Question

Toggle Night Sound and Speech Enhancement with Harmony Remote?


Userlevel 2
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Have a new PLAYBASE running alongside a setup with a Harmony One (complete with Hub). Added the PLAYBASE to the Harmony config, but there are no options for the new, TV-specific features. Anyone have any luck adding these so they can be controlled via the Harmony (and I don't need to power-up my iPhone, etc).

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23 replies

Hi DaveHamilton

I don't believe this is possible as the commands for those settings are communicated over UPnP via Wifi and I don't believe the Harmony Hub supports UPnP.

So it can only control via Infra Red and therefore only the volume and mute are controllable.

It would be great if the Harmony Hub supported UPnP ,as then you could program most sonos controls into the Harmony.

I hope this makes sense.

Many thanks
Userlevel 2
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I wonder if Sonos will ever allow this functionality. Kind of silly to control volume with the remote but then have to use the app to control specific features.
Hi DaveHamilton

I don't believe this is possible as the commands for those settings are communicated over UPnP via Wifi and I don't believe the Harmony Hub supports UPnP.

So it can only control via Infra Red and therefore only the volume and mute are controllable.

It would be great if the Harmony Hub supported UPnP ,as then you could program most sonos controls into the Harmony.

I hope this makes sense.

Many thanks


Then How does harmony control volume up and down and mute without tv or IR? Isn’t that through Wifi?
Userlevel 7
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I use the Harmony Ultimate hub (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Harmony-Control-Smart-Devices-Black/dp/B014GXQ9YW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509534594&sr=8-2&keywords=harmony+ultimate+hub) and also an old Harmony 1100 and they both work great with 100% control of all commands. The Utimate Hub also works with Alexa now, so I have voice control over the TV as well now. 🙂
Userlevel 2
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Hi DaveHamilton

I don't believe this is possible as the commands for those settings are communicated over UPnP via Wifi and I don't believe the Harmony Hub supports UPnP.

So it can only control via Infra Red and therefore only the volume and mute are controllable.

It would be great if the Harmony Hub supported UPnP ,as then you could program most sonos controls into the Harmony.

I hope this makes sense.

Many thanks


Then How does harmony control volume up and down and mute without tv or IR? Isn’t that through Wifi?


The Harmony Elite uses a hub and IR blasters on the remote. So the hub controlled through wifi can sit in a cabinet, but the IR sensors can control the TV, etc... So for my setup the hub controls everything in the cabinet, but the actual remote control controls the PlayBar via IR.
Userlevel 2
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I use the Harmony Ultimate hub (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Harmony-Control-Smart-Devices-Black/dp/B014GXQ9YW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509534594&sr=8-2&keywords=harmony+ultimate+hub) and also an old Harmony 1100 and they both work great with 100% control of all commands. The Utimate Hub also works with Alexa now, so I have voice control over the TV as well now. :)

I have this same HUB but can only control volume/mute via the remote. I can't toggle night time mode or enhanced audio mode. Those buttons are not included in the setup. Are you sure you have this functionality?
Userlevel 7
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Not those specific ones but I've created custom buttons for other commands and I assume (maybe incorrectly ?) that the same approach could be used.
Userlevel 2
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Not those specific ones but I've created custom buttons for other commands and I assume (maybe incorrectly ?) that the same approach could be used.

Can you describe how you did this? Did you contact Harmony directly? It's been several months, but I don't recall having custom buttons for these features through the My Harmony program
Userlevel 7
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I may have misled you here - sorry. Just trying my approach for a play base and it doesn't work. Have you connected the harmony via wifi or ir in the device set-up? I use SonosNet and so can't use wifi.

I assume that you've seen this in the help pages:

Note: If you are using the Harmony Ultimate remote with the hub, you will need to tell the Harmony remote to send the commands to Sonos via Remote instead of the Harmony Hub. You can set this by going to Remote and Hub Assignments screen.
Userlevel 7
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I have a playbar (not playbase but its close enough) and harmony/hub. The commands to speech and night mode are not available. You would need to request these be added via Logitech support. Its not a Sonos problem as such.

