One of the first things I wanted my Google Home to do was to control my TV.  I have a Samsung KS8000, and other than Smart Things hub there was no easy way to connect everything. That is until last week, Logitech announced support for Google Home, and Best Buy had it on sale, $10 dollars off!!

Off to Best Buy I went, dealt with their limited customer service and walked out with The Harmony Hub.  I briefly read the instructions and reviewed the Quick start guide, what I learned:

1. The Harmony Hub uses IR to control your devices.
2. The Harmony Hub is an IR transceiver itself.
3. The Hub comes with 1 IR extender.
   • The hub is placed where most of your electronics are, such as an enclosed cabinet.
   • The IR extender is great to control just your TV
4. Have the manufacturer and the model number of the devices you want handy.
5. The Google Home and Harmony need to be on the same Layer 3 subnet, (stay tuned for a packet Capture of the communication process)

Feeling confident, I placed the hub in the cabinet with my Tivo (I know, right!) and the IR extender below the TV.  I downloaded the Andriod Harmony App, used my google account to create a Logitech account, entered my devices, created an Activity to turn my TV on and Off, and was ready to rock with the Google Home.

Not that easy… To link Google Home to third party devices I thought I would go to Home Control >> Add Devices and done…

Nope… I should have read all the instructions.  It just so happened to be in the Logitech announcement, should have read more than the first paragraph.

To link Harmony to your Google Home:

1. Have the Google Home app open.  Trust me this is important!
2. Say “Ok Google ask harmony to connect”
3. A link card will now appear in the Google Home App
   • Click Link
   • Sign into harmony
   • Assign friendly names to activities and test

I find it hooky, to have harmony do something, you say “Ok google, ask harmony to turn on the TV”  So far it works well, and is really only useful when I misplace the remote or am on the other side of the room from the remote and want to turn it on….  Stay tuned to updates to Google Home and Harmony and further run downs of my home automation.