Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home Review - Tom's Guide

Our Verdict

The Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home remote can control a universe of smart home devices also as your Tv set.

For

Controls a wide range of smart abode devices
Comfy to use
Hands customizable
Android and iOS app

Confronting

Expensive
Tin can't control as many smart home devices as other hubs

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Logitech Harmony Ultimate Habitation remote tin control a universe of smart home devices as well equally your Television set.

Pros

+
Controls a broad range of smart dwelling house devices
+
Comfy to use
+
Hands customizable
+
Android and iOS app

Cons

-
Expensive
-
Can't command as many smart home devices as other hubs

I've been testing a lot of smart home gadgets in my habitation, from the Nest thermostat to the Philips Hue lights to connected Crock-Pots. While they're all fun and for the most part useful, it's a pain to accept to switch from 1 app to another on my smartphone to control each device. That's where the Logitech Harmony Ultimate Dwelling comes in. This universal remote command for my entertainment arrangement tin can likewise act as a smart habitation hub like the Quirky Wink, and allow me dim the lights, close the shades, lock the doors and even change the temperature, all from my couch. For those who desire to command everything from the comfort of their living room, there'due south no other remote similar information technology.

Design

The Harmony Ultimate Dwelling house is practically identical to Logitech'due south two previous "Ultimate" remotes. The larger, rounded bottom and tapered top, and soft, grippy material blanket the bottom makes for the almost comfortable remote yet. Although my review unit came in black, a white version is also bachelor

Like the previous generation, the Ultimate Abode requires a hub to connect to the Internet and smart home devices, also as the components of your entertainment organisation via IR.

The hub tin can be hidden within a cabinet, so long as the ii included IR transmitters can "see" the devices you lot want to control. This includes not only your Television set and cable box, but Apple tree Telly, Roku, Xbox 360, Xbox Ane and the PS3.

Setup

Unlike before Harmony remotes, which required y'all to plug them into your computer via USB to fix them up, the Harmony Ultimate Home tin can be set up right from your phone. (You can set information technology up using a PC connection, if you're and so inclined.)

I plugged in the hub too as the two IR blasters, then downloaded the gratuitous Harmony app to my iPhone 5s. (Yous'll also need to create a free Harmony account). Then, I paired the app to the hub, and continued the hub to my Wi-Fi network.

MORE: Best Smart Abode Gadgets

If you previously had a Harmony remote, the app will and then copy the settings to your new remote. Then it lets you add together favorite channels, by inbound your ZIP code, and selecting your cable or satellite provider.

I found this setup to be much easier than previous Harmony remotes. Every bit a bonus, you tin can control your entire home theater setup using the Harmony app. However, if the firmware on the remote needs to be updated, you lot'll still have to plug information technology into your laptop via USB.

Interface

Primal to the Harmony Ultimate Domicile'south interface are macros, called Activities, which allow y'all control a number of devices with the push of one button. For case, I created an Activity called Watch DishTV, which turned on the TV, my satellite box and my stereo, and turned them all to the right settings.

Of class, this ability has been available on Harmony remotes for years. What makes the Ultimate Dwelling different is the ability to incorporate smart domicile devices into these activities. While the older Harmony Ultimate could do this to a express extent, the Ultimate Home remote tin control a far greater number of devices, and do so in a more than seamless fashion.

So, to the Watch DishTV activeness, I could too accept the Philips Hue lights turn on to a preset brightness, the Nest thermostat alter to a particular temperature, and the Lutron shades drop to a certain level.

Device Ecosystem

While non as expansive every bit a smart home hub such as the Quirky Wink, the Logitech Ultimate Dwelling tin can command a number of smart home devices. Aside from the Philips Hue lights and Nest thermostat, the remote can also control Lutron Caseta lighting, Lutron Serena window shades, Baronial smart locks and the Honeywell smart Wi-Fi thermostat. However, other popular devices, such equally the Dropcam, were not supported as of this writing. Also, the fact that the Logitech Hub lacks Zigbee and Z-Wave receivers (different, say, the Wink) ways that devices that utilise those wireless standards will have to connect to some other hub before y'all could control them with the Ultimate Home.

The Ultimate Dwelling will also work with SmartThings and PEQ smart home hubs. Through a partnership with iControl Networks, Logitech says it's looking to extend control to other systems, such as ADT Pulse, Comcast Xfinity Home and Fourth dimension Warner. This Harmony back up page shows what products currently work with the Harmony Ultimate Dwelling house remote.

MORE: Best Smartphones

Additionally, the Ultimate Abode can also be controlled through IFTTT recipes, so you can have the remote automatically mute or turn off your Television receiver if your phone rings. That's pretty handy, and lets you utilise the remote with other smart habitation devices, such as those from Belkin WeMo and Quirky Wink. While it tin can't interact straight with the Wink hub still, Logitech also released the API for the Harmony remote, so that information technology will exist easier to integrate it with other smart domicile devices in the future.

Performance

For the most function, Logitech'due south newest remote is just as easy to employ as previous models. The on-screen controls for the Harmony Ultimate Home have been slightly refined; the background now fades from turquoise to blue. The home screen, every bit earlier, shows your Activities, such as "Scout DishTV."

I like that a small power icon now appears next to the active activeness. Inside an Activity, swiping to the left or right brings upwardly additional screens showing a number pad and controls specific to that activeness. For instance, the Picket DishTV Activity had buttons that replicated functions on the bodily Dish remote.

Pressing the icon on the lower left of the screen lets you lot command the devices y'all accept synced to the remote, and an icon on the lower correct lets yous change settings and troubleshoot the system.

The controls on the remote let you change the color temperature of the bulbs -- from a cool white to a warm white -- but don't allow y'all modify the color outright. Nevertheless, using the Harmony iOS app, I liked that I could control the colors of the Philips Hue lights, and not just their overall brightness.

Ultimately, there'southward a lot of screens and swiping on the remote; even later on a few weeks, I still would go lost occasionally. I also institute that the Hue lights were a scrap slow to change brightness on occasion.

While you can map the concrete buttons on the remote to different functions for your entertainment system, you can't alter the buttons to command smart dwelling house devices. It would have been great, for example, to be able to use the arrow buttons to dim the lights, or press a unmarried push to open and lower the shades.

Bottom Line

The Harmony Ultimate Abode is a natural extension of the progress Logitech has already made with its previous remote controls. Past calculation the ability to command smart domicile devices, this universal remote becomes even more universal. If the $349 cost tag for the remote and hub is also high, Logitech likewise sells the hub alone for $99, which lets you lot control everything using your smartphone. Nonetheless, if you're going to utilize this to control your Tv, there's no substitute for the physical buttons of the Harmony remote.

While not as robust as other smart abode hubs, the wide degree of integration already available with the Ultimate Home -- besides as the promise of more to come up -- makes information technology useful not merely for those with comprehensive amusement systems, but those looking for a way to command everything in their business firm.

Smartphone Interactive Ownership Guide
12 Gadgets Ahead of Their Time
eight Biggest Tech Rip-Offs and How To Avoid Them

Follow Michael A. Prospero @mikeprospero and on Google+. Follow us @TomsGuide, on Facebook and on Google+.

Michael A. Prospero is the deputy editor at Tom's Guide overseeing the home, smart dwelling house, drones, and fettle/wearables categories, as well as all buying guides and other evergreen content. When he'south not testing out the latest running watch, skiing or training for a marathon, he'southward probably using the latest sous vide machine or some other cooking gadget.