I’ve tried searching here but I haven’t really seen any recent posts about this topic. I have a newer Samsung TV (6 series UHD TV) and I’m wondering if there is any way to control it from my SmartThings hub w/o a Harmony intermediate device… There is an official Samsung iOS app as well as some knock-offs that control the TV when the iOS device is on the same WiFi so I was thinking a Samsung automation hub should be able to work with it too maybe?
On the simple end I’m thinking it would be nice to add it to a “go to bed” routine to shut it off or on the fancy end I’d like to have a “play Xbox” routine that powers on the Kinnect I have plugged into a smartplug (having that thing watch/listen to everything all the time creeps me out so I only give it power when I’m using it LOL) and switches the TV to the Xbox input. Any suggestions? TIA!
I’m using one called myTifi because it had an Apple Watch app too but there were several others that also popped up when looking for the official Samsung app. I was mainly just looking for a way to type on my phone instead of scrolling through the letters when searching in Netflix etc but it came in handy when one of my dogs dragged my remote off and it took me a few days to find it LOL! I’m not sure what models these apps work with, I just got a series 6 a month or so ago so maybe there are more options for it?
All 2015 and 2016 TVs were supposed to be able to be controlled by the smatthings app but as you can see my previous post it did not work. It saw it and added it as a device but nothing worked when pushed.
I think eventually the newer TVs are supposed to work with ST without the USB module. From what I read the USB Connect is for homes that do not already have a ST hub and it provides a communication point for apps like a watered down ST hub. Since no one seems to have it working yet though we’ll have to wait and see
Ive seen this discussed and also discussed it myself on here - the harmoney ended up been my only solution for this after a year of trying to directly integrate…
The issue simply comes from the turn on command…
Its impossible to TURN ON a samsung tv (and most other brands) over wifi or any other means than IR, simply because all the functionality to allow them commands to come through is asleep until the tv is turned on so the commands are ignored…
I have teo ways of controlling my samsung tv now to cover all bases as harmony also has its limits due to them not opening the API to single button commands just routines.
Soooooo this is how i work it.
Samsung virtual switches control several harmony ROUTINES so for example
Watch tv:
TURNS ON TV / AV RECEIVER / SETS TV TO GENERIC CHANNEL
Also have ones for XBOX / NETFLIX / DVD etc etc
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But the thing i hate about harmony is things like volume up in smartthings its a complex task to do volume up over n over like you would on a remote as it senses the activity as already running
I sopved this by using the custom samsung over wifi code someone wrote for on smartthings that cant turn on the tv and do the harmony stuff BUTTT it can do volume up / FF / RWD / channel up down etc and all link to virtual switches . . .
Once i had all the bits in place i mapped them onto my smarttiles dashboard and added aome custom icons and POW smartthings home dash with tv control - half run thru harmony and bits run direct but skin wise through smarttiles it all appears as one
I am with @AutomateEverything and use the Logitech Harmony hub. The Harmony gives a great integration of TV, BluRay, AV, xBox One, Roku, DVR and it works absolutely great with SmartThings. I then replaced the supplied remote with the special Harmony Smart Keyboard to replace the supplied remote so that I could have keyboard input. Unlike Kyle I use the keyboard for all my control input instead of SmartTiles. It works extremely well.
I can use voice through Google Home to turn on my Harmony activity like “Turn on Netflix” to setup all the right inputs and turn on the right devices and dim the lights for a movie night. Then I use the keyboard for searching and selecting the movie. No more hunting and pecking out characters with a dumb remote.
Nope, at least not according to the FAQ out at www.smartthings.com/extend the second to last question is “Do I need a SmartThings Extend if I already have a SmartThings Hub?” and their answer is “No. You don’t need a SmartThings Extend if you already have a SmartThings Hub. Simply use your existing SmartThings account to sign into the SmarttThingsapp on your compatible Samsung TV” I haven’t been able to find the app on my TV but this page says it requires a 2016 series 7, 8 or 9 so I’m guessing that’s why
I’m not looking to go the Harmony route because I have no other IR devices I can’t already control with the TV remote so to me it is a waste of $… I’m not at all concerned with turning on the TV with ST (the Samsung remote works just fine for that) I simply would like to have a routine that turns on a SmartPlug to power the Kinnect camera and switches my TV input to the Xbox at the same time. My thinking is if I have to run a routine to power on the Kinnect, if I’m always going to want my TV to switch to the Xbox it’d be handy to just have the one step especially since my kid will likely be the one doing this most of the time so it’ll be one less thing to show her how to do LOL
What I’m trying to do is actually send commands to my TV when it is already on to have it switch to the HDMI input the Xbox is on… Basically I’m watching a show on cable, my daughter wants to play Xbox, after she asks (LOL) she hits a button and it powers on the plug her Kinnect is plugged into and switches the TV input from my cable box to the Xbox.
