#Harmony home control review Ps4
#Harmony home control review Bluetooth
#Harmony home control review ps3
#Harmony home control review tv

The best way to think of a command is as a button on the remote control that originally came with the device. The company's rep told me some Companion users have already integrated more than twenty home automation devices into their systems.įor each home theater device you own, the Companion automatically loads commands for each function. These totals do not include home control devices like lights and thermostats you can have an unlimited number of those according to Harmony. If you need to control more devices, consider the Harmony Elite with its limit of 15.

For my test system, for example, I set up a TV, an AV receiver, and six different source devices: a cable DVR, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Roku 3 and an Amazon Fire TV. The Harmony Companion can command up to eight different home theater devices. Activities and devices: A Harmony primerīefore I get much further it's worth explaining to Harmony novices the notion of 'activities' versus basic device control. For additional activities beyond those six, you'll need to resort to the app for control (or get the Harmony Elite, which moves activity selection to its touchscreen). Yes, you can long-press each of the keys to access a second activity, but that can be confusing especially for people unfamiliar with your setup. That doesn't seem like enough to me when device itself supports a 'virtually unlimited' number of activities, according to Logitech.

#Harmony home control review tv

There are still only three dedicated activity buttons, represented by musical notes, a TV and a strip of film. Logitech told us they'd love to add it, but cannot because 'Sony has not exposed the remote control profile.'

#Harmony home control review Ps4

Sorry, PlayStation 4 owners - the PS4 is still not yet on the list of compatible products.

#Harmony home control review ps3

The latter two worked great in our test, and PS3 support is particularly welcome since it obviates the need for Logitech's Harmony Adapter for PS3.

#Harmony home control review Bluetooth

In addition to IR, the Hub is also capable of sending commands via Bluetooth for supported devices, like the Nintendo Wii and Wii U, PlayStation 3 and Amazon Fire TV. CNET editor John Falcone and I had issues with an Xbox 360 receiving the hub's IR commands, for example, but positioning the secondary blaster nearby did the trick. The system also includes a separate wired IR blaster (and another port for an optional second blaster) that you can position to reach out-of-the-way or finicky gear. In both of my setups, at home with the older system and in CNET's test lab with the Harmony Companion, I never had a lasting problem with the signals reaching the devices. The Hub's powerful IR blasters are capable of bouncing signals off the walls and furniture of your living room, which works remarkably well. The Hub is designed to sit on or inside your TV cabinet and fire infrared (IR) remote commands to control your gear.

Harmony's system just works, seamlessly tying together just about any device with a single remote a child can use. But she doesn't know or care about any of that she just presses a single button and Netflix appears on the screen. Doing so involves turning on the TV and AV receiver, switching them to the correct inputs, and selecting the Netflix app on Roku. With it my 5-year-old daughter can easily 'turn on Neh-falix'and watch 'Pound Puppies' without me having to get out of bed (I'm a bad parent, sue me). I've been living with the original Smart Control for a year and it's amazing. Otherwise it's largely the same as the previous model, complete with a dedicated app and the magical, controls-everything-wirelessly Hub.

It's also available in black or white, the latter making it stand out better in a dark room. The Companion clicker builds upon the superb Harmony Smart Control with better button placement and dedicated keys for home control systems, like Philips Hue lighting and Nest thermostats. The $150 price tag is steep for a home theater accessory, especially when other universal remotes are available for much less, but if you have a relatively complex home theater system - say, four or more devices - it's worth it.