Alexa with Harmony hub and multiple tvs :P

[ve2dx]

Hello Gang, am new to the group, here is the setup then the issues

Setup;

3 Echo Dots

- Kitchen and living room called Computer

- Kids Bedroom called Echo

- Master Bedroom called Alexa

Harmony Hub covering 3 TVs.

- Kitchen Assis cable TV controller with Samsung TV and IR blaster connected to IR1 of the Harmony hub.

- Master bedroom assis cable TV controller with Samsung TV and IR blaster connected to IR2 of the Harmony hub.

- MAIN : Living room with Harmony hub, 2 spliters on the ir ports used localy and remote (see above), assis cable TV, Yamaha amp, Sony TV, Sony Blueray, Sony DVD carrousel, Bluetooth receiver on Audio 1, Crestron airmedia, chromecast.

Problem1 ;

fairly simple, I fully configured Echo Dots and Harmony, but for the life of me I can only control power in secondary sites (kids Bedroom and MasterBedroom)

all the other commands like volume, channel changes, etc... all work fine in the Harmony APP but WILL NOT work using ECHO DOTS voice commands...

Problem 2 :

separate issues that I think is Harmony related not ALEXA! favorite will ONLY work on main TV (Living room), I can not for the life of me get harmony to let me use favorites on Harmony remote (Ultimate one) or Alexa, on any other TVs then Living room!

I am hoping there is an Alexa+Harmony expert in the group!

HELP

Richard ve2dx

[ve2dx]

 

Found the solution with Alexa what you do is

1- using Harmony app, edit favorite, select tv (kitchen lets say) assign all the favorite channels and save/sync....

2- Go to alexa app, disable Harmony skills and enable it back, log in and goto favorite screens.... edit your channels with room specific id like changing NBC to NBC KITCHEN... do this for all the channels...

3- As always after linking the Harmony back up to Alexa, run DISCOVER DEVICES, this will add all the favorite to ALEXA and saved as device specific.

dont worry about the link failling because took you too long editing favorites in Alexa. This is because the delay was too long, reenable the skills hit arrow till the link screen, and link it again, the changes are always saved..

Redo all 3 steps for each tvs... Et VOILA... IT WORKS!

Simply call up Alexa, Turn on NBC kitchen... to get NBC in the kitchen...

Alexa, turn on Cable News Bedroom... to get CNN in bedroom....

Alexa, turn on PBS in livingroom... to get PBS living room...

To control volume or other TV functions, use Alexa, ask Harmony to mute bedroom cable tv (name I gave to the activity)... et AGAIN VOILA....



Only problems left are;

1- Power issues, if I turn OFF on room it turns off all 3! Kids luv this one! Arg!

I know about the power sequencing config in the device config of Harmony app, this aint it... its done correctly, its something else...

2- remote assignment, well this one is funny (for the kids, ARG,!!), after an Alexa command is sent to a TV the remote is now assigned to that device... ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have to reselect the device on the remote or else, you are now controlling the last device called out on ANY of your Alexa... via that remote... this one is a pain...


More to come, This is grand and IT WORKS have fun... ok with a couple of bugs...

This is grand and IT WORKS have fun...


Update, Harmony supported indicated that left over bugs were because Harmony skill is design for single tv! Arg!