Question about harmony hub based remotes….

shawn474

First of all, I haven’t been on in a loooonnnngggg time. Generally just lost interest for awhile and life got in the way between two job changes, one kid off to college, wife got diagnosed with breast cancer……all is well and things are settling down now. Decided to check in and see if someone might be take to steer me in the right direction.

To the question: I have been gifted two of the hub bases harmony remote controls. I currently use harmony ones for all three of my tv setups (living room, basement and screened porch). I am intrigued by the harmony ultimate remote that I received, but I can’t get it to work for the life of me. I have factory reset the remote and the hub, but can’t get it to configure. I know that it has to be on the same network as my phone - which it is. I have gotten multiple error codes. I even tried erasing and reinstalling the app, I keep getting error codes and can’t edit anything to add devices / activities. I do have a WiFi extender and I am wondering if that is somehow interfering. I am not very technologically literate - I know just enough to be dangerous and can usually troubleshoot my way into getting things to work. But this has me stumped and Logitech wants money to troubleshoot and advise over the phone…..any help is appreciated.

audioluvr

It could just be defective. Some of these are getting long in the tooth. If you have two, try to configure the other one.

msg

Is there firmware available for these things? Software with specific OS requirements to program them?

billbillw

It is possible they Hub bodies are stuck on an old firmware that isn't working with the latest app. Also, do you have your wifi setup as separate 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz or are they combined? The Hub probably doesn't work with they newer combined wifi. I've had to keep mine separate all these years. I have my hub setup on the 2.4 band. It's been many years, but I seem to recall a way to connect the hub directly to a PC running the My Harmony App. Maybe not, but that's worth looking into. Also, there used to be a lot of support at the Remote Central forum, but I haven't been there in years either.
Overall, my hub has worked great since I grabbed it on clearance at Walmart all those years ago. It allowed me to control the PS3 without using a separate Sony BT remote.

shawn474

Thanks for the responses so far. The two remotes that were gifted to me are the harmony utlimate one and the harmony smart remote……both are making me feel stupid. Because harmony stopped manufacturing / supporting these, the software has not been updated and is unable to be run on new Mac and windows versions. And apparently the Mac version is essentially useless. I don’t have an older windows machine and would have no idea how to operate an older version of windows just to run this software.

The harmony one remotes that I have are all under my account profile and am able to use those without issues because they hook directly to the computer via usb.

I did hear about the 2.4 vs 5. GHz issue and we did upgrade our router about a year ago. I am also positive it is the newest version. However I would have bonuses how to go about switching that and not sure I would want to deal with that. I just thought it would be nice to have a newer remote control and more versatile than the others that I have. I might just end up giving them to someone else who could use them and is much
smarter than me if I can’t figure it out.

msg

Good info on the OSes, this is what I was wondering, re: the software support.

"Unsupported" sometimes doesn't mean you can't use it, but it also sometimes means you can't even install some applications.

If you feel up to learning how to create a virtual machine to run one of the older operating systems, you could use the VM for the Harmony administration stuff.

shawn474

msg wrote: »

Good info on the OSes, this is what I was wondering, re: the software support.

"Unsupported" sometimes doesn't mean you can't use it, but it also sometimes means you can't even install some applications.

If you feel up to learning how to create a virtual machine to run one of the older operating systems, you could use the VM for the Harmony administration stuff.

How would I go about doing that? I would be game if it wasn’t cost prohibitive.

msg

It's free.

You'd start with figuring out what the operating system requirements are for the Logitech software.

The you'd find that Windows operating system installation disc or an .iso file for it.

(Do you have any old computer Windows discs laying around?)

For the software you'd need to create and run a VM, you could use Oracle Virtual Box or VMware Workstation, I think is free now, as well.

If you have a Windows Professional version, you can use Microsoft Hyper-V just by "enabling" the feature.

Only big consideration for "desktop virtualization" is the physical computer specs for the "host" PC - RAM, CPU, and type of hard drive (ssd or spinning) and available space.

You can use VMware Fusion on macOS, but I'm not sure if that is also free now.

shawn474

msg wrote: »

It's free.

You'd start with figuring out what the operating system requirements are for the Logitech software.

The you'd find that Windows operating system installation disc or an .iso file for it.

(Do you have any old computer Windows discs laying around?)

