Setting up the Smart Control is not overly complex at first glance, but we ran into hurdles the entire way. Lifewire / Yoona Wagener Setup Process: Relatively simple but not without hiccups The Hub also connects to the Harmony App via Wi-Fi for complete smartphone control as well. The Hub uses RF, or radio frequency signals, from the remote to communicate with your devices and equipment through IR, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, which means you can easily reach items behind cabinet doors or in media consoles. The other complement to the remote is the Harmony Hub, a semi-square-shaped block powered by an AC adapter and supplemented with two infrared mini blasters. The front of the remote is made from a glossy reflective material which is prone to smudging, but the buttons are easy to press and don’t collapse with pressure. The back of the remote is made of a smooth and sturdy rubberized material and features a subtle groove in the middle. 7 inches, it’s not at all overwhelming in the hand. While some remote controls can feel heavy or a little too big, the Harmony Smart Control is actually quite compact and comfortable to hold. If you have a lot of devices to add, or tweaks to make, this gets very annoying very quickly.Lifewire / Yoona Wagener Design: Streamlined and straightforward It takes a good 10-15 seconds before the app connects. However, my biggest pet peeve with the Elite has to be the "Connecting to Harmony servers" message that greets you every time you want to add or tweak a device setting. That's not the Elite's fault as such, but it does mean that you've got to add yet another hub with its own power supply to the pile. The individual hubs still all need to be plugged in in order for the Elite to control everything. Oh, and if you were thinking that the Elite replaced all those IoT hubs you have knocking about, think again. The Hive heating system I use-which is far more prevalent in the UK than Nest-doesn't currently work. ![]() The selection of IoT devices the Elite works with is also limited to a few big names at the moment, which includes the likes of Google's Nest, Samsung's Smart Things, and Lifx and Philips Hue Smart Bulbs. For Philips Hue, I had to manually push the sync button on top of the Hue hub, and it took a few attempts before the Elite recognised the Hue system and connected to it. IoT devices are also more complicated to set up. Thanks to Sony not allowing third-party devices to toggle power on the PS4, you still have to manually power it on before your can use it with the Elite. With the Sonos you can only do things like play/pause, skip through tracks, and adjust the volume music browsing is limited to things you've saved to your Sonos favourites from within the dedicated Sonos app. But by running the two extenders out from the main unit inside the cupboard, I'm still able to control those devices without the need for any line-of-sight communication from the hub or the remote. Obviously, when the cupboard door is shut, IR signals can't get in or out. Some devices like the Shield Android TV and PlayStation 4 live inside a cupboard, while my Sky+ HD satellite TV box lives underneath it, and my AV amplifier lives on top. My setup, however, is a little more complicated. The hub has its own crazy-powerful IR blaster inside that reflects the IR signal off other surfaces, so if if all your devices are located in the same place it works perfectly on its own. Whether you need these or not will depend on your setup. ![]() Aside from the power jack on the back, there are two inputs for the separate IR blasters included in the box. The hub is a small hockey puck-sized blob of glossy black plastic that, while a complete magnet for dust and fingerprints, is largely inoffensive. Logitech sells the remote separately for £199 in the UK, as well as range of cheaper models, but none feature the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth IoT wizardry that makes the Elite bundle so appealing. The hub-which you can purchase separately for £99 ($99)-is the where the magic happens. The £279 ($350) Harmony Elite bridges the gap with a fancy touchscreen remote, charging dock, smartphone app, and a wireless hub, letting you control most infrared, Bluetooth, and IoT devices from either the included remote, or a smartphone app. The problem has always been standards: the Internet of Things (IoT) has lots of them, but few of them play nicely together. You know, the one where you enter the house, all the lights flick on, and the entertainment system boots up to your favourite channel while the heating system asks if the temperature is cosy enough for you-that sort of thing. Logitech's Harmony Elite is the closest I've got to achieving the smart home dream.
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