Harmony Home Control Hub problems with SageTV?

[Brent94Z]

Hey Guys!

I was originally using one of those old Hauppauge remotes that came with the PVR-250 cards (long time ago!). I got a Harmony One remote several years ago and got it all working with SageTV by using the same commands on the Hauppauge remote. I could use either remote no problem. I tried to love the Harmony One but it was very slow and I just couldn't get used to it so I stopped using it a few years ago and went back to the trusty ole Hauppauge remote.

Fast forward to now. I tried to setup a Harmony Hub today with the of Home Control remote it came with (same as a Smart Control remote except it has a couple home automation buttons). All the other devices work but the only button that seems to do anything on the Harmony remote is the "Exit" button when I'm using it for SageTV. Pushing like the volume, channel, navigation, etc buttons all make my USB UIRT light up but they don't do anything. ARGH. I tried to "teach" the hub the buttons on the Harmony but when I use the old Hauppauge remote for the learning... it times out indicating it can't communicate with my remote. I'm wondering if it has something to do with this particular remote sending a different IR signal every other press (all my USB UIRT mappings have TWO entries)?

Has anybody got this setup successfully? I'm thinking my original issues with the Harmony 1 were related to me trying to continue to use this old Hauppage remote with it's odd IR behavior where it sends two different IR signals? Do you suggest I just start over from scratch and reteach the USB UIRT a new remote... like the Sage HD300 remote then use that for a Harmony device?

Just looking for some ideas that you guys know work with this hub so I don't have to spend an day off messing with this Thanks so much! (still no idea why it works with the Harmony 1 but the settings I imported from that remote suddenly don't work... but tired of trying to wonder why and just want to it fix it LOL)

[NetworkGuy]

The Harmony Home Control Hub is now knows as the Harmony Companion. I have two of them.

Did you download the MyHarmony software to you PC, Phone or Tablet? That is what you use to program the remote. I just picked SageTV as the manufacturer and HD-300 as the device. It worked fine out of the box.

I noticed you mentioned a USB UIRT. What SageTV device are you trying to control?

[Brent94Z]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

The Harmony Home Control Hub is now knows as the Harmony Companion. I have two of them.

Did you download the MyHarmony software to you PC, Phone or Tablet? That is what you use to program the remote. I just picked SageTV as the manufacturer and HD-300 as the device. It worked fine out of the box.

I noticed you mentioned a USB UIRT. What SageTV device are you trying to control?

I downloaded the MyHarmony software to my PC. Everyone is working properly except the IR commands to control SageTV.

It's been so long since I setup the original Harmony I don't remember exactly but in the MyHarmony software it shows HD200. Does the HD200 remote work like the Hauppauge remote maybe? I just know that with my Harmony 1 I can use that remote OR my Hauppauge remote. However, when I imported my SageTV device from my Harmony 1 account to the MyHarmony software, the only button on the new remote that seems to do anything is "exit" and it seems to work like "back/exit" on the Hauppauge. I checked the button settings and they LOOK to be correct... they just don't do anything. Here is the Hauppauge remote I have...



When you say it works "out of the box" you mean that once you taught the USB UIRT your HD300 remote that using Sage HD300 in the Harmony software works just fine for the hub? If that's the case, I'll take the time and just redo my USB UIRT to work with a HD300 remote (I have several of the HD300 extenders but use the server computer itself to watch TV in the area I'm trying to set this up in). I'm guessing my problems are stemming from the different IR codes sent by the Hauppauge at every other button press... but then you'd think that it might work if I hit it twice on the new remote. But it doesn't. Oh well... no idea why it doesn't work but if it means I just need to spend 30 minutes or so and redo my USB UIRT then that's what I'll do

[NetworkGuy]

I am using my Harmony to control an HD300.

Originally Posted by Brent94Z

(I have several of the HD300 extenders but use the server computer itself to watch TV in the area I'm trying to set this up in).

OK, the USB UIRT is plugged into the SageTV server. And that is configured to use the Hauppauge remote.

Did you try to go into the MyHarmony software and pick Hauppauge as the manufacturer and enter the device model number?

[Brent94Z]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

I am using my Harmony to control an HD300.



OK, the USB UIRT is plugged into the SageTV server. And that is configured to use the Hauppauge remote.

Did you try to go into the MyHarmony software and pick Hauppauge as the manufacturer and enter the device model number?

Ahh... I gotcha... you are controlling an extender where I'm trying to control the server computer.

I actually did that last night... I picked the Hauppauge PVR-250 thinking that would work but no joy.

If nobody else has run into this before, I might just try tinkering with it tonight and switching the USB UIRT over to an HD300 style remote instead.

Thanks!

[Brent94Z]

Just a little update... I added the HD300 remote to my SageTV server and USB UIRT. I then added the HD300 to the Harmony Hub. I noticed the HD300 remote also sends two different codes with each button but continued anyway. All works now. Weird... I have no idea why the 45 button Hauppauge remote wouldn't work when it did with the Harmony 1.

Anyway, all is good. Thanks!

[NetworkGuy]

Glad you got it to work.

[wayner]

By the way these Harmony Hubs have an undocumented API if anyone wants to hack around with them. Here is one in Python that is about 4 years old:
https://github.com/jterrace/pyharmony

[Brent94Z]

Originally Posted by wayner

By the way these Harmony Hubs have an undocumented API if anyone wants to hack around with them. Here is one in Python that is about 4 years old:
https://github.com/jterrace/pyharmony

That's killer... wish I had the ability to utilize it. LOL

[wayner]

Actually their API is now documented and public. But I think you need to be approved by them to be an official user. But I imagine that the "hacks" should still continue to work even if you don't want to go through the process of getting approval.