Logitech Harmony Ultimate

[TANE 12]

The new Logitech Harmony Ultimate can be controlled via IP (Iphone/Android)

Device can also control IP devices.

There is also built in support for the Philips Hue

I hope there is also support for http commands so that you can control HC2 devices/scenes

Also it will be great send IP -> IR from the HC@

Going to test it..

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[olav 0]

+1

Would be great!! But I am unsure of the IP control support in the Ultimate remote.

Anyone know if there are any hardware remote (NO APP - Ipad, tablet etc) that have IP control support as an extra feature to IR?

[TANE 12]

Done some testing with Harmony.

For sure there is IP support from the IPhone I can send all the commands to the logitech Hub.

Even commands from the iPhone are send via the remote to the IR devices if the source is the remote

Did not find any method for sending commands from the HC2 to the harmony.

Only method will be reversengenering or Fibaro will contact Harmony and they will build in support for HC2.

There are lot of Domotica devices inside the harmony DB.

[traker59 0]

+1

[ARIAS 2]

+1

[Krikroff 199]

I hope there is also support for http commands so that you can control HC2 devices/scenes

+ 1

EDIT: from

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"remote FAQ" - 9 - What about controlling other devices via bluetooth or TCP/IP?

As of this writing (July 2013) there are no other devices supported via these protocols nor has Logitech officially announced any upcoming device support. However people from Logitech have said support for controlling other devices via TCP/IP is planned in future updates.

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[traker59 0]

+2 !

[Guest imparator]

Hi, tane

Is the remote also working with virtual buttons in fibaro ?

[bookofjames 0]

any updates on this?

I am looking at either one of these possibilities:

1. HC2 control Harmony Ultimate Hub (via IP)

OR

2. Harmony Ultimare Hub activates scenes in HC2 (via IP)

anyone successfully done something like this?

[iblis 0]

Yes,

I'm successfully controlling harmony hub scenes from HC2 through Raspberry Pi and Domoticz following this guide:

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[Dalle1985 16]

I have got to try this! I have a Harmony 1000 which has been bugging me for years now, so this might be the perfect excuse to change it!

Is it only working for scene control? How about unit control (i.e. Volume control)?

[JanJoh 1]

How about unit control (i.e. Volume control)?

Not possible. There is no API in the cloud service for this.

[ Added: 2014-05-15, 13:04 ]

Is it only working for scene control? How about unit control (i.e. Volume control)?

Ok, I'd like to rephrase my previous answer.

Aparently there is nowadays...

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[pathduck 18]

Good news

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[Dalle1985 16]

Yah - having been a Harmony user for the last 8 years, I am not getting excited about this - quite the contrary. The concepts behind the Harmony remote is good. I bought the Harmony 1000 and now have the Harmony Ultimate, but I won't be upgrading to the Living Home any time soon. The integration of Hue in the Ultimate is ridiculous, and true to Logitech fashion, there is no user API for integrating anything else. Response is usually Logitech sluggish and the Hub is unreliable at best (I have to unplug and plug it back in several times a day). The app is unintuitive and doesn't offer any of the functionality you would expect from a 2013-14 app. Also, no support for http commands is just silly, it would allow for actual feedback to the remote to ensure all components did indeed start. Of my setup, only the DVR won't respond with a DLNA message once started, so both my amp and TV could tell the remote when it has turned on, but no! and the setup program is stupid as well (keeps resetting my remote to english whenever I reconfigure something, takes ages to reload and won't let me setup custom activities like Netflix on the TV in a clever manner). Don't get me wrong, when the Harmony Ultimate stops functioning properly, I will probably get another Harmony, but not because it is a great product - but because there is no real competition in the market.

Also, I don't see the point of using a remote to control my home automation. What? Then I have to walk around with the remote all the time?! And do my girlfriend need her own $200 remote?! Home automation should be - well - automatic! Then it doesn't make sense to use a remote. It would be a huge step back for me to have to go back to my remote. I usually interact with my HA setup once a day - and that is when we go to bed because I have yet to find a clever algorithm which can tell that we have actually gone to bed. Rest of the day, the HA will work automatically, turning on and off lights as we walk around the house and adjusting the temperature according to our daily routine - so I don't really see where being able to turn on the lights in my bathroom from my remote (other than teasing my girlfriend during scary movies) is on my needs-list!

