Just noticed this. On the kitchen zone (where the Harmony Hub and the Tablet are located and where I most want to have voice control) I have no control over the volume with my computer or with the tablet that is blue-toothed to the hub. I tried asking Alexa to turn up the volume or turn doen the volume or stop playing - no response.
Luckily I figured out that I needed to change the device settings From Harmony Hub 2 - Stereo to DSP volume and all’s back to where it was:
You shouldn’t need to change any of these setting from their defaults. After you click Edit Devices, click next on + Device at the bottom of the screen … like I wrote earlier! Don’t click on Roon Controller, which is what you did.
Is the Roon Controller the only device you want your Harmony hub to control? If so, set up an Activity using the Harmony app which only uses that device, the Roon Controller.
If you want Harmony to control anything else at the same time, such as power up or down an amp using IR commands, then your Harmony hub simply needs to be told the details of the Device, and then you also have to include the Device in the Activity.
So, in summary, the remaining steps should be:
Set up any additional Devices required in Harmony. Your hub cannot detect something that Harmony will control by IR of course, such as an amp. You simply need to tell Harmony what the device is so the hub can transmit the appropriate IR codes
Set up at least one activity in Harmony (“Listen to Roon”) using the devices you need Harmony to control. That will include at least your Roon Control, but anything else you need Harmony to control.
In Roon you’ll then be able to see and configure the activity in the Deep Harmony extension. Here’s my setup for controlling Roon in my kitchen. Ignore the ID 2 change I’ve made to the remote control - that’s required because the kitchen is the second of my two hubs.
I realize that my ignorance here can be frustrating. I’ve created a device in addition to Deep Harmony’s Roku device (that I have renamed “Roon Controller”) as a computer with an OS of “other”. That is intended to represent the Android tablet that is blue-toothed to the Harmony hub.
Here’s what I want to do… I want to start Roon (I can do that without Deep Harmony - It would be nice to be able to tell Alexa to start Roon and play something, but I know that isn’t available) and once it is playing something - no matter where it is playing on my system with 5 zones - I would like to be able to ask Alexa anywhere I have an Echo device to stop playing or to skip to the next song. (I never play different music in different zones at the same time.) With that I would be satisfied. If I can’t do that then I’ll consider what I’ve done a learning experience and I’ll return the hub for a credit to my account. In any event, I do appreciate everyone’s help here.
Apologies if I sounded frustrated! I’m not sure I understand why you created an additional device to “represent” anything. You only need to set up a device that Harmony will control. Are you intending that Harmony will send it any instructions, becasue I’m not sure I understand why you would - or could. So if not, then there is nothing to add in Step 1 above.
I think I follow: Alexa > Harmony > Roon via Roon Control.
So as Step 2 in my post above, create an Activity on the Harmony Remote. On the Harmony Remote go to the Activity tab and Edit followed by + Activity.
Then Step 3.
Maybe it’s my frustration that is showing here. I have created an activity called “Music.” I want this activity to do exactly what I said before - allow me to use Alexa to skip, pause, or stop songs from playing. I would like all zones that I happen to be playing with Roon to take these commands, and I want any Echo device to be able to issue those commands. I’m not sure what that “activity” looks like, frankly. Sometimes I’ll listen to music only in the kitchen. Sometimes that same music will be playing in the living room and the kitchen, and at other times I’ll add in to the group the library or the dining room, or will play only in one of these rooms. I’ll set that up “traditionally,” but once it is set up and playing I would like any of my many Echo devices to tell Roon to skip, pause, or stop. Optionally, “louder” or “softer.” That’s the activity.
Here’s what I’ve set up as an “activity.” It may be completely useless, or what I want to do may not be possible, I don’t know.
@Ronald_Lyster I don’t think you can do what your trying to do very easily. My experiments with Alexa integration where limited to one setup as I only have one Alexa and wished I hadn’t bothered at all as its not great for this.
