Home automation / remote controls

[Erkki]

I thought this topic could be separate of the "Building a Home Theater" thread. Since I'm now have a few remotely controllable devices set up in the living room, I want to look into getting rid of separate remotes. Eventually there'll be: a projector, HDMI switch, DAC/Amp (probably decco65), PS3, digital TV box, HTPC. I also have some lights in the kitchen that have a remote and can provide a minimal light when I want to keep the room mostly dark, but most lights are not controllable.

 

Any experience with universal controls? I've heard good things about the Logitech Harmony's (like support for almost all devices) but also that their interface or programmability is not that great. I think some Harmony models can also control a PS3 somewhat, does that work for navigating the menus?

 

Ideally I would like something completely programmable up to the point of writing my own software (maybe). Some example use cases:

* when I turn on the "home theater", I want the projector, HDMI switch and amp to turn on. I may also want the HDMI switch to select some specific input by default (ok, so I bought a cheap one that is not ideal, has Input 1 on front, doesn't support CEC and emits nasty colored light).

* I could also want to switch to music mode where the screen is turned off, but everything else stays on.

* Maybe I want to do some more complex things to the projector depending on certain conditions like time of day etc.

 

Perhaps a HTPC could do the actual controlling of some devices (the projector has a RS-232 port) while a remote just sends commands to it.

[tegan]

What type of projector was it again? I ask because a lot of the TVs (and presumably projectors) that Sony sells now recognize the PS3. When I turn my PS3 on, my TV automatically boots and switches to HDMI1, which sounds like it would automate a lot of that on its own.

[melmer]

Huh really, my sony tv (2012/2013 model) doesn't recognise my ps3. Is there something you need to change in the tv settings?

[Hermie]

Huh really, my sony tv (2012/2013 model) doesn't recognise my ps3. Is there something you need to change in the tv settings?

You'd need HDMI control/CEC turned on on both, I presume. 

 

As for the original question, I don't have a lot of experience with universal remotes, but this sounds like something you have to build towards from the start. Like, getting a reciever, HDMI switch or HTPC that all or most the components are connected to, and focus the controls there.

 

I always recommend getting the Logitech K400 with a Smart TV or HTPC. It wont control all the devices like you want, but it's the best option for using a PC/browsing from the couch. Small and lightweight, yet has everything you need from a keyboard and mouse.

[Erkki]

Yeah, should have gotten a HDMI switch with CEC support. Maybe I will later, but it also needs to have coax audio out so my options are probably limited.

 

The K400 looks nice, although I have a mouse that works well on the couch it would be useful to have both things combined in one device meant for the living room.

[Erkki]

Can the K400 control multiple devices? e.g. if I have the unifying receiver on both the PS3 and HTPC, can I switch between them?

[elmuerte]

I have the K400 in my bedroom. It's ok. I haven't figured out a way to use it to power on my (Linux) HTPC. It's quite compact, but also has keys in weird places. For example, right shift and cursor up are always a problem when typing.

In my living room I have a Logitech Mediaboard Pro which uses bluetooth. It's connected to my always-on (Linux) HTPC. I've also used it with my PS3 and worked quite well. Because it's bluetooth it takes awhile for the keyboard to work after you wake it up.

The Mediaboard Pro should be able to work with mutliple devices (as long as these devices are not on at the same time).

The K400 uses a wireless receiver, so I doubt it can work with multiple devices.

 

ps, for Mediaboard Pro I recommend non-chargable batteries. I've used multiple sets of chargable batteries and they all only last a month or two while the non-chargeable batteries lasts almost a year.

[tegan]

Huh really, my sony tv (2012/2013 model) doesn't recognise my ps3. Is there something you need to change in the tv settings?

 

You'd need HDMI control/CEC turned on on both, I presume. 

 

 

Yeah, I needed to mess around in my settings for a bit to get it to work that way, but I've never looked back.

[melmer]

Yeah i had to add a device to a HDMI auto turn on list in my tv settings by searching/syncing when the PS3 was turned on. if that makes sense

 

i haven't actually tried it yet. Think of all the extra time i'll have now that i don't have to turn my tv on! i've reclaimed back like 10mins of my future life (can you reclaim the future?)

[Erkki]

So I got myself the K400 and it's ok (works with PS3 as well, except in YouTube) but I can't figure out how the multi touch scrolling is supposed to work. Most of the time when I touch it with two fingers it scrolls to the top of the page, and only sometimes does it actually scroll down when I pull down with two fingers. I can't figure out when it works and when not. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the gesture I'm making or how I'm touching it. It certainly recognizes my two fingers every time because it never moves the cursor when I attempt to scroll. So it seems more like a software issue. I wonder if it could be conflict with a previous mouse driver (I used to have MS intellimouse).

[JonCole]

You might be able to use a KVM to switch usage of the keyboard from PS3 to PC.

 

I like my K400, but it gets kinda shit range in my living room.

[Erkki]

Necro time! For some reason I didn't find another thread where I may have posted about this so I'm resurrecting this one. Man, home theater/living room tech stuff can get complicated. At the moment I have a mostly functioning setup with some devices like Steam Link and Raspberry Pi with Kodi/OSMC providing most entertainment needs, and most relevant devices comfortably controlled by Harmony Smart Keyboard, which is quite similar to K400, but worse in some ways.

I have a rather weird AV setup with a sidewall-mounted 3D projector and digital sound going to powered speakers with a built-in DAC in the opposite wall through old antenna cables in the walls... So I kind of need a very specific HDMI switch: 3D HDMI support, coaxial digital audio out. I've only found one of these with 4 ports and I think I need more ports soon as I want to add more devices like a NAS with HDMI and a PS4. So one thing I could do is buy another HDMI switch and run its output to the first switch, but I'm not sure if Harmony could handle controlling two exact same models of a device. Also I need a network switch and possibly a better router for better Steam Link experience although can I even be sure that a faster network would remove compression artifacts from games?