Logitech Harmony 890 Remote Control - Refurbished
by Logitech
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List Price: Our Price: $279.00 You Save: $20.99 (7%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $250.00 (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 Remote Control - Refurbished
Customer Review: So far so good
Summary: 4 Stars
Just got a refurbished unit, and thought I would get down my initial impressions. I'll update this review if anything changes (including deleting it and copying the text into a new review if I decide that I have to change my rating).
First off, everything *looks* great. No scuffs, and no indication that the remote was used at all. The aesthetics of the remote and the cradle are fantastic (the remote may look just a bit busy, but that's hard to avoid).
Setup was a breeze, though the software is slightly antiquated. For example, I had to setup my blu-ray player under the "Play DVD" activity, which is a little confusing. It feels like they should have been able to upgrade the software to reflect this. But it recognized all of my devices and everything seems to be working well.
The good:
- This unit has far more functionality than I would have suspected. Most of the cheaper "universal remotes" will do little more than power devices on or off, change channel, adjust volume, and allow rudimentary control of playback (play, stop, pause, etc.). I always seem to need the original remotes, though, to access special controls (onscreen menus, for example). The Harmony 890 seems to control everything I need (so far) and has the ability to accept more functionality if I find that I need it.
- The "activities" buttons are great! I just press "watch TV" for example, and my TV turns on, my receiver turns on, everything sets to the appropriate inputs, and then the remote becomes a fusion of my TiVo remote and my receiver remote. It's such a time saver, and I don't have to explain the setup to my wife or parents any more.
The bad:
- The remote sometimes doesn't connect to the charger correctly. Sometimes I have to drop it into its cradle several times before it starts charging the batteries.
- The actual media buttons (play, pause, etc.) are near the bottom of the remote in an area that I find very uncomfortable to my hand. I might get used to it, though.
- The buttons are numerous, small, and poorly labelled. It takes a while to find a button, and they are difficult to keep straight by touch. Again, this may well be something that I'll get used to in time.
All-in-all, it's been fairly easy to use (though I am something of a tech-head, and can see that the initial programming might be frustrating for some people) and the functionality is great! If my opinion changes as I get to know the 890, I'll come back and edit this. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this, especially if you can find it on a reasonable sale.
Customer Review: Refrub 890 Remote - so far, so good
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite the prolific negative reviews of this refurb, I threw caution to the wind when I ordered this remote last month and have been using it daily since. I selected this item knowing the design flaws regarding button size and placement as I needed a universal remote with RF support that was relatively inexpensive.
So far, the remote has exceeded my expectations. It arrived in a plain brown box in excellent condition. Programming via software (running on 64bit Windows 7) went without a hitch. The remote and RF controller have performed as expected in my home theater environment. It supports a Denon receiver, Blu-Ray player, a panasonic DVR, a Samsung TV and an X10 lighting controller.
It takes some significant time optimizing the LCD buttons to locate the most used functions to the first screen. Furthermore, the "Activity" concept is a little awkward at first, being somewhat different than a plain old macro scheme. Finally, several round trip programming sessions get tedious, especially in having to connect both the remote and the RF controller, but I suppose its a small price to pay for the convenience.
Some nits:
The LCD screen resolution is pretty low, the graphics and text aren't the best.
The buttons are definitely tiny and oddly placed. Others have mentioned the layout was designed for looks first, rather than function and this is an apt perception. This is a remote than you'll need to look at to use. Manipulation by feel in a dark room isn't going to happen any time soon unless you are the Mozart of remote controls.
I'm not particularly fond of the need to login and communicate with Logitech's server every time I run the software. And, as I understand it, this is how they maintain a revenue stream after the purchase of the remote. I suppose it is the way of things.
All-in-all, for the money, and IF you get a refurb that works as new as mine does (for now) I can definitely recommend this remote for those needing an inexpensive universal remote with RF capabilities.
Customer Review: 3 times the charm!!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
My review is on the refurbished aspect of the 890 and not on the 890 itself. I had to order three of them before I got one that works.
Remote #1 - Would not connect to my PC properly. Would update to 20%, than lose communication. I would try again and it would get to 50% before stopping and finally it wouldn't connect at all. The remote also had a PID number on the Wireless extender that had previously been reported as faulty. I never got to try it because the remote never worked.
