Logitech Harmony RF Wireless Extender
by Logitech
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony RF Wireless Extender
Customer Review: Shortcomings are being corrected - on some units
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a little cautious when deciding to purchase the 890, which comes with the RF Extender as a package, based on several of the reviews which indicated how difficult it was to disconnect the extender once set up to reprogram. The IR modules and power cord wires now have connectors to the base unit so disconnecting is now a snap. Earlier reviews implied this was not the case, so appears Logitech has been listening!
As has been mentioned in many places, documentation is pretty much worthless. For a novice, it isn't clear, for example, that you can plug in the IR remotes and attach them to any component without additional programming. The RF Extender simply transmits the same signals to all IR devices at the same time - duh!
I had to fumble a bit to get the 890 to talk to the RF extender - again, a little documentation would have been helpful here as the 890 display scripts weren't much help in this step. I didn't quite come to the point of calling tech support, but came close.
Finally, while the RF Extender can support up to 8 devices, it does so with four pairs of IR remotes. There are two IR modules attached to the end of the wire. You can split these about two feet apart. I haven't seen any issue with how well they attach. The glue seemed pretty strong - especially if you use the one inch square mounting pads. The only problem I had was accidently running one wire over my CD player tray. I had to remove the wire and come down from the top of the player. Removing the IR pad was not easy, so doubt they would come detached on their own.
Now the best part. Once it was connected and talking to the 890, it works flawlessly! I can point the remote anywhere, keep it tucked under a blanket if it's cold, if I'm behind furniture, from the kitchen about 30 feet away - it just works!
I'll be buying a Harmony 1000 and RF Extender for my elderly in-laws next, who are having trouble remembering how to switch between watching a movie and then watching TV.
1/30/08 Update: Just purchased the RF Extender with the Harmony 1000. Note the Harmony 1000 doesn't come with the RF Extender - it must be purchased seperately, unlike the Harmony 890. When purchasing the RF Extender seperately, the power cord did not come with a connector near the base unit like it did when shipped with the 890. I'd find it hard to believe Logitech would be shipping different versions of the RF Extender, so surmise they must be transitioning their stock now. Beware, at least in the short term, you might get the power connector or might not.
Also, when purchasing the RF Extender by itself, it did not come with the one inch square pads to help secure the IR emitters. These came with 890 kit. Hopfully this is a transition in stock issue.
2/12/08 Update:
I'll write another review on the Harmony 1000. It has had serious problems staying connected to the RF Extender. One day it works, the next day it stops broadcasting. Returned to Amazon for replacement (which was excellent service by Amazon!). Got the replacement and I've seen one instance of the Harmony 1000 stop broadcasting with the RF extender already. I have to pop the battery out and re-insert to reboot the 1000. Then it works again. Quite a shame as the unit otherwise seemed to be working for my elderly in-laws. Note this appears to be a problem with the Harmony 1000, not the RF Extender!
Customer Review: Don't Go Without! A Must add-on for Harmony 1100!
Summary: 5 Stars
I asked for (and got) a Harmony 1100 remote for my birthday. As a techie, I was expecting the unit to be programmed in a more general (and probably more complex) way, and at first was not sure I wanted to keep it. As the flexibility of the unit gradually became apparent, allowing me to "fix" problems easily that the automatic setup left (such as the exact DSP setting I wanted on my AV receiver), I got more interested. Over a few days, as I got familiar with how to program the unit, I got more and more adventurous. The result was quite amazing - now at my fingertips were simple controls to do things that were way too complex for taking the time with 4 remote controls to do manually - especially for my wifh, who really had difficulty getting through the maze of hundreds of buttons to accomplish a simple task such as listening to satellite radio without turning on the TV, etc.
Now that I had convinced myself that this really did solve the mess of controlling my AV system easily, including dedicated buttons with icons for my favorite TV channels and sat radio channels (downloaded from the web and imported), I had one minor problem left... having to aim the unit carefully so everything got the IR messages. This is a problem because of the cabinet can easily get in the way between where I happen to be and where the IR sensor is located on the 6 devices to be controlled. I had heard that wireless was available, so I looked up this product. Afer reading several reviews on Amazon, I realized it was exactly what I wanted, and I purchased it.