Since the hub can issue all kinds of commands to any sonos device via wifi there is no technical reason this could not be added. Its just missing from the commands enabled so far.
Userlevel 7
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Okay, so some more progress. Have a look at this article and see if your additional commands can be added:

https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/customizing-buttons-on-your-remotes-screen

I can add new commands for my PlayBar, I'm not sure if these are the same as a PlayBase
Userlevel 2
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Okay, so some more progress. Have a look at this article and see if your additional commands can be added:

https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/customizing-buttons-on-your-remotes-screen

I can add new commands for my PlayBar, I'm not sure if these are the same as a PlayBase


If Harmony/Sonos has those commands in the command library for the Harmony remote, can certainly do that. The Problem is, the command library for the PlayBar consist of 3 buttons, Volume up, Volume Down and Mute. Basically you would be adding custom buttons for buttons that already exist via the remote. Harmony needs to add "Night Mode" and "Audio Enhance" to their command database.

I guess Logitech needs to get involved, but I seem to recall Logitech saying it was a SONOS thing, not their thing.
Userlevel 7
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I have a lot more commands for my Playbar but not the ones you mention (I don't see them in the Sonos app either though).

I do get a much richer set of commands if I follow these instruction and select my Sonos Connect as the device.

https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/harmony-experience-with-sonos
I have a Harmony Ultimate and do not have night mode or audio enhanced commands. I just purchased the play bar. I used the night mode frequently with my old receiver. I am thinking of returning the sonos system since I would not want to run around and find my phone every time I watch TV. Disappointing since I like the sound otherwise.
Userlevel 4
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Just contact Harmony support. They are very helpful and I’m sure they add the missing commands.
Any progress on this? I have Harmony Elite with Playbar.
Same here. Harmony Elite with Playbar. Really need the ability to control these commands via remote.

To Sonos: Harmony folks are happy to add commands to their database, but it’s not clear yet if it’s possible to do that for these commands. I believe you (Sonos) need to at least confirm whether or not the “night mode” and “speech” commands are addressable from a 3rd parry remote. If they are, we can get Harmony to add them.

If they are not, feature request here for you —> “make speech and night mode toggle-able via 3rd party remotes, such as harmony”.
Userlevel 7
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On Sonos these options are simple UPnP commands, but I know nothing about Harmony integration.
I've been given to understand that Harmony (which I use, sparingly) hasn't properly integrated the "approved" API/system for connecting to Sonos. Not being an engineer, I can't vouch for the veracity of that statement, but that might be a secondary cause to this issue.

Which seems odd to me. I am pretty sure that Sonos has published everything necessary. I don't understand why Logitech/Harmony hasn't integrated it properly. But based on Tbizza's post, it sounds like there's some sort of miscommunication going on, at least from the customer service perspective. Which aren't always in the loop with regards to corporate or engineering decision making. I just don't know.
I know the Sonos Alexa skill supports these two new(ish) voice commands to enable “Night Mode” and “Speech Enhancement” ...

"Switch to Night Mode on Dining Room" to turn on night mode via voice.
"Switch to Speech Enhancement mode on Dining Room" to turn on speech enhancement via voice.

So that at least shows these commands must be available to third party apps, possibly via UPnP or the API.

I think the reason Logitech have not enabled these features on the Harmony Remotes is the current controls are for use with all Sonos devices in a household and the “Night Mode” and “Speech Enhancement” features are obviously only applicable for the Home Theatre products. So my thoughts are Logitech wanted to standardise things across the board for every Sonos device and deliberately chose to not confuse things with these additional controls for a few Sonos HT devices.

Obviously this is something that Logitech would need to implement.
Also still waiting on this.

Still waiting 

This is something Harmony would need to do, since Sonos has apparently exposed it to Amazon. Sonos doesn’t write the implementation for Logitech.