For the software you'd need to create and run a VM, you could use Oracle Virtual Box or VMware Workstation, I think is free now, as well.

If you have a Windows Professional version, you can use Microsoft Hyper-V just by "enabling" the feature.

Only big consideration for "desktop virtualization" is the physical computer specs for the "host" PC - RAM, CPU, and type of hard drive (ssd or spinning) and available space.

You can use VMware Fusion on macOS, but I'm not sure if that is also free now.

Yeah I think I will keep the harmony ones and forget about the hubs

audioluvr

If you have an older phone your not using any more you should be able to download the app using your WiFi 2.4gHz signal to program it. I keep one around just for that purpose. The phone doesn't have to be activated, it just has to be connected to your WiFi

billbillw

Before you spend too much time trying to get something installed on a PC, realize that 99% of the configuration and setup for the Harmony Hub based device is through the phone App. If your router is new, and you didn't set it up for separate wifi bands, that is your first step.
In the router configuration it is sometimes called Band Steering. Disable band steering and setup separate SSIDs for 2.4GHz and 5GHz.
Unfortunately that will also require to relog/configure all the devices connected currently, but that is the price to pay for these gifted Hubs to work.
And FYI, the My Harmony PC app works fine on Windows 11.

audioluvr

Bill has a good point. If I remember I had to create a separate WiFi "account" for 2.4 and 5 gHz with separate names like "Shawns 2.4G" because some of my stuff only runs on 2.4G and others only on 5G like my weather station.

msg

shawn474 wrote: »

msg wrote: »

It's free.

You'd start with figuring out what the operating system requirements are for the Logitech software.

The you'd find that Windows operating system installation disc or an .iso file for it.

(Do you have any old computer Windows discs laying around?)

For the software you'd need to create and run a VM, you could use Oracle Virtual Box or VMware Workstation, I think is free now, as well.

If you have a Windows Professional version, you can use Microsoft Hyper-V just by "enabling" the feature.

Only big consideration for "desktop virtualization" is the physical computer specs for the "host" PC - RAM, CPU, and type of hard drive (ssd or spinning) and available space.

You can use VMware Fusion on macOS, but I'm not sure if that is also free now.

Yeah I think I will keep the harmony ones and forget about the hubs

Yeah, sorry Shawn, I know that sounded complicated.

Some good info from Rob and Bill above with the app capabilities and Wi-Fi band considerations.

If you find the app doesn't get you everything you want, let us know. I'll build a Windows VM for you to download from OneDrive or Google Drive with everything pre-installed.

We can figure out a remote support option, and I'll help you get it running, and show you how to work it (no charge).

Sounds like Bill has it working on the modern Windows OSes. Maybe we just need to get you the installer.

billbillw

msg wrote: »

shawn474 wrote: »

Yeah I think I will keep the harmony ones and forget about the hubs

Yeah, sorry Shawn, I know that sounded complicated.

Some good info from Rob and Bill above with the app capabilities and Wi-Fi band considerations.

If you find the app doesn't get you everything you want, let us know. I'll build a Windows VM for you to download from OneDrive or Google Drive with everything pre-installed.

We can figure out a remote support option, and I'll help you get it running, and show you how to work it (no charge).

Sounds like Bill has it working on the modern Windows OSes. Maybe we just need to get you the installer.

I can't say for sure with Win11 24H2, but it is working just fine with Windows 11 23H2. No tricks needed. Just run the MyHarmony.msi file that Logitech still offers for download here: https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/download

stevep

IIRC, Some of the Harmony Hub setup requires you to connect it to the PC via USB to download firmware before you can use the phone app.

Kex

Hi @shawn474! Great to hear from you again! 😊

I’ve been running a Harmony Hub for years with no issues. I haven’t connected to a PC since it first came out of the box. Even then, I’m not sure I needed to do so, but more on that later…

Just a couple of points:

1. Once set up, you’ll never need a PC or Mac again in my experience.
2. You do not need a remote to use a hub. I use an iOS app as well. There are caveats, however — it likes to use the same iOS device, rather than switch between several. This could be as simple as leaving a dedicated iPad or something for control by all users.
3. I have both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi and it has never been an issue.

