (Surround Sound) and different volumes assigned to each speaker... The soundbar is the master receiver & distributes the signal (with my current setup) to all others... I can also change the groupings as I want to have different clusters, or play different sources to different individual speakers or groups of speakers....

Similarly I can cast directly from my phone to a group or separate speakers.

LG have been slow to update the system... but I'm waiting for an update to the latest Cast firmware, which will give even more flexibility... allowing me to have different profiles for different groups. At the moment, I have to break up one group to use the speakers in another group (which is actually quite simple)

If LG can sort out the problems with speakers dropping off the network & updating to the latest Cast release, it'll be an awesome system...

OldBean

Bluefoam wrote: »

I'm new to all of this & currently renting... so wiring up my apartment isn't an option for Home Automation, but I do want to install a lighter version of HA... without any hard wiring (where possible). However, I'm a little stumped when it comes to the central control... A standard Harmony will only operate 8 devices & a more advanced version will support 15... If I have a Hue starter kit & 4 wireless speakers, that uses 7 of my 8 slots!? so do I use one of these for home entertainment & a separate hub for lighting and HA?

Harmony sees all Hue lights as one device - the bridge, so no worries there.

Depending on your speaker set up, it'll see that as one device as well.

Bluefoam

Currency & Amazon deals have been conspiring against me... I've dropped a small fortune in the past couple of weeks...

Considering putting a movement sensor under the bed to turn lights on if someone gets up in the middle of the night. Has anyone else done this? Can specific parameters be set to do this? 15% light, turns on over 5 second, turns off after a set amount of time...?

The bed is raised on legs, so I presume I can place the sensor under the bed, in the centre, attached to the headboard & it will pick up movement either side of the bed...

I think I'm getting more fun out of planning and implementing this system than I will actually using it...

Bluefoam

Alexa arrived yesterday... I've had a few conversations with her, but realised that I was trying to come up with questions for which she will have answers... not stuff that I naturally wanted to find out. Shopping lists won't connect to Keep, so I'm a bit limited, but this is illustrative of the fact that the core functions are still greatly limited...

I'm more interested in the smarthome, centralised control, voice activation side of things than the AI stuff. We'll see if anything changes there... Harmony is due to arrive today... then Hue, TP socket & Camera... things will arrive in dribs and drabs, but I'm looking forward to putting it all together...

I want to set up a Barry White mode... that will set some mood lighting in the bedroom, play some dulcet tunes etc... I also want a Keith Woods mode, where a bottle of gin emerges on a hydraulic lift... (I might eventually make this happen, it wouldn't be too difficult).

Bluefoam

Harmony hub & Echo have arrived so far. Arlo & Shield arriving tomorrow. Hue starter pack, motion detector and strip will be here by Sunday... I also have a TP adapter on its way, but it seems to be on back order... Very excited to put it all together & figure out how I can make it all work together... I have it well planned, but need to get familiar with the intricacies of the various components.

I've had some teething problems with the Harmony... It worked fine when I set it up, but now when I ask it to turn on the telly, Echo says she can't reach the device, however, about 10 seconds later the TV starts up (sometimes). Any ideas why? It's it all work through my wi-fi, or does it go to the cloud first?

I'd like to have a button beside the bed, that'll shut down everything (lights, TV etc.), Would this be possible with the Hue dimmer switch? Or is there something else I can use?

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0167Z0P3I/ref=twister_B01N6EHCL4

GristlyEnd

Bluefoam wrote: »

I've had some teething problems with the Harmony... It worked fine when I set it up, but now when I ask it to turn on the telly, Echo says she can't reach the device, however, about 10 seconds later the TV starts up (sometimes). Any ideas why? It's it all work through my wi-fi, or does it go to the cloud first?

