Somehow, the remote control devices for my TV and digital box disappeared.
The silver lining was it gave me an excuse to test the Harmony One universal remote, which lets you control a wide variety of devices using a single remote control. Harmony, which was started in Canada before it was acquired by Logitech, has a reputation for being a top-notch device.
Certainly, the Harmony One remote has not disappointed so far. The installation process, which takes about 30 minutes, is fairly intuitive, although you need to provide detailed information about the devices you want to control. You program the remote by connecting using your PC or Mac, which has to be connected to the Internet.
After that, you’re pretty much off to the races. The remote works right away, which is a huge consideration for anyone who just wants technology to work. Although there are plenty of features, it’s easy to get started without digging into the manual.
If you haven’t used a all-in-one remote before or used one that is a few years old, the technology has really changed. It’s much more advanced, easy to configure and feature-rich.
One downside is the Harmony One is not inexpensive, going for about US$250. But if you’re into electronics and need a high-quality all-in-one remote, you won’t go wrong with the Harmony One.
Even when my old remotes re-appear, there’s no way they are going replace the Harmony remote.
The only criticism I would have with the Harmony One is the amount of packaging. After unpacking the remote, there was a mound of plastic. It leaves a little bit to be desired given the green times in which we live.
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3 Comments
Even the cheaper remotes are great. I picked one up at a Dell sale a couple years ago for $80. It doesn’t do much other than the four activities that i programmed in but it’s been doing them well for two years now.
I agree with Jamie, I have the 659 and it works great. Changing the settings can be kind of flaky sometimes but that’s a relatively minor complaint because once the settings are all in place, they rarely need to be changed.
I would like to replace it with an 880 or a One but I can’t justify the cost considering the 659 works perfectly.
I picked up the 550 a little while ago. I managed to find one on sale at The Source – $80 I think. My only real complaint is a few of the buttons (esp. play) have a habit of sticking – so I’m thinking of asking for a replacement before the warranty is up. Other than that, a great remote with very powerful config options. The config can get a little complicated, especially when you need a component function that you haven’t added to an “activity” menu. 8/10.