Remote #2 - Connected to the PC great, updated perfect, and the RF extender was working well. The problem with this remote was the the IR on the actual remote was not working. After trying all sort of different setups, I popped off the red plastic covering the front of the remote and could clearly see that the IR bulbs were burnt out.
Remote #3 - I have had it for about a week now and everything seems to work great. The screen on this third one also looks much better than the on the first two. The LCD displays seemed very washed out, but this one looks better.
The best part about this is that the replacement policy for Amazon is fantastic! Once you report that you need a replacement, they will send you one immediately two day air and give you 30 days to return the defective unit.
After the second remote went bad, I received an email from their customer care that they were just going to give me a refund instead of another replacement. I could understand that with a new product it would be odd to get two that didn't work properly, but these are refurbs. I sent them an email back explaining this and asked for them to please send a third replacement and they did the next day. The four stars is really for the Amazon customer service. Other reviews have suggested that Logitech is just repackaging defective remotes without proper service and I would have to agree with them.
My recommendation is to give it a try because you have nothing to lose with Amazon backing you up!
Customer Review: Fantastic Remote - WAY too exspensive
Summary: 4 Stars
To be clear, this review is for the refurb version of the Logitech Harmony 890.
There's not much to say about this remote outside of what has been said in countless reviews on this site already. Simply put; it's amazing. It does everything you want and probably more. While it's not the best choice for grandma to program by herself, it's much easier to setup than other high-end remotes. With that said, it's just too darn expensive... even at the refurb price. I have wanted this remote for years but could never justify 300+ dollars for it. It's a friggin' remote control! When I saw this "cheap" refurb unit, I jumped on it immediately. Again, I am happy about saving a couple of hundred dollars, but seriously, who is Logitech kidding? It's a remote. This was a huge gift to myself. It's something I've coveted for a long time and I am happy with my purchase. I just cannot recommend this device to someone who simply needs to unclutter their coffee table of single device remotes. If you need a universal remote, there are much cheaper ones to be had. It you need an RF remote, there are much cheaper ones to be had. If you need an easy-to-setup remote with a color screen, there are still cheaper ones out there. But, if you are specifically looking for a Logitec 890 then you already have your list of reasons, as did I, and there is no substitute. It's a great and functional toy for the home theater enthusiast.
One other note I would like to make is about the ability to control home automation equipment (lights, fans, ect.) I assumed it would work with all RF controlled devices as it is "programmable" and "universal". Well, it doesn't. I had to replace all of my remote lighting equipment with Z-Wave products (all of which are sold here on Amazon) Not a huge problem, but it was an additional 100 bucks I didn't count on spending. It might control other RF devices, but you might want to make sure before you solidify your home theater plans.
Customer Review: Custom performance at retail price
Summary: 4 Stars
I've tried a couple of other fairly sophisticated all-in-one remotes before, and this is the winner hands-down. It has worked well with (almost) every device I have. (the one exception is the Sony PS3 - but there's a fix, more on that below)
The system uses RF to transmit to a small module which then sends out the actual IR commands to your devices. The beauty of this is, you no longer have to point the remote at each device. My equipment is installed in a cabinet behind a solid door, and with a single click on the remote, every device turns on with the correct settings.
How good is it? I never, ever, ever, have to dig up the original remote for any of my devices.
The drawbacks:
1. There's a lot of "stuff". The unit comes with various cables, emitters, and power dongles. Expect to spend an hour or so figuring it all out the first time.
2. The range of the wireless is a little unpredictable. It always executes every command it sends to the base, but sometimes I find that I need to move the remote a foot or so before it will respond.
3. It requires two power outlets. Granted, it pulls only a tiny bit of power from them. And the charger/base doesn't have to be installed with your equipment. Mine is installed in a storage compartment next to my favorite chair.
4. The only device it wouldn't work with directly is the PS/3 - because the PS/3 doesn't have an IR reciever. There is a fix - get one of the $15 IR remotes for it, which come with an IR reciever that plugs into the front of the PS/3. The only thing it won't do is power the unit on. Maybe someone has found a workaround for this too.
Overall, the only time I have seen this kind of integration and ease-of-use before is in high-end professional systems such as AMX (don't even look unless you've got $2k to spend). It's not absolutely perfect, but it comes really close, and at a price mere mortals can afford.