Logitech Harmony 659 Advanced Universal Remote Control - Refurbished
by Logitech
|
List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 659 Advanced Universal Remote Control - Refurbished
Customer Review: If you're a geek, this is twice as cool
Summary: 5 Stars
First off - I have to admit I'm a geek. But even if you're not, but have some level of comfort with using the classic 'wizard' approach of Windows - then this (or any of the Harmony series) is the remote for you.
Setup is a breeze. Put in the batteries, toss in the CD and follow the step by step directions. Using the 'wizard' based approach (it simply asks you questions about your devices and some specifics around each activity). Harmony does the rest, looking up all your devices automatically. Don't fret if you don't see a particular device. Just specify that it's not listed and put in the brand name (My new Olevia LCD tv wasn't in there). From there it seems to go out and find the data in it's data base (not sure why it doesn't just display it to begin with - but it worked).
You can configure just about anything on this remote. I got it set-up 90% of the way there, just by using the simple wizard. Then I saw a few things I wanted to tweak and was able to do that pretty quickly - without reading any directions. The user interface can be a little intimidating at first - until you get a feel for how the remote works and how Harmony 'thinks' about your devices.
I even got to try out the 'learning' feature because one of my TV functions wasn't in the standard list. You just select that you want to teach it a new command, connect Harmony to your computer and point your old remote at the back of the Harmony remote. Push the button you want to teach it and 'pow' - you've just taught it a new command. You can name it anything you want as well - call it 'Steve' if you want. Like I said, very, VERY configurable.
My wife liked it because I was able to set up the 'soft-keys' exactly the way she wanted them. Oh, and yeah - you could even reprogram every standard key on the remote if you want - even if you wanted to do something wacky like have the '9' key turn off the DVD player or eject a disk. It's scary how configurable this thing is. Oh and if you mess it up somehow, just 'restore defaults' and start over.
The Harmony line is pretty extensive. They have some top of the line units that are well over the $200 mark, but there is a wide range to choose from. Go to the Logitech web-site and compare the models to find the one you want (I got this one - the 659). You can't beat the price of the refurbished unit either. But if you have a DVR then you might want to go with the 670 (which has more native DVR buttons in the center).
Highly recommend this product.
Customer Review: REALLY GOOD REMOTE
Summary: 5 Stars
Logitech Harmony 659 Advanced Universal Remote Control - Refurbished
I was skeptical about a refurbished product, but trusting in Amazon's return policy I ordered two of these. Have had a Harmony One for my big screen in the living room for about a month and it is fantastic. We needed a cheaper alternative for the kitchen and bedroom TV's. I have tried 4 other remotes, including the learning version of a Sony remote, and an X-10 that is supposed to learn anything (according to their ads) in the kitchen and all would learn the DirecTV satellite receiver, but none could learn the TV, an inexpensive Sylvania 15 inch, LC155SL8P. I came with a really cheap remote that could not learn the satellite receiver, and the DirecTV remote could not learn the TV. I was determined to find one remote that would control both, and have spent weeks, and more than a few bucks trying.
Same old story, called the TV manufacturer, they said they didn't have the remote codes. The ones suggested in the DirecTV setup instructions didn't work, so a call to DirecTV customer service and they said they only guarantee that their remote will work their receiver, not a TV. Tried all the remote websites, and Radio Shack where I bought the TV, and nobody could come up with the correct codes.
Finally, after having such good luck with a new Harmony One, but not wanting to spend $250 for a remote to control a TV that cost less than that, I ordered the refurbished Harmony 659. It may be refurbished, but looks brand new.
It shipped with dated software, so I did not even bother to install it. Instead I went to the Logitech website and downloaded the latest version. That just took a few minutes; then I registered, and started programming the remote. The hardest part was finding the model numbers of all components, which have to be entered, along with how they are connected. Once I had that, it just took a few minutes going thru a few computer screens and answering the questions correctly, and I was all done.
