[PUBLISHED] Harmony Hub App (v1.0.4)

brinkie · February 2016

Logitech Harmony Hub App

This app can be used to control your Logitech Harmony Hub through Homey.

Next release

Rewrite using one constantly open connection per hub instead of opening/closing connections when needed.

Release history

v1.0.4 (current)

Limited refresh of hub's activities to once directly after connecting.
Improved connection error handling through Homey's interface instead of app crashes.
Major improvements on activity change detection (no more polling needed!).
Added additional flow cards to the "When..." column for more refined flow control:
1. Activity start requested;
2. Activity starting;
3. Activity started;
4. Activity stop requested;
5. Activity stopping;
6. All devices turned of.
Removed "Activity changed" flow card, because it has become useless.
Changed the name of the app to "Harmony Hub App", so the distinction between the app (under Apps section) and actual devices (under Devices section) is clearer.
Fixed an issue that would break the "send a command" flow card's "control type" dropdown.
Fixed an issue that would break the "send a command" flow card execution.
The "send a command" flow card's "control type" and "activity" dropdowns now filter by input.dfs

v1.0.0

App rewritten so it uses only one connection for each hub (hopelly preventing a lot of app crashes).
PLEASE NOTE THIS RELEASE REQUIRES RE-ADDING YOUR HUB(S)!

v0.3.4

Fixed app crashes due to API changes in Homey v0.10.0 (credits go to Phturist!).

v0.3.3

Fixed possible app crash while bashing the "send activity" device selection box.

v0.3.2

Removed "activity_changed" action card for now, because the polling was causing the app to crash (eventually) and the Hub to become less responsive.

v0.3.1

Improved error handling/bubbling.

v0.3.0

Made activity on the "Start an activity" flow card selectable by changing the input field type from text to autocomplete.
Added a new flow card "Send a command" that can send a command to a specific device.

v0.2.0

Moved flow cards from app to driver, so we support multiple Hubs.

v0.1.0

Added flow card to start an activity.
Added flow card to turn all devices off.

Fire69 · February 2016

Don't think anybody is working on it.
Would be much appreciated if you could get it running!!!

Phuturist · February 2016

Nice one brinkie!

A lot has been said about integration with the Harmony Hub in this topic already. So far no one mentioned he or she was actually working on an app for the Harmony Hub (I lack the skills myself). If you also accept requests, please make it possible to communicate from Homey to Harmony Hub over Wifi. For people having a Harmony Hub and all their equipement in a closed cabinet IR isnt gonna cut it.

brinkie · February 2016

So far no one mentioned he or she was actually working on an app for the Harmony Hub.

I noticed that too

If you also accept requests, please make it possible to communicate from Homey to Harmony Hub over Wifi.

Noted!

Now the only problem is how to get my hands on an actual Homey for testing...

Jon · February 2016

For those of you already owning a Hub:

I currently own a Harmony Ultimate One (so that's the remote control). Will I be able to throw this remote out of the window when I buy a Hub (so: will it act as stand alone, together with my smartphone (and possibly Homey once there's an app written for the Hub)?

Or will I nevertheless still need the Ultimate One remote?

brinkie · February 2016

Or will I nevertheless still need the Ultimate One remote?

There's a thread about that here.

Phuturist · February 2016

Jon said:

For those of you already owning a Hub:

I currently own a Harmony Ultimate One (so that's the remote control). Will I be able to throw this remote out of the window when I buy a Hub (so: will it act as stand alone, together with my smartphone (and possibly Homey once there's an app written for the Hub)?

Or will I nevertheless still need the Ultimate One remote?

As brinkie mentioned there is a whole thread about this. But in short, if you accept the shortcomings of a smartphone as remote you could indeed ditch the physical remote. General opinion though is that a physical remote has it's perks over smartphone and voice commands.

Jon · February 2016

Phuturist said:

As brinkie mentioned there is a whole thread about this. But in short, if you accept the shortcomings of a smartphone as remote you could indeed ditch the physical remote. General opinion though is that a physical remote has it's perks over smartphone and voice commands.

Okay thanks. So I conclude: keeping the remote and purchasing a Hub will make it an ideal combo once there's a Homey app for the hub.

Bumblez · February 2016

I have a Harmony Elite (basically, the Harmony 950 remote and the Harmony Hub). Yes, I definitely recommend to keep the remote. Remote and Hub work well together.

brinkie · February 2016

I currently have a Harmony One (no Ultimate!) which I absolutely . I'm thinking about upgrading to an Elite (Hub included) or just getting a Hub. Any recommendations @Bumblez?

Bumblez · February 2016

@brinkie As I said in my previous post, the Elite is basically nothing more than the Hub with a Harmony 950 remote. I really like that remote, but I don't see why a Harmony One wouldn't work just as well. So if you're happy with your Harmony One remote, then just get the Hub, don't bother with the Elite (if you really want to, you can always purchase the Harmony 950 separately at a later time). Amazon.de has them both at pretty good prices (and free shipping to NL)...

