This is what i was getting at. ^


These customers ALWAYS end up spending more to get less in the end. It never fails.

When was the last time you tried it? I have zero experience with anything Harmony related other than the Harmony Ultimate system. The wizard was super simple and i had a working remote in under a half hour from the first time i opened the software. Then i was able to copy that remote to 9 other rooms and make minor adjustments based on what room had a blu-ray or apple tv.

When i say that Harmony is good for "simple systems". The project i used them on had a TV/AVR/Cable Box/Blu-ray (and 1 room had an AppleTV) in every room. AVR did video switching. I don't think i would try to use it for anything beyond a single room because customizing the macros isn't super flexible. You can add and rearrange new commands but you cant touch their auto-generated programming...even to put in a delay...unless i just couldn't figure out how to do it.

I agree 100% with this.  Harmony works great for the DIY crowd who like to tinker away and continually mess with their equipment.
But that doesn't mean I'm going to sell, service or support them by any means.. 

Well I didn't know it was sub $300. You said under a grand so I gave an example.

It sounds like you think $1000 isn't a lot of money. In a large system, it's not, but when someone's budget doesn't allow top of the line ANYTHING, it is. Keep in mind that the remote doesn't make the system look or sound better. Also, it's a prime example something for which the value needs to be demonstrated and a lot of people just aren't going to spend $1000 for a remote, programmed, or not. Then, if they don't have an iPad, it boosts the price to a minimum of $1500, just to control their system. Even at $775, it's not something that a typical Harmony user will want. For a simple system Harmony fits the bill, even though people in the business typically hate them. like it, or not, they work and when someone is contacted for odds and ends work, it's not a bad choice.

You can add delays- usually, it's in the troubleshooting area and the wizard will ask which component isn't working properly. Otherwise, if you click on 'Sequences' (their word for 'Macro'), you can add a step, which can be a delay in whatever increment you need, unless it's extremely long. I wouldn't go nuts with long delays if the remote isn't working with an RF extender.

It's been probably close to a couple years since the last one I did. It was a very simple system. DVD, DTV, Samsung LCD, and a pioneer HTiB. There might have been a VCR too. The Pioneer didn't do video switching so the TV had to switch inputs. I remember that I had trouble getting pioneer to switch. Maybe harmony didn't have the exact model and the closest one they had, the inputs weren't labeled the same. I don't remember now exactly what the problem was. But I do remember that the way their cloud based software worked, to test the remote, Uploading, testing, and adjusting was a slow process.

I've removed a few Harmonys and replaced them with More custom solutions. I think the results were always the same. At first, the DIY husband was extremely defensive of his remote. After I was finished, the wife was thrilled with her new remote and to be rid of the harmony that she couldn't ever figure out how to use. And the husband had to admit that my remote kicked the harmony's ass

Most of the DIY crowd can't set up a harmony correctly and think the "help" feature is awesome.

As I stated earlier, I used $1000 because that was the dollar amount mentioned. That being said, I have only sold two of the .r remotes. We sell the .z regularly for smal systems at $1,500 then it crestron. That is it, we would never tangle with harmony as we have no desire or need to.

I posted again because i honestly didn't know what the price tag on the Harmony Ultimate was. I posted the "under a grand" thing because thats typically what a 1 room remote costs when using a professional product and i knew it was less than that.

I couldn't believe it was under $300. Crazy. Seriously if you guys haven't seen this remote you should check it out. This is not the Harmony you remember.

I did run into an issue with 1 room. [Link: remotecentral.com] I wasted quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to add a delay. I was never able to do it. I ended up fixing the problem by turning the TV on first...then the AVR.

With a real PC programmable remote (URC RTI etc.) i could have just easily moved commands around and added delays. Except for that 1 issue everything else went fast. As far as updating and testing and software goes...its as quick as URC or RTI imo.

The MX 890 and MX 1200 and TC take a while. RTI takes like a second to send an update. I have had issues in the past with client owned Harmony's where their site was down, making it impossible to program

Two months ago we were replacing a camera on a Doorking unit. I noticed a Marantz AVR and some other a/v and Apple equipment on the floor and asked about it. The client said that her "computer" guy was working on the wifi system and upgrading the a/v system. I gave her a card when done and said if she had any problems give me a call.
Last week her husband called and asked if we could come over and get the house music working, they had a party coming up. He said it only worked sporadically.
So we get there and it's a Harmony Ultimate. I have only dealt with Harmony once before (550 I think), it took me a while to figure out how the guy set it up. The house da music was at the bottom with a weird icon and an H in front of sources, not user friendly at all. It was pretty basic, a feed from zone 2 to a multi channel amp.
It was so fu$;(d up I was ready to toss it. If you turned on the house music first it'd turn it off if you wanted Directv in the Den? Even if you wanted to listen to what the da source was it'd shut off zone 2 feed?
The Ultimate was a piece of crap. I choose Directv for the Den and then there was no keypad to change channels? The client said " you have to swipe over a few pages to the keypad". I couldn't imagine handing this over to my inlaw or house sitter?
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR......though I have no idea what he paid the "computer guy"
I also asked about his wifi. He said " it's not great, sometimes doesn't get a good signal and very slow". We checked and the guy put in an Extreme and three Airports. A quick Speed Test showed 110 download (hardwired). Probably going to be doing some network stuff too.
I'm giving him a cost to install a professional control system and a pull out rack for the equipment, everything was shoved into a small cabinet. Oh yea, the Ultimate was only ir with the TV over the fireplace. Cabinet doors had to be left open for signal and heat.