As I read this board all I see is posts about Harmony's. Is that all everyone uses? I've been in this business for 10 years and have had nothing but problems with Harmony remotes.

Most of my colleagues don't use Harmony either.

We all use Universal, RTI, Nevo, and Philips.

Just curious what you all find so appealing about the Harmony remotes.

They're appealing to end users because they're relatively inexpensive and the wizard-based setup makes them easy to program. They're not appealing to installers because they're regularly sold online for what the installer can buy them for and they're not as well made as the others you mentioned. This results in more service calls.

I paid $300 for an 890 pro, which is a multi-room RF remote. A solution from RTI or Universal would have been at least twice as much, likely more. The Harmony does everything I need it to do, and my setup is more complex than average (multiple DVR's, whole-house music, home theater in basement). So I've had to invest some personal time, vs. having an installer come program it for me, which clearly is worth something, but I can update things easily by myself, or if I get stuck, using Harmony's tech support.

About my only compaint is the buttons aren't raised, but I personally love the shape, and the buttons are, at least to me, in the right places. Plus, comparing the LCD display to, say, and MX-950, it's not even close - the harmony is much easier to read and more attractive.

If you're not computer saavy or don't want to spend a few hours of your personal time programming a remote, then Harmony is a lousy choice. But if neither of those things scare you, I had a much easier time justifying $300 for the remote vs. 2 to 3 times that amount.

1) reasonably inexpensive
2) very easy to program
3) good solid responsive tech support
4) can buy one anywhere

take rti for example... i'm sure it's a great remote, and way more flexible than a harmony... however, i can't buy one except from one of their distributors, and there's a grand total of 1 of those in new jersey... and it's significantly more difficult to program, and if you have an installer do it, every time you change your equipment, you are on the hook for a re-programming bill.

or urc... the software fiasco for one... and again, it's not the easiest thing in the world to program... i had one... i eventually got it to work... i've been a programmer for 25 years... i can't imagine an "average joe" getting it to work...

i understand why installers like these remotes... the enhanced flexibility is really nice... and i also bet that the enhanced revenue that they generate doesn't hurt either... ;)

but for the great majority of the population, who merely wants to control their tv, dvd player and avr, anything other than a harmony is gross overkill...

one man's opinion...

It's not that everybody uses Harmony, but people post since they have problems with them. If you have those other remotes you mentioned, you would have the installer program it correctly in the first place, and then just call him to make it work correctly if it doesn't, not post here to figure out why it's not working, and how to find a work around.

however, i can't buy one except from one of their distributors, and there's a grand total of 1 of those in new jersey...

I would bet that there are many more than one dealer in all of New Jersey that use RTI remotes. There may be only 1 distributor, but you can't buy it from them anyway, only the dealers.

Harmony's are popular because they are cheap and available. Thats it.

I paid $200 for a Harmony One and I have been in the business longer than twenty-five years. What does tenure in the CE field have to do with this remote. I have never had a problem with either one of the two Harmony remotes that I own. Had I not been a audiophile, I would not have had to pay people like me to program this remote, subsequent amendments to this remote, troubleshoot this remote; or Take a graduate level engineering class to operate this remote. My family can use this remote without frustration. I didn't need to pawn a kidney to buy this remote which is more than I can say for RTI, Universal. Nevo or Philips. Anything else????

I would bet that there are many more than one dealer in all of New Jersey that use RTI remotes. There may be only 1 distributor, but you can't buy it from them anyway, only the dealers.

Harmony's are popular because they are cheap and available. Thats it.

Cheap and available, yes, but they also do work. I have a Harmony One in my 5.1 family room setup with a 50" Kuro, Onkyo TX-SR805 as a pre/pro to my Sunfire Cinema Grand, HD-XA2, PS3, iPod Dock, DirecTV DVR, and MG-35 media streamer, and have never had an issue. Likewise, I have a Harmony 890 downstairs in my 7.1 front projector setup which is a little more complex, and it too works like a charm.

Of course, being cheaper alternatives, they probably will break down more than most of us would like. However, as another poster mentioned, being a frequent upgrader and equipment swapper, I refuse to pay a programming bill everytime I change equipment. With the Harmony's, it's typically about 5 minutes total changing all the macros and commands for new equipment, and it continues to work flawlessly.

