Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. The Good The Logitech Harmony Companion is a unique universal-remote system that makes it possible to control your entire home theater using your iPhone or Android phone or tablet, or the included simple remote, via the Harmony Hub. Logitech Harmony Home Control integrates lights, locks, blinds, thermostats, sensors, home entertainment devices, and more--all controllable from your Harmony remote or mobile app. Logitech Harmony Companion Control your entertainment and your home from your smartphone Logitech Harmony Companion integrates connected lights, locks, blinds, thermostats, sensors, home entertainment devices, and more*—all controllable from your Harmony remote or Harmony mobile app. That's because Logitech decided to lock them down, so unlike every other key on the remote, you cannot assign any of the six specialized yellow home control keys whatever command you want. The Harmony Companion includes a hub which it communicates with by using RF signals. The remote is remarkably light and thin, and operates via RF, rather than IR, so you don't need line-of-sight to your components. This review has been updated to reflect that change, and to mention the new Harmony Elite. Apple should probably charge more than $399, It's the perfect iPhone SE rival in every way but one. It's a hybrid of a standard universal remote like the Harmony 650 and newer, app-based control systems, like Peel and Beacon, that use a "pod" or hub to distribute remote signals. You have trouble sending startup commands from the remote to the hub. Turn on your TV, change channels, control volume, or start an Activity like “Good Morning” to play a favorite music playlist, raise the blinds, set the lights, and warm the house temperature. It's also available in black or white, the latter making it stand out better in a dark room. With it my 5-year-old daughter can easily "turn on Neh-falix"and watch "Pound Puppies" without me having to get out of bed (I'm a bad parent, sue me). Customized multi-device Activities make movie night more epic, date night cozier or happy hour happier. 4.3 (1,608 Reviews) It has only three dedicated activity buttons which support six activities, requiring a non-intuitive long-press for the secondary activities. by LOGITECH . Create custom Activities and Favorites. It is among the 10 most popular products in our Remote Controls category with an average rating of 4.0 of 5. Improper Sensor Positioning. And that's a Good Thing. From your TV, cable and gaming console, to your AV receiver and Roku® media player—all the way to your smart lights, locks, thermostats, and even your Alexa—Harmony Companion proudly works with just about everything. Tap “Good Night” to lock the door and turn out the lights, then fall into a deep and tranquil sleep. Customized multi-device Activities make movie night more epic, date night … The quintessential activity is Watch TV, and indeed it's the first activity the Harmony app ask you to create during initial setup (assuming your system includes a TV). Logitech Harmony Companion. The issue I’m having is, every time I press a button on the companion remote, it’s delayed 1-2 seconds on the roku. View. Logitech Harmony Companion Troubleshooting . Logitech Harmony Home Control integrates lights, locks, blinds, thermostats, sensors, home entertainment devices, and more–—all controllable from your Harmony remote or mobile app. Buy Harmony Companion at Best Buy - $150. Nothing else comes close to its level of home theater control, ease of use and value. The Companion also comes with the Harmony Hub (which seems to be the control center for all the higher-end Logitech remotes at this point) so connectivity is still very full-featured. 0 review(s) Write a Review . The best price for Logitech Harmony Companion right now is $216.84. I have yet to find a device it doesn't support, although at times I've had to take advantage of the IR learning function (which works great) to "teach" the system a stray command. The new Harmony Elite is a better fit, but I still like the feel of the slimmer Companion a bit better better. Review of the Logitech Harmony Companion Smart Home and Universal Remote Control. Start and control devices in groups or individually, either directly with one touch or on customizable schedules. Thanks to the Harmony App, which is available for iOS and Android systems, it’s even easier than with a normal manual. And by that I now mean the Harmony Companion, the best remote for the money I've ever used. For my test system, for example, I set up a TV, an AV receiver, and six different source devices: a cable DVR, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Roku 3 and an Amazon Fire TV. Login or sign up to earn Coins for sharing! Unfortunately, unless you actually have compatible home control products, those buttons will go unused. Harmony Companion remote enables one-touch Activity based control of your home entertainment and home automation systems. … The updated app can be somewhat buggy and frustrating to use. powered by . Such a complex system does have its rough edges still, and despite its lofty aspirations the app for control is a poor substitute for the physical remote. From your TV, cable and gaming console, to your AV receiver and Roku® media player—all the way to your smart lights, locks, thermostats, and even your Alexa—Harmony Companion proudly works with just about everything. Wireless and IR range may vary due to environmental conditions. The Logitech Harmony Companion is a universal system that controls