It was only a matter of time. Following similar announcements from Control4, Crestron, Sonos, and DTS, Logitech has announced the integration of Alexa voice control into the Harmony control platform. Owners of a Logitech hub-based remote like the Harmony Elite or Harmony Companion will be able to control their systems via voice commands through Alexa-compatible devices like the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot. The update will go live in the U.S. this week, and you can set up the service via the Alexa app.
From Logitech
Logitech has announced a new Amazon Alexa skill that enables voice control of your entire living room entertainment experience using a Logitech Harmony Hub with Alexa-enabled devices such as the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.
When the skill is enabled on Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot, you can start and stop Harmony Activities, control your entertainment devices, or even turn directly to your favorite channels, hands free, using only your voice. Harmony users can simply say "Alexa, turn on the TV," or "Alexa, turn on Netflix" to control the TV, as well as other entertainment and smart home devices, and Harmony makes it happen.
"This new capability is both practical and fun for our users," said Renee Niemi, general manager of the smart home business at Logitech. "We've been working closely with Amazon to deliver robust voice control of your smart home using a Harmony hub-based remote and an Alexa-enabled device -- and if you don't have Harmony yet, just say 'Alexa, order a Harmony Hub' and have one delivered."
With Harmony Activities, different actions and more than 270,000 devices can be combined to bring an entire scene to life. For example, you can say, "Alexa, turn on my evening activity," to your Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, and Alexa will use Logitech Harmony to start a series of actions that you've previously defined, such as turning the TV to HBO, bringing down the blinds and dimming the smart lights -- all at once.
"The Alexa experience just got smarter, thanks to our friends at Logitech," said Rob Pulciani director of Alexa at Amazon. "Logitech Harmony is an innovator in entertainment and smart home control, and together through this new Alexa skill and the Harmony hub-based remote, we're bringing voice control of the living room entertainment experience to Alexa and Harmony customers."
Logitech continually creates new experiences for Harmony remotes, so people always have access to the latest home entertainment and control experiences. These updates are delivered for free and over the air to our remotes, so our users can rest assured that a purchase today will also deliver the key features they will want tomorrow.
Availability
The Logitech Harmony Alexa skill will be available this week in the U.S. and will be available in the UK in the coming months. To take advantage of this new capability, launch the Alexa app on your smartphone and select Smart Home from the left-hand navigation menu, Get More Smart Home Skills, and search for 'Harmony.' A Logitech hub-based remote such as the Logitech Harmony Elite or Logitech Harmony Companion is required.
Additional Resources
• Logitech Introduces Harmony Elite Remote Control at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Logitech Announces New Integration Partners for Harmony Home Control System at HomeTheaterReview.com.