Not to be confused with the Harmony remote that is available via retail, Logitech's Harmony Pro remote is specifically designed for the professional custom installation channel.
Indeed, the Harmony Pro has several key differences:
- It can control a multizone system. So for example, if the project has an AVR in one room, the user can control that device by simply sliding over on the remote and tapping a button.
- Another key feature is a scrollable touchscreen. “Consumers are used to scrolling with their smart phones and tablets, so we wanted to make sure we mirrored that technology in our remotes,” says Brett Bjorkquist, CI/Pro Channel Development Manager at Logitech.
Meanwhile, the IoT market is exploding with more than 50 billion connected devices, so Bjorkquist says Harmony Pro is ideally positioned to capture that market.
“A lot of integrators have been used to capturing the higher end of the market. What Logitech offers is just a more realistic expansion of that market,” he says.
Among the mid-market products the Harmony Pro partners with are Sonos, Denon Heos and Lutron’s new RA2 Select.
Voice control is another area where the Harmony Pro is well positioned.
“Voice control is exploding in the market. We have a great relationship with Google and we have a great relationship with Amazon,” says Bjorkquist. He explains that users of Harmony can command the voice control speaker directly without having to say something like, “Harmony, tell Alexa to turn on the lights.”
“We also have play, pause, mute and volume control via voice. Any activity that has been created with Harmony, you are able to actually integrate with Alexa,” he says.
Finally, Logitech is supporting CE pros with a dedicated dealer portal that allows integrators to manage all their accounts.
“If a client has a new favorite channel they want to add to their remote, for instance, the installer is able to remotely log in, sync to the remote, make the change and then push that sync out to the remote without rolling a truck,” says Bjorkquist.
For more information about Harmony for the CI/Pro channel, click here:
Logitech Pro Dealer Portal:
https://pro.myharmony.com/portal/login
Logitech Pro eLearning Portal:
https://logitech.learnupon.com/users/sign_in
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