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User reviews for the Harmony 659 / H659 / SST-659 from Logitech.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 3.91/5.00 Median: 4.33/5.00
88
$199
The Harmony H659 remote control features simple Internet-based programming via USB, Smart State control for easy system automatation, full backlighting, a redesigned user interface and a large complement of hard buttons!
The reviewer has used this remote control for 6-12 months.
Review 81 made on Tuesday March 7, 2006 at 5:06 PM.
Strengths:
Completely programmable Very easy to use
Weaknesses:
Complicated to set up
Review:
I really like this remote, and most importantly my wife likes it. I bought this to replace my Home Theater Master MX-500, which is also a great remote. (It did not survive a fall from the shelf, though.)
We have a complicated setup, with TV, two satellite receivers, A/V receiver, cable and DVD, and with the 659 we can switch between all of them effortlessly. Once the remote is programmed it's very smart, turning things on or off and switching inputs as needed.
Programming is a bit of a hassle, though. You have to download from the internet for every change. If you test it and it's still not quite right, you have to download again. There are codes for a vast number of devices, but most often the default layouts require a good deal of tweaking to get it to a fully useable state. If you've got more than a few components, count on spending several hours to get the remote the way you want it.
That said, I don't regret the hours I spent setting this up, because now it really is the perfect remote. Very satisfied, I recommend this highly if you don't mind spending the time to set it up.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 80 made on Thursday December 29, 2005 at 2:32 PM.
Strengths:
Does exactly what it say's it will do, replaces all your remotes and self learns macros
Weaknesses:
Web based interface.
Review:
It took me 4 hours to finally get finished with my settings due to the fact that the web site kicked me off repeaditly or wouldn't let me in due to high traffic. This may be becuase of Christmas and lots of units sold, but it was a frustrating to say the least. Once finished it controled everything, and turned on all the correct components as if it was a miracle, with one exception.I have a VHS/DVD combo player and it wouldn't control the VHS side. I went back on line and taught it the codes by simply pressing buttons on the old VHS remote, and walla, it all works! Even my wife who is skeptical of most gadegts loves this one!!
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 79 made on Saturday December 24, 2005 at 12:42 AM.
Review:
Plugged it in my pc....not recognised...spent about 13 hours trying to find a way to have this thing connected on my pc but to no avail....i will stick to my 4 remotes...this is the worst electronic gadget that i bought in my life....Everything else i plug into my pc works great...but not this thing...
Very disappointed in logitech,they should stick with gaming controllers...
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 78 made on Tuesday November 29, 2005 at 7:21 PM.
Strengths:
Does everything I wanted in a universal remote. Replaced 7 remote units for my home entertainment system. Can even learn to operate the A/C.
Weaknesses:
Setup can be a bit tricky. Activites sometimes doesn't complete its operations (not an issue - easy fixed). Didn't get much help from the Tech people at Harmony, slow response.
Review:
After a whole week of playing around with my Harmony 659 and plenty of advice from others here (forum). Now finally, the remote does everything I need it to do, exactly the way I want it to do it. There were a few commands I thought 'no way it can do that', and sure enough - there was a way! I am currently working out how to operate the A/C with the H659. Amazing stuff!!
The setup process was very tricky but with the huge amount of help you can get from the forum here it was not an issue at all. Harmony didn't help much when I sent an email of a problem, this was because they only replied long after it was resolved by the forum here.
The size of the unit and button placement are excellent. I looked into the Sony models but decided against it due to the size of them.
Great product. I would recommend it - however, keep this site and its very helpful forum in mind during setup.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 77 made on Saturday November 12, 2005 at 7:50 AM.
Strengths:
i love the electronics world and having my tv being just a monitor. This remote also lets my wife enjoy all the systems conected to the system with this remote. Talk about easy to use. this takes the cake.
Weaknesses:
difficult to make changes to the system when online loading info to the remote
Review:
dont miss out. if your looking for a remote that is easy to use. this is it.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 76 made on Saturday October 22, 2005 at 8:28 PM.
Strengths:
Runs my entire home theatre-exactly what I was looking for in a remote.
Weaknesses:
1.Struggled with the web based setup, but it got easier when I started to understand.
Review:
Loving it so far. The ability to throw all my original remtes in the drawer is what I was looking for in a remote and found it with this one. My former remote couldn't handle the task but this does. I recomend it.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 75 made on Friday September 9, 2005 at 7:38 PM.
Strengths:
Intuitive initial setup and automatic setup of activites. Fully customisable and comprehensive device database.
Weaknesses:
Web-based management requires constant downloading. Web interface is a little cumbersome.
Review:
I bought this device new for $95 AUD inc postage via ebay. Overall, a very polished product with intuitive features and very customisable.
The device is designed mostly for AV systems and does not apper to allow easy configuration of other devices like air conditioners and lighting etc, but that was not what I bought the remote for. It is of a good weight and is very ergonomic.
A read a few reviews on the web about the remote prior to purchasing and I have found a few statements to be off target: * The LCD display will allow all 6 feature buttons with a firmware upgrade and a setting change within the application. * The buttons do not give poor response or do not (to me at least) feel "sticky".
The only complaint I have with the device is that the web site is somewhat poorly structured and hard to navigate if you wish to do more than use its built in wizards. The web interface makes updates to your remote take longer than it probably needs to, a annoyance when you are first setting the remote up. If a client-side version was on offer that contained the complete device database, this might make things easier.
Overall however, great value for money (especially in my case) and a very good product.
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