Tapping an activity brings you to the relevant tab, which has another button that actually starts the script (prevents accidental taps), as well as volume and other relevant controls. There's a main tab that has each activity. I created a specific "home theater" user for HA, which really only has access to the home theater dashboard. I use a cheap Amazon Fire 7 tablet as my "remote". It loops until it sees the input.binary helpers for each of the relevant devices are ON, then it stops. Then the script waits 20 seconds, and starts again. My home theater PC has an IR dongle, so that's next. Same for the receiver, then it sets the input. It checks to see if the TV is on, and if it's not, turns it on. Tapping the "Use Computer" button on my HA home theater dashboard executes a script, which first stops any currently running home-theater-related home scripts, then starts a loop. Same with all the other relevant devices for that activity (with various power readings, depending on the device). For example, when the plug my TV is connected to sees more than 50W, it sets an input.binary helper to ON. I basically rebuilt my Harmony activities in HA, and added feedback via smart plugs. This particularly sucks if all your gear is hidden/in another room. No feedback, and it relies on the user to correct errors. It just blindly sends commands, and assumes they were received. The big drawback to Harmony, IMO, is the "spray and pray" method it employs. I'll add another Broadlink recommendation to the pile, but add power-sensing smart plugs. Maybe that will make it financially viable, we’ll see. I cant really see for a second there is even such demand as there was for Harmonys given this product is even more expensive than any model Logitech put out so its already targeting only the upper sectors of that market to the point its enthusiast specific. I may be mistaken but I don’t remember that being possible when I brought my first and last Harmony. My Shield TV can power my TV and AV Receiver on and off and control the volume all from it’s own remote. These all erode the problem all in one remotes sort to solve which was remote clutter. TV’s with inbuilt digital tuners and satellite receivers not requiring additional set top boxes, sound bars built into TV’s, Android and vendor operating systems carrying apps not requiring additional boxes. Not to mention we now have HDMI-CEC since Harmony started and what were multiple devices consolidating into one. Owning a £450 fancy remote control is never going to be the next big thing. I don’t personally think there being no demand is really the concerning factor. You can make these types of arguments about anything. But there are also many horror stories of kickstarters and general failing businesses. So I think its going to need to be something special.įor sure, as I said, I don’t see it as a bad thing per se and I’m waiting in line for one. So this all cost me £30 for the broadlink as I already had HA and Nodered in total. (plus broadlink rm minis exist for not 10% the cost of this remote for things on IR). Together with home assistant to make a UI and all these devices having get and set commands I can even create a system that is essentially state aware even when people mess with power buttons and the like. My Shield TV can be operated with ADB and my HD Fury Diva accepts telnet commands. Since, I then found my Sony TV and AV receiver both have apis for IP control far surpassing the IR functionality. I guess I am tainted because a month after logitech announced the discontinuation (even though it was obvious for a long time as there were no new stock available for a long time) I accidentally knelt on my harmony elites screen and now I have a paper weight and no control device. They are complicated devices and I knew few non-tech folks who even owned a Harmony and even with logitechs known brand name and global marketing it still went the way of the dodo. I guess I wonder how these guys will make it work long term where Logitech failed to. Logitech finally killed it so even that doesn’t stand up to all that much but they had a good run. Now thats not to say its bad (I am going to buy one if no bad reviews come out, but I wasnt aware in time to kick start), but it’s nice to know with harmonies they were popular enough 3rd parties were on the internet doing repairs, ebay had them for spare parts, and Logitech was there for what support they where worth and the backing that gave the harmonies coming from a global brand. Its essentially 4 guys and a kick starter from what I remember. It’s not a global brand for one and its twice the price for two.
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