I'm having the same issues and there is thread on the Logitech website with others having the same problem. Still waiting for an answer from Logitech.

https://community.logitech.com/s/question/0D53100006DwTepCAF/?t=1484764225502

Bluefoam

DarrenG wrote: »

I'm having the same issues and there is thread on the Logitech website with others having the same problem. Still waiting for an answer from Logitech.

https://community.logitech.com/s/question/0D53100006DwTepCAF/?t=1484764225502

So it seems the info does go to the cloud... the instruction is set up on the Harmony Hub & the Echo relays the command, both are on the same network... Seems complicated to send it to their server to get done? This could cause problems, because my BB connection isn't always reliable.

I'll have a look at the setup and see if there's anything I can tweek. I was worried about my internet speed, but realistically the packets of data being sent are very small.

mossym

The interpretation of what you say is done in the cloud. Every voice recognition device is the same. Processing power of the local unit is not enough to figure out what you said so it's uploaded for pricessing. Was a huge furore over Samsung's smart tvs once this emerged several years ago but it's the same for them all.

Bluefoam

BTW... LG have just announced a firmware upgrade for my speakers (by end Feb)... They will now get full Chromecast update including compatibility with Google Home.

I had originally intended to go the Google route & will probably send Alexa to my brother eventually to see if he gets on with her. My needs are straight forward, centralised control for my smart devices, voice control for devices, basic interactivity... I like the idea of having my calendar called out to me in the morning, but not into protracted conversations with the device. I'll switch things on and off with the device, but for extended functions I'm likely to use a visual device... For example, I'm happy to say 'play music to living room', and for my current playlist to play... But I'd rather look at a section to see what Stevie Wonder material I want to listen to at the time...

There is a long way to go to get these devices to interact more naturally, for instance... 'turn up the volume' v's 'tell harmony to turn up the volume on the TV'. Voice commands should be natural & should not have to be learned from a list...

At the moment, I have two calendars... Outlook for work, Google for personal, they can't be linked. I use Deezer for music, not only because its a great service, but also because it is one of the very few to work in The Middle East. I use Keep for my lists... For me these are basic functions, core to how I would use this type of voice control, these things need to be integrated ASAP. Plus I'm not going to change the services I use just to function with the device... This seems counter productive and reactionary... If I change the device I use, I'll have to change services again...?

Anyway, that's my little analysis after just getting involved... I'm sure I'll be proven wrong on allot of things, but it's exciting to see how this stuff progresses and importantly, how quickly...

Bluefoam

So far my setup looks like this:

• Amazon Echo
• Hue Starter Kit
• Hue Light Strip (not yet installed)
• Hue Motion Sensor (not yet installed)
• Arlo Q Security Camera
• Nvidia Shield 2017
• Harmony Hub
• LG Smart TV
• TP Wireless Adapter (not yet shipped)
• 4 x LG MusicFlow Speakers (considering adding an outdoor one)
• LG Dumb TV & Chromecast (I don't consider these part of the system as they don't interact with any other components)

The Echo has difficulty communicating with the TV for on/off functions. It fails 90% of the time due to latency issues.
The Hue lights work okay, but they are not as bright as hoped for & are a bit limited in how they function. The app is appalling. I have now mapped them to the Harmony remote, which helps allot.
The Arlo camera seems good so far, but it does have issues with Geomapping... the perimeter is too wide & I have had some issues reaching it at times. However, these may have been teething issues.
The Shield has some fairly well documented flaws and just wasn't ready to go to market... as with allot of people, I paid a heavy price for being first to buy it and feel very let down so far. Am eagerly awaiting a firmware update to sort out the issues.
The Harmony remote is a disaster... The buttons are poorly mapped for the Shield TV so I need to keep the original remote to hand. The remote sends both the cable box and the Shield into a deep sleep, and is therefore unable to wake either of them up... making it kinda redundant and I have to keep both controls accessible as a result. As I have said, the hub & echo (which I purchased as a bundle), do not work well together & don't turn on or off the TV or other devices...

In all, these things are a bit of fun to tinker with, to explore and to figure out... But they certainly are not developed to a mainstream consumer level & are a long way off.