your TV, satellite or cable box, home entertainment systems, and other automation devices with the included Companion remote or your smartphone. Replace up to eight home entertainment remotes; Harmony App turns your iOS® or Android™ smartphone or tablet into a personal universal remote YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND Control for your living room-or your whole home. Looking for a great show to watch tonight? The hub is the real "brains" of the operation, storing setup information, software updates and interfacing with not only your gear and the remote, but also your home network and Harmony's cloud via Wi-Fi, and of course the Harmony app via your Android and Apple phones and tablets. The remote communicates with the Hub via radio frequency (RF), which, unlike standard IR signals, doesn't require line of sight. The Logitech Harmony Companion was released on October 12, 2015, and the number displayed above the barcode should read 915-000239. The keys are easy to navigate by feel, grouped logically and sized right. Change channels and volume, set up to 50 channel favorites, or trigger multi-device Activities, even when you’re away from home. For each home theater device you own, the Companion automatically loads commands for each function. Turn your smartphone or tablet into a universal remote (iOS/Android™ only). The remote is remarkably light and thin, and operates via RF, rather than IR, so you don't need line-of-sight to your components. Supported devices and brands are subject to change without notice. Your voice makes it all work, just like magic. Initial setup requires an Android or iOS device. User rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars with 1608 reviews. Logitech Harmony Companion Remote; Logitech Harmony Companion Remote . Buy Logitech Harmony Companion Remote Control featuring Controls up to 8 Home Theater Devices, Supports Over 270,000 Devices, Works with Alexa & Google Assistant, Controls a Variety of Smart Home Devices, One-Click Activity Buttons, Guided Online Setup, USB Cable & IR Blaster Included, App Control via Included Hub, Windows and Mac Compatible. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The system includes both a pod called the Harmony Hub (also sold separately for $100) and a full-fledged physical remote. You really do get the best of both worlds. A single device can have half a hundred commands or more, and Harmony supports 270,000 devices and adds up to 1,100 new ones each month. The updated app makes initial setup much easier than past versions. Model: 915-000239. An activity can include whichever devices you specify. The Harmony Companion can command up to eight different home theater devices. Not sure what to watch tonight? That doesn't seem like enough to me when device itself supports a "virtually unlimited" number of activities, according to Logitech. The Hub is designed to sit on or inside your TV cabinet and fire infrared (IR) remote commands to control your gear. It's relatively expensive. In addition to IR, the Hub is also capable of sending commands via Bluetooth for supported devices, like the the Nintendo Wii and Wii U, PlayStation 3 and Amazon Fire TV. Use Amazon Alexa to turn on your TV, select favorite channels or trigger Harmony Activities. Time for bed? Harmony's activity-based buttons offer easy operation for functions like "Watch TV." The $150 price tag is steep for a home theater accessory, especially when other universal remotes are available for much less, but if you have a relatively complex home theater system -- say, four or more devices -- it's worth it. Create unlimited one-touch or time-triggered Activities that group devices into custom experiences. Logitech Harmony Companion Universal Remote. The good news is that the Companion has finally moved the array of "transport" keys -- play, pause, fast-forward, rewind -- lower on the remote, directly below the cursor pad, for easier thumb-reach. Harmony Hub centralizes command of all your devices by controlling them with IR, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth® wireless signals. Logitech Harmony remote controls are easy to setup, easy to use, support 270,000+ devices from 6,000+ brands. Kris Naudus / Engadget. My wife, kids and visitors often failed to do so, leading to complaints like "Honey, the TV doesn't work again!" This change alone makes the new remote superior to the old one. Software download and initial set-up required. Hey all, just got a 2020 roku ultra and added it as a device and activity on my harmony companion. Print product info . CNET may get a commission from these offers. Let's round up some of its best gems. Download the software required to setup or configure your Harmony remote CNET editor John Falcone and I had issues with an Xbox 360 receiving the hub's IR commands, for example, but positioning the secondary blaster nearby did the trick. Yes, you can long-press each of the keys to access a second activity, but that can be confusing especially for people unfamiliar with your setup. Harmony Companion gives you convenient control over your home entertainment and smart home devices. This troubleshooting page will help you diagnose problems with the Logitech Harmony Companion. Simply powerful control The small size of the remote, along with the soft felt-like backing, makes it really nice to hold. If you would love to have the Harmony Elite but you find the price extremely high for a remote then the Logitech Harmony Companionis the per… Button placement, for the most part, is great. Logitech told us they'd love