Disappointed with Harmony remote

TyneBridges

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I have two different Panasonic devices. On my new Harmony 665 I needed to "teach" all the commands for the BD-84 Blu-ray player because I'd changed the command set to avoid clashes with the Blu-ray recorder. To my disappointment, none of these work in my "BD-84" activity. Since teaching all the commands and syncing the remote, I've deleted and recreated this activity (it was originally called "Use Blu-ray/DVD") but the result hasn't changed. I can only do anything with the device (after its initial power up) by switching from "Activity" to "Device" on the remote and selecting the device there.
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All the commands seem to work after selecting the individual device, but then I may as well use the original remote. When I go into MyHarmony, choose BUTTONS and select the activity, everything looks correct, but I can only assume that, in the activity, the buttons are using the original control set for my other Panasonic device (which, as I'm not using it, is switched off). As this is my most frequently used activity, it makes the Harmony remote almost useless to me. Anybody any ideas on why this is happening and whether there's any fix?

I've had lots of problems with the activities and another is very basic, with the "Watch TV" activity. This uses only the LG TV and attempts to change channel after switching on, but the channel change didn't work correctly. In the MyHarmony software, I added a pause of 15 seconds after switching on and then told the Harmony to change to Channel 101 on the TV. Instead, it consistently changes to Channel 700 and I've no idea why. The Harmony changes channel correctly if I select "Device" and then type in "101".

I've also had problems with my desktop PC failing to recognise the remote and having to switch USB ports numerous times, especially when trying to use its "teach" mode. Needless to say, the PC has no trouble with any other USB device.

Overall I'm disappointed. After about five attempts to set up the remote taking at least three hours in total, I'm still no better off than I was with my £25 "One for All" remote. I had a Harmony remote 15 years ago which was rather problematic - but, after reading good reports of its latest remotes, I'd assumed this kind of hassle would be a thing of the past.

Any ideas?

(By the way, I did consider a more expensive hub-based Harmony remote but, as you'll see from the list below, my TV cabinet already has too many devices. With a Chromecast and Google Home Mini to plug in as well, I have no more free power points!)

Thanks
 
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Try clearing the activities and setting them up again. If it works in devices, which are meant only for storage, it will work with activities.
 
Thanks. I didn't want to set everything up again because it would have taken ages. I managed to resolve the problem, which was half my fault but half down to Logitech's limited software. Double checking, I discovered that all of the "transport" controls for my Blu-ray player had been set to work on the TV rather than the Blu-ray. As they don't exist on the TV and it's fairly obvious that Stop, Skip Forward etc should work on a player rather than a TV set, I think this error should have been impossible. Anyway, that one now seems to be fixed. I still don't know why my Harmony consistently set the wrong channel when switching on the TV, so I've deleted the "Set channel" command altogether.
 
Most TVs these days do have transport controls, both for onboard facilities and they can also often be used for CEC control of source devices so it's not an impossible scenario.

The software sucks balls though, I can't disagree with that.
 
I don’t even know what you mean, but the Harmony setup procedure is fine and fixes the buttons to the appropriate devices!
 
I'm wishing that Logitech didn't have such a monopoly! I've just got a new Blu-ray player and, after adding the device, many commands didn't work, despite it being in Logitech's database. Trying to teach commands is slow and cumbersome when the remote has to be connected to the PC multiple times and often doesn't recognise the command at the first attempt. I'm planning to reduce the number of devices I have and wonder if it's worthwhile getting a Harmony hub. Comments on line suggest that its software is no better...
 
Logitech’s Harmony is now an old technology.
However that still works fine when set up properly.
 
What about the Harmony hub - is there a more modern equivalent?
 
It’s meant to make telephones control IR devices.
I left Harmonys a while back and now use a Neeo and an (absurdly named) Sevenhugs both of which are excellent but hard to get in the UK.
 
Thanks, Logi. This suggests to me that Logitech has more or less a monopoly in the UK. After I've reduced the number of devices I'm using (my Humax can be retired fairly soon as I no longer depend on satellite) I'll look at getting a Harmony hub.
 
After trying a Harmony after a Pronto I'm somewhat disappointed. Very limiting software and difficult to configure it to do exactly what I want.
 
I’ve devised dozens of activities and never had a problem with “software” or configuration.
I’ve given up on Harmonys now though.:D
 
I've run out of patience with the Logitech software and the remote's reluctance to connect to either my old or my new Windows PC. I'm now looking at a Broadlink RM4 Pro, which one or two people have described as a better alternative to the Harmony hub. Here's hoping.
 
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If that's your expectation I think you'll be disappointed.

