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Logitech officially discontinues its Harmony remotes

Oh F*CK! I've been using Harmony hub-type remotes for ages, and as far as I can tell there's no direct substitute. Mine controls TV, blinds, lights, A/V amp and all its sources, and the stereo amp via long macros. I hate the thought of having to juggle with umpteen individual remotes. The press release reckons Logitech will continue to support these remotes, but for how long I wonder? Bad news.
 
Support will continue according to their website statement

We plan to support our Harmony community and new Harmony customers, which includes access to our software and apps to set up and manage your remotes. We also plan to continue to update the platform and add devices to our Harmony database. Customer and warranty support will continue to be offered.”​
 
Interestingly I’ve all but stopped using mine. I have a £12 one-for-all for the HiFi (to control amp/DAC/CDP), and the TV original remote.

That’s it.

The one-for-all has just enough buttons to assign everything I need, albeit that means being creative. Part of the reason for even bothering with this is to allow the HiFi remotes to remain pristine in their boxes!
 
Oh F*CK! I've been using Harmony hub-type remotes for ages, and as far as I can tell there's no direct substitute. Mine controls TV, blinds, lights, A/V amp and all its sources, and the stereo amp via long macros. I hate the thought of having to juggle with umpteen individual remotes. The press release reckons Logitech will continue to support these remotes, but for how long I wonder? Bad news.
Bad news indeed. I have a similar (but not quite as extensive) degree of integration in my Harmony Elite.

Although support for some time is very welcome there's the issue of wear and tear on the handset (and its rechargeable batteries) and what to do if I need a replacement.

The trend today is to have Google or Amazon as a hub to control home automation via their servers. However, I prefer to be independent of external services other than for programming a local device. A device that will work when the external network is down and when the external server is down (or when the service is withdrawn).
 
I have the elite and simply couldn't function without it what a shame, lets hope they kind of open source it like they did LMS.
 
Interestingly I’ve all but stopped using mine. I have a £12 one-for-all for the HiFi (to control amp/DAC/CDP), and the TV original remote.

That’s it.

The one-for-all has just enough buttons to assign everything I need, albeit that means being creative. Part of the reason for even bothering with this is to allow the HiFi remotes to remain pristine in their boxes!
Getting away with the One-For-All remote depends on how many devices, what sort, and where they're placed. The big advantage with the Harmony Elite and hub is that, apart from working IR and Bluetooth devices such as Apple TV etc., is the separate hub and very powerful twin IR emitters that reliably trigger bits of kit that are scattered around the room. The "My Harmony" app. that runs on my old Mac (sadly, they didn't update it to run on the latest operating systems) is a dream to program for complex macros. There appears to be no substitute to match its combination of strengths that I can find.

I'm tempted to buy another one whilst they're still available.
 
It was a breath of fresh air after battling with the Philips and Marantz badged Prontos, and megalith multi button jobs like the MC5000, I hope they go with the LMS model and let it become community supported. I use iPad Apps mainly now but have bought a number as presents for staff, friends and family over the years.
 
Sad news indeed, as this was a great product line which is still in use in my home (Harmony 525, and the more recent but not as good Harmony 650). I do hope they continue to offer the great service they provided (especially given the moderate price of their remotes), and that they'll open the control software for further evolution.
 
I have a Harmony 700 which does a fine job, but I’m thinking of getting a Hub version as a backup for when it eventually dies. Please can someone tell me how you can use the Controller that comes without a display? How do you know which device or setup you are controlling? I know you can use a smartphone, but would prefer not to if possible.
 
I think all the hub-based Harmonys come with a display Mr Marchbanks. The alternative is to have “Action” buttons, e.g. Switch On TV etc.
 
I got rid of my basic one abut seem to recall it had like 3 buttons to select your setup.

But I would spend a few extra quid on the one with the screen. really good.
 
Sorry, I said Controller when I meant Companion. This is the one I was thinking of.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Logitech...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1
That's the one that I bought a few months back, when I bought a couple of devices that wanted to be controlled by Bluetooth, rather than IR. My key complaint is that it doesn't have a backlight, like the previous Harmony remote.

I've been toying with getting the Elite, but balked at the price. Given this news, I've just purchased a used one on eBay for much less money.

I'm miffed, though. Logitech has now discontinued both the Squeezebox and Harmony hardware. As others have commented, let's hope they support it far into the future, as it's really the best option out there. (I'm definitely not a fan of Siri, Alexa, etc.)
 
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I've been toying with getting the Elite, but balked at the price. Given this news, I've just purchased a used one on eBay for much less money.
Not buying one from Amazon eighteen months ago for £120 now seems rather short-sighted. Don’t suppose you are flogging your Companion and Hub, are you?
 
Not buying one from Amazon eighteen months ago for £120 now seems rather short-sighted. Don’t suppose you are flogging your Companion and Hub, are you?
The unit I just purchased on eBay excludes the hub, so I need to hold onto that. Without the hub, the Companion is not terribly useful.

Also, I would prefer to hold onto it, in case the Elite takes a nosedive.
 
The unit I just purchased on eBay excludes the hub, so I need to hold onto that. Without the hub, the Companion is not terribly useful.

Also, I would prefer to hold onto it, in case the Elite takes a nosedive.
Sensible. Ebay prices on the Elite are still a bit steep for me, apparently it’s rather difficult to change the rechargeable battery on the Ultimate if it starts to go, and the Companion is limited to eight devices which leaves me no expansion room... tricky decision to be made.
 
I've had a Harmony One for more years that I acre to remember, would be lost without it. Just wondering if I should purchase a new one whilst they are still available... anybody know what the equivalent of the One is these days?
 
I've had a Harmony One for more years that I acre to remember, would be lost without it. Just wondering if I should purchase a new one whilst they are still available... anybody know what the equivalent of the One is these days?
That looks much like the Harmony 650 I had before recently upgrading to the Companion. It worked just fine, but didn't work with RF components (only IR). It was also quite inexpensive, IIRC.
 


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