Since I can use both a Samsung branded and 3rd-party iOS app to switch what input the tv is on I was just thinking it’d be nice if ST could use the same method these apps already use…
In short . . . Harmony is your only clean solution and a connected smart plug . . . Small investment compared to the hours of not weeks nd months you’d have trying to find another solution. Trust me i spent agessssssss looking into this as i had to link all my routines to lifting and lowering a tv bed install too . . . Anything smart to do with tvs is going to need harmony to be blunt
The SmartPlug power sensing is what I use. My needs are very simple (all I want is to turn on some lights when my TV is on). It’s not elegant - multiple SmartPlugs bunched together behind the revision - but it does what I want. I’ve messed with various Plex and Samsung solutions, but they were overkill and didn’t work anyway. Like @jwflutterby I don’t need Harmony’s capabilities, although I find myself longing for one, but so far sanity has prevailed (unlike all the devices I’ve bought because I couldn’t resist, but they sit on a shelf).
I know about Harmony remotes, I bought one like 6 years ago when I had a TV, surround sound, cable box, DVD player, HD-DVD player and BluRay player all strung together and a box full of ugly, over-sized remotes. Now my Smart TV remote controls my TV, sound bar and cable box just fine on its own and the streaming services built into the TV have replaced everything else. If I had any need for a Harmony remote again I’d dig it back out of my basement but I really do not have any desire to have something else sitting under my TV sucking power needlessly. I understand others have more complicated setups and a Harmony remote is the best thing since sliced bread for them but I’m aiming for doing the most I can with what I already have…
I leave power to my Xbox and have it set to do updates whenever it feels like it so my daughter doesn’t have to sit thru them before she can play a game… I’m not sure how often it wakes up to check for/install updates but I don’t want my TV switching away from the cable input and the Kinnect camera powering up every time it does. Ideally I just want one manual trigger to switch the TV input source and power on the Kinnect plug… I might be asking too much LOL
@AutomateEverything Can you tell me which Harmony hub or cheapest hub that’s needed to make this integration work.? I have a 2015 samsung SUHD TV and a google home. I wanted to remotely control my TV using voice thru google home.
Here is the one I used that I got at BestBuy clearance for $38. Currently its back up to its standard pricing of $129 but you can get it on Amazon for certified refurbished units for $99.99 or if you really want to go the least expensive route you could go for only the Harmony Hub component and use your smartphone as the remote control.
[quote=“AutomateEverything, post:23, topic:69090”]
In short . . . Harmony is your only clean solution and a connected smart plug . . . Small investment compared to the hours of not weeks nd months you’d have trying to find another solution.
[/quote] I totally agree. @jwflutterby I don’t know about you but if I told my wife I was going to downgrade our Harmony Hub activities features back to a simplistic universal TV remote I would have to be in marriage counseling. LOL You just can’t compare a simplistic Samsung universal TV remote function to the power of Harmony activities.
I probably just have different solutions for what you are doing with your Harmony… I generally use my Apple Watch to manually control lights/outlets and have several time/action triggered automations for other stuff. All I need my TV remote to do is turn on the TV then show me a channel guide or get me to Netflix or now the Xbox. Maybe adjust the volume if a particular show is louder/quieter than whatever I was last watching but with the 3rd party remote app I’m using, frequntly I just use my watch for that too… A Harmony remote would just be another level of complexity, something else to configure/keep updated and something else for the kid or dogs to lose/destroy LOL!
You just can’t compare a simplistic Samsung universal TV remote function to the power of Harmony activities.