It might help us understand more if you give an idea of which devices in each Roon setup your looking for Harmony to actually control.
For IR and Bluetooth devices the Harmony Hub needs line of sight to those devices to operate them so you may need more than one hub if devices in other rooms rely on this.
Not all network devices will show up if they are not supported check they are supported devices from the Logitech website. If they are and not being discovered sounds like a network issue contact Logitech support it see if you can manually add them
You would need to create a seperate harmony activity for every room setup each with an individual name. Each of these activities needs to include the fake Roku device the extension creates for Roon and the extension to send any commands.
Once done , you just assign each of these activities in the extension settings to the specific Roon zone. For each Zone in Roon you then need to change a few settings in device settings . If you want volume control then choose the harmony zone it shows that matches the zone you set up. If you want device control then add external source control again choosing the correct zone harmony activiity.
In Alexa you will then need to link the Harmony account by adding the blue Harmony skill so it can control them and set up your groups in each room. This part your on your own though. I would think hard about what you call each activity as it needs to be unique easy to remember and not be the same as anything else.
This does look like a losing battle. I have an Android tablet loaded with Roon remote that I can use to control all aspects of my audio system. It is permanently mounted within two feet of the Harmony Hub and I have successfully paired the two with bluetooth. What I was hoping to do is use Alexa to cause this Android tablet to adjust volume and playback as if I had walked over and used my finger on the touchscreen. The actual amplifiers are located in various places throughout the house. But for that Android tablet and the hub with which it is blue-toothed, everything is ethernet wired. The Roon server is a NUC with Rock.
One day, perhaps, somebody will develop hardware or software to permit what I wish to do. I guess that hasn’t happened yet. I don’t know why nobody at Roon finds this to be of any importance or significance. Maybe I’m the only one who would like this feature.
You can use Alexa to control volume and playback, but it’s a misunderstanding that “Alexa [will] cause this Android tablet to” do it. It’s important to understand that Roon allows multiple control devices to be active at the same time. Roon will respond to any control device that is active. So the first point to bear in mind is that both Alexa and the Android tablet will be live control devices at the same time. It’s not a problem - it’s the way Roon works. So for example, if you tell Alexa to Skip a track then Roon will respond and the Android tablet screen will refresh to reflect that.
I think it might help you to focus on the “control chain” that you’re trying to connect, and then you can see each element and fix it stage by stage. I think it looks like this:
Echo > Harmony “Skill” that you set up using the Alexa App > Harmony Hub > Deep Harmony Roon Extension > Roon
The second area it looks like you need to address is setting up the right activity on your Harmony Hub. It looks like you just need to set up the Roon Controller (the renamed TCL 4K Roku TV) as a Harmony device (remembering the point about not needing to power it on or off), and then set up an activity with just this Roon Controller as the sole device - since that’s all you want to control through your Harmony hub.
Then your Harmony activity will appear in the Roon Extension control panel, and you can connect that part of the control chain.
Get this working for one zone, and you can then think about extending the process. Good luck!
We have three different apps / skills / extensions going on here. Harmony app / Alexa skill / and Deep Harmony Roon extension. I believe I’ve gotten each of these things installed properly, but it’s the “activity” that I’m not understanding. Roon does “see” these devices as volume controllers:
I have three different activities because I’ve tried (and failed) three different times to set up some “activity” in the Harmony app. If I set the volume control device to any of these three Deep Harmony settings I lose control over Roon entirely and the volume will either blast out at 100% or will just be stuck at its last setting.
When all is said and done, I want to stop tinkering and just enjoy the music. I don’t want to be forever changing the volume control device to be able to use my computer or my tablet to set up Roon. I don’t want to be forced to ask Alexa to change the volume or skip a track in each separate room when I am playing everything in a grouped zone. Whatever zone is playing, whether in an individual room or in a grouped zone, needs to be controlled seamlessly - just as it would be if I were to use my Android tablet or my computer. If I want to use the tablet, or the computer, I need to be able to do that too without my need to change the volume control device. (If that change of device needs to be done it must be done by “the system” in the background, without my input.) I’m more than willing to tinker until this is completely set up, but then I don’t want to think about it again.
