Am I overdoing it?

[MrBreeze]

Hi all!

Just got an Echo Plus and love it so I ordered a Echo Show as well. I also got a Harmony hub too. My plan is to control lights everywhere and the tv in my office. Does this sound right?

- The Echo Plus is in my living room and is controlling lights
- The Show will be in my office connected to the Harmony hub and that will control the TV. I'm also putting a wall switch in so I can control the lights in the office, which I assume I will use the hub to control that

Does this sound correct? I assume I need the Harmony because of the IR blaster to control the tv, right? Just want to be sure I'm not making this harder than it needs to be.

Thanks!

Rob

[asianrocker]

You sound like you don't know what you are doing. Meaning not tech savvy. And I just hope you got a really good deal on those.

If you ask me, yes you over did it. But... well it makes it easier for you (the setup), I suppose.

[mike27oct]

If you think you went overboard perhaps you did.  I would have suggested you wait until you had lived with the first device a while before shelling out more $$ to be sure you need them.. 

I have "too many" Alexa devices, but I do not have a hub, because with smart plugs like TP Links, one is not needed.  I have one Echo, and got some Dots a year later when they arrived on scene and now for a total of six around the up and downstairs floors.  I have two Taps for portable use. And since there are features I like about the Google Home we have two of those.  All were purchased when on sale, and all are useful so we don't have to yell at a Dot since there are many around here.

[renegade600]

for clarification when you say office, is it home office?   imo, you are NOT overdoing it.  some of us started slow because we had no choice because there was only one choice when echos was first released and be honest, really did not do much at first. 

the only suggestion I have is to set one up at a time and make sure it is working before going to the next one.  start with the echo plus. 

[coyote]

I have now seven Alexa devices. Six Dots, and one ecobee4.

The Dots are strategically distributed around the house. Virtually everything is controlled by them, from lights to appliances to tv/audio to Christmas displays to enviro comfort. They supply my music, they do my shopping lists, they are becoming my home phone.

It’s not overkill. It’s how life should be.

[scottrods]

Hi all!

Just got an Echo Plus and love it so I ordered a Echo Show as well. I also got a Harmony hub too. My plan is to control lights everywhere and the tv in my office. Does this sound right?

- The Echo Plus is in my living room and is controlling lights
- The Show will be in my office connected to the Harmony hub and that will control the TV. I'm also putting a wall switch in so I can control the lights in the office, which I assume I will use the hub to control that

Does this sound correct? I assume I need the Harmony because of the IR blaster to control the tv, right? Just want to be sure I'm not making this harder than it needs to be.

Thanks!

Rob

Sounds like you're headed in the right direction.

However, I would recommend looking into and researching all the lighting control and options. A lot of folks are really more than happy to have simple on/off control of already existing lighting, while others want a light show and several variations in between.

You can use Wifi controlled Switches, Outlets, or bulbs and strips. all are available with or without a hub/bridge. Outlets seem to be the easiest, and most affordable, siwtches require a slight upgrade in technical capabilities and bulbs are the easiest to install usually (well... except for vaulted cieling recessed lights or other unreachable ones). Strips seem to be either ultra easy, or ultra complex, depending on the installation and intentions. They are also some of the most expensive and the chepaest... go figure.

I looked at all these options and decided I wanted an in-between version and found i couldn't get exactly what I wanted without a separate bridge and bulbs that are multiple colors of white at the very least. I like a "daylight" type light during the day and the warm white for reading and computer use in the evening. So far, most of my light purchases have been for the simple warm white bulbs, but to have the option to update/upgrade later, I went with the Philips Hue Bridge And Bulbs to set up my future needs. I only have a few bulbs that are not Warm white. Once I got the Multi color lights It has changed my Living room immensely for comfort to my eyes at the right times. I use a White/Ambiance bulb from hue for that effect. It gives me relaxing light for my eyes when I'm the most tired. I have some strip lights for indirect lighting, that I have not installed yet, but think it will work similarly. Waiting for a kitchen remodel to use them...

The thing I find is there is no perfect situation that I can set up for anyone without being around them to see what their specific needs and habits are. It also helps to see the spaces that will be filled with light as well.

As far as TV controls... that recommendation would also depend on a lot of factors. Most notably the equipment involved and proximity and visibility of all the receivers for any equipment, where it would be related to the Harmony Hub. Now since I have actually set up a few of them, I will be the first to tell you they are much more demanding of "proper commands" than anything else, through the Echo devices. It will try your patience for sure, when you know fully well you're saying exactly what you want done, but nothing happens! Once that is set up, let us know and maybe someone can help with any issues that arise. It's actually doable if you just pay close attention and follow the set up procedures closely. But any changes you make to the most automatic parts of it can truly set up voids and communication (commands) issues. I found it much easier to set up through my computer than with the phone app as well. However you may find it less than perfect. There are things that are invisible on their set up pages, so make sure if you can't figure out what to do next... scroll to the bottom of the page (this applies to both Smart phone and Computer set up).

Get redy for the fun as you are just getting started!

[MrBreeze]

Great advice here.

Yes, I did mean a home office, sorry. I currently have the echo plus up and running fine with the living room lights, so far it's been a pretty simple learning curve. I just wanted to see if I was using 5 steps where 3 would work. I've read the harmony could be a little trying, I've done a little research on setting it up but I know things never work the first time. Kinda what makes it fun. The tv setup is basic, just a set with a direct tv box, nothing fancy. The plan is to eventually automate as much as I can, I agree that's kind of the idea of it all, at least for me. I get the other stuff on Thursday, so I'll goof with it all over the weekend and see what questions I can come up with.

Thanks!

[DroMike]

Just got an Echo Plus and love it so I ordered a Echo Show as well. I also got a Harmony hub too. My plan is to control lights everywhere and the tv in my office. Does this sound right?

Rob - Yes, Amazon Echo (devices) and the equipment you currently possess can fulfill your vision.  I myself own four Echo devices  12 or 13 Philips Hue smart bulbs, three smart plugs and two Harmony hubs (one is still unpackaged).  With them, I'm operating white and colored lights virtually everywhere in my house, my main entertainment equipment (TV, DVR, DVD, etc.) and even a sump pump on my roof -- all solely with my voice!  BTW, I use the same "Echo" wake-up/trigger word so it matters none where in my house I deign utter my commands.  :-)

I will corroborate that the Logitech Harmony Hub specifically takes a bit to set up, or, set up correctly, but once you do, you're on easy street from there.  I only pick up a remote for odd, seldom-used commands, and only because I can't be bothered with programming, well, EVERYthing (haha).  A word to the wise, make certain you avail yourself to the free telephone technical advice which you are eligible for during the first 90 days of ownership (not that they've ever asked for my serial number of date of purchase).  During the perhaps four or five calls I made, I learned several stellar tips and hints about how the Hub (I have the Companion, and recently purchased an older Smart Home hub at a $55 steal) works conceptually, and how you can overcome what might seem to you to be obstacles.  Learning these base concepts and tricks will alleviate tons of confusion and you'll soon understand how any Logitech Harmony "hub" will give you complete control over your entire audio/visual setup.  And now that it's fully integrated with Echo (aka Alexa) with voice commands, it's more amazing than you can imagine.

In any event, yes by all means, keep experimenting and enjoying, one step at a time.  I don't know if this demonstrates my degree of laziness, but ultimately I'm hoping one day I can get Echo to automatically stuff a cookie or sandwich in my mouth when I say, "Echo, feed me."     - Mike (in the 'Dro).