to add it, but cannot because "Sony has not exposed the remote control profile.". Its streamlined button layout and full number pad make it a breeze to flip between content and devices. In 15-odd years of reviewing TV and home theater equipment, the one thing I always tell people to buy is a "good universal remote." Combine up to 8 remotes and countless apps into one elegant, easy-to-use, universal controller. The remote is impressively thinner and lighter than a standard clicker. Auto-scan for devices. Control your entire home entertainment experience without lifting a finger. $99. Here are some of the best movies Netflix has to offer. With Harmony and Amazon Alexa or Google Home, you can enjoy easy, hands-free control of all the things you love. I occasionally tote my remote into the kitchen and when the kids' show is over, just hit "Off" myself. Searching for a great show to binge? We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. The latter two worked great in our test, and PS3 support is particularly welcome since it obviates the need for Logitech's Harmony Adapter for PS3. Basically we could call the Companion as a “Harmony Elite lite” as it has very similar features but is missing some key features in order to bring the cost down to more reasonable levels. That sliver-thinness is made possible by a wafer-like watch battery (CR2032) that Logitech says can last a year. Sorry, PlayStation 4 owners -- the PS4 is still not yet on the list of compatible products. Since installing the Smart Control with its RF hub those complaints never happen, which to me is worth the price of entry by itself. You can always access every command directly using the Device tab on the Harmony app--the physical remote does not offers access to every device command--but you'll mostly be using Activities. Its battery lasts a year. As a frequent DVR user (read: commercial-skipper) I find the new positioning much more natural than the old spot at the top of the remote. The updated app makes initial setup much easier than past versions. Let's round up Amazon's best gems. The Logitech Harmony Companion is a unique universal-remote system that makes it possible to control your entire home theater using your iPhone or Android phone or tablet, or the included simple remote, via the Harmony Hub. They range from basics like Power On/Off, Play, OK, and Volume Up to extras like Pay Per View, 5-channel stereo, MTS and Thumbs Down. The option to control your devices via a smartphone is cool, but not that useful compared to a physical remote. Doing so involves turning on the TV and AV receiver, switching them to the correct inputs, and selecting the Netflix app on Roku. PriceSpy compares deals and offers from 24 shops, online and local. Or maybe try my hack. The Bottom Line The Harmony Companion delivers the best universal remote experience for the money, making your home entertainment center easier to use than ever. The Hub's powerful IR blasters are capable of bouncing signals off the walls and furniture of your living room, which works remarkably well. Harmony's system just works, seamlessly tying together just about any device with a single remote a child can use. But once you get everything set up -- a lengthy chore but easier than you may think -- the Companion works beautifully. First you have to download and start the app. Plus, with the Harmony App, you can program your favorite channels, create multi-device Activities, and enjoy control when you’re away from home. Swapping in a new battery is dead simple and replacements are less than $1 apiece. The price of the Logitech Harmony Companion may seem a bit steep for a universal remote, but its combination of easier setup and well-implemented control make it … If supported, we'll give you specific tips or suggestions for your device. It complements the Harmony mobile app and will keep in sync, regardless of where you start or stop an Activity. Simple home control for entertainment and smart devices, SEE THE EVER GROWING LIST OF HARMONY FRIENDLY DEVICES HERE, Yes, I want to receive news and product emails. The included remote isn't backlit. If you need to control more devices, consider the Harmony Elite with its limit of 15. For example, the Volume Up/Down keys controlled the AV receiver (not the TV) while the Play/Pause keys controlled the DVR. To use this remote you'll need an Android or iOS phone or tablet for initial setup. The Logitech Harmony Companion setup process is as simple and intuitive as Logitech’s other universal remote controls. We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices. Another cool bonus of RF: you don't have to be in the same room. Logitech Harmony Companion Control your entertainment and your home from your smartphone Logitech Harmony Companion integrates connected lights, locks, blinds, thermostats, sensors, home entertainment devices, and more*—all controllable from your Harmony remote or Harmony mobile app. Download the Harmony App. It has only three dedicated activity buttons which support six activities, requiring a non-intuitive long-press for the secondary activities. Read our, Wi-Fi: Supports 802.11g/n, WPA Personal, WPA2-AES and 64/128-bit WEP encryption, Harmony App: Download from the App Store or Google Play™, iOS: iPhone 4S or later, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad Mini, iPod touch (5th generation or later) device with iOS 8.0 or later, Android: Wi-Fi enabled smartphone with Android 4.2 or later, Bluetooth Smart technology-enabled iOS or Android device. 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