I'm still having fun with it...

BTW, I'm waiting for the LG update, but that should integrate into the system with multi room. I'm going to switch over to Google Assitant when its released in 3 pin plug land either with the G Home or Shield Spot. I don't talk to Alexa much except for home automation & she doesn't work with Harmony anyway... I'm aware that GH isn't working with Harmony fully yet, but I'm sure that's on its way shortly. I'm in no hurry... I have a BBQ to set up in the meantime & possibly convert into a smoker, so I've plenty to keep me occupied in my free time.

Stoner

Bluefoam wrote:

BTW, I'm waiting for the LG update, but that should integrate into the system with multi room. I'm going to switch over to Google Assitant when its released in 3 pin plug land either with the G Home or Shield Spot. I don't talk to Alexa much except for home automation & she doesn't work with Harmony anyway... I'm aware that GH isn't working with Harmony fully yet, but I'm sure that's on its way shortly. I'm in no hurry... I have a BBQ to set up in the meantime & possibly convert into a smoker, so I've plenty to keep me occupied in my free time.

G home would bring that Chromecast into play though

I'd add in some fire detection too though if I was you

Bluefoam

Stoner wrote: »

I'd add in some fire detection too though if I was you

Good idea, I'm quite careful, but don't want to overload the sockets with all this stuff... Is Nest the best way to go for smoke detection? Bear in mind I don't want to add another hub.

Roen

Bluefoam wrote: »

Good idea, I'm quite careful, but don't want to overload the sockets with all this stuff... Is Nest the best way to go for smoke detection? Bear in mind I don't want to add another hub.

Happy with my three anyway. One wired and two battery.
The living room one went off because of a belch of smoke into the room last week. Missus was in the room and didn't notice the smoke at the time but the alarm picked it up.
Silenced it with the app and popped open a window to clear.

The presence detection is good and the night light feature is too if you don't have hue or similar. I do so have that disabled on the hall one but enabled on the upstairs.

Have it integrated to Home Assistant and Smartthings. No rules set for them so all I'll get is a push notification if there's an issue. Which the app does anyway.

bk

Bluefoam wrote: »

The Shield has some fairly well documented flaws and just wasn't ready to go to market... as with allot of people, I paid a heavy price for being first to buy it and feel very let down so far. Am eagerly awaiting a firmware update to sort out the issues

What issues? Other then lacking some apps, I have to say I'm loving my Shield TV. It is the best streaming box I have (also have Now TV/Roku and FireTV).

Bluefoam wrote: »

The Harmony remote is a disaster... The buttons are poorly mapped for the Shield TV so I need to keep the original remote to hand. The remote sends both the cable box and the Shield into a deep sleep, and is therefore unable to wake either of them up... making it kinda redundant and I have to keep both controls accessible as a result. As I have said, the hub & echo (which I purchased as a bundle), do not work well together & don't turn on or off the TV or other devices...

I have my shield TV working perfectly with my Harmony Hub. I do remember I initially had issues with it, as there are a few different ways to set it up (over IR or Bluetooth), but I eventually got it working.

I think I eventually used the IR profile, Nvidia Shield. I suspect you tried using the bluetooth profile, which is causing issues.

Stoner wrote: »

G home would bring that Chromecast into play though

Also the Nvidia Shield TV, which is also a Chromecast device built in and the LG MusicFlow Speakers which are Chromecast Audio devices (assuming they have added support for the latest CCA firmware).

Bluefoam

bk wrote: »

What issues? Other then lacking some apps, I have to say I'm loving my Shield TV. It is the best streaming box I have (also have Now TV/Roku and FireTV).



I have my shield TV working perfectly with my Harmony Hub. I do remember I initially had issues with it, as there are a few different ways to set it up (over IR or Bluetooth), but I eventually got it working.

I think I eventually used the IR profile, Nvidia Shield. I suspect you tried using the bluetooth profile, which is causing issues.

