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,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control
Customer Review: RF Extender with 2 identical DVRs
Summary: 5 Stars
One issue I haven't seen addressed in other reviews is the power of the RF Wireless Extender to enable separate control of two identical DVRs in the same room.
I needed to do this because we switched to Verizon FiOS, and its whole-house DVR option only shares recordings with standard-res boxes, which can't show anything captured in HD.
So I wanted to record HD on one DVR for replay on our home theater system and SD on a second DVR for replay throughout the house. Unfortunately, the original Verizon remotes cannot be coded individually as Remote 1, Remote 2, etc., so any signal send to one DVR operates both DVRs simultaneously, meaning they can't be operated individually.
The 890 enables you to set up the two DVRs as separate activites, one controlled with standard IR signals, the other with the RF Wireless Extender.
What the product descriptions don't tell you is that the 890 remote can be set to send ONLY RF signals to a device, which means that commands sent to the RF-controlled DVR are not sent to the IR-controlled DVR. All that remains to do is to mask the front of the DVR being controlled by the RF extender so that it can't see the signals the 890 is sending to the IR-controlled DVR. I did this by taping black cardboard over the front of the RF-controlled DVR (on top of the Wireless extender's controller cables). Works like a charm.
The only downside to the 890 up to this point is that occasionally one of the number keys fails to respond. So far, it's intermittent, but if it continues, I will send it back to Harmony for a replacement.
Customer Review: The Holy Grail of Universal Remotes
Summary: 5 Stars
After suffering through many years of subpar universal remotes, constantly facing equipment upgrades, inoperable functions and lost OEM remotes, the electronic gods have smiled down and delivered the 890! Try as I might, much to the frustration of my spouse and in laws, I could never reduce our remote load down below two. And that was with making some compromises in functionality (why can't I use the "fav" function now?) But now I have my 890! One remote with as much versatility as Yoda's light saber. Within 30 minutes I had finished the programming and held this elegantly simple universal remote to dominate my digital kingdom. DVR, DVD, cable box, AV receiver, surround sound, plasma tv, ipod, XM radio all responded to my commands. And the ability to create "Activities" means whomever uses the remote will not get caught in the "I'll push every buttom I can to get this thing to work" syndrome, which used to render the AV system useless. If someone can see a little picture with the words "Watch TV" and press ONE button how much easier can it get? So now maybe I won't get the call at work from my teenager asking me how to get the DVD player to work correctly. One slight functional disappointment however is the RF wireless extender. Although I have not hooked this up as yet, it appears I need to have my computer located next to my AV setup. A bit of a problem since my closest computer is a floor away from the AV cabinet. Oh well, I don't know if I want my son having the ability to change my channels from his room anyway!
Great product, well designed, easy to program and use. A keeper for sure.
Customer Review: Don't believe the negative reviewers!!
Summary: 5 Stars
In reviewing this product, I noticed that many of the low ratings were from older reviews. It would seem that Logitech has resolved whatever problems they had in the past. I want to reiterate what some previous people have said: "Don't use the install CD that comes with the remote. Get the updated driver." This will also automatically update your firmware as well. Also, read some of the other lengthy reviews for many useful tips on installation!
Set-up was not near as difficult as some buyers might lead you to believe. It was fairly easy, and once I got the hang of how the customizing works, I have been extremely happy with this remote.
Cons: The ergonomics could be improved upon a little. The remote slips and slides around in your hand too easily and many of the buttons are a little small and/or difficult to press without possibly pressing the adjacent button. However, a little practice and user adjustment period solves most of this "uncomfortableness"
Like I said - don't believe the haters. This remote is fantastic, especially considering the price! One short year ago, this type of "through-the-wall" technology was available for around $1000 and to be installed by stereo pros. Now for about 25% of that price you can easily install it yourself!! The cons aren't that big of a deal. A little common sense goes a long way when understanding this product and it's technology. Many people have complained about the lack of instructions. Be sure to look within the programming software for the manual! It's pretty detailed and helpful.
Customer Review: Works as advertised
Summary: 5 Stars
I had a previous Harmony (659) remote, so I was familiar with the online setup. I was able to move all my preset settings over to this remote and set up the RF receiver in less than 30 minutes. If it's a new setup for you, it's tedious and will take a couple of hours, but it's well worth it when you're done. If you don't want to do the setup, pay several hundred dollars more for a similar product where the technician sets it up for you.
It works like it should. I have range throughout my 2500 sq ft house and front and back yards with no problem. The RF seems to reach the IR blaster with good range and response, and then the IR has a blaster as well as direct transmitters to put over the components' receivers. I am just using the blaster, made for easier setup.
It's pricey, but I searched, and if you want one-touch activity control with RF capabilities to hide equipment in a closet or control components from your yard (e.g. backyard speakers w/ indoor receiver) then this is your least expensive solution, I thought best value for the $$.
If you just want a remote w/ IR&RF capability, check out the the Next Generation remote extender (much cheaper). It works well in most situations for me, but I needed this to fill in the gaps.
Pros: Works like advertised
Cons: Setup and cost (relative to remotes w/o these capabilities)
Comment: If you want the capabilities of this remote at the lowest price, then this is the product for you. Won't find anything cheaper, and easier setup costs more.
Customer Review: Does it all, but needs a lot of programming
Summary: 5 Stars
Like other reviews, this remote CAN do it all. It does require a few hours of downloading macro's and testing them. One big hassle is that you have to plug the USB cable into BOTH the remote AND the RF Blaster to change anything. This can be hard to do if your computer is not close to the RF Blaster.
On my set up, some experimentation was required. On my Samsung HDTV, several key presses in the menue structure are required to change the input on the TV to a specific input (or you can press "source" multiple times until you get to the input you want). As far as I could figure out, on the "Watch TV" macro, the Harmoney could only press 3 buttons in a row to the TV, so it could not switch to the correct input (I need 4 button presses). But through experimentation I found that in the "device" mode on the Harmoney remote there were buttons for "source video 1", "source video 2", etc. So I was able to use these commands in the "watch TV" macro, even though they were not available on my original remote. I was also able to program in a 10 second time delay to allow the TV to boot up before the "source video 1" command is issued on start up.
Some features on my Kenwood Audio Receiver are not working properly yet. (Although I am sure I can figure it out.) For example "center volume up" does not work when using default buttons in the "device" mode.
Over all, I am extremely pleased with this device. And most importantly, the wife likes it too.