[Edit] oops... have to correct my statement a bit... apparently, the Harmony One (not Ultimate) has no RF capabilities at all, and that is a requirement for communication with the Hub. So Harmony One + Hub won't work... you will need the 950 remote (or at least a Harmony remote that is RF capable) after all...

Fire69 · February 2016

I bought the Smart Control at amazon.de for 65€. If you don't need an advanced remote, that's a real catch. Don't know if you can buy just the hub for that price!

brinkie · February 2016

Bumblez said:
apparently, the Harmony One (not Ultimate) has no RF capabilities at all, and that is a requirement for communication with the Hub. So Harmony One + Hub won't work... you will need the 950 remote (or at least a Harmony remote that is RF capable) after all...

I'll get the 950 + Hub combo then. Thanks for looking into this!

Jon · February 2016

hi @Bumblez or others:

Bumblez said:

Remote and Hub work well together.

So what's the real benefit of having a Hub, next to having a Harmony Remote already?
(that is: if I don't care that much of using my smartphone as a remote and so I can leave that away)

Phuturist · February 2016

Jon said:

hi @Bumblez or others:

Bumblez said:

Remote and Hub work well together.

So what's the real benefit of having a Hub, next to having a Harmony Remote already?
(that is: if I don't care that much of using my smartphone as a remote and so I can leave that away)

Apart of the smartphone functionality, for me the fact that it uses a more reliable RF technology meaning I don't have to aim the remote to the IR receiver and that I can have all the equipment out of sight in a closed cabinet. Next to that it can also integrate with domotica controllers over LAN. Domoticz for instance already supports this. And finally, the hub itself is getting more domotica integration, I can control my Lifx light for instance through the remote and the hub. But once I get my Homey stuff like that should become obsolete.

Fire69 · February 2016

Phuturist said:

Apart of the smartphone functionality, for me the fact that it uses a more reliable RF technology meaning I don't have to aim the remote to the IR receiver and that I can have all the equipment out of sight in a closed cabinet. Next to that it can also integrate with domotica controllers over LAN. Domoticz for instance already supports this. And finally, the hub itself is getting more domotica integration, I can control my Lifx light for instance through the remote and the hub. But once I get my Homey stuff like that should become obsolete.

This, 100% agree

Jon · February 2016

Fire69 said:

Phuturist said:

Apart of the smartphone functionality, for me the fact that it uses a more reliable RF technology meaning I don't have to aim the remote to the IR receiver and that I can have all the equipment out of sight in a closed cabinet. Next to that it can also integrate with domotica controllers over LAN. Domoticz for instance already supports this. And finally, the hub itself is getting more domotica integration, I can control my Lifx light for instance through the remote and the hub. But once I get my Homey stuff like that should become obsolete.

This, 100% agree

Okay, thanks! So for my case (house): my AV stuff is on a 'mezzanine' and not in the living room. My homey will be in the living room and therefore no direct line-of-sight between homey and the AV's infrared receivers.
So in order for me to let homey control the AV stuff, will I need a Hub? (and in that case there need to be a Harmony hub of course)

brinkie · February 2016

The first implementation of the Harmony Hub App will add a few cards to Homey. One will be an action-card to start an activity on the Harmony Hub. The trigger could be your voice or any other button or event Homey can handle.

For this to work you need a Harmony Hub and a Homey of course and they need to be on the same WiFi network. Homey will use the WiFi network to talk to the Harmony Hub, so no line of sight is required.

I ordered a Harmony Elite (package includes a 950 remote and a Hub) which is to be delivered tomorrow. I'll have to wait a few weeks for my Homey to arrive before I'll be able to do some real world testing. I pre-ordered mine.

Phuturist · February 2016

@brinkie you just made my day with these plans! Really hope you pull it off!

@Jon yes, you are correct. See the post of brinkie on how that would work.

Jon · February 2016

brinkie said:

The first implementation of the Harmony Hub App will add a few cards to Homey. One will be an action-card to start an activity on the Harmony Hub. The trigger could be your voice or any other button or event Homey can handle.
For this to work you need a Harmony Hub and a Homey of course and they need to be on the same WiFi network. Homey will use the WiFi network to talk to the Harmony Hub, so no line of sight is required.
I ordered a Harmony Elite (package includes a 950 remote and a Hub) which is to be delivered tomorrow. I'll have to wait a few weeks for my Homey to arrive before I'll be able to do some real world testing. I pre-ordered mine.

Great news!!

Fire69 · February 2016

Jon said:

Okay, thanks! So for my case (house): my AV stuff is on a 'mezzanine' and not in the living room. My homey will be in the living room and therefore no direct line-of-sight between homey and the AV's infrared receivers.
So in order for me to let homey control the AV stuff, will I need a Hub? (and in that case there need to be a Harmony hub of course)

Yep. But only if @brinkie has his app working, because out of the box Homey and the Harmony Hub don't work together.
Is all your AV in the mezzanine? Otherwise you might need to use an ir-blaster for the devices the hub won't be able to reach.

brinkie said:

The first implementation of the Harmony Hub App will add a few cards to Homey. One will be an action-card to start an activity on the Harmony Hub. The trigger could be your voice or any other button or event Homey can handle.
[...]