You have a Shield one, I have the new version.

It constantly reboots... it has an issue with location services and CEC HDMI... both need to be turned off.

Has difficulty connecting to recommended content and youtube due to lack of location services leaving a big ugly blank screen.

Yours has an IR blaster, the new one does not. Once it is turned off it cannot restart it without the original remote... I bought mine with a harmony remote. which works via bluetooth and cannot start the machine.

The OK button is not mapped properly with Harmony & means you have to have the original controller as well as the universal... can't navigate through apps etc...

Youtube/Casting has been infiltrated by the dreaded ads... I don't mind that, but you cannot skip them because the remote is poorly mapped and you cant hit the skip button... so you have loads of ads and you have to sit through the whole thing... My old chromecast didn't have this issue.

bk wrote: »

Also the Nvidia Shield TV, which is also a Chromecast device built in and the LG MusicFlow Speakers which are Chromecast Audio devices (assuming they have added support for the latest CCA firmware).

Actually, I use the soundbar linked to the TV via HDMI ARC... & the rest of the speakers are linked wirelessly. So all currently work with the system (except Echo)... They are very flexible and can accept multiple sources, single source, surround sound, multiple volume settings etc... There are major bugs with the system, so there is allot of anticipation regarding the new update... It will make them better... If they worked without bugs, as they are, they'd be awesome. The chromecast update will add more integration with other devices and also hopefully allow other brand devices to be added... for instance, I'd like one for the balcony, but I'd like one with a charging cradle, so I can pick it up and carry it out... The current LG speaker for outdoors has a wire that plugs in the side... Not a deal breaker, but more options would be good...

bk

Ah, I didn't realise the new Shield TV dropped IR and has all those issues! That sucks, it is otherwise such a great device, I'm glad I have the older one so.

You should check out FLIRC, it looks like it allows you to use IR commands on the Shield TV and it might solve you issues.

mossym

Bluefoam wrote: »

In all, these things are a bit of fun to tinker with, to explore and to figure out... But they certainly are not developed to a mainstream consumer level & are a long way off.

have to disagree with you on this one. the shield issues i'd agree with you with, but the rest , no.

harmony remotes have been on the market for 15 years or so at this stage. i;ve had one since before harmony bought them out. they are very mature,and in almost every case i've seen where people have had issues it's because they haven't set them up correctly. no offence, but saying a button isn't mapped correctly isn't the fault of the controller, you can remap buttons to any command you want. you jsut need to configure it correctly. calling it poorly mapped i don't understand, you control the mapping, so why is it poor? i'm pretty sure you spend a bit of time with it you'll get it set up right

the philips hue lights, at the end of the day are bulbs. they have a rated brightness. if you replace a higher wattage bulb with a lower wattage hue, it's not going to be as bright. i replaced like with like in two rooms, and they are the same, in another room i replaced a brighter with the hue, and it's dimmer, but that's to be expected.

the echo is in middle ground. mine has been flawless, controls it every time, but i've seen the issues with people and timeouts so there is definitely something there. however most of them have fixed it with the timeout setting on their routers so have you given this a go?

to be fair, i've been an early adopter on a lot of different techs over the years and if you think this stuff isn't mainstream ready you should see some of the stuff you missed....:)

mossym

Oh, and I see the posts about the Bluetooth commands now. It might be that they are not in the database yet. Drop an email to Logitech support, they'll actually add the commands and set them up in your account for you.

Bluefoam

bk wrote: »

You should check out FLIRC, it looks like it allows you to use IR commands on the Shield TV and it might solve you issues.