The remotes worked perfectly on the first try. I give Logitech, and their Harmony 659 remote my highest recommendation. And the refurbished price is great, too.
Customer Review: Nice universal remote
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently bought a new TV that has more device inputs than my old one. All my components are now directly connected, and you have to use the TV input to select which device to watch, in addition to selecting a different input on the receiver for the sound.
Realizing that my wife would want to kill me for making life harder, I looked into the Harmony remotes. I had heard good things before, but what I didn't realize is that they are programmed using a program that runs on your home PC. This, plus the fact that Amazon had a refurbished model 659 for around $45 clinched it for me.
This thing is very easy to program. You step through the program on the PC and set up various activities like "Watch TV", "Watch a movie", and "Listen to radio". Once you've got it all set, you download all the settings to the remote over a USB link. This part is a bit time consuming (3-5 minutes).
Finally, you go to the TV and test it out by pressing each activity button. The remote turns everything on, and selects the right inputs. If something doesn't work, you can press a help button on the remote and it will ask you questions like, "Is the TV turned on?". As you answer these, it sends additional signals then asks another question like, "Did that fix the problem?".
If the problem recurs each time you use that activity, then you can reprogram the remote to correct the behavior.
The best part is that now my wife can watch tv, listen to radio, or whatever without having to select all of the right inputs and turn on each device. If something doesn't come on properly, the remote guides her through the help questions until everything is working.
Customer Review: A little long to set up.... but works excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
*NOTE* For those who say the remote is slow, this is because the remote is set to have a high delay between button presses by default! To change this in the Harmony software, go to the Devices tab. Then for each device, hit Settings. Click "Adjust the delays" and hit Next. Now set the Inter-key and Inter-device delay to 0 and hit Next until it brings you back.
The only other option people might want to go through is the "Adjust power settings". Try "A button on the remote for On, another button for off". Then hit Next. Even though your old remote doesn't have these buttons, for most devices Logitech has the remote codes for "Only turn On" and "Only turn Off"! Select "I don't have the original remote...", then select "PowerOn". If your device doesn't have a "PowerOn" option, then unfortunately your device doesn't support this option. Hit Cancel. Otherwise, if it does, hit Next and select "PowerOff" appropriately. Now program it and test it out! Turn your device on using the old remote. Now hit the appropriate activity button on the Logitech remote. Your device should remain turned on.
I bought this remote refurbished from Amazon and it came looking brand new! In fact, the refurbished models are better because Logitech seems to have fixed a keypad issue. On the brand new store displays, I noticed there's a button-hole alignment issue and they keys stick when pressed. The refurbished model I received doesn't do that.
Pros: I condensed 3 remotes down to 1!
Cons: The play, pause, etc keys are at the bottom of the remote, so they require 2 hands to use.
Definitely worth the money for the activity buttons alone!
Customer Review: Awesome.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm going to make this a short review for lack of time. This product was delivered in "brand new" condition even though it is refurbished. The remote itself was a pain at first to set up, it took a considerable amount of time given the amount of electronics i wanted to control but in the end it was really worth it. The only real problem i encountered was the remote not being able to control my cable box. After several e-mails to customer service to no avail, i tried other variations of similar Jerrold cable boxes and found one that worked perfectly. Basically, this product is easily worth the money and the time spent to program it. Programming the remote is made much simpler with the USB cable and software provided, and they even have a Mac version of the software. I am controlling my Tv, cable box, VCR, DVD, 5 CD changer, and Home Theater. I was a bit skeptical of the "Harmony" of the remote to where you press 1 button like "Watch a Movie" and it turns on my Tv, DVD player, Home Theater, and sets all devices to appropriate channels/inputs but this feature has exceeded my expectations and really works well once you work out the kinks for each "activity." Simply put, the remote is highly programmable and you will be able to program it to do anything you want if you put enough time in, and i do stress that last part as it will take time. I can not say enough great things about this remote except to highly recommend it to you, especially at this refurbished price. I have never owned another universal remote but for my first remote, it went well beyond my expectations.