home control | GIZMODO.cz

Harmony remote controls, once nothing more than just universal clickers, will soon play an important role in home automation, as Logitech has just launched a few new products with those abilities.

First showcased in June 2013, Logitech’s Ultimate Hub now becomes essential for smart homes. Its functionality was upgraded and was launched under a new name – Harmony Home Hub – along with a couple of new Harmony Living Home remote controls.

The previous generation of Harmony remotes were only compatible with Philips Hue ambient lights and Nest thermostats. Fortunately, the ecosystem was expanded to include smart locks, thermostats, and lights made by August, Honeywell, Kwikset, Lutron, PEQ, Schlage, SmartThings, Sylvania, Yale, and Zuli.

Harmony Home Control is a package that contains the Home Hub and a button-only remote, while the Ultimate Home bundle includes a fancier clicker.

It should be noted that the former can control up to 8 devices, while the latter can be used for up to 15 devices. The current ecosystem includes 270,000 devices, which was inconceivable with regular universal remote controls. A list of the compatible devices can be found here.

The hub features RF, IR, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity, so it’s basically impossible for it not to be able to control a device.

The previous version of the hub came with a companion app that was available on iOS and Android. Since that’s essential for controlling a smart home, Logitech didn’t give up on that idea.

Harmony’s new Android app features a new interface in order to better accommodate the new functionality of the hub.

Mind you, the new Harmony remote controls retain the functionality of the old ones, so you’ll still be able to control your home theater with one of these.

Overall, the new Logitech Harmony remotes look like the ultimate tools for home-entertainment and home-automation. The improvements are notable and make Logitech a pioneer in this field, with little to no chances for the competition.

The Harmony Home Hub costs $99 and can be purchased as a stand-alone products, while the Home Control and Ultimate Home packages will be available for $149.99 and $349.99, respectively. These prices might look a bit steep, but considering the great number of devices that can be controlled and the (hopefully) long life of the products themselves, they definitely look like a good investment.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Logitech Harmony Ultimate Hub that obsoletes common remote controls, and the Logitech Touch Lapdesk N600 that keeps notebooks cool.

Replacing a house full of switches and dials with a single remote seems a desirable proposition, but less-than-intuitive setup processes and fees that run far into the thousands make a disconnected home the only option for some. Like other home automation system manufacturers, Control4 has a bounty of offerings that can run up pricing into that out-of-reach range, but if you're looking to adjust audio and video in a single room, the new Starter Kit should get you going for just shy of a grand, including installation. That price includes a HC-250 Controller, which delivers IR control for up to eight components (via splitters connected to the four IR ports on the rear), serial control for up to two receivers or other systems and IP control for an unlimited number of devices. There's also an SR-250 ZigBee remote in the box, which offers full control through a television interface (HDMI and component outputs can be found on the HC-250's rear). You can also have full access through a variety of add-ons, including a $999 7-inch in-wall touchscreen with camera, a portable version for the same price, or any Android, iOS or Mac device -- access licenses for smartphones, tablets and computers run $199 each, or $499 to cover the entire home.

The Starter Kit can enable control of a single room, which may be fine for some users -- to add additional home theater setups you can bring on more HC-250s at $599 a pop. There's also an option to add ZigBee lighting controls ($129 per switch), ZigBee door locks ($150 to $350) or a door intercom unit with camera ($799). All-in, outfitting a large home can be quite pricey, and the Starter Kit is designed to get folks in the door, rather than to deliver a complete solution. We tested the controller with a TV, audio system, a pair of lights on two zones, the door intercom and a deadbolt, and all performed seamlessly without an hiccups. We also took a look at the intuitive drag-and-drop PC-based interface, which owners can use to change macros and add media. Introducing new components to the rig will require a dealer service call (or remote access, if you're just trying to loop in something like a NAS to serve up content). The Control4 Starter Kit is available through third-party dealers beginning today, including Magnolia Home Theater in select Best Buy stores (in that case, Geek Squad will handle the install). That sub-$1,000 figure factors in two hours of labor, and may climb a bit higher depending on dealer rates. Still, if you're just looking to get your feet wet, this seems to be a solid solution. Thumb through the gallery below for a closer look at the components and interface.

Gallery: Control4 Starter Kit hands-on