That does look good, but I'm going to persist... have also invested in a nice walnut cabinet with closed doors, so that I can hide everything... not a wire visible... I don't want to start opening doors on it or putting electronic boxes onto the top of the press.

mossym wrote: »

Oh, and I see the posts about the Bluetooth commands now. It might be that they are not in the database yet. Drop an email to Logitech support, they'll actually add the commands and set them up in your account for you.

have been in contact with Logitech to sort out the issues. They seem to be willing and responsive...

bk

Bluefoam wrote: »

That does look good, but I'm going to persist... have also invested in a nice walnut cabinet with closed doors, so that I can hide everything... not a wire visible... I don't want to start opening doors on it or putting electronic boxes onto the top of the press.

Is your Harmony Hub not in the cabinet? It should be able to control all the devices inside the cabinet, without opening the door.

The Harmony Hub is very mature when it comes to controlling IR devices. If the device is in it's database, it is usually trivial to set up and use. And even if it isn't (very rear) it is easy to teach it and map buttons.

The issues arise with Bluetooth control, ironically. It is very hit and miss. But the fault isn't with Harmony, it is on the device side with Sony (PS4) and Nvidia implementing bluetooth in a very limited and broken manner.

Unfortunately Harmony can do little about this, they have to just wait for Sony and Nvidia to fix it on their devices.

It doesn't have to be this way. The Harmony hub works perfectly with the FireTV over bluetooth and with Roku/NowTV over IP control.

So it is Nvidia you should be contacting, not Harmony.

mossym

i have my harmony hub controlling my HTPC via bluetooth and it works perfectly, the issue like you said is the companies that build their own control stack on top of bluetooth, for no other reason than to stop 3rd party things working with them

Bluefoam

There's two main issues, and at the moment they both seem to be related to the Harmony.

The Harmony remote is turning the box off (does the same for my cable tv box), rather than putting it into a light sleep. If it shut things down properly it wouldn't have an issue waking them up...

The okay button is mapped for both OK & Select... therefore it is creating difficulties in certain apps. As far as I know I need to wait for Logitech to update the issue, because if I change it myself I'll still end up with problems selecting actions.

I have been using the GeForce Community and have worked through a number of issues (using temporary fixes), & am now in contact with a gentleman from Logitech who has taken on my case and seems to be keen to work out their issues.

Like I said before, I'm happy enough to iron these issues out, and can live with them until they are fixed... but they would send a regular consumer crazy... Imagine your wife trying to reason the fact that you bought a remote control for 120e and voice control box and she still can't turn on the TV... Let alone switch channels...

bk

Bluefoam wrote: »

The Harmony remote is turning the box off (does the same for my cable tv box), rather than putting it into a light sleep. If it shut things down properly it wouldn't have an issue waking them up...

The okay button is mapped for both OK & Select... therefore it is creating difficulties in certain apps. As far as I know I need to wait for Logitech to update the issue, because if I change it myself I'll still end up with problems selecting actions.

Both of these issues are Nvidia's fault, not Harmony. These are due to the way Nvidia has designed their bluetooth stack.

BTW for the first issue, you can set the Harmony hub not to power off the Shield when you switch activities. Instead it will just leave the shield on.

Not a big deal as the shield uses so little power anyway and it should eventually go to standby itself per it's power settings.

The second issue seems to be an issue with Android TV and how developers implement the ok button. There are actually three separate "OK" commands in Android, but not all apps support all three commands, thus leading to this issue. Depending on your point of view, it is either Nvidia, Googles or app developers problem. It certainly isn't Harmony fault.

You might be onto Harmony's support, but in the background they are talking to Google and Nvidia, because only they can actually fix these issues.

There is nothing Harmony can really fix, they can only use whatever interface Nvidia/Google makes available to them over Bluetooth.

Bluefoam

bk wrote: »

Both of these issues are Nvidia's fault, not Harmony. These are due to the way Nvidia has designed their bluetooth stack.

BTW for the first issue, you can set the Harmony hub not to power off the Shield when you switch activities. Instead it will just leave the shield on.

Not a big deal as the shield uses so little power anyway and it should eventually go to standby itself per it's power settings.

