I've had the remote for 4 months now... here are my experiences...
when things are good...

+ range = fine
+ battery life and recharging = fine.
+ motion activated lcd = cool

= ergonomics of device... very so so... buttons are tiny and blend into each other smoothly, so hard to 'feel'; backlighting of button text = 3rd grade compared to cell phones.

= rf stability - it does seem to hang from time to time (e.g. once every two weeks or so... requires battery removal and reconnect sequence... the wife is getting the hang of it).

- configuration. Yes, it's 'easy'. But the experience is WAY worse than other harmony's. Its a pain the the REAR and takes forever every time you change one thing (and that's IF it goes well).

- - - software... Arghhhhhhhh. I've tweaked the config once a month or so... EVERY time I do so... go through a new set of 'bugs du jour'... I have spent days on the phone with their tech support (the canadian crew are first rate... but the software team never quite got the 890 release out of beta and should be sent to India to handle 895 calls for a week before they're allowed to develop code again).

For all this, i still want to get this thing going again (it's currently dead, but has been working ok)... but I really wouldn't recommend it to a friend.

paul

I could succeed updating the firmware thru the usb cable however it constantly fails when I try updating the devices into the remote.

Norton a/v is disabled, firewall is off but the progress bar can hardly reach 9% and stuck there.

Only once it could reach 100% but this time stuck during "examining ..."

What can be the problem ? remote or computer or the connection ??


Need to make it asap otherwise remote will go into smaller pieces

Thanks

I too have had a 890 for about 6 months (lucky first owner ;). While it is still the best looking remote on the market, I too would not recommend it to anyone. The first one was dead so Logitech sent out another. I spent a few hours on the phone with the nice guys from support. They did all they could to help me tune it to be almost acceptable. Still had issues like everyone else where the remote locks up, response in sluggish, and sometimes I get multiple actions with one key press.

Last night I decided to tackle it again and download the latest firmware. Now I am ready to throw it through the window. One key press turns into about 20. I have tried the intra key settings, inter device settings, and the magic 0-6 response setting with no luck to solve the problem.

I am going to try to support one more time tomorrow. I don't see what I have missed. It probably works just fine with IR but I want the RF to work. I hoped they would have it figured out by now. There must be a hardware design issue and they are just trying to patch together with software.

I would have thought they fixed that stuff by now as well...
I'm also an 895 owner for a few months now and the last 2 months I just haven't used it 'cause these repeating commands over RF just make it so annoying to use that I stopped using it...

I've just called the Harmony helpdesk here in Belgium and they're telling me to call back after 8pm because then the line automatically connects to Harmony HQ in Canada apparently... Really interested to hear what they have to say about this...

Even when I hold the remote right next to the Z-Wave receiver, it still receives multiple commands... So there's definitely something wrong with this thing...

I just got off the phone with support and I feel like an idiot. My problem over the last six months of having multiple actions with one key press was I had the USB cable connected from my Media Center PC to the Logitech Wireless Extender. They should not be connected while you are using the system, just while programming.

I think I was use to the IR Blaster for MCE being plugged into the PC all of the time that I just assumed the Logitech extender needed to be plugged in as well.

Just one of those things. Definitely my issue.

Lav,

So did this solve the issue?

I bought an 890 quite some time ago, but it was so horrible (the multiple blasting issue), it has since been gathering dust and I have not updated the firmware in months.

I think this could be a pretty decent remote if they just got those little quirks out of the way.

Has anyone else played around with the latest firmware and is it working well? (ie, no IR repeating and no reseting of the RF station)

I'm a new user of the 890. Seems to work pretty well however I'm not sure how to get the volume controls to punch-thru from my receiver regardless what other device I'm using (ie, dvd or cable). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

That's because you're using Device mode which dedicates the remote to that device. You should be in Activity mode where each button can control a different device in that activity.

I am looking to buy a 890. Can you have the remote learn commands from a factory remote IF that component is not available in Logitech's database? For example, I'm planning on adding in an off-brand HDMI/Optical switcher, can I learn directly from this remote the commands that I need?

Also, I had read somewhere that you can add in network logo's on the 890's screen. How many logos will it hold?

Of course. All harmonies are learning remotes.

