Logitech Harmony 900

I have owned harmony remotes for probably ten years now, and can say that the hardware is getting better and better. In fact, this is the first Harmony remote where I did not reminisce fondly and yearn for… my TiVO peanut remote. It feels the same way my iphone feels in hand, the touch screen is excellent (even though i prefers buttons), and speaking of buttons, they are solid and are very responsive. My only nit with regards to the design/hardware is the battery compartment. It seems overly complicated, and loose --it's the grey cover at the bottom of the remote. Oddly, the remote cover seems to be an on-going problem with Harmony. On my 890, i could never get the remote cover off, on my 680, it would break off. Logitech, one word "SCREWS", like on kids toys. Now, my major complaint. The software hasn't seem to have really improved in ten years... It is the best solution out there, but is buggy. First off, the other reviewers are correct -- probably will not work with your mac, there seem to be ongoing driver issues. The easy way out is to run windows in a virtual machine or boot camp, and be done with it. The SAME problem when I got my 890. Poor mac support on product launch. Logitech, it's OK to launch with mac support later! Just say so. Finally, old harmony users... you will have to reprogram your account(s) from scratch. "your old account is not compatible" with the 900. Macros and custom programming be-gone. Great product, good software, poor support. BUT, Harmony makes the best remotes out there --better than the all the low AND high end custom remotes, period.

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This is my 2nd logitech harmony remote. The first one was an 890 model, and it was problematic for my specific devices. In fact, I never got it to work to the point where I could totally replace all of my… remotes. When the 900 model came out, and the price came down (got it new on the famous auction site for $285), I thought I'd try it. Glad I did! Although it took me a couple of hours of fiddling around with the settings for each "Activity", I finally have full control of my devices and do not need to use any other remotes. Yea! I'm controlling a Samsung 40" LCD, a Soundmatters audio device, a PS3 (had to buy the extra adapter from Logitech), and a Dish Network Vip722 DVR. I'm using the Radio Frequency (RF) controlled IR blasters that come with the remote, just because I don't want to have to point the remote at my devices. If you don't have a closed cabinet for your devices and are used to pointing a remote towards the TV, then you probably don't even need to use the included IR system. Just use InfraRed (IR) as normal with most remotes. $300 still seems like a lot of money for a remote control, but this one works, so I find it worth the cost.

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We were already users and fans of the Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote, to which the Harmony 900 is, if not quite a successor, at least an update. The main difference seems to be that the 900… setup includes signal-receiving equipment you can attach to your electronics, allowing you to hide them behind cabinet doors or other things the remote's signal can't penetrate, while still being able to change channels, adjust volumes, and do the many, many other things this remote allows you to do. It's a nice step forward, and one that makes this already versatile tool useful in even more situations and arrangements. The Harmony 900, again like the Harmony One, allows you to control a variety of different systems and pieces of equipment. Setup and adjustment are fairly easy using the enclosed software. We have noticed the Harmony 900 battery seems to run down more quickly than the Harmony One's does, and it would be nice if the "mute" button, in particular, were larger. But the advantages of being able to replace a whole raft of remotes with one easy to learn and easy to use system are pretty significant. I know Logitech produces remotes that are even more complicated and versatile than this one. But for people who don't live on the highest end of the audio-visual experience and have the fairly basic level of ability required to set up and use this, the Harmony 900 is a really nice thing to have.

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I've been looking for a product that would allow us to keep the cabinets in our built-in entertainment center closed since our 10-month-old has begun trying to push buttons on the various components. After… trying a number of lower priced options that didn't work well, I finally decided to drop $300+ on this product after reading good reviews. After two days, I am very happy with the purchase. Though pricey, it is working exactly as promised. -Set up was very easy. I strongly suggest writing down all the model numbers (of TVs, DVDs, etc) and which TV input each is fed through before you begin the set up wizard (as the instructions suggest). Once I had tracked down all this info, the set up was VERY easy. Took less than 30 minutes. -I'm pleasantly surprised that the remote works all of my cable company's digital box features well too: DVR, VOD etc. There are a couple functions for which there is no assigned button, and it was very easy, using the set up software, to assign soft buttons on the touch screen to these functions. -My only gripe (and it's minor) is that there is a very slight lag because the signal has to be relayed by the redirector in the cabinet. It's not too bad, a fraction of a second, and I am already used to it. Al in all, though pricey, I am very happy with this purchase, the remote does everything promised, and does it well.

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