Logitech Harmony Elite Review
 

The reviewer does not talk about the tight Alexa integration with the Elite. I won't let Alexa anywhere near my house and I hate talking to machines. Luddite? Perhaps.

I'll stick with the Harmony Ultimate Home that I've used for five years now. Works great letting me keep all the boxes in another room.

"Alexa is compatible with Logitech Harmony Elite, Companion (formally Home Control), Smart Control, Ultimate, Ultimate Home, and Harmony Hub."

Alexa is only an option if you have an Echo device, so no need to be scared of the machine taking your job. :eek:

The Harmony Elite is a great product that works well. :thumbsup:

Ron

Agree about the Alexa being an available option. The user must manually activate that option for it to work.

Hey, knock yourself out. I'll pass.

Alexa — My Music, volume up. :music:

Ron

Thanks for posting this. I was considering getting one and this kind of sealed the deal. Thanks again.

I’ve had a Harmony Elite system for about three years. I would say it is just OK. The integration with my Lutron Caseta lighting controls is slow and stupid. After multiple trouble tickets and a plea to the president of the company, they just can’t seem to fix it.

Also I need alternate IR codes for my McIntosh C1100 and they can’t seem to bother with that either. That one I could fix myself with IR code capture, but that’s a lot of fiddly work.

I’ll give it a ‘C’, which could be an ‘A’ if they could fix the nagging issues I’ve got.

Elite
 

Similar to above, a B- for other reasons. I use our OPPO 205 as the hub in our simple media room for the OPPOs exceptional audio and video processing. But only one HDMI input. So, for now, a simple 'dumb' 4K HDMI switch in front.

So, enter the Elite. With proper sequencing and delays (a bit of trial and error...), you can get all this work w/o dark or blue screens (an EDID/HDCP handshake issue - the cost of a dumb switch).

But getting the Elite to sequence everything and add delays was just painful.

So, for simple set-ups it is a very nice remote, the layout is great, the backlit buttons are nice, but the ability to customize is somewhat frustrating.

Maybe you guys are being overly critical. :scratch2:

Its easy to use, can do mostly anything with trial and error and the interface and updates works well.............nothing better at this price point for a DIY system. :yes:

Alexa integration works well for me most of the time.

My only complaint is wanting more than 2 IR mini-blasters.

I give it an A-

Ron

Alexa works well with Caseta. :D

Ron

Ron. I agree for the price it’s hard to beat. I still have it after three years.

But, there were times when I wanted to stomp it to death. That still could happen.

But why on earth they can’t seem to interface with the most popular lighting system around is beyond me.

Alexa has been banned from our house due to privacy concerns, so not an option for us.

Alexa — Hallway lights off. :D

Ron

I totally agree. It works ok. Plus, it has helped in getting my wife to use the system. Pressing one button for listen audio, or watch TV, or play DVD/Blu-Ray does the trick. It make take a little bit of effort to get it right in the beginning, but after that it (generally) works.

I agree, it's only "ok." We just began using one just yesterday. It takes the place of 3 of our remotes - Sony TV, Martin Logan Soundbar, and Apple TV. As already mentioned this makes it wife friendly. It's also iPhone friendly too ...

Initial setup yesterday was rather challenging. However, today all seems to be working fine - except its interaction with Alexa.

Logitech has been looking for a buyer for Harmony for several years. I believe the CEO has said it isn’t a business they want to be in anymore. This means upgrades and support will probably start to fall away. I’m still happy with my Harmony elite.

Harmony 950
 

No luck with Harmony Remotes

The primary difference between Harmony 950 and the Elite is that the 950 does not come with the Harmony Hub and the Elite does. The Hub is what makes it possible to use either Bluetooth, Wi-fi, or IR blasters to control particular components as well as to integrate smart home devices with your home theater setup.

The Harmony Elite using the IR blasters near components works well for me most of the time, has no major issues, and it does what its made to do.

Alexa turn on Roon...................volume up. :music:

______________________

Logitech Harmony Elite Review
 

I have had several Harmony remotes. ( 4 I believe) For the last year and a half I've been using Logitech Harmony Elite and it works really well with all my devices. It's highly customizable. It just doesn't work with my remote AC plugs for lightning but that's fine.

What I can say is that it's the best remote I had so far. In possibilities, ease of use and built quality.

No Alexa or any other listener around here. I'm the one listening...

We have had an Elite for a few months now since the Harmony 1000 died. It's not perfect but arguably the best remote out now. I think my wife liked the little picture icons on the old 1000 but have convinced her it's old tech now, lol. Basically it's used to turn on the TV and sound system, turn lights on and off, and turning on the Xbox when she wants to watch Netflix. ;)

If you like, you can customize the little icons and upload your own on the Elite. :thumbsup:
https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/...activity-icons

Ron

Ron, it says it won't work with Hub based remotes. Ah well, gave it a shot. ;)

Now that Logitech has DQ'd Harmony, what's the new universal remote of choice that's still available?

urc mx-990

The Maestro strikes again! :yes:

Mate it with the URC MRF-350 for complete RF capability.

PS: you will need to buy it from a dealer to get the programming software.

Disclosure: I am a URC dealer. ;)

I’ll be keeping that gem in my back pocket so when the time comes … :yes:

Did just that with Legend/Ivan earlier this year (URC replacing Harmony). Highly recommend. Different league altogether.

Is the user able to program the remote or must it be programmed by the dealer?

Ron

Ron… you can program it yourself; the Program Suite is very intuitive, and has lots of help files. :thumbsup:

Looks like a great replacement for the Harmony Elite. :thumbsup:

Ron

+1 :thumbsup:

Ivan. Does it have the ability to interface with Roon? Basic functions at least.

Whoa - I did not know that! I thought the programming software was for dealers only.

Is the software included with the product, or sold separately?

From their website https://www.urc-automation.com/urc-l...total-control/ —

PRESS RELEASE
February 14, 2017

URC LAUNCHES AMAZON ALEXA SMART HOME SKILL

So it appears compatible with Alexa for voice activation — but...
"Alexa integration must be completed by a certified URC Total Control systems integrator. Knowledge of Accelerator Programming is required." :scratch2:

Ron

Sold separately w/ the sale of a remote and base station. PM me for pricing on the remote combo of your choice.

Doug... it has a constantly updated library of codes, plus it can learn a code from an existing remote, should you not be able to find one.