“Just set up an activity” …? That’s the question. I’ve never seen the screen you have illustrated here, for example. How did you get to it? My “device setup” screen is as shown above. (BTW, I have only one Harmony Hub. The Logitech website named this “Harmony Hub 2” for me after I had tried and failed a few times to set this up.)
Maybe this is your problem! What screen are you referring to that you’ve never seen?
The one CrystalGipsy just posted here. It is a “device setup” screen in black with far more specificity (two pages) than mine (one page - which I’ve also posted here - it is in white).
Setting up an activity with Roon Controller as the only device leads me here:
I don’t want to watch Roku nor do I want to watch Netflix.
You’re getting so close! But it looks like there are a number of things here that you need to clarify.
First, the screenshots posted by @CrystalGipsy most recently relate to the configuration of the Deep Harmony Extension in Roon. The screenshot you posted comes from the Harmony App. So of course they will look completely different! You need to make sure you’re clear on the control chain I summarised above so that you know exactly which element you need to connect to which, and where you do the configuration.
Second, the screenshot you posted from the Harmony App is where you want to set up the activity that is eluding you. So go with it. You have two ways of proceeding. You can select Watch Roku - remember that the Roon Controller is known to Harmony Hub as ‘TCL 4K TV Roku’ (I may have jumbled the order of the words) before you changed its name, and Harmony is trying to offer a helpful suggestion. Alternatively select Add your own activity which should appear as the third option. Try either and see where you get to.
Then, once you have created the activity in Harmony that uses the Roon Controller, you’ll be able to access the screen in Roon to manage the Deep Harmony Extension. Bear in mind that @CrystalGipsy most recently posted a screenshot of a different part of Roon: he is showing how his device is set up in Roon, and that’s where you configure the Deep Harmony Extension.
And don’t worry about the colour of the screen - I think he’s using the Dark Theme. I’m not, and my corresponding screens have a white background.
Sorry… There’s no third choice. I didn’t crop anything from the screenshot immediately above (taken from the Harmony app on my phone) other than blank space. Also, my previous screenshot was of the Roon device settings (not the Harmony app on my phone).
Not sure why, but why not try what I suggested above? “You can select Watch Roku …”
I could see that. But it’s not relevant to the step that I’m trying to help you fix. Your problem is that you’ve not created an activity on the Harmony hub. So that’s where you need to focus.
So, on the Harmony app:
When you get to the end you should have successfully set up an activity that simply links the Roon Control to an activity, Watch Roku. That should appear on your Harmony App activities tab. You can edit the name to Listen to Roon if you like.
Then this activity should show up in the Deep Harmony Extension control panel in Roon. Just like I said before … and then you can progress on from where you’ve been stuck for some while. Fingers crossed.
Once we’re done here you guys should write a book on how to get this set up!
I deleted all activities I had tried in the Harmony app, and then went forward as you, John, suggested. I created an application which I named “Deep Harmony” - about as “plain” as could be (other than telling it “do not select input”). Yep, the activity “Deep Harmony” appears in the Roon extension settings:
Now to the Roon Zone Device settings. As I noted before, my device setup page does not have the same detail as CrystalGipsy’s. Here it is now:
Note the external source controls. These reflect names that I used in my various trials over the past couple weeks. Where can I delete these names and create just one “external source control” (that I assume I will select here)?
Do I go to every “zone” and specify this “external source control”? Do I create group zones and also specify this as the “external source control”? Will I still be able to use my computer and my tablet to control Roon? Finally, what are the voice commands that I can give to Alexa?