The main problem I had getting it to work was finding out where the IR sensor were located on each device. Some of them were not at all obvious. I finally figured it out by using a cardbard card between the unit and the remote to get the location behind the plastic panel. Once I did that, it worked like a charm (at first, I had the wrong location for the sensor based on the incorrect diagram in the manual, and it was unreliable - once I figured out why it was working fine when I was right in front of the unit - IR was bouncing off me into the sensor at the other end of the device - I was able to correct the problem).
It works like a charm! My wife can now listen to classical music from the sat receiver whenever she wants, or watch a favorite channel without looking it up, play a DVD movie or select one from the DVR, play a streaming movie from Netflix, listen to a CD, and play with the Wii - without me having to show her which button to press. Even have the proper tray (CD or DVD) pop out to be loaded so she will not get confused which unit to load! AMAZING!
If you have a remote control mess like I did, with multiple remote controls, so it is too confusing for the non-techies in your family to use, this product, combined with a Harmony remote, is a fantastic solution. Beats the heck out of so-called universal remotes I have attempted to use in the past (which require "switching" from one unit to the other before pressing buttons).
And, of course, you can impress your friends... :)
Customer Review: RF Extender Works and Can Save You Money
Summary: 5 Stars
I really like this RF Extender. I've used it on the H890 remote as well as the new H1000 remote. All I can say is that it really works. You do have to hook it up to your computer and program it separately from your remote. It has its own firmware. It's easy to do though. I haven't encountered any problems yet setting one up. I'm a professional A/V designer and installer. This is the new way to go. I've installed many hardwired remote IR systems in the past by Xantech and Russound. Those systems cost upwards of $125 on there own. Why not pay a little more and get a great universal remote to boot (H890 for around $250). It comes with a power adapter and IR blasters that plug into this unit then stick on the components you want to control. You can use a flashlight to shine on the face of those source components to help you in locating the IR receiver windows on your cable box/receiver/DVD player etc. (look for a round hole or LED shaped device) Anyways, this is a great product in my opinion.
Update, I will have to say this. I wish they made the transformer have a connector at the Extender instead of hardwiring it in. I do not like having to reach thru many wires in different A/V racks to pull out the transformer and then plug it back in every time the remote gets updated. It would be far easier to unplug the ir emitters and a power jack all at the same location!
Customer Review: RF Extender is a "Must Have" with Harmony 1000!
Summary: 5 Stars
Love my Harmony 1000 and can't imagine owning it without the RF Extender. I've owned them about a year and would never go back to standard remotes. Setup was a breeze and I love that I don't have to point the remote at my components. Assigning ports to specific devices was easy and a good idea since there's no need to send redundant signals to componets that don't need them.
If you keep a close eye on the Harmony 1000 and RF Extender, Amazon often has rebates if you buy the two items together. My rebate covered the entire cost of the RF Extender, making it free.
I wrote a longer review about my experience with the Harmony 1000 and RF Extender, so I don't know that much more needs to be said, other than emphatically stating that I see no point in owning the Harmony 1000 without the RF Extender. Give them a shot! If you don't like it, you can always return them. :)
Customer Review: So easy to set up!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Logitech Harmony RF Wireless Extender
I'm not sure Logitech did a good job of marketing for this product. I didn't quite understand how it worked before purchasing it. It was so easy... First, I didn't understand the device itself it an infrared transmitter... Each of the 4 ports, will support 2 devices (with the RF Extender cables) for a total of 8 devices! Sweet! But I plugged the device into the USB port on my iMac and connected it... Set a few options, then updated my Harmony 1000 remote and bam... Done! I set the device infront of my equipment and didn't need to use one of the ports provided (at least not yet)... Also Z Electra (seller on Amazon) was GREAT!! Very fast shipping!!!