The second issue seems to be an issue with Android TV and how developers implement the ok button. There are actually three separate "OK" commands in Android, but not all apps support all three commands, thus leading to this issue. Depending on your point of view, it is either Nvidia, Googles or app developers problem. It certainly isn't Harmony fault.

You might be onto Harmony's support, but in the background they are talking to Google and Nvidia, because only they can actually fix these issues.

There is nothing Harmony can really fix, they can only use whatever interface Nvidia/Google makes available to them over Bluetooth.

Maybe so, but Logitech have been the most pro-active so far. This however brings me back to my original point... The Harmony is sold as a remote to cover all devices including my cable box & Shield TV. It doesn't function properly with either... whether that's their fault or someone else's is irrelevant... they don't function without some serious attention & thats a problem for most people.

BTW, my cable box has IR & it too won't turn on with the Harmony... so its not all to do with Bluetooth stacks

mossym

Bluefoam wrote: »

they don't function without some serious attention & thats a problem for most people.

that's not even remotely true.most people have zero issues getting the harmony working. even on this sub forum, the number with the harmony working properly far far outweighs the numbers with issues. and that's in a newly emerging segment. i know a few people who could hardly turn on a computer, two of whom are using old harmony remotes of mine, that had them up and running on their own within minutes. i setup my new elite from scratch christmas morning in about 20 minutes, and that included some pretty uncommon gear in a dedicated cinema room i have.

it's a pity you're having issues, but that doesn't make it true that everyone has issues, the nvidia shield is far from a common device. but i bet enough will get it that logitech will get it working.

the cable box sounds like it's IR controlled? if that's the case there is no reason you can't fix it easily, if the power off command it is sending is different to the one the remote is sending, either change the power off sequence or teach the harmony remote the power command from the standard remote.

Bluefoam

mossym wrote: »

that's not even remotely true.most people have zero issues getting the harmony working. even on this sub forum, the number with the harmony working properly far far outweighs the numbers with issues. and that's in a newly emerging segment. i know a few people who could hardly turn on a computer, two of whom are using old harmony remotes of mine, that had them up and running on their own within minutes. i setup my new elite from scratch christmas morning in about 20 minutes, and that included some pretty uncommon gear in a dedicated cinema room i have.

it's a pity you're having issues, but that doesn't make it true that everyone has issues, the nvidia shield is far from a common device. but i bet enough will get it that logitech will get it working.

the cable box sounds like it's IR controlled? if that's the case there is no reason you can't fix it easily, if the power off command it is sending is different to the one the remote is sending, either change the power off sequence or teach the harmony remote the power command from the standard remote.

Hey, please don't take offense at my comments. I am specifically talking about these products in reference to a smart home environment. As a collection of devices, they do not operate in the expected manner. No doubt many of these issues will be ironed out.

In particular reference to the Logitech Harmony, they seem very interested in fixing the issues, so that their equipment works flawlessly & I can see that they've put allot into the device & need it to be hassle free... So fair play to them! But as it stands, the device doesn't function to the expected standard with a very major piece of consumer equipment. In theory, they should have liaised with Nvidia prior to launch to iron out the problems... But all of these issues coupled with the Echo issues make for a less than satisfactory experience.

bk

Bluefoam wrote: »

In particular reference to the Logitech Harmony, they seem very interested in fixing the issues, so that their equipment works flawlessly & I can see that they've put allot into the device & need it to be hassle free... So fair play to them! But as it stands, the device doesn't function to the expected standard with a very major piece of consumer equipment. In theory, they should have liaised with Nvidia prior to launch to iron out the problems... But all of these issues coupled with the Echo issues make for a less than satisfactory experience.

I'm sorry, but Harmony's device database supports literally millions of devices. Thousands of devices are added every week. You can't expect Harmony to liaise with thousands of companies around the world, adding thousands of devices on a weekly basis!

The Nvidia Shield TV isn't a particularly mainstream device, it is nice, but it is pretty niche compared to the likes of the PS3, PS4, Xbox, Apple TV, Roku, FireTV, etc.