This is primarily a DIY forum, Harmony is a DIY product. Go to a CI mostly forum and Harmony users are few and far between.

I'll just add that not "everyone" uses Harmony in this forum. I'm currently using a URC MX-980 & MX-850.....and had an MX-500 a few years back. I love URC remotes and have no desire to own a Harmony remote.

I don't consider harmony cheap. $50 is too much to pay for a remote in my book. I'm surprised that more DIYers in on this forum aren't more drawn to JP1 as a much cheaper alternative to harmony, which is even more powerful in many ways. It's bit more complex to program until you learn how to do it, but incredibly flexible once you get past the learning curve.

I was a Philips Pronto (3000) user and really loved the remote. I really enjoyed the programming aspect of it. My program was activity based which made it easy for the family to use. It was also great with a DVD jukebox. When the screen went (as it did with scores of owners and absolutely no support from Philips), I gave the 880 a try.

It was reasonable. I have since switched to the One and love it. Not a flexible as I would like (I love macros) for the price it's hard to beat.

Also, people with the more customizable remotes such as URC, RTI etc generally use remotecentral.com.

BTW: My wife loves the fact that she can choose from 6 sources in 4 different zones with our MX-980...easily.:D

I went from a MX-500 to Harmony...my family and I much prefer the size/form factor of the Harmony (my wife called the MX "That beast."), and setting/up programming a Harmony has been easier.

I have had one problem w/a Harmony remote that was long out of warranty...called up and got a new one for $40 from Logitech. Received it and had it programmed w/my personal setup in a couple of minutes.

A friend of mine calls his Harmony "The Marriage Saver." :)

When I first decided I needed and all-in-one remote to control mysystem, I bought aURC MX-500. After numerous attempts to program it I threw up my hands in utter disgust. I bought a Harmony 550 and was up and running in about 20 min. My sister (72) calls it the best thing I ever bought. I then went out and bought another 550 for the kitchen and a 720 for my bedroom. Recently I changed dvd players in the kitchen and bedroom and reprogrammed both remotes in 15 min. with no problems. I gave a 550 to my nephew and programmed it for his system but his stupid wife won't use it and does not even grasp the concept after being shown at least 3 times. Her mother caught on and now when she comes over to baby sit uses the 550. You can lead a horse towater but you can't make it run in the Kentucky Derby!

I gave a 550 to my nephew and programmed it for his system but his stupid wife won't use it and does not even grasp the concept after being shown at least 3 times.

That is why you must hide the original remotes after programming a universal remote.

Harmony remotes are crap(IMO)... the way they are setup the steps it takes to program them.. just annoying.. they are definately for a consumer who wants to cut costs... when you cut costs you cut benefits.. and in most cases this is OK with most people.

the one thing I cant stand is that you have to setup a different account for each remote... I had to program a 100 of these for a higher end hotel once.. and that was absolutely annoying... (probably wouldnt have been as bad if all the equipment was the same throughout but never-the-less a pain)

The one thing I liked was all the info is stored on their website and not my computer ;)

and one additional thing,

That is why you must hide the original remotes after programming a universal remote.

If you have to hide the remotes then its not programmed properly (either unintuitive or not working properly) you shouldn't have to hide any remotes you should show them how "easy" it is compared to using the regular remotes:D

well, i think it IS safe to say that the average harmony user doesn't have to program 100 of them... :rolleyes:

cheap...
available...
even granny and grampy can program them... and if not, logitech support is a phone call away...
superb warrantee and replacement work...
handles 95% (conservatively) of consumers complete setup with no difficulty whatsoever...

i'm not saying that the CI remotes aren't "better" remotes... there's no doubt that they are... but for the great majority of people, it's like buying a porsche and only driving it back and forth to the convenience store... yea, it's nice, but it's overkill for the task at hand...

and one additional thing,



If you have to hide the remotes then its not programmed properly (either unintuitive or not working properly) you shouldn't have to hide any remotes you should show them how "easy" it is compared to using the regular remotes:D

He said that they showed her three times and that everyone else had no problems using it.

i'm not saying that the CI remotes aren't "better" remotes... there's no doubt that they are... but for the great majority of people, it's like buying a porsche and only driving it back and forth to the convenience store... yea, it's nice, but it's overkill for the task at hand...


