Both the software and the hardware are greatly improved since the previous generation, making the remote easier to set up and easier to use. The $349 Logitech Harmony Elite is a further refinement of company's previous remotes that makes every aspect of your couch surfing more enjoyable. You'd be hard-pressed to find a universal remote that can do so much at this price. Logitech's Harmony remotes are in a class by themselves. You can also replace the battery in the Elite yourself - another nice touch. After about 30 minutes, it was usually charged past 50 percent. The remote comes with a nicely weighted cradle, which recharged the Elite fairly quickly. MORE: Smart Home Guide Logitech Harmony Elite review: Battery lifeĭepending on how much channel surfing you do, the Harmony Elite will last about two days on a charge (a battery life indicator is at the top of the screen). If you purchase the Harmony Home Extender ($99), which has Z-Wave and ZigBee compatibility, the list of supported devices increases dramatically to include locks (Yale, Kwikset), even more lights (GE, Cree), as well as window and door sensors. Here's a quick guide on how to connect the Harmony Elite to Alexa. With Alexa or Google Assistant, you can issue Harmony commands using your voice-as well as smart home hubs (such as SmartThings and Wink), thermostats ( Nest, Ecobee), and lights (Lutron and Philips Hue). It's one of the best Google Home compatible devices and best Alexa compatible devices. The Elite works with a huge number of smart home products (follow this link for a complete list). Using the mobile app, you can configure the buttons to control any connected smart home devices. The left two buttons have icons for lights, while the right two have icons for power outlets. While the Elite can connect to just as many smart home devices as the Ultimate, Logitech placed several physical buttons on the remote so that it's even easier to, say, dim the lights or even turn on the coffee maker.Īt the bottom of the remote are four smart home buttons separated by a rocker switch in the middle. Logitech is getting smarter about smart homes. Logitech Harmony Elite review: Smart home integration As I found with every other remote I've ever used, you should be able to change the channels and volume without having to look at the remote itself. Other than that, I really didn't interact with the Elite's touch screen all that much, and used the physical buttons. I really liked the Activities and Devices buttons on the Ultimate, switching between Activities and Devices wasn't as intuitive - even after a few weeks, I still searched for the correct button if I had to change a setting. I couldn't change the colors of the lights from the remote, but I was able to do so easily from the iOS app. For example, I could adjust the temperature of my Nest thermostat or change the brightness of each of my Philips Hue lights. Here, you have more precise control over each product. When you select the Devices button, you'll see a list of the devices you've connected to the remote - such as your TV, cable box and stereo - as well as any smart home products. The former changes the screen to show the activities you have programmed, such as "Watch Apple TV" or "Watch DishTV." If you swipe on the screen, you can see your Favorite channels. Below the display are two touch-sensitive buttons: Activities and Devices. Logitech made navigating on-screen menus much more intuitive than on its previous remote. As with the previous-generation Harmony Ultimate, you can also program activities to include smart home devices - for example, my Apple TV activity now includes a command to dim my Philips Hue lights. For example, I created an Activity called Apple TV, which, when pressed, turned on my Samsung TV, Apple TV and Panasonic stereo to the correct settings. MORE: Our Favorite 4K (Ultra HD) TVs Available NowĪfter you download the app and create a free account, you can then create "Activities," a sequence of commands that will set any number of devices to the correct settings. While the Elite still has a micro-USB port - so that you can plug it into your computer to set it up - the entire process can now be handled via an Android or iOS app. With each successive generation of the Harmony, Logitech has made the setup easier.
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