Harmony Ultimate/Touch/Elite Troubleshooting
Sometimes, you may find that your Harmony Touch/Ultimate/Elite is looking for a Hub (that may no longer exist), or is frozen, failing to boot, or is having trouble syncing or updating. Note that there are no hardware fixes available to recover these controllers if they have become 'bricked' and can no longer power-on or complete the boot-sequence. But, even in these cases, there are a few thing you can try which may result in coaxing these newer models to work:
Open the MyHarmony Desktop Software and before clicking anywhere inside the window:
► Windows users: Press Alt+F9
► Mac users: Press Fn+Option+F9 or Option+F9 (depending on Mac model, either one will work)
This will take you to the Advanced Tools page and, if you are looking for a Firmware Update or Restore, this is where you can find it. If you are looking for help to unpair a remote or Hub, then do the following:
- Always start with a power-recycle. On all of these remotes, this is done by pressing and holding the Off button at the top of the remote until the screen turns off and then back on again. The Hub should also be powered-off (unplugged), wait at least 5 minutes and then plug it in again.
- If there is no change, then doing a Factory Reset is generally the next thing to try. To do a Factory Reset you press and hold the Menu button (located above the Channel Up button) and the Off button together for 20 seconds. The remote screen will turn off, then turn on again displaying the image of a remote and a circular arrow. After a few seconds the remote will be restored to factory defaults and you can login to your MyHarmony Account, USB-connect and Sync.
- If you are stuck on the MyHarmony splashscreen (the 1st screen that appears on the remote), or the boot sequence 'loops' - repeatedly displaying the splash screen, turning off, and starting again, then some users have reported that, in the middle of the Factory Reset, they USB-connect the remote and do a Sync using the desktop software. Users have reported that the remote's USB connection is detected during the Factory Reset, and so, you should definitely try this if your are experiencing these kinds of symptoms. If you have some electronics repair experience, you may be able to recover an Ultimate/Touch from a failure to boot, by checking to see if you have a missing resistor and adding one. This solution was shared by a Harmony user who found it on Reddit. Full details can be found at this link
- If you are not able to Sync using the MyHarmony desktop software, then you may be able to complete the update by using the Harmony mobile app (iOS or Android). Place the remote into the charging cradle and connect your Hub to the power supply. Launch the app and try to Sync or use the 'New Setup' option. This can often work when using the desktop software is not successful.
- If you are still unable to successfully Sync, the remote is not recognized or frozen, then you may need to try using the MyHarmony Advanced Tools to re-apply the Firmware. There is also an Un-pairing Utility which can help you pair your remote and/or Hub if manual pairing is not working, or you need to remove a previous pairing. To invoke any of these procedures, do the following:
Open the MyHarmony Desktop Software and before clicking anywhere inside the window:
► Windows users: Press Alt+F9
► Mac users: Press Fn+Option+F9 or Option+F9 (depending on Mac model, either one will work)
This will take you to the Advanced Tools page and, if you are looking for a Firmware Update or Restore, this is where you can find it. If you are looking for help to unpair a remote or Hub, then do the following:
- In the Advanced Tools Menu, scroll down and select the "Unpair" button under "Others"
- USB-connect your remote (or Hub) to your computer.
- Once the tool detects your remote or Hub, click "Unpair All" . You can do this for both the remote and Hub (if you have both), using the appropriate option.
- After removing all the pairings with the Hub, click "Return to Login".
- Disconnect the Hub from the computer and plug it into a power outlet and wait about a minute for it to boot.
- To manually pair your remote and Hub, press the Pair/Reset button on the back of the hub. This will place the Hub into pairing mode. Then, press the Menu & Mute buttons on your remote at the same time. This will bring the remote into pairing mode and, if all goes well, it should find the Hub almost immediately and report that it has been paired.