Harmony Remote Replace or Find?

Hardware
1

I have a Harmony Elite remote and the display screen is failing. I have a full integration into HA with control of most functions thru the HA app on iOS using the various commands of the remote to build a virtual remote. So that’s great but it’s not super easy to use day to day. I am thinking I have two options:

  1. Buy a replacement remote at twice the price and I’m not sure if the remote can still sync to Logitech for the initial setup or not.
  2. Is there another remote people are finding work well as an alternative to the harmony and integrate nicely with HA?

Note my equipment is out of site so needs to support RF for communication to the base from the remote and RF and bluetooth from there.

1 Like
2

I don’t use any of these since my Harmony Touch still works but I have been tracking their development and usage. Options, in no particular order:

  1. Unfolded Circle Remote 3 - check AVSForum or AVForums;
  2. Sofabaton X2 - check AVSForum or AVForums;
  3. Sanytron Astrion - thread on this forum; and
  4. Haptique RS90 - check AVSForum or AVForums.

I have added option 4 but note that it seems to be very hard to get hold of. The developers had some manufacturing issues in China that set them back a long time. I’m potentially more interested in the RS90X, if it ever makes it on to the market.

There are other options such as AVA Cinema Remote (very expensive) and the Allonis Smart Remote (crappy OOB experience, very hard to set up and also pretty expensive).

3

Replace the screen

4

back in the day when I used a remote I had an RTI i picked up on ebay.

5

What do you use like mind control or have something like Alexa fully able to do voice commands to the level a remote could control things? :slight_smile:

6

Thanks for the list. I’ll take a look. I was looking at the Sofabaton but still trying to crack the nut on it. I think the hub can communicate with RF devices but the remote itself is not RF so being in a separate room wouldn’t I’m guess be able to talk to the remote thru the walls. Basing this on didn’t see anything specific on the website and the YouTube reviews don’t mention it either.

7

I have the UnfoldedCircle R2 and it works well for me. Granted it’s a bit to get your head around in terms of programming at first but I use it to control my AV system and set lighting when I’m watching a movie, though it’s capable of much more, I just haven’t twaddled beyond those settings.

8

I owned one of the Unfolded Circle Remote 2 devices for about six weeks before I sold it. The battery life was pretty bad, and I ended up having to build all the control logic into HA, which turned the thing into just a thing that pressed buttons. I sold it and began what feels like a three year journey to find something better than the Harmony. In the end, I found someone who had managed to decode the radio communication between the Harmony remote and the hub so that I could use my existing Harmony remote without the dependency on Logitech (and the hub). It replaces the Hub with an ESP32 device with a radio reciever that can pass the remote commands on to HA. You would still have to replace your remote, and you have to build all the switching and control logic into HA, but you wouldn’t be dependent on Logitech anymore.

(this is my fork of the original with additions to create HA sensors)

2 Likes
9

Side note. Not that a number of these suggestions are even out yet, but I’m thinking none of them have the ability for the remote to communicate with a hub in another room thru RF or Wi-Fi if they need to so the hub can send commands to devices in another room. Maybe I’m missing it. Know the Sofabaton x2 mentions something with the hub about lan based syncing with the remote so maybe there is a Wi-Fi connection between the remote and hub?

10

Of the list that I provided, only the RS90/RS90X are not available yet, although there are some users with the RS90. Here is the thread on this forum.

All the others are available either directly from the manufacturer or Amazon, except for the AVA Cinema Remote, which needs to come from a dealer.

11

Well Unfolded Circle Remote 3 as well

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but so far finding today the Sofabaton may be the only viable one but still trying to confirm how the hub and remote communicate “officially”.

12

Ah, yes. There are plenty in the wild from Kickstarter fulfillments which is why it seems as though it is available.

13

If you are an HA user, please try the Astrion remote control, which is specifically designed based on HA

My Favourite Home Assistant Remote Yet (Including Voice Control!) — Sanytron Astrion

14

Soo… We got a smart TV and its connected to Sonos. Because of tha we don’t need an extra remote. Possibly again someday though if we change things up or get a bigger house.

15

Watching the video now but the website alone should be a reason not to buy it. So far looks like the remote can control anything HA can control but not beyond is that valid? So like if you need to control something with IR in another room, the remote wouldn’t be able to do it. Haven’t seen a hub or anything yet on the website or the video.

16

I have one of these in a closet I use to control a receiver.

I also have a harmony remote, but the hub is in a different location. This works with HA well, and it’s kind of a set and forget. Not exactly a harmony replacement, but if you change your mindset, it might do what you need to do.