I do have a spare Harmony Hub somewhere that has never been taken out of its box from new, so I’ll see if I can set it up as a new device without connecting to my Mac (or a PC that I can borrow) and report back. Since I know how it’s “supposed to work”, it might be easier for me to figure out what’s going on.

CottageChz

FWIW I have no problem switching between using an iPhone and iPad with the Harmony app (re: @Kex comment) with my Harmony hub-based setup.

I agree with the ideas that have been posted already. Start with the path of least resistance and work through those, beginning with separating 2.4 and 5 ghz bands if you haven’t already.

One thing that bummed me out is iOS 18 killed support for the “old” style widgets. Before I could swipe right for my harmony widget on the Home Screen or Lock Screen. Now since the widgets have been killed you must launch the app.

Good luck with the setup.

Kex

Thanks for checking that @CottageChz! I’ve noticed that the issue with switching iOS devices appears to be resolved, so now everyone can have their own remote! The remote wars are definitively over! 🤣

Kex

So, I succeeded in setting up the brand new in box Harmony Hub.

1. No remote is needed to do this.
2. It cannot be done from an iPad (iPhone). The process gets stuck during the firmware update and will not proceed further.
3. A windows laptop is needed to download the MyHarmony software, or a very old Mac running on macOS 10.14 Mojave (from 2018), or older. Because of that, this will require a Mac computer or MacBook from 2011 or older! Anything from 2012 or newer will likely have been updated to macOS Catalina or newer. 😱
4. Connect just the hub to the PC or Mac using a USB cable with micro USB. There is no need for a remote to be connected.
5. Use the “Add Remote” option and then select a Hub rather than a remote from the list. If you don’t see that option, you may have to start over. *
6. Once the firmware is updated, the hub will work normally. All of your existing devices and activities can be imported from your existing Logi account (if you haven’t logged in for a while, you may be prompted to update this).
7. After that, you won’t need the Windows PC or Mac for anything else.
8. You can add devices and activities, or edit existing ones, using the app on an iPad or iPhone.

* It’s worth noting that I found the PC software very clunky. I had to try three times to get it to proceed properly. Sometimes, the hub wasn’t recognized, or I was being prompted to plug the hub into a power outlet, rather than the PC laptop I was using, as well as being prompted to plug a remote into the laptop.

Let me know if you encounter issues and I can ascertain if I’m in a position to be of assistance, but since the firmware on my new hub is now updated and connecting with the apps, I’m not going to encounter the firmware issues again.

shawn474

Wow, thanks everyone for the assist. It is very strange to me……i put both hubs and remotes away after getting frustrated with the couple of hours I spent trying to set them up. I logged back into my harmony account and all my information except one remote that I hardly ever use was deleted. I have 5 total remotes on my account as I have purchased for my parents and in-laws years ago. I factory reset the “new” hubs and remotes and logged back in and was able to complete the setup process. Not sure how or what happened but I manually inputted each device and set up each activity.

Long story short is I don’t know know how or why i was able to do it after getting hung up so much the other day. But it is done.

A few observations:

1. Maybe I am an old man but the harmony one remote is the best one I have used. All of the buttons are accessible and easy to navigate screens. Could simply be that I am proficient at using it and knowing where the buttons are for so many years.

2. The “smart” remote makes me feel dumb. Had to add buttons (tv input and poll sound bar tv button) to the color coded customizable buttons. I don’t like not having a screen to navigate and actually see what I am doing. This probably will not stay in the rotation.

3. The harmony ultimate has a screen but is much smaller and isn’t nearly as intuitive as the one (at least to me). I am thinking of purchasing a couple operational one remotes (you can get them very cheap on marketplace and such) just to have as backups in case something happens to mine.

4. I am intrigued by the elite from the research I have done. Might see if I can score a trade or get one on the cheap to try out.

5. It seems that when they attempted to reduce the size of the remotes the intuitiveness that made them so popular took a back seat…. Just my opinion.

That said, thanks for everyone’s help and offers of assistance. Again, not really sure how or why it decided to start working but i was able to set them up. The hub sometimes gets stuck on “configuring hub” when using the app but closing the program and reopening the app typically fixes that. I assume that the software is glitchy and will probably remain so since Logitech is no longer making remotes. But provided I keep my equipment as is for the foreseeable I shouldn’t have any problems continuing to use them