The Harmony Elite – One Remote for One Touch TV Entertainment

Too many remotes! TV, Cable, Apple TV, DVD, Wii…they all have remotes! Those remotes get stuck in the cushions of the couch, end up underneath the couch, or get laid on the end table and someone covers them up with a magazine.

It seems like I am always asking, “Where’s the remote?” Plus, with all of the different devices attached to the TV, you have to remember which device is connect to which video source. And, the kids NEVER change the video source back once they are done playing on the Wii.

When I know where all of our remotes are, here’s how many we have to work with our main TV.  We need just one remote!

The Logitech Harmony Elite Remote has solved the problem. The Harmony remote is super powerful and intuitive making it awesome for home entertainment and home control.

Instead of only controlling one device at a time, Harmony allows you to group your entertainment devices into activities, using just one remote. You name each activity and program them so that the right devices power on and automatically switch to the right settings.

The Harmony Elite Remote gives you just one remote…that works with 270,000+ devices including Apple TV, Roku, TiVo media players, popular gaming consoles, CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc players and also can connect with many smart home lights, locks, thermostats, and sensors.

One Remote Sounds Great, But What About Setup?

When I first took it out of the box, it took a bit of time to get it all set up. (About 45 minutes.) The Harmony Elite remote comes with a Hub that transmits the IR signals to the AV equipment. If it is in an obstructed location, they include 2 IR mini blaster transmitters that you can connect to the hub.  

Here are the steps to set up the Harmony Elite remote…

Step 1:

Once you plug in the hub, it takes about 30 seconds to power up. You also need to plug in the charging station and place the remote in it.

Step 2:

You need to download the Logitech Harmony app for the App Store or Google Play. When you launch the app you select the Set Up New Remote button and follow the setup instructions. You can also set it up using a PC/Mac if that is easier. (I did it via the app.)

Step 3:

First, you need to connect your hub to your wireless network. The hub will glow green once it is successfully paired and has joined your home network. Then it will scan your WiFi network for devices that can be controlled by Harmony (Roku, Sonos, hue, Smart TVs, etc.)

Step 4:

You can add any additional home entertainment devices that were not found during the WiFi scan. This is the part that took the longest. You need to enter the serial number of the product in order for it to find and recognize the device.

I had to move things around and pull things out of the entertainment center in order to find those numbers on the back of the devices. It wasn’t difficult, it just took time. For the most part, I was able to locate most of the devices that I wanted to control.

Step 5:

You can also connect some of your smarthome devices like lights, locks, thermostats and home control platforms to control off of one Harmony Elite remote. Since we don’t have much of this in our house, I wasn’t able to try out this feature.

Step 6:

Once all of your devices are connected, you will be guided through creating Activities such as Watch TV, Listen to Music, Watch a Movie, etc. All of these activities are then stored, and you only need to push one button to make that activity happen.  Just one remote, that’s it!

Once you have programmed everything via the Harmony App, it will sync with the remote and allow you to use it as a universal remote. You can even get creative and set up activities like “Good Night” that does all the things that you do before you go to bed – turn off all your lights, lower your blinds and thermostat and lock your doors.

When you pick the remote up, the screen automatically turns on. You then touch the button that says “Activities” and you can choose what you want to do. Once you pick your activity, the remote will function for that activity. For example, if I want to watch TV, it will turn my TV on, turn on my cable box and switch to the correct video source.

If I want to use the Apple TV, it will change to the video source that the Apple TV is connected to and turn on the Apple TV.

Step 7:

I found that some of the functions that are on my cable remote didn’t initially work on the Harmony remote (like Record, and using the DVR.) What is nice about this remote is that you can assign open buttons on the remote to these functions.

You need to program it via the Harmony app using the original remote. While you have the app opened, it will guide you through assigning a button to a certain function. You basically need to aim the original remote towards the hub and push the button on the remote that you want to program. While it took a few minutes to figure out, once I did it, it was super easy to program all the rest.

Features:

• Combine all of your home entertainment devices into one streamlined remote control
• Change channels, adjust volume, rewind and fast-forward any of your home entertainment devices with one remote
• Large 2.4″ bright touchscreen to make control easy…even in the dark
• Comes with a charging station to charge your one remote as well as know where it is
• The included Harmony Hub can send commands to your home entertainment devices using IR, WiFi, or Bluetooth signals
• Has a replaceable battery
• Can control your entertainment, lights, locks, blinds, and more
• Works with Philips Hue™ and LIFX lights, August™ smart locks, Nest^® thermostats, Honeywell®, SmartThings^SM, INSTEON^®, and IFTTT smart home platforms
• Can use with popular IR or Bluetooth gaming consoles such as Xbox One™, Xbox 360^®, PlayStation^®4, PlayStation^®3 or Wii^®
• Allows you to replace up to 15 home entertainment remotes all into one remote
• Can duplicate control on your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet using the free Logitech Harmony App
• Works with over 270,000 compatible home entertainment devices from more than 6,000 brands

Pros:

• Only one remote to deal with
• Activities only require the touch of one button to turn on
• Sleek design
• Easy-to-use design – commonly used controls are in easy reach, just below the full-color touchscreen
• Works with a ton of devices

Cons:

• I have a couple of Smart home devices that are connected via Bluetooth and Apps that I was unable to add to the remote. For the most part, the Bluetooth device you want to connect needs to have its own remote that you can aim at the hub in order for it to work. My Phorus PS5 speaker and the Avi-on Switches that I previously reviewed for WellConnectedMom only connect via an app and I was unable to connect them to the Harmony remote
• Sometimes, when choosing an activity, it takes longer for it to cycle through everything to turn on than it would take for you to do it yourself

The Logitech Harmony Elite is available to purchase at Logitech’s website for $349.99 with free shipping. 

A Mom’s Perspective

It is so nice to have one remote that takes care of all the activities that we do in our den. The one touch feature is awesome – especially for my little one who is still trying to figure out how to turn everything on when he wants to do something on the TV.

Having a charging station that acts as its “home” helps a lot. I don’t find myself asking “Where’s the remote?” quite as often as I used to. I also appreciate that Logitech is continuously adding new devices that it is compatible with.

My hope is that maybe soon, some of the devices that are not already connected might become some of the new ones that they add. And, I can see that adding the smarthome devices that you have would make things even more convenient.

* I was given a Harmony Elite remote for my honest review. All opinions are my own.