I am currently using a Logitech Harmony Link in one of the rooms of my house to control a relatively simple setup…a monitor, a cable box, receiver and a BluRay player. While the Link generally gets the job done, sometimes it can be a little dodgy. It also can’t control things like my Sonos system or my Insteon dimmers, so the purpose-builtness and enhanced features of Roomie are compelling.
However, I think there are some potential UX issues that may be a barrier to adoption for us. Right now with the Link, it’s very easy to simultaneously use multiple remotes, since each remote logs into the Link via the Harmony service. So my wife can turn the system on when she gets home from work using her iPhone, we can both control it throughout the evening via our respective remotes, and then I can turn it off via my iPad before going to bed. Each controller always reflects the current state of the system, so for instance my iPad knows that the current activity is say, “Watch TV”, and is aware of the state of those devices, etc.
Of course, there are downsides to the Harmony service, like when it’s not available, rendering the Link into a mocking green-eyed cyclops while you’re trying to watch TV. 
Now my wife & I maintain our own Apple IDs on our devices. I understand that Roomie is keyed to an Apple ID, so I’m not sure how that would work between my iPhone & iPad (which use my Apple ID) and her iPhone (which uses hers). From the FAQ it sounds like this could be an issue for sharing control between users (or perhaps even being able to access our devices at all).
So I was curious if anyone else has this situation. Buying an iPad or touch as a dedicated controller is not an attractive idea. For us, that idea went out with the Pronto and handheld Harmony remotes.
You can share your copy on both devices as per the FAQ:
roomieremote.com/faq/#multidevice
You can also use multiple iOS devices for synchronization. If you set the same iCloud account on each, you would have Activity Memory which provides live synchronization of the current Activity. You could also use Dropbox to synchronize settings without using the same iCloud account.
Yes, I did read the FAQ, which is why i posted the question. The FAQ says that all devices must use the same Apple ID, and I mentioned that my wife & I have different Apple IDs on our devices (as I would expect most people to).
So for instance, if I bought Roomie from the AppStore for my devices, and purchased the Home Theater and IR Device upgrades, how would my wife get access to those on her iPhone, which is registered under her Apple ID, without her having to pay for them again?
WRT device sync, using iCloud or DropBox is a novel idea, but at the end of the day is it really any different from my current dependency on the Myharmony.com service being available? To some extent I can understand the “one user at a time” relationship between the device being controlled and Roomie (due to the device perhaps only allowing one control connection at a time). But it seems like Roomie ougt to be be able to maintain state between itself and all the associated local controllers without having to rely on the cloud.
For instance, when I make changes to my Sonos radio stations or library via a controller or the Sonos desktop application, these changes are reflected immediately on all associated iPhone/iPad controllers.
Roomie seems like a really great solution, but before I spend the money on the app, in-app upgrades and gateway hardware, I want to make sure it will work in our user environment (which seems like a pretty basic set of needs in a multi-person household). I also need to consider spouse approval factor. Having to jump through more hoops that what we currently do with the Link would not be favorable.
Setting an Apple ID on a given iOS device is not a strong binding. You can set it, download your app, and then change it. It’s very simple.
If iCloud and Dropbox are both down at the same time, the end of the world is probably nigh. The likelihood of that seems infinitesimal.
Seems like that would hose up all the data/apps on my wife’s iPhone by changing the Apple ID (it wanting to sync all my apps to her iPhone or something bad like that). Will need to make sure it’s backed up first before trying I guess.
WRT iCloud & DropBox being down simultaneously, I can think of at least one more-than-infintesimally-likely scenario where this could happen: my ISP is down, has a DNS outage, etc. But at least that would only stop us from syncing settings vs not being able to control anything at all.
No, it really has no impact. People change the store ID all the time it’s safe to say.
Ok, will give it a try this weekend!
Confirmed. My wife’s iPad and iPhone are set up. I temporarily used my Apple ID to install Roomie, restore my purchases, and sync with Dropbox.
I’m delighted with Roomie. I’ve retired my aging Harmony 890 and pulled the rats’ nest of IR emitters out of my home theater!
Thanks! Going to get my iPad now…
One potential hitch. In order for iTunes to not delete Roomie from a not-yours iOS device upon the next sync attempt, you have to “authorize” the computer. I guess that’s not too big a deal as you can authorize up to 5 computers.