Recommendation Needed - Harmony Hub OR Global Cache WiFiToIR

My infrared system died and I'm looking to replace it. I'm deciding between the Logitech Harmony Hub and the Global Cache iTach Wi-Fi To IR devices. Any information, suggestions, or comments are greatly appreciated in helping me to decide which one to get. Thank you in advance.

I have both, well the IP2IR which is the functionally the same. I bought both a while ago, probably getting on for 2 years now. I mention this as my experience is from then and things may have moved on in the meantime.

Back then there were a few differences:

Harmony
Good:

The IR codes for (seemingly) every device under the sun were available in the Logitech database, no set up was needed.
Harmony 'Activities' are a bit maligned (and you have a limited number), but they do a lot of the leg work in combine devices together.
It came with a simple looking remote. This remote is actually the star of the piece, I have yet to change the battery on mine.

Bad:

The Harmony Hub was a self contained unit, with no interaction with Indigo at all and no API for smart people to explore.

GC IP2IR
Good:

Fully open to being tinkered with, it simply just changes a 'code' (say, a HEX number) into IR signals. A smart person built the CG (Cynical Cache) plugin, thus all your IR devices could be controlled from Indigo.
No remote, so you can build up a remote control with Indigo control pages and of course you can combine IR functions with anything else controllable through Indigo (want to turn on your projector, the amp, select surround, lower projector screen and both dim your strip LEDs and change to a cinema colour? Can do!)
Actual complete control of what you want to do, if you are willing to put the effort in. Not limited by marketing decisions (device limit, activity limit) that Logitech have come up with.

Bad:

No database of IR codes. No quite true, sometimes someone else has done the hard work, but I never found the codes for any of my devices. The IP2IR does have a learning mode where it can report back the code you just pressed on your normal remote. So you can build up a personal database of all the IR codes. This takes a lot of time, often remote buttons send different commands for different use, short press vs. long press for example. Note: If you go down this path, please share your code findings!
No remote, it has to be on screen control pages or something else than can interact with both the GC unit and Indigo. Sometimes having a physical remote with actual buttons is a good thing.

I stuck with the Harmony. It is a bit buggy, it still never seems to hold on to the bluetooth connection to a Playstation 3 for more than a day. The physical control and the IR code database swung it for me. I tried out a python library reverse engineer of an API and it actually worked pretty well. I see there is now a proper plugin for the Hub now as well, for Indigo, which would make this the better option today.

Of course if you have any devices that you want to control via IR that are not in the Logitech database you are out of luck. A GC or equivalent device would be your only path for that.

Sam.

I agree with Sam's comments on the GC IP2IR which I have as well. I got all the codes for the UK's Sky + sat receiver if anyone wants them. I wouldn't go for the Wireless version, wifi is flaky as it is and there is no capability of having guaranteed packets. The last thing you want is to have IR commands being unreliable after spending so much time integrating. My setup is very reliable. Few issues I got around:

1) I built a list of IR codes which I then executed in Indigo Action Groups. In some cases the IR codes needed to be executed in sequence (say change channel to 202) while others don't (turn on TV, switch AV to Sat Receiver, etc). Action Groups don't give you that capability as actions could execute in a different order so I had to script some IR commands to make sure they went in the right order.
2) Unless you are using any other integration you won't get a status on your IR controlled devices. Depending on what you want to do this may be an issue.
3) Some IR actions can be problematic as they need the current state of the device to be known in advance. For instance in most TVs the on/off remote control button is actually a toggle IR action which just changes On to Off and Off to On depending on the current state of the TV. I wanted to have the smartness added to my IR actions so I (and more importantly my wife) wouldn't need to worry about the current state of the device. I bought a power monitor plug and integrated it on my TV On IR action so that the TV On action will only fire if there was no power being used by the TV. So for instance I can have a button on control page which says "Sky Sports 1" which no matter what the state of the TV, AV or Sky Box is it will always switch on the TV, switch on Sky, change AV to Sky and then change the channel to "Sky Sports 1". This in turn can also be integrated into an Alexa skill (using the Alexa-Hue bridge) which means I have a real smart house and I can put the football game on the TV with a single voice command. To me that is the future of home automation and IoT.

Global Cache now has a repository for IR codes:
https://irdb.globalcache.com


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Global Cache now has a repository for IR codes:
https://irdb.globalcache.com


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is really useful, thanks for this. Looks like a non-developer can only get 5 devices a day, but that is easy to build up.

For information, it sends through the IR codes in the following format (I signed up). This is a snippet for a Yamaha RXV6xx:

Code: Select all

"DIALOGUE LEVEL 7","sendir,1:1,1,38000,1,69,341,170,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,1517,341,85,21,3655","0000 006D 0022 0002 0155 00AA 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 05ED 0155 0055 0015 0E47",,

"DIALOGUE LEVEL 8","sendir,1:1,1,38000,1,69,341,170,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,1517,341,85,21,3655","0000 006D 0022 0002 0155 00AA 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 05ED 0155 0055 0015 0E47",,

"DIALOGUE LEVEL 9","sendir,1:1,1,38000,1,69,341,170,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,1517,341,85,21,3655","0000 006D 0022 0002 0155 00AA 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 05ED 0155 0055 0015 0E47",,

"DIGIT 0","sendir,1:1,1,38000,1,69,341,170,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,1517,341,85,21,3655","0000 006D 0022 0002 0155 00AA 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 05ED 0155 0055 0015 0E47",,

"DIGIT 1","sendir,1:1,1,38000,1,69,341,170,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,21,21,64,21,64,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,21,21,64,21,1517,341,85,21,3655","0000 006D 0022 0002 0155 00AA 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 05ED 0155 0055 0015 0E47",,

There would still be plenty of work to do, but a big step forward.

Sam.

If you are using Cynical Cache all you need are to copy the numbers starting from "0000 in the example posted above. Leave out the "senddir codes.


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