I was considering the Harmonry One since it is excellent and people love it. It also has learning capabiliy. If there anthing out there that cost less then a car payment and really work good? Selling a ciurrent remote that is not compatibile

Harmony One is the same POS as everything they make. I replace them with good remotes literally every single week.

You are going to find that as a hobbyist you have extremely limited options.

There are basically 3 options:

URC which I won't go into since you clearly are looking to avoid them.

Harmony which works but offers a level a customization and control far below the MX-880 you have been using. Also, I really don't understand the direction that Harmony is going with the their remotes. The removal of skip buttons and moving the transport buttons to the top of the remote is a really bizarre design decision. Also, they no longer make the Harmony One.

One of the tablet based options. The software will give you a high degree of control and flexibility but you will not have any hard buttons. If you can live without hard buttons than one of these is definitely your best choice.

The market for advanced programmable remotes for the consumer must be exceptionally small because everyone seems to exit it.

Thanks so much. Having a PW issue I'm trying to clear up. When you start using so many email addresses to just avoid spam, it gets confusing.

Michael,
The MX-880 is compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8, and 8.1. I have all these laptops and once setup to look at the right drivers it will work.

There are many threads about the initial problems installers were having when these operating systems were released. If you do a forum search then you can find what other people have done to overcome this problem.

One thing that I would like to point out in other threads you bash CI contractors with a very broad brush and yet there are contractors who are on this site who are eager to give up their time and help you with your problem. Some contractors though are reluctant to help. I have had customers when installing systems decided to not go with the remote that I was proposing. But, later I will get a call from them asking me questions on how to program the remote because they bought the remote on-line. This is how we support our companies and our families. You make it seem like programming these remotes are no big problem but this is why I and other CI go to seminars to learn about CCP and how to overcome these problems.

Also, URC has decided it does not want to give support to end users. This is very time consuming and expensive. It would rather devote it training budget to authorized installers. Imagine if Ford would give support to end users how much that would cost.

If you want to dump URC and go to Harmony good luck. You will quickly find out that they do not offer the amount of customization and control that the URC remotes. People are funny, when they program the remote themselves and there are little bugs they are willing to overlook those bugs. That is why Harmony pops up the help screen after each activity. But if a professional sells them a remote and programs it then they are hot happy unless everything works perfectly.

I have plenty of Harmony remotes that I just give away to family and friends after customers give them to me.

Davet202, the particular MX-880 I have is an older one which is not compatible with Windows 7/8. In laymen's terms URC changed the way this remote talks to the computer when Windows 7 came out. This left users like me to keep legacy software and operating systems around.

I never would bash a CI. I actually never worked with a CI before or even know one. I installed my home theater myself and had to learn as I go. While I stumbled through some of it I'm happy the way everything has turned out. I've come to the forums for years now and have always been appreciative of the help. I guess the manner in which I say my words comes across brazen and I apologize for that. One thing I lack is to say what I mean in a more passive, nice way.

I have no choice but to stick with URC since there really isn't anything else out in the market that will give me the level of remote capability that I have now. Setting up all the macros and throwing everything I can on the remote has taken a long time so I'll just continue to use what I have. I remember years ago I balked at purchasing my first URC remote because I couldn't imagine why a remote control was $300+ dollars. It took me a while to get over that initial hump and since then I've purchased many. I'm not a novice, but no where near a professional and as knowledgeable as some people here.

I guess in the end it will be my choice to keep a legacy operating system around if I want to continue programming my 880. If I get tired of it, maybe I'll even upgrade. If bitcoin price rises up to $1k again, I'll definitely grab another one.

Thanks

Michael, in this day and age, older OS should not be an issue at all. Just get virtualization software and be done with it. I have windows installed in my Mac with pretty much a sole purpose of programming URC when I need it. The hardware is fast enough to handle both, win-7 and, definitely, win xp.

And, in general, it's not uncommon for the manufacturers to stop supporting older products with updates. It sucks when you're in those shoes but it happens.

As far as the competition goes, *IF* Harmony works for you, it could be an option. I've used Harmony since original ex-zapper model for several years. But once I moved components into the basement, I got tired of dealing with IR systems, trying to point into a particular spot where the receiver is, etc. I've briefly toyed with Harmony 900 but RF system totally sucked. I would loose RF connection and would have to be reestablished all the time. Half of the time remote would lock up, requiring a battery pull. Exchanged it - same issue. At that point I gave up and went with MX-1200. Was so impressed, ended up getting MX-780 for the bedroom. I've since forgotten that you could have a problem with the remote. Other than when my IR transmitter falls off the device.

Give Harmony a try if you want and test it out but be confident you can return it. FYI, my 2nd Harmony 900 had serial number mismatch with the box (and, no, I haven't mixed them up) and Best Buy refused to take it. Had to stop the CC payment, then fight with them over it for 2 months.

Michael,

Thank you for you comments explaining your situation. I will check with URC to confirm that you were given the correct information and if there is a current solution to your problem. If I find out anything I will send you a PM.

Same thing happened to me. I was one of the first buyers of the 880 and worked fine in XP. When Windows 7 came out URC redesigned the USB connection in the remote and left the old ones to fend for themselves. I have to keep an old laptop with XP on it to program the remote. Not end of world, just an annoyance. Not a big deal just a little disappointed that URC didn't want to support their first buyers with a new OS.

Have a good one.