Just those cards would be perfect for me!!

Being able to start/change/stop an activity is all I would be using.
For me, no need for changing channels/volume/... through Homey

brinkie · February 2016

Fire69 said:
Just those cards would be perfect for me!! Being able to start/change/stop an activity is all I would be using. For me, no need for changing channels/volume/... through Homey

The second card will allow you to turn everything off

For now I'm focussing on those two cards. After that some input on some other cards would be appreciated.

Jon · February 2016

Fire69 said:

Jon said:

Okay, thanks! So for my case (house): my AV stuff is on a 'mezzanine' and not in the living room. My homey will be in the living room and therefore no direct line-of-sight between homey and the AV's infrared receivers.
So in order for me to let homey control the AV stuff, will I need a Hub? (and in that case there need to be a Harmony hub of course)

Yep. But only if @brinkie has his app working, because out of the box Homey and the Harmony Hub don't work together.
Is all your AV in the mezzanine? Otherwise you might need to use an ir-blaster for the devices the hub won't be able to reach.

brinkie said:

The first implementation of the Harmony Hub App will add a few cards to Homey. One will be an action-card to start an activity on the Harmony Hub. The trigger could be your voice or any other button or event Homey can handle.
[...]

Just those cards would be perfect for me!! Being able to start/change/stop an activity is all I would be using.
For me, no need for changing channels/volume/... through Homey

I should have said, all my AV stuff that I've included in Harmony activity schemes, so yes.
Other AV stuff, e.g. my receiver, is down in the living room.
By the way: I have experimented with quite a lot of IR extenders / blasters (for example Marmitek and Ebode), but all/most of them acted like total crap to me.

By the way: also starting/stopping activities would be perfect. But 'power' button toggling also very welcome.

Fire69 · February 2016

I only have my tv in the living room, receiver, stb, consoles,... are in the next room.
I use the ir blaster that came with the hub and stuck it under my tv (so it's upside down facing downward). It works perfectly for turning my tv on/off! It must be a very strong blaster.

Jon · February 2016

Fire69 said:

I bought the Smart Control at amazon.de for 65€. If you don't need an advanced remote, that's a real catch. Don't know if you can buy just the hub for that price!

@Fire69 The hub that comes in the Smart Control package, is that the 'red' or the 'green' one in this comparing page: http://www.logitech.com/nl-nl/harmony-remotes/&view=498&compProducts=11688,10737 ?

brinkie · February 2016

Jon said:

Fire69 said:

I bought the Smart Control at amazon.de for 65€. If you don't need an advanced remote, that's a real catch. Don't know if you can buy just the hub for that price!

@Fire69 The hub that comes in the Smart Control package, is that the 'red' or the 'green' one in this comparing page: http://www.logitech.com/nl-nl/harmony-remotes/&view=498&compProducts=11688,10737 ?

Wow! There are two? Which one is included in the Elite package? And are there any differences I need to be aware of developing the app?

Fire69 · February 2016

That's a good question...
I searched the internet for hours to find the difference between those two, but there is no real official info.
People who seemed to know a lot about it said that the both have the same hardware and after the latest firmware update they are basically the same...

Jon · February 2016

Fire69 said:

That's a good question...
I searched the internet for hours to find the difference between those two, but there is no real official info.
People who seemed to know a lot about it said that the both have the same hardware and after the latest firmware update they are basically the same...

Okay, so if I buy a Smart Home package (on Amazon for around 80 euros, 2nd hand) or a single Hub (on Amazon around 70 euros) I basically get the same hub unit?
Cause in that case I buy the Smart home package and just re-sell the remote unit for 50 or 60 euros.
(i understand you can't give any guarantees though).

MennoVanDerAat · February 2016

Hi,
I've the harmony Ultimate (with hub) and a homey. If there is something you want to have tested let me know

Fire69 · February 2016

Jon said:

Fire69 said:

That's a good question...
I searched the internet for hours to find the difference between those two, but there is no real official info.
People who seemed to know a lot about it said that the both have the same hardware and after the latest firmware update they are basically the same...

Okay, so if I buy a Smart Home package (on Amazon for around 80 euros, 2nd hand) or a single Hub (on Amazon around 70 euros) I basically get the same hub unit?
Cause in that case I buy the Smart home package and just re-sell the remote unit for 50 or 60 euros.
(i understand you can't give any guarantees though).

What remote do you have right now?

brinkie said:

Jon said:

Fire69 said:

I bought the Smart Control at amazon.de for 65€. If you don't need an advanced remote, that's a real catch. Don't know if you can buy just the hub for that price!

@Fire69 The hub that comes in the Smart Control package, is that the 'red' or the 'green' one in this comparing page: http://www.logitech.com/nl-nl/harmony-remotes/&view=498&compProducts=11688,10737 ?

Wow! There are two? Which one is included in the Elite package? And are there any differences I need to be aware of developing the app?

I don' t think it matters, both support the api, so the app will work for either of the hubs

Jon · February 2016

@Fire69 I have a Ultimate Touch right now.