I have had the experience of losing control over Roon’s volume from my computer and tablet while at the same time not knowing what I can say to Alexa to get the volume changed. Happily, I could “clear” the song from my computer and regain control by moving the device volume control setting back to “device volume.” If, in the end, this is an either Alexa or my computer, but not both, situation, then I’ll need to give up. That’s not acceptable.
Hurrah! At last. One missing link of the control chain is now connected.
Well, the settings you’ve not set are only the most important bits! Now let’s see:
Use source control? Do you want Alexa/Deep Harmony to control play/pause/skip forward? Isn’t that the whole point here? So, yes.
Use volume control? Again, my understanding is that you want to adjust the volume by voice control, isn’t it? So, yes.
Remote control zone Well, this is the part where you tell Deep Harmony which zone, (a zone comprises one or more Roon playback devices/endpoints), you want it to control. You mentioned you want to control multiple endpoints playing the same thing with one Alexa voice command. To do that you’ll need to define in Roon a multi-endpoint zone (also called a grouped zone) of all the playback devices you want to control. Once you’ve done that, this is where you select that multi-endpoint zone. I suggest you start with a zone of just one endpoint first to get things working. Once that’s working, go back and change to include al the devices you want grouped together. So for now, just select the one device you want to test.
Don’t worry. This screen varies dynamically to some extent depending on the device capabilities.
Delete them in the same place you created them.
Once you’ve deleted them, you should just select Device Volume. Why not take a look at the knowledge base article on Audio Setup Basics to start to get to grips with the basics?
Now there’s another really important part that’s obscured in your screenshot:
External Source Controls Select the Deep Harmony extension here - otherwise this will all have been in vain!
If you’ve followed and understood what I’ve written above, you should now know the answers to all your remaining questions and concerns you set out in this post. If not, I suggest you re-read my posts and those of other contributors. I’ve even posted a link to the Alexa skill for you. Take a look at the Roon Knowledge Base too. What I’m trying to say politely is that now is the time to for you to read and re-read until you understand, I’d suggest.
I’d also suggest that you test your setup in stages. So for example, use the Harmony app to see if the second part of the control chain works:
Harmony hub > Deep Harmony Extension to Roon > Roon > Roon endpoint
Once that is working, then test the first section:
Echo > Harmony “Skill” that you set up using the Alexa App > Harmony Hub
And test first in one zone before extending to mutliple zones, as I’ve suggested several times before.
And after all this effort on the community’s part, please do let us know how you get on.
Sometimes I listen to Roon in the Kitchen, sometimes in the Kitchen and the Living Room (which are next to each other in my house). Sometimes I listen to Roon in my “library” (where my computer is). Sometimes I listen to Roon in my Kitchen, my Living Room, and my Dining Room all at the same time, and most often I’ll also add in the library to these other three as well. (I know how to group and name the grouped zones.)
Alexa is a convenience, and if I’m going to need to re-configure the Roon Deep Harmony application every time I change my selection of rooms that convenience will completely evaporate. I’ll see if I can get it to work in the “library” where I am now sitting (I’ll guess at what Alexa might understand), but if the Alexa feature requires tinkering every time I change room configuration I’ll be returning the hub.
BTW, I was initially told that I would need a FLIRC to do all this, but that apparently is not the case. I was also told to blue-tooth my tablet to the hub, but I’m not sure what that does, or if this is going to work in any room that is beyond the range of the hub. (The hub and the tablet are in the kitchen.)
Yes, it is now working in my library! The command is “Alexa, increase volume on Deep Harmony,” or “Alexa, pause Deep Harmony,” or “Alexa, resume Deep Harmony.” Those all work. But “Alexa, skip song on Deep Harmony” results in Alexa telling me that “Deep Harmony doesn’t support that.” Of all the commands, “skip song” is the most important.
Excellent! That’s a major milestone to getting it sorted the way you want. Feel free to like any of the posts above you found helpful - and a good old-fashioned Thanks never goes amiss either.
I would ask Harmony support about what controls they allow from Alexa, it might well use a different word instead of skip. They should have it documented somewhere.
