Automated Home with Harmony Hub

[nmee001]

Having got my Echo Dot on the day it was released in the UK I have been building it's usefulness as the weeks have passed. I now have added a Harmony Ultimate Hub and by using Yonomi app. have been able to create routines to automate my home. The best one is 'Echo turn on watch TV' which turns on my Samsung TV, Sonos Surround Sound, Sky TV Box, Dimplex Optimyst Fire and tunes to Channel 115 for BBC HD - all in one action. Even my wife is impressed and uses it when we return home from work each evening. I am sure it will be even better when the Harmony and Sonos Skills are released in the next few months. Finally some of the future is HERE!! Now just need some Hue Lamps for Xmas and lights can come on too!!

[garethsnaim]

Exactly how have you achieved this?

I can see my 'devices' set up by yonomi.

One time out of many attempts it worked on one of the actions. Every other time it either gives me a two tone didn't understand noise, or it will start playing frigging moford and sons when I ask it to listen to my music (start my hifi activity in harmony)

Or it will say it couldn't find anything to resume ()

Or it will say it did not understand

etc etc.

I registered here today to see if anyone has a clue, as its 90% of the reason I bought one. I was pretty miffed to find the harmony app is not available in the UK, but happy to see this yonomo thing is, but sad that simply put it does not work.

I am guess I need to work on my San Fran accent.

[nmee001]

Hi

I will give you a run down on how i achieved this using Yonomi. Download the app for Yonomi and add the skill to Alexa before starting.

First of all i am running the whole thing to start with on my iPhone and have loaded the Alexa App. the Yonomi App. and the Harmony Hub App.

First of all go into the Harmony app. and add all your devices you are wishing to control.

Then create a new 'activity' for what you wish to do i.e. Watch TV or Sonos Music or similar type names and then add into this activity your devices and the actions you can take i.e. Samsung TV turn on, Sky Box turn on, Set TV to HDM1 (or whatever source you have connected), Sonos Player turn on, Sky Box change to channel 115. I tend to do this on my computer rather than the iPhone as it is easier to do. Some the items may be easier to add in after you have created the initial activity switch on routine (i.e. channel number) by going into customise routine.

Once this is complete then you need to go to Yonomi and add Harmony Hub to the 'Things' page then in Routines add a Watch TV and a Watch TV off routine (you need both for it to work) it will prompt you to add the Harmony Hub Start Watch TV and End Watch TV activities.

Once you have done this then go to the Alexa App and Smart Home and discover new devices (leave all apps running on your iPhone or iPad or whatever device your are using) and you should get after a few seconds the Watch TV Routine and Watch TV off Routine (Yonomi) added as a device.

You should now be able to say 'Echo turn on Watch TV' and the Harmony Hub will do the business.

If it is a Music device (you mention hifi) you are wanting to set up then his suggest you don't use 'music' as the key word but use a device name i.e. Sonos, Stereo, Living Room, Technics, etc. as Echo gets confused with what music you want hence she played Mumford & Sons. Much Better if you can say "Turn on my Stereo" or something similar she can't confuse with Amazon Music or other music services.

[E-Warrior]

Thanks for your details on how to get Echo to turn on my TV and other things with my Harmony Hub via Yonomi, which I've now done.

The problem is that I can turn on my TV or set a routine to turn the TV  to right input and Amp for watching movies, but I cannot get the switching off devices to work.  Can you please explain how I should do this?   I'm not normally this thick with tech stuff, but please treat me as if I am all the time      My excuse is I was trying to do this at 4.15am so a bit on the tired side. 

[nmee001]

Hi E-Warrior

You need to have the Watch TV (or whatever you named your routine) routine turning things on on Yonomi and also a routing called Watch TV Off turning all the components off on Yonomi.

These will then be discovered as a Turn ON Watch TV and Turn OFF Watch TV device by Alexa. If you do not have the combination then the device will not turn off!!

Cheers.

[E-Warrior]

Hi E-Warrior

You need to have the Watch TV (or whatever you named your routine) routine turning things on on Yonomi and also a routing called Watch TV Off turning all the components off on Yonomi.

These will then be discovered as a Turn ON Watch TV and Turn OFF Watch TV device by Alexa. If you do not have the combination then the device will not turn off!!

Cheers.

Thanks for your help.  It was not immediately obvious that to get the switch off activity in Yonomi you have to swipe the on activity bit to the left to find the off activity.  Now I've done that, everything works a treat with Harmony, Yonomi and Alexa controlling TV watching, Movie watching and either listening to MP3s or FLAC music via my Brennan.  One happy bunny