Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control
by Logitech
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Our Price: $399.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $159.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control
Customer Review: What you MUST know about this remote before making a Decision.
Summary: 5 Stars
UPDATE: I have changed out the following components Receiver, TV, DVD player, and added an XBox. I had an issue with the craptaculor operation of the cable box ( powering it on and off was difficult due to DVR settings: late night recording ) so I sent an email off to customer support. Two days later (Logitech could have been faster) and the fix was there under devices. Just leave it on all the time. It has codes for things factory remotes don't do!!!! For instance on my Roku Soundbridge 1000 all the Internet Radio stations can be accessed directly and there is a last server command which basically lets me switch between internet radio and PC music with a single button press vs menus and navigating. Essentiall it's made the system more pleasurable to with. I may even buy a spare JIC someone breaks this one!!! Incredible experience!!!
I read all the negative review and became VERY wary of purchasing. I decided due to go with the Harmon due to the price (relatively cheap) and no clear runaway reason to go with another Universal remote to give this one a try. Boy am I glad I did that because it's GREAT once you get it programmed. There are 4 caveats!
#1 The CD included is a travesty out of date. Don't bother with it just go the the Logitech site and download their software/drivers. It's slow and you need a fast connection because the firmware update is 50mb and you need to update both controller and base station before programming.
#2 IMO you don't need to be that computer savy but Mac users seem to have more issues than PC users I believe that is because Logitech's Mac support is poor.
#3 This is simply a two day process. The remote needs to charge over night before getting started. This is NOT well explained (if at all) in the instructions. The remote can not be powered by the USB connection so it has to be charged. I tried using a different mini-USB cable BAD IDEA!!! Use the included cable.
#4 Updating/reprogramming the remote requires that you update BOTH the base station and the Remote Control. If you're doing a big install be patient don't hide the base station at first and if you can get the programming down with the base as an IR blaster first before using the 4 prs of IR emmitters. getting to the Base that often would be tedious.
After all that why 5 stars? It's perfect after that. Simply perfect and WAYYYY cheaper than a cusom Pronto or Universal Remote (that'll set you back 1k with programming) from some expensive high end shop. My fiance had lost the remote to her television and now we have the remote back (it downloads ALL the remote codes. I don't know what to say to the folks who've struggled with the update process. It may have something to do with having an older PC. My machine is only 2 years old and I recently rebuilt it.
Well that's my experience in a nutshell. My fiance can now use the system, we have 1 remote and everything is hidden. I'm ecstatic.
Customer Review: Great product - with some issues
Summary: 4 Stars
The Harmony 890 is a great product and does what it is suppose to do as a truly universal remote. I have the same issues as other reviewers though.
1) The buttons are small and poorly labeled, that is they are hard to read. They are back lit but even in a dark room the back light is too weak. Blue light shows through the small words on the keys but the whole thing is sliver so light blue on silver doesn't provide enough contrast. Many of the buttons are very small; for example the menu selection buttons adjacent to the display are less than 1/8" wide and about 1/4" tall.
2) The connection to the charging base is poorly designed and can easily mis-connect. I have to be very careful to make sure it is in the cradle just right for it to charge.
However with the two above listed faults the unit is able to do all that I want it to. It is easy to use once set up but the setup can take quite a bit of time for more complex systems. The online database of equipment had my brand new Pioneer Elete 92 even though it was only 1 week on the market. If the on line database doesn't have all I need I can teach it by using a face-to-face learn mode from my other remotes. Finally I can reprogram just about any button.
The user interface for the PC is good even though it could be a bit easier to use.
I haven't tried the RF mode yet. I've been trying to get all the buttons programmed just the way I want them before making the switch to RF. I purchased a TV stand with no openings or glass so when I close the front doors I will be able to control everything through the RF without having equipment visible. Another advantage of the RF I'm looking forward to is I won't have to point the remote at the equipment, or being concerned about someone or something being in the way. My wife will be able to control the entertainment equipment from the kitchen without even being able to see the equipment.
Sadly Sony decided to use blue tooth for the Playstation 3 remote and the Harmony does not have a blue tooth capability. It seems to me the advantages of blue tooth will ultimately overcome the infrared and in the years to come all equipment will be remote controlled by blue tooth. I'm caught in the beginning of this change though and must use two remotes still. The harmony works for everything but the Playstation 3 though. Even my remote controlled sub-woofer can be controlled by the Harmony. Cool.
The main mode is to select an activity like watching a DVD or playing a video game, or watching TV. However one can also switch to "device" mode with the touch of a button and control the individual hardware such as the TV or amplifier with access to most functions you would find on the equipement dedicated remote.
Logitech has a winner here, it just needs a tweak in the design to make it a 5 star.
Amazon has the best price for the 908 too.
Enjoy
Customer Review: Great remote for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Harmony 890 from Amazon 1 month ago and I recommend it highly!
The 890 is easy to program with the PC based software. The software uses a wizard to lead you through the setup. All you have to do is to tell the wizard the make and model of a component to be controlled and it automatically knows all of the functions provided by the original component remote and will load all of those functions into the 890. Then the wizard asks you what function you want to use your components for (eg: Watch TV), which components you want to use and then which component to use to perform basic functions (ie: Volume control, change channels, etc.)and that is it.
You could get really fancy and go to specific channels, etc.