I've been using Harmony for almost ten years now and I've seen them try really hard to add new devices as they come to the market. However Harmony can't be blamed when companies like Sony and Nvidia decide to release devices that implement non standard, proprietary and broken interfaces and refuse to work with Harmony (e.g. Sony and the PS4).

If you want to get it fixed, it is Nvidia you need to get onto.

BTW what cable box are you using? Harmony should work no bother with any cable box that uses IR. You might need to tweak the settings for repeating the IR signal, etc. or timing between buttons. But a little patience and a few minutes effort experimenting with it should have it working consistently.

Bluefoam

I've now got the Harmony app functioning as described above... thanks to bk & mossym, as without your comments I wouldn't have known what I was looking for. I can't understand the issues, but sideloading it has brought about some positive changes & the app seems to be fully functioning. I have added a number of steps to each activity... so instead of just turning on the selected box, it also hits the 'okay' command... this seems to help the devices come to life, although not 100% of the time.

The smartest application I have found for all of these devices is to link the hue bulbs to my harmony remote... Therefore, when I ask the Echo to turn on the TV/play a movie etc... it also turns on the lights and dims them to 10%... When I turn off the TV, the lights turn to 100%... which is actually more useful than I had expected. I'll be moving apartments this weekend & will be adding the 2 number Hue light strips to the system... This will give me two clear/separate zones with their own lighting systems, audio setups and TV's/Chromecasts...

I'm debating whether to set up some Hues on the balcony/terrace, but that might be overkill. The speakers outside are my biggest problem, as it's a dusty environment & I don't have an IP rated speaker...

bk

Bluefoam wrote: »

I'm debating whether to set up some Hues on the balcony/terrace, but that might be overkill. The speakers outside are my biggest problem, as it's a dusty environment & I don't have an IP rated speaker...

Maybe the UE Booms or MegaBooms (to really piss off your neighbours )

Bluefoam

bk wrote: »

Maybe the UE Booms or MegaBooms (to really piss off your neighbours )

I have a UE Roll that I use when I'm travelling. It's loud enough to piss off my neighbours, but I want a casting speaker that'll play the same music in the apartment and outside... I'm waiting for Vizio to launch with a 3 pin plug... It's got a power doc, so very handy just to pick up and place outside...

On the other hand, I just got an extra two LG H3's that were nicely discounted... I could sacrifice one of those, keep it outside and if it gets b*lloxed I don't have to worry too much... But I'd prefer to keep them as a stereo pair.

Bluefoam

So... The project goes on. I have two rooms set up with Hue lights... The apartment is littered with spots which burn energy and burn out quickly, so I want to remove my dependance on them & limit their use to the Kitchen & Bathrooms... It's a rented space, so no point in me spending too much or physically altering anything.

Living room is fully integrated with the TV & Android box & change settings based on the activity... Run through Alexa & Harmony, but TBH I use the remote control more often... theres a srip light behind the TV cabinet, a central pendant in the room & a wall washer...

Bedroom is on a sensor with a central pendant & a strip behind the bed... I have it set to last two minutes after motion detected & to give me a 10 minute wake up in the morning... Light switch is now redundant...

Now I plan to do another wall washer in the hallway, set to turn on lights for 5 mins when motion is detected. That should cover everything from entering the apartment, answering the door and guests using the bathroom...

With regard to the balcony... I want to set up a sensor there. I'm a little worried about the proximity to the router/hub, but I've now switched all devices to 2.5ghz as opposed to 5 including my phone. What is the sensitivity like on the sensor? Will it be possible to stop it reacting to birds, but still sensitive enough for humans? I may also set up some strings of lights... will it be possible to set up a command with a TP Link socket to allow the sensor to trigger it? Can I use IFTTT or similar?

Apparently while I have been in work today, LG have released the new firmware for my speakers... Happy Days! I'll now have full Chromecast Multi Room & have bought a spare for use on the balcony.