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Just a quick Logitech Harmony remote quality/longevity check?
This thread has 7 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Tuesday September 3, 2013 at 14:27
todd1010
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
December 2002
187
I've had and still have numerous Harmony remotes. I still have a Harmony One, Harmony 900, and now I added a Harmony Ultimate.

My Harmony 900 touch screen doesn't work all the time, so I assume it has something to do with the accelerometer and it doesn't recognize I've picked it up. I've had this remote for just at 2 years and is currently out of warranty.

Now that I've just bought the Harmony Ultimate, do you feel the Harmony brand is not reliable for long time use? Maybe the older ones are better made like the Harmony 659, etc but I'm starting to decide whether I want to speak with my money and return the Ultimate based upon the reliability of my 900.

I find it hard to swallow I spent about $350 on the Harmony 900 2 years ago and I just spent $399 on the Harmony Ultimate. I'm within my return period for the Ultimate so I'd like to hear some input on the matter.

I spoke with Logitech Customer Support and they do not offer any kind of repair service, refurbished program or anything after your remote is 1 year old. I told them I would be willing to purchase a refurbished, discounted, pay for repair but they do not offer anything like this.

Disappointed!
Post 2 made on Tuesday September 3, 2013 at 18:26
OneRemote
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2013
89
If you're spending $400 on a Logitech Harmony, you're doing it wrong! :)

Actually your story sounds really familiar. I purchased two Harmony 900s for my home a couple years ago and between battery bulging problems or requiring to reset the thing to get it to work I had nothing but problems with them. They just aren't built to last and I found their programming and features limited.

It was my first universal remote purchase so I don't really beat myself up over it but I'm glad I stopped buying Harmony.

I purchased two URC remotes this time around and am very happy with the quality of the remotes and the functionality that can be achieved from the programming. They really are a huge leap ahead of the Harmony line.

I purchased an MX-890 and an MX-780. The 780 is used in the room that doesn't get much usage and the 890 is in the main room of the house and is used almost daily.

You can buy a URC MX-890 from SurfRemoteControl.com for cheaper than what you paid for your Harmony Ultimate. They will send you the software with the remote and if you're ok with computers you can program the remote yourself. If you'd rather have someone else do it then you can just find a local URC dealer and buy the remote from them and pay for programming. Make sure they agree to provide you with the software so that you can tinker with it or make any changes in the future.

One thing to note is that the URC remotes are all RF capable but don't come with an RF base station -- you will have to buy that separately if your equipment is behind a cabinet, or in a closet or a different room.

Even though the base station isn't included, I think the URC remotes are a huge jump ahead of the Logitech Harmony line and I think you'd be surprised by the price difference between the two not being that big.
OP | Post 3 made on Tuesday September 3, 2013 at 22:50
todd1010
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
December 2002
187
Yes, I've owned and programmed URC remotes before and I may just have to go back.
Post 4 made on Wednesday September 4, 2013 at 10:19
bizwiz41
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
February 2010
75
I saw this thread, and felt I had to add my thoughts. I love the "user friendly" aspects of the Harmony remotes, but..the quality is terrible. I started with the 659, and then moved on to the 880s and 890s.

The 659 is now dead, the 880s/890s (five in the household) have all required repair, from tilt sensors to dead keys to IR transmitters, on and on. For this reason I have not moved onto any of the newer models. It seems the quality degraded further with the later models. In contrast, the Comcast and Atlas remotes have been sat on, chewed by dogs, thrown across the room, etc. and I've never had to open one up for repair!

You are not alone, I am a member on the Harmony forum, and I see these complaints every day. It seems the newer the model, the more the issues. Also, the new software appears to be a downgrade as well. It does not allow some of the creativity and flexibility of the older software.

I personally have a problem when one of the kids states the "volume doesn't work anymore" on a remote that costs hundreds of dollars, and they go back to the cable box remote that was free!

So now, I currently have set up the Xfinity remotes for the family to use for watching TV in all the rooms. I'm delegating the harmony remotes to the "other activities" when the family wants to do something else.

In summary, we can all move to the URC remotes, or hope that the new owners of the harmony line can improve the quality.
Post 5 made on Tuesday October 8, 2013 at 12:09
spblat
Lurking Member
Joined:
Posts:
March 2005
8
I agree with the build concerns on older Harmony remotes. I've been through a couple of 890s and an earlier model, and the buttons do eventually give way.

You might want to keep in mind that the newish Harmony Ultimate and Smart products have a different feel to them. I suspect it represents a transition from legacy Harmony manufacturing to 100% Logitech for what that's worth. I'm really happy with my Smart; time will tell if the buttons last longer but I'm optimistic.
Post 6 made on Sunday June 26, 2022 at 17:01
GaBoYnFla
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
September 2002
10
I have an Ultimate One with hub. If I hard reset the hub and remote, will the app reinstall the previous settings or do I have to reprogram everything again? What if I delete the app and reinstall it without resetting the hub, will the app pick up the settings that were in the hub?
Post 7 made on Sunday June 26, 2022 at 20:16
buzz
Super Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2003
4,366
Why do you need to reset?
Post 8 made on Sunday June 26, 2022 at 23:09
GaBoYnFla
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
September 2002
10
On June 26, 2022 at 20:16, buzz said...
Why do you need to reset?

It won't logon and recognize the hub....for Alexa control....just stopped working...


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