I use My Harmony 890 to control 3 TVs, 3 DVD players, 2 Satellite Receivers, 1 VCR and a digital AV receiver that does video switching. I have set it up by function (ie: Watch HD TV, Watch HD DVD, Listen to CDs,Watch Bedroom TV, etc.). It does this almost flawlessly.
The RF transmitter feature of the remote enables you to operate AV equipment from anywhere in the house. It will not operate other RF equipment directly so you have to option them to accept IR signals and then they work as before.
The IR transmitter function of the 890 and the remote transceiver are very
powerful so you don't have to be very precise in pointing.
When you activate the help function on the remote it starts a wizard that asks you simple questions to correct a problem. For instance, if you activate a function and one of the components does not do what it was supposed to do it will ask you questions, correct the problem and remember what it did.
What amazes me the most is that the 890 remembers the status of all of the AV components. Pushing a single OFF button will turn off the components that you were using. In addition, you can be in one function and then switch to another and the 890 will turn off those components not being used anymore and turn on components needed for the new function. If a component is common to both functions (eg: AV Receiver) it will leave it on and make any changes needed to perform the new function. I love this!!
One annoying thing is that when you download new functions or changes to the 890 you must always also update the remote transceiver. This can be a logistical problem if the transceiver is not located close to your PC. This is a minor annoyance for me.
As was mentioned in other reviews, you have to be careful when placing the 890 on it recharging cradle.
I have used a $400+ Pronto remote and this blows it away.
The size is right, the display is in color and easy to read. I have big hands and I have no problem with the buttons on the remote.
Buy it, you'll love it!
Customer Review: Better Than Most But...
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this hoping it would be an improvement over the Universal Remotes Automator I've been using. In some ways it is better. But I'm keeping my old remote and returning the 890.
The Good:
* Set up wizard works well for most situations. I especially liked having the question on what I used to control the volume for each situation. This has been a trouble spot for me with other remotes.
* Actions based menu works pretty well. Once configured, you can push "watch DVD" and all the right components come on set to the correct inputs. Also, anything else that was on is turned off (you can override this feature)
The Bad:
* Not all the defaults make sense. The default for my XM radio receiver was to NOT set the number keys on the remote to control anything. This was easy to fix on the set up program, but still.
* Making a change is easy but updating the remote takes way too long. I thought I'd save time by not setting anything to be controlled by the wireless receiver at first. Nope. After every configuration change, you have to connect the 890 unit to the computer so it can see it. Then you have to connect the wireless receiver so it can be updated. Yes, even if you have NOT configured anything to be controlled by it. Then you reconnect the 890 unit again so it can be updated (finally). This is 3 connections / disconnections when there should only be 1. Really added a lot of time to my initial set up.
* Behavior was flaky. After watching TV for a while and using the remote to change several settings on my set top box, it stopped being able to adjust the volume on my AV receiver After sitting for 20 minutes, it started working again.
* Wireless receiver has limited range. The included wireless to IR receiver will work great in a small space. So if you want to hide your components in a cabinet, it's fine. However, the other wireless remotes I have came with receivers that can transmit over 30 feet. So, one box on top of a bookcase across the room from my components works great. Not the 890 though, it's receiver is supposed to be mounted within 5 feet of the components. Or, you can stick the little IR pods on each component. May work for you. Doesn't work for me.
* Everything is too small. I'm a dead average size guy with 20/20 vision (OK, with glasses). The fancy color screen is hard to read. If you use the cool sounding feature of using your own picture as a background, it's easy to make the menu pretty much impossible to read. The buttons are also all too small and close together. I don't have big hands and this was still annoying to me.
Customer Review: Simply incredible!
Summary: 4 Stars
Its not for the faint of heart...but if you put in the time, this thing is BRILLIANT. Here's my thoughts:
- The device takes time to set up. You have to connect it to your PC, install software, select the devices you have, and synchronize all of the information to both the remote control and the wireless infrared receiver. Some devices, despite being available in their online database, pull down settings for buttons that don't work quite right or are associated to the wrong buttons (my only disappointment with the Harmony). It will take some time, but you can basically change any of the buttons to do anything your other remotes can do. In some cases you have to point an old remote at the Harmony and "train" the harmony to perform a specific function. It's not hard, but it can be time consuming. In my case I had to train and configure the Harmony and then take it all back upstairs and test my changes and then bring it all back down and change what I didn't like over and over until I got everything the way I wanted it. Think of it as an investment. I'm not sure how they could make it better, so I don't count the work as a problem with the device.
- After all the setup is done. This thing is SWEET.
- No more 5 remote juggling and searching.
- We can now keep our cabinet doors closed (because this thing talks wirelessly, like your laptop to your wireless router, to an infrared transmitter which sends signals to the entertainment system components which no longer have to be "in sight" of the remote) so the family room looks nicer.
- The kids can use the Harmony and always get what they want. If they want to play Wii, they just press "Play a Game" and it turns everything on, changes the video source, changes the audio sources...the only thing it won't do is put their favorite game in the Wii console. If, when they push "Play a Game", something doesn't turn on or switch to the right source the kids can press HELP and the device will fix the problem...ALWAYS!...and its friendly enough to ask if everything is OK now. They love it! No more do they yell through the house for me to come change everything so they can play a game or watch a cartoon.
- It was expensive, but the sheer brilliance of it made it worth every penny (make sure you order it online you can save over $100 as compared to a brick and morter store). If you have a lot of components and are always frustrated by remotes or if you really, really want to hide those components so they aren't always seen this is the device for you.