More IoT toys and gadgets = more integration

Ok it has been way too long since I posted here - over one year!

Ever since that first foray into the geeky Internet of Things (IoT) world with a LIFX Wi-Fi LED smart light bulb, I've certainly racked up a few more purchases. And, along with new devices, comes the ability to integrate.

Here's a list of my current "gadgets":

• LIFX light bulb
• Amazon Echo speaker
• Amazon Tap portable speaker
• Belkin WeMo Insight Switch
• Logitech Harmony Companion universal remote (replaced my originally purchased Logitech Harmony Smart Control)
• Netgear Arlo security cameras
• Awair Air Quality Monitor

You could add to that some other items, but at present these are more standalone and not really integrated with much else:

• Fitbit Charge 2
• Withings Smart Body Analyser scale (now Nokia-owned)
• Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner
• SMA Sunny Boy Smart Connected solar inverter

I have to say, out of all these items, the biggest disappointment has to be the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch. This is for two reasons: 1) the app is crap (come on Belkin, you should do a lot better!); and 2) not many devices these days work by simply turning their power supply on. I'm very happy with all the other devices. Sure, they each have their pros and cons, but overall they work really well.

I'm not going to get into the specifics in this post, but here are my main and most useful integrations (thanks to either native integration or via IFTTT and Stringify):

• Turning on and using the TV simply by talking (thanks to Alexa on our Amazon Echo and Logitech Harmony)
• Locating our mobile phones simply by asking (thanks to Alexa on our Amazon Echo and IFTTT)
• Blinking our living room lamp a certain colour three times to indicate which Arlo security camera has just detected motion (thanks to Arlo, LIFX and IFTTT)
• Receiving a phone call detailing which outdoor Arlo security camera has just detected motion when it is night time (thanks to Arlo, Stringify and IFTTT)

So cool. And not just a novelty, these are very useful!

The frustration of a Logitech Harmony universal remote... or is the LG TV to blame!?

After seeing and hearing a bit about universal remotes, I finally decided to give one a go. Reading through online reviews, it seemed that the Logitech Harmony line of remotes stood out above any of the competition. Checking for compatibility with my devices via Logitech's Harmony Device Compatibility site, it quickly became clear that I needed a remote with a Harmony Hub. At this point, I was quite impressed with the details provided by Logitech - their compatibility page was extremely helpful and had a large number of devices listed. Thumbs up there.

So after doing some shopping around I found a good deal at JB Hi-Fi and got myself a Logitech Harmony Smart Control.

After unpacking it and successfully connecting it up with my devices, the frustration started to creep in. And it only grew as the compatibility problems could not be resolved. To this day, I am unable to effectively create any workable solutions. The dream of getting rid of these four remote controls...

...by replacing them with this universal remote...

...seems as though it may never become a reality.

After literally spending hours and hours, day after day, configuring "activities" (that's Logitech Harmony lingo), I just couldn't get the remote to reliably do what I wanted. The culprit, though, I believe is my TV rather than the remote itself. Let me explain...

The devices I have are:

• LG 55" LED LCD Smart TV (55LN5710)
• Philips Soundbar Speaker (HTL3140B)
• Amazon Fire TV (1st Generation)
• LG DVD Player (DV7821P)

The basic "Watch TV" Logitech Harmony activity that I setup uses the LG TV and the Philips Soundbar.

Now, the fundamental problem I have with the LG TV is an inconsistent input changing method - menu toggle (or menu cycle) - due to media server connectivity. Logitech has a very good support article explaining the different input changing methods, but there is no way that I know of to work around an inconsistent listing of inputs. The LG TV may or may not have my DLNA media server and / or my Plex media server showing, and there are no LG TV settings to disable them from showing or to change the order in which they appear.

Here is the LG TV input list without any of the media servers showing:

And here is the LG TV input list with both of the media servers showing:

This is a big problem, as the remote needs to know precisely in what order all the inputs are listed otherwise it will select them incorrectly.

The LG TV does have a direct input button for TV / Radio, but that simply toggles between the two. So if it is used with a Logitech Harmony activity, you'll get TV one time and Radio the other time. No good.

About two months ago, I lodged a support request with LG via their website asking for assistance, specifically seeking a direct method of selecting the TV input. I have had no response. And since then, the Logitech Harmony remote has been gathering dust on our cabinet. I'd love to be able to use it, but if every second time it is used you have to go back to the original remote, it's pretty much useless. It just defeats the point of having a universal remote.

I intend to research this in more detail and will attempt to get technical support from Logitech and / or LG (again). With some luck, perhaps this dream of a universal remote can become a reality. If it can, maybe then I can look at integration with the likes of IFTTT and Alexa. Scheduling the TV to turn on at specific times or instructing it with your voice - now that would be neat!