Dust off that remote and give it a try. There is still a delay on the response of the button presses, but the repeating issue is all but gone. Seems like the delay settings do not have much effect when you use the RF portion of the remote. Still, at least I can now use my remote :)

Does the learning function on this remote apply to devices using RF remotes (eg. BOSE Lifestyle) as well as IR devices?

No, the learning is only IR. And the RF is only for the communication between the remote and the extender - it won't control other RF devices unless they are Z wave compatible.

This is an IR remote with Z wave RF capability. There is no such thing as a Universal RF remote due to FCC frequency requirements which prevent one RF device from interfering with another RF device. Z wave is as close as you can get.

Hello all,

The 890 does not need an infrared receiver in view to work. It will send commands to the base unit through walls or doors and the base unit will flash ir to the devices. Bury it all in the cabinet if you like. Infrared extenders need to plug in to the base unit so be kind to yourself and mark the extenders and leave it very accessible. One has to update the base unit off the website (via usb cable) as that is where some ir commands are buffered. Harmony is not kind enough to include visible flashing led's on the flashers so diagnostics are challenging.

I would urge all to stay away from Harmony's products especially the 890. I have been a Harmony dealer for over a year and can tell you that their 890 remote has caused our company significant stress. That and we get better deals by shopping outside of our authorized distributors. We have had to warranty all but one of the twelve 890's we placed to date. I cover the whole northeast for a territory so some of these have been as far away as 3.5 hours. Their website was good up to the summer and then turned in to a disaster. Last night my last "placed" 890 puked on its self. I wanted to add one button to the the lcd screen and the website hung seven times leaving a white screen where internet explorer was. (no security software or firewall) When it decided to work it told me I needed to upgrade the firmware before making any configuration changes. This would be the fourth firmware upgrade (and one downgrade when they put z-wave device protocol in the thing) that Harmony has issued for this product to memory. After 10 tries the base unit would not take the firmware and the old firmware was removed. Rendering my customers theater, with remotely located equipment inoperable. I wish I had a way to bypass the firmware in that case as many of my 890 problems have been upon a firmware change.

My message to Harmony would be this " I have purchased my last Harmony some time ago. Will you please tell the rest of the world when your beta test (on our dime) is over so that the masses can either consider or exclude your products?

I politely asked to beta test for them a year ago and have later discovered that they beta test upon production. My queston was not answered or shrugged as "our engineering department is handling that". We are NAD dealers. Aside from bad delays upon upload many of the NAD buttons that would be obvious to map were misappropriated. This requires a phone call. Tech help has always been helpful but the idea is that they should correct these problems but take no steps to do so. Every time I had an 890 problem they asked me to read a production run number off of the battery area. It seems they had a bad run but will not admit to it. They take no responsibility for faulty products and have not offered anything to us for having to deal with their internal problems of poor engineering, worse web interface, or bad production runs. Tech help is in Canada. If I remember correctly the rf carrier they use is 902.?? mhz. If you have overlap of rf thats tough. Seems the engineers forgot to make a way to adjust channel or frequency used. Literally all other rf solutions on the market have this adjustment.

For those needing a rf solution, meaning you dont want an ir receiver visible or those who have to buy the plasma proof receiver and the price is daunting, please consider two other remotes. The MyNevo by Universal Electric (harmony rents their ir code database anyways, thats why we have to do web setup, they are not allowed to distribute those codes) and Unversal remotes MX-900. Both will offer the same level of ease of use and functionality. Might not look as slick but trust me, those buttons on the 890 are difficult to "feel" for those power users out there. One gent here claimed to need multiple base stations. The MyNevo can do that for you and very well.
If you need a simple ir remote on line of sight then harmony may work well for you. I would not recommend repeating a harmony through a repeater. My success ratio is sporadic with that configuration as their delays cause problems.

I know harmony will read this but I have to ask why. Its not like we can post a config file on Remote Central and make it available for others. Harmony does not have an open programming interface. Only a web page aimed at the entry level user. Depending on the problems (bad button maps or bad delays) you could be there for a while. That is if you can even get it to work. Last night during my ten tries to upload firmware I even got conflicting indications saying success, and another window sad it failed. In many occasions the website and the software on the computer were not any where near being in synch.

Hope this helps
Darylk

darylk,

I have been with Harmony since there very first remote and back when they were a small shop. Remotes were great, customer service even better, website was reliable, ability to modify XML, TV Listings... then Logitech took over... and have been taking everything away, including quality and customer service.... end of story.