[pathduck 18]

I see some of your points but not all and i do not agree with the unsuitability you are describing. Did you read the post?

I have had my harmony Ultimate and Harmony Smart hub for about 1 year now and i have never had to restart the hub because of instability.

I agree that any smart home should not have to be controlled by a remote and that the focus should be automation, but the first step of then is a common language for the different types of equipment.

I like having a physical device for operation of my AV equipment. I have tried various types of setups, controlling the equipment from a tablet, voice or similar and i always end up back with the remote with physical buttons. So since Logitech are releasing an API for the remote that means that it can communicate with the world and the world can communicate with the remote. That means that i can create a scene in HC2 turning off all my lights and the AV equipment at the same time.

[Dalle1985 16]

I've been in contact with Logitech, and true to fashion, their API is not a public one - and probably never will be. There is a lot of reverse engineering and working modules for circumvening the fact that Logitech is so addament on keeping their protocols closed, but I want a full blown, open API allowing me to interact both ways with the remote.

I do agree that there should be an interface between the remote and home automation (I've fixed it by letting my TV tell my HA server what it is doing and based on that, the HA server will make changes to Hue and Z-wave devices) and that tablets aren't the best solution (which is also the reason why I've got the Harmony in the first place). But the remote is just a single component. It is a triggering device, none different from a wall switch or a motion sensor and shouldn't be seen as more than that. This is similar to the Apple HomeKit (HomeWhat?! never heard of it), by which Apple is trying to make the iPhone into your HA hub. Sure, it is a clever triggering device if you use it for proximity sensing, but as with the remote, I don't always have my phone on me, so it makes no sense - when I need to turn on a light at night, I shouldn't have to fumble around looking for my phone when I need to go to the bathroom at 2 in the morning.

PS.: I made an error in my previous post - it says several times a day, that isn't true... It is only several times a week (three times last week). The response from Logitech, was that my activities were probably too complex asking the hub to change too many components simultaneously. NICE! I'd love that to happen for my home automation setup; "Your scene is to complex, so I'll turn on THIS lamp and then freeze"...

[HansS 3]

I've recently purchased the new hub, and it works fairly well. I can control stuff while the tv cabinet doors are closed, and use one remote instead of three now.

The protocol that is used is strange indeed, to say the least. If you start an iOS app, it first sends login information to Logitech? I can imagine that they would use such a mechanism to download configuration data for particular devices, but not use remote login every time you start an app somewhere. After all, if you use the physical remote, this does not seem to happen. The physical remote is way faster than the app, which takes a fairly long time to start, connect and login.

I also did want to control the hub from HC2. It seems difficult, if not impossible, to implement the xmpp protocol on HC2 using virtual devices or a native plugin.

My current workaround is a Python library. I have a Synology Diskstation that keeps an eye on my cameras all day, and Python is installed on that natively as of the recent DSM 5.1 update. I installed the library from here:

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You still need to install pip and install the python requests and sleekxmpp libraries though, they are not installed by default. After that though, I can start activities and turn off devices using Python commands.

I have a Python socket server running on the Diskstation, to which I can send Harmony activity commands, which in turn fires off the Python library command. This because I don't want to enable execution of objects through http webserver. I might have to consider other security issues with running a simple Python socket server however.

So I now have a virtual device that can turn on and off my TV and related components. Nice for a "go to bed" scene, to turn off the lights and the TV and such.

Of course, a more native support for this appliance would be appreciated!

[swisstoni 0]

Sorry to drag up an old thread but I'd also be interested in using fibaro to send commands to the harmony.  IR via IP would be very useful....

 

HansS your setup obviously seems to work well for you, but a more streamline native plugin would be fantastic... if it is even possible?

[gusqua 4]

+1!

[taimoor 0]

+1!