Logitech Harmony Elite review - Tom's Guide
Our Verdict
If you accept a lot of dwelling house entertainment and smart home gadgets that you lot want to control from one device, look no further than the Harmony Elite.
For
- Easy setup
- Intuitive interface
- Dedicated smart home buttons
- Works with huge number of devices
Confronting
- Heavier than previous version
Tom's Guide Verdict
If you have a lot of dwelling entertainment and smart abode gadgets that you want to command from one device, look no further than the Harmony Aristocracy.
Pros
- +
Piece of cake setup
- +
Intuitive interface
- +
Dedicated smart home buttons
- +
Works with huge number of devices
Cons
- -
Heavier than previous version
The best merely keeps getting better. Although it has very little contest, the Logitech Harmony Elite remains the pinnacle remote control yous can get for managing non only your entertainment system, only all of your smart domicile devices, too. At $349, it's not inexpensive, only you'll never want — or need — to use another remote again. That's why information technology'south our meridian pick on our best universal remotes page.
Logitech Harmony Elite review: Design
After keeping roughly the same shape for the by two generations of the Harmony Elite, Logitech redesigned the device. Now, the remote is much more square, and it lacks the softer edges and curved underside of the Harmony Ultimate. I prefer the shape of the older remote, equally it fit more comfortably in my hand. The new Elite is too markedly heavier, at five.85 ounces — more than an ounce heavier than the Ultimate (iv.8 ounces).
All the same, the Elite has the same soft-bear on finish on the bottom, which not merely feels corking but besides keeps the remote from slipping out of your mitt.
As on previous generations of the device, the forepart of the remote has a large colour affect screen likewise as a number of buttons. In that location are several very welcome changes, though. The so-called transport buttons (Play/Suspension, Fast Forward, Contrary, Tape and Stop), which were in a higher place the display on the Harmony Ultimate, take been moved to the bottom of the display. They're at present a lot easier to reach; before, you lot had to slide the remote down your mitt, which was a bit of a hurting.
The Elite remote has a few new buttons at the bottom that you can program to command connected home devices, such equally Philips Hue lights and switches. Previously, you could only alter these through the touch screen. It was a existent care for to be able to dim the lights with just one printing of a button — and to do so by feel — rather than having to navigate through touch-screen menus.
Merely equally integral to the unabridged setup is the Harmony Hub, a small, circular device that relays commands from the remote to your amusement organisation. The Hub besides connects to your Wi-Fi network to link to smart home gadgets. The hub tin be hidden in a chiffonier, and comes with 2 wired IR blasters that you lot tin position in forepart of your Television set, stereo or other equipment.
Logitech Harmony Elite review: Setup
With each successive generation of the Harmony, Logitech has made the setup easier. While the Elite still has a micro-USB port — so that you lot can plug information technology into your figurer to set it up — the entire process can now be handled via an Android or iOS app. That includes firmware updates, too.
More: Our Favorite 4K (Ultra HD) TVs Available Now
Subsequently you download the app and create a free account, you lot can and so create "Activities," a sequence of commands that will fix any number of devices to the correct settings. For example, I created an Activeness called Apple Telly, which, when pressed, turned on my Samsung TV, Apple tree Telly and Panasonic stereo to the correct settings. Equally with the previous-generation Harmony Ultimate, you lot can likewise program activities to include smart home devices — for instance, my Apple Tv set activity now includes a command to dim my Philips Hue lights.
Logitech Harmony Elite review: Interface
Logitech made navigating on-screen menus much more intuitive than on its previous remote. Below the display are two bear on-sensitive buttons: Activities and Devices. The erstwhile changes the screen to show the activities you have programmed, such equally "Spotter Apple Boob tube" or "Watch DishTV." If you lot swipe on the screen, you tin see your Favorite channels.
When you select the Devices button, yous'll run across a listing of the devices you've connected to the remote — such as your TV, cablevision box and stereo — likewise equally whatsoever smart home products. Here, you lot have more precise command over each production. For example, I could adjust the temperature of my Nest thermostat or change the brightness of each of my Philips Hue lights. I couldn't alter the colors of the lights from the remote, but I was able to practise so easily from the iOS app.
I actually liked the Activities and Devices buttons; on the Ultimate, switching betwixt Activities and Devices wasn't as intuitive — even later a few weeks, I still searched for the correct button if I had to change a setting.
Other than that, I really didn't collaborate with the Elite'southward touch screen all that much, and used the physical buttons. As I found with every other remote I've ever used, you should exist able to modify the channels and book without having to look at the remote itself.
Logitech Harmony Elite review: Smart home integration
Logitech is getting smarter about smart homes. While the Aristocracy can connect to just as many smart home devices equally the Ultimate, Logitech placed several physical buttons on the remote so that it'due south fifty-fifty easier to, say, dim the lights or even turn on the java maker.
At the bottom of the remote are 4 smart home buttons separated past a rocker switch in the heart. The left two buttons have icons for lights, while the right two have icons for ability outlets. Using the mobile app, you can configure the buttons to control whatever connected smart home devices.
The Elite works with a huge number of smart home products (follow this link for a complete list). It's one of the best Google Home compatible devices and best Alexa compatible devices. With Alexa or Google Banana, you lot can issue Harmony commands using your vocalization—besides every bit smart habitation hubs (such as SmartThings and Wink), thermostats (Nest, Ecobee), and lights (Lutron and Philips Hue).
Hither'southward a quick guide on how to connect the Harmony Elite to Alexa.
If y'all purchase the Harmony Abode 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), too as window and door sensors.
MORE: Smart Home Guide
Logitech Harmony Elite review: Battery life
Depending on how much aqueduct surfing you lot do, the Harmony Aristocracy volition last most two days on a charge (a bombardment life indicator is at the top of the screen). The remote comes with a nicely weighted cradle, which recharged the Elite fairly quickly. After about xxx minutes, information technology was normally charged by 50 percent. You lot can also replace the battery in the Elite yourself — another nice touch.
Logitech Harmony Elite review: Verdict
Logitech'due south Harmony remotes are in a grade by themselves. You'd exist hard-pressed to find a universal remote that can exercise so much at this cost. The $349 Logitech Harmony Elite is a further refinement of company's previous remotes that makes every attribute of your couch surfing more enjoyable. Both the software and the hardware are greatly improved since the previous generation, making the remote easier to set upward and easier to use. Those looking to command their amusement system and connected home devices from one device should look no further than the Harmony Elite.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/logitech-harmony-elite,review-3129.html
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