Audio Video News

Logitech has introduced the Harmony Elite, the first remote control in the popular Harmony line designed ground up as a whole-home controller with dedicated buttons for instant access to lighting and temperature controls and a touchscreen interface that communicates the status of all home devices at a glance.

The $350 hub-based remote supports up to 15 connected home products in addition to controlling AV devices and is said to be compatible with more than 270,000 popular home theater and connected-home devices and brands, running the gamut from HDTVs and streaming media players to lights, thermostats, and window shades. The remote comes with the Logitech Harmony Hub, which relays signals from the remote or the Harmony mobile app to devices being controlled.

Compared with previous controllers, Logitech says the Harmony Elite has an improved button layout, a color touchscreen, and a replaceable battery with 20 percent greater capacity. Features include one-touch Activity-based control, gesture control, and motion-activated backlighting.

Logitech said the key design goal was to make the Elite’s layout more intuitive and inclusive of the latest smart-home control scenarios. “We evolved the remote’s design using direct Harmony customer feedback to better fit how our customers use and want to use their remote,” said Bruce Lancaster, general manager and vice president.

More information is available at logitech.com A list of compatible devices is available here.