I've got 2 RM Minis which are IR only and in no way are they Harmony replacements.

Mine work beautifully as a complement to my Philips Pronto system to add basic smart phone control and to link to Google assistant and Alexa and also integrate into home assistant but not as a remote replacement IMO.

The database of codes is quite limited, luckily I already have all the discreet codes for my equipment in the pronto so it was easy to teach them to the RM devices. Without those discreet codes you might find stuff like the TV turning off when it shouldn't and other issues.

Brilliant little things but they're not trying to be a Harmony.
 
I know one of the apparent disadvantages of the Broadlink is that it doesn't know the "state" of devices and may switch them on when you want them off and vice versa. In theory Harmony remotes do know the state, but I've found mine hardly ever gets it right and activities never work as I want, particularly if I need to switch from (say) having the TV on with a set-top box to having the TV on with a Blu-ray player. To avoid switching off the TV I would have to switch from Activity to Device, select the set-top box, switch off the set-top box and then switch device to the Blu-ray player and switch that on: so fiddly that I might just as well have had a set of separate remotes. I've spent hours tweaking the setup but the Harmony software just doesn't seem to have sensible defaults, and there are lots of glitches.
 
Everyone else finds that switching activities is the easiest and most accurate part of any Harmony’s functions.:)
 
Everyone else finds that switching activities is the easiest and most accurate part of any Harmony’s functions.:)
I doubt that. I'm not the only one on here who thinks Logitech's software needs improvement.

I've now got a Broadlink RM4 Pro and will report back here when I've used it a bit longer.
 
I know one of the apparent disadvantages of the Broadlink is that it doesn't know the "state" of devices and may switch them on when you want them off and vice versa.
Most devices have discreet codes for exactly this reason, they're often as not codes that aren't supported by the remote. A discreet code can be for power or even sources and other things, so for example a command to switch to HDMI input or a power on command won't do anything if the device is already on and switched to HDMI 1. My Marantz 7010 actually has a huge excel spreadsheet available for download with the codes for functions you haven't even thought about needing

If you can teach those commands to the Broadlink you're sorted. I use my Pronto
 
I doubt that. I'm not the only one on here who thinks Logitech's software needs improvement.

I've now got a Broadlink RM4 Pro and will report back here when I've used it a bit longer.

OK. I’ll get one and try it too! Which of the two, square or rounded, have you got? I’ll try the other.
 
logiciel:
1611405866981.png
It's an RM4 Pro, the latest model I think - looks like the attached.
 
Jamie wrote:

A discreet code can be for power or even sources and other things, so for example a command to switch to HDMI input or a power on command won't do anything if the device is already on and switched to HDMI 1. My Marantz 7010 actually has a huge excel spreadsheet available for download with the codes for functions you haven't even thought about needing

So far I'm finding the RM4 Pro quite useful and certainly more fun than messing about with the Logitech software but yes, that's the problem. It's more of an issue for me with the inputs on my CA receiver - it has eight of them, each with a button on its front panel, but only one "Input select" button on the remote control, and I have no way of teaching a new device the codes other than that remote. That means I can switch on the receiver by voice, but could only get it to select the input I want by multiple "input select" commands - or, of course, by crossing the room and pressing the button on the front panel.
 
I've got an old Pronto you could have. Happy to post it at cost, let me know what you have and I'll add the codes to it and stick it on a jiffy bag.
 
Thanks Jamie! That's kind of you. My current kit is in my signature. Let me know what I owe you and how to send it to you.
 
logiciel:It's an RM4 Pro, the latest model I think - looks like the attached.

Thanks, I have the other one coming today, and will post any results.
 
I said I'd report back here, so here are my findings so far. I've found the Broadlink fine as a universal remote with devices controlled by the app. It works better than I'd expected in this respect, since some of my devices are not directly in line with its IR light.

However, its voice control is a different matter. The instructions on voice control are pathetic: basically, there aren't any except for a couple of YouTube "tutorials" and these don't cover devices like DVD players at all.

Many commands that work fine via the button on the remote give "Sorry, that mode isn't available for Panasonic" when spoken to Google Home, with no clue about whether the command is not supported at all, or is there but Broadlink's server (which has the command passed to it by Google) just didn't understand the words used.

It's frustrating that the voice control is so much down to guesswork. Surely companies must see that users need these things explained in detail, not just "You can now control this by voice". I've emailed Broadlink support today about this but I understand that these remotes have been around for years so, if they still haven't published any detailed documentation, they may never do it.

Lack of documentation for high tech products is one of my bugbears: I think companies shirk this area saying that users don't read it, but but by doing this they give their own support staff a much harder job.
 

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