"Alexa" can turn on your TV with the Harmony Hub and IFTTT

[eborg9]

Thanks to IFTTT support, I was able to get my Echo to turn on my TV using the trigger recipe and my Harmony Hub.
https://ifttt.com/recipes/342269-alexa-trigger-activity

Once you set the activities with your Hub, you can set it to launch Netflix, Roku or whatever you have set up on your hub. Here's a quick demo:
https://youtu.be/uf7myz7tq2w

[bukzin]

I have Wink switches for appliances.  Would one work to turn on power to my TV?  Thx

[eborg9]

I don't have any Wink switches, but it doesn't sound like that would work. The Harmony hub works by sending the on signal to the TV via IR. Most TV's aren't always on. If the power is cut, the TV switches off.

I just tested this with my own TV, and when I cut the power from the strip, and then turned the switch back on I still had to turn TV back on.

If the Wink is merely an outlet on/off, that still doesn't turn on the TV, it just sends power to it. Something still has to turn it on.

I'm just spit balling here. If you already have the Wink switches, can't hurt to hook it up to your TV and just test it out.

[WJPetersen]

I am curious about this scenario....

I have the smartthings hub and the Xbox One and Samsung TV's are wifi connected (all have the ability to be "always on").  Can I create a trigger to turn these on and off?

[eborg9]

I have an XBOX One. When you cut the power whether it be unplugging it or cutting power to the outlet, and turn the power on again, it doesn't turn on. You also should shut it down properly each time you turn it off, not merely cut the power.

Also, the off/on signal to the TV, Speakers, Cable Box is sent via IR blaster. NOT Wifi. Wifi and Bluetooth only work when the devices are on. Sending a wifi signal to a device that's has no power will do nothing.

However, in the case of the XBOX it's always on and listening even when you've shut it down, so you can probably send a signal to turn that on via wifi. If the TV is plugged into the XBOX, then it may work.

But again, once you cut the power ( as in with some kind of smart plug), you've turned it off and that won't work. All you'll be doing is turning on the flow of electricity, you'll still have to somehow turn the box on.

At the moment the only remote that I know works with XBOX One AND can be configured with the Echo is the Harmony Hub.

You'll have to work backwards. Find the hub that works with the Echo...probably via IFTTT recipes, and then see if it's compatible with the XBOX.

Or bypass the XBOX and look for an IFTTT recipe that works with your TV brand.

[bukzin]

Thanks to IFTTT support, I was able to get my Echo to turn on my TV using the trigger recipe and my Harmony Hub.
https://ifttt.com/recipes/342269-alexa-trigger-activity

Once you set the activities with your Hub, you can set it to launch Netflix, Roku or whatever you have set up on your hub. Here's a quick demo:
https://youtu.be/uf7myz7tq2w

I see there are several Harmony + hub models. Are the more expensive models worth the additional cost?

  Which do you have?    Do they all play nice with Wink/Echo?

[eborg9]

I have the Harmony Smart Keyboard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KOLNVAQ?keywords=harmony%20hub%20smart%20keyboard&qid=1450547182&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Making the Echo do stuff is a combination of Harmony and IFTTT.
https://ifttt.com/harmony

It requires you to have the kind of Harmony remote that lets you set up a My Harmony account.
https://www.myharmony.com/en-us/

I assume that any Harmony product that lets you use your smart phone or tablet as a remote has the kind of IR and Wifi hub that you need for Echo to send a signal to it, otherwise you'd have to send from Echo to each individual device and that's probably a little harder.

I can't say for sure what other Harmony remotes work because I only have one model, but I'm going to suggest that you probably need a hub.

There are also Wink IFTTT channels. You'll have to look through the recipes to see if there are Harmony/Wink recipes or triggers. I'm willing to be that there are, or that you can create actions since they are both supported by IFTTT.

[jwlv]

The Harmony Smart Control is on sale at Best Buy. I just ordered one. Price is $69.99 as of 12/22/2015.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-harmony-smart-control-black/8574049.p?id=1218879313967&skuId=8574049

Comes with a Smart Control (I probably won't use it) and a Harmony Hub (this is what is needed for Echo and IFTTT to control IR devices such as a TV or gaming console)

[vasqued2]

Does the hub with Smart Control really work with IFTTT?  I thought I saw something that said it only worked with the hub from Home Control.

Thanks!

[jwlv]

UPS will be delivering it later today. I'll let you know how it works in a few days after I figure it all out.
If everything is successful, I'll make a Youtube video demonstrating it, and maybe a how-to video as well.

Does the hub with Smart Control really work with IFTTT?  I thought I saw something that said it only worked with the hub from Home Control.

Thanks!

[vasqued2]

Any update?

[bukzin]

I think I read somewhere you only need the Harmony hub,
not it's companion remote.

Is that correct?

What is it's model number?

[jwlv]

Here's the update on the Harmony Hub that I got a few days ago.

I played around with it and explored all the things I could do. At the end of it all, it's a great universal remote hub that can control thousands of IR devices (TVs, DVD/Blu-Ray players, cable box) as well as hundreds of Internet devices (Smart TVs, Nest).

As great as it may be as a universal remote hub, it's not really made for Echo. Although I can use Echo and Harmony Hub to turn on/off my TV, change channels, increase/decrease volume, change input, it is not consistent nor reliable. Often times, Echo would accept my voice command and confirm that it will do the task I asked (like change the channel or increase volume), but nothing happens. There's no rhyme or reason why it works or why it doesn't work.

So the end of the story is that I am planning to return it in a few days.

[stuttleman]

I just bought the Echo and have a "Harmony Smart Control." I am trying to connect it using IFTTT, but IFTTT keeps saying "No supported products found." Can someone please let me know if IFTTT works with the Harmony Smart Control, and if so, how to set it up.

Thank you very much

[Weaselboy]

I just bought the Echo and have a "Harmony Smart Control." I am trying to connect it using IFTTT, but IFTTT keeps saying "No supported products found." Can someone please let me know if IFTTT works with the Harmony Smart Control, and if so, how to set it up.

Thank you very much

It does work and I am using the same setup. First setup your activities normally on the remote. Then add the Harmony to your IFTTT account. Then setup a recipe with the Echo as the IF part and the Harmony as the THEN section. In the trigger section on IFTTT enter "turn on the TV" (or whatever) then below that in the Harmony section select the Watch TV activity in the dropdown. That's it.

The part you might be missing is any Harmony commands you give to the Echo must be preceded by the word "trigger" so the Echo knows this is an IFTTT recipe to send off. So you would say "Alexa trigger turn on the TV". Works every time for me.