Using the new Google Chromecast with Harmony Hub

Community Guides
22

Has anyone figured out how to emulate the Chromecast w Google TV Youtube and Nexflix buttons with the Harmony hub remote?

23

Hi Jack, I mentioned this previoulsly - https://community.home-assistant.io/t/using-the-new-google-chromecast-with-harmony-hub/243254/6 but I still havenā€™t tried it out - itā€™s on my list so Iā€™ll report back when I do. Unless you want to try it yourself :wink:

24

Pro tip for those that want to launch apps

Add a ā€œWindows Computerā€ instead of the ā€œgoogle chromecastā€ device. They both use bluetooth for communication and the Computer device will give you the entire keyboard.

Now you can use either ā€œButton Mapperā€ or ā€œTaskerā€ to assign actions to button presses.
For launching simple things like apps I use button mapper. You can also send http post or use intents through button mapper.

The buttons im currently using
F1: youtube
F3: syncler
F5: hbo max
F7: Hyperion Toggle

2 Likes
25

I have setup my CCWGTV as a Windows PC in Harmony and this works with Button Mapper to provide many more buttons for controlling CCWGTV via Bluetooth. However, the problem remains to find the best button sequences to get to the following from wherever you happen to be in CCWGTV:

  • Library of recorded program in YouTube TV
  • YouTube TV guide
  • A favorite channel in YouTube TV
  • List of upcoming records
  • Watchlist or Continue Watching lists

Iā€™ll post again when I have succeeded.

Thanks.

26

I was able to add my harmony remote following the instructions here, but I have a volume problem.
I cannot control the volume of my receiver with my harmony remote while my remote is in the Chromecast device.
This is bizzare because everything else I do the volume always controls my receiver.

27

Did you add your receiver to the Chromecast activity? Also, make sure that the activity is configured to use the receiver to control the volume.

28

Hi @sota and thanks for the great info! Iā€™m tech savvy but having a bit of trouble picturing how the two Anker devices are connected in order to provide power and ethernet to the Chromecast. Would you mind sharing a specific description of what plugs on where?

Specifically, Iā€™m wondering if the built in USB C cable on the Anker hub plugs into the Chromecast or the Anger plug.

Thanks!

29

Hi Michael, the built-in USC-C cable plugs into the Chromecast providing power and data. Plug the charger cable into the PD port.

30

Ordererd myself also now a google tv, gonna add it later
After reading, with button mapper, you can change the 2 buttons, to create 6 of them
like single/double/long press ā€¦ once mapped and paired with harmony, are those buttons also usable in HA? are they then part of the harmony integration?

i dont see them yet here:


        "Google TV": {
            "commands": [
                "PowerOff",
                "PowerOn",
                "Mute",
                "VolumeDown",
                "VolumeUp",
                "DirectionDown",
                "DirectionLeft",
                "DirectionRight",
                "DirectionUp",
                "Select",
                "Stop",
                "Play",
                "Rewind",
                "Pause",
                "FastForward",
                "PreviousTrack",
                "NextTrack",
                "Back",
                "Home"
            ],
            "id": "78419645"
31

ok, i installed ā€œbutton mapperā€ , now i can change the ā€œnetflixā€ button to another app ā€¦

@benjimatt or someone elseā€¦

in button mapper if i change the button to another app, what would be the post url for tha command? how can i see that? i cant find it in button mapper

thnx

32

heads up for anyone in 2023 trying to connect a Google TV 4K with the Harmony remote:

iā€™ve been trying to pair it (the remote) for like an hour and it kept failing/crashing. I stumbled on this reddit comment that people seemed to have better luck with the whole process. basically: instead of adding it to the Hub with Google/Chromecast with Google TV, try adding it as Google/GA01919.

itā€™s still failing for me (iā€™ll update this later if i can get it to work) but thought iā€™d put it out there for now

edit: GA/GA01919 wouldnā€™t work for me.
I needed to follow along this comment to get it to work.
what a sht show.

1 Like
33

Thanks for this info. I followed it exactly, and it enabled me to pair my harmony hub remote to my chromecast (in Sept 2023, despite a comment in this thread which seems to say that the connectivity was disabled in 2022). I can now ditch the google remote and just use my harmony to control chromecast.