Well said. I seriously doubt I would have paid retail for my MX-980/MRF-300 combo. I just happen to be friends with the manager of my local Magnolia Hi Fi. He had an old MX-950 in a drawer and I ended up paying $50 for it (discontinued/no cradle). He sold me the MRF-300 for $25 (no flashers). I then went accross the street and scooped up a cradle and 6 IR flashers for $0 @ the Tweeter I used to work for (totally lucked out on that one). Got it all home, and within a week the 950 started acting funky. I'm guessing it was from being slammed around in the drawer with other remotes for 2 years. Called URC and within a week, I had a brand new MX980 @ my door.

I know this got off topic, but I can't help but giggle every time I think I scored an $800 RF remote system for $75.:D

I do think that ccotenj nailed it tho. You need to pick a remote based on your needs and consider other people who might be using it. Also, think of how much time you want to spend programming/tweaking, as the MX-980 software is not for the casual user.

I was a beta tester for the Harmony 1000, and it was an absolute nightmare to try to set up for my system. After a month and 20hrs on the phone, it never really worked. It went straight to FleaBay for $315, and I picked up 2 MX-900's. Also, from the number of posts everywhere, it looks like it still has issues.

The bottom line is that if it works for you, no matter what remote it is... great. For a fairly simple set up, any Harmony will do the trick. For my needs (4zones/6 sources), the URC MX-980 is a perfect fit. I will say that my MX-900's were accomplishing the same tasks without any problems whatsoever, but they are now dedicated remotes for the diningroom and porch.

I know this got off topic, but I can't help but giggle every time I think I scored an $800 RF remote system for $75.

I'll give you $100 cash money for it!

For a fairly simple set up, any Harmony will do the trick. For my needs (4zones/6 sources), the URC MX-980 is a perfect fit.

With all due respect to the CI's out there, I think it's a fallacy to say that a Harmony product only handles "simple" setups. My Harmony controls 11 sources in 4 zones. My zones are whole house, family room, bedroom, and basement theater. While there are many, many systems that would make mine look like a boom box, I don't consider my setup to be simple.

I did step up to the 890 pro, which costs about $100 more than the standard 890. This gave me the multi-zone functionality I needed. I still paid hundreds less than I would have paid for anything from Universal, and it does everything I need it to. Within seconds I can be watching a DVD in any of three video zones, listen to music anywhere in the house, you get the idea. I'm sure there are things a Universal or RTI can do that my Harmony can't, or perhaps it can be done better. But I can program this myself in minutes, and if I really get stuck I can make unlimited calls to Harmony's customer support (and the Pro remote gets you right to level II - a major hidden benefit of the 890 Pro), and not have to worry about being "on the clock."

I have a tremendous amount of respect for CI's - I have used them in the past for other things. But it's wrong to imply that anything more than a TV and VCR, or more than 1 zone, and Harmony won't fit the bill. FWIW, I've also been told, by Universal dealers, that their RF base stations have pretty limited range and are very finicky. I live in an old house with a lot of plaster and lathe, and the Harmony works from just about anywhere even though most of my equipment is tucked away in a basement closet.

With all due respect to the CI's out there, I think it's a fallacy to say that a Harmony product only handles "simple" setups. My Harmony controls 11 sources in 4 zones. My zones are whole house, family room, bedroom, and basement theater. While there are many, many systems that would make mine look like a boom box, I don't consider my setup to be simple.

I did step up to the 890 pro, which costs about $100 more than the standard 890. This gave me the multi-zone functionality I needed. I still paid hundreds less than I would have paid for anything from Universal, and it does everything I need it to. Within seconds I can be watching a DVD in any of three video zones, listen to music anywhere in the house, you get the idea. I'm sure there are things a Universal or RTI can do that my Harmony can't, or perhaps it can be done better. But I can program this myself in minutes, and if I really get stuck I can make unlimited calls to Harmony's customer support (and the Pro remote gets you right to level II - a major hidden benefit of the 890 Pro), and not have to worry about being "on the clock."

I have a tremendous amount of respect for CI's - I have used them in the past for other things. But it's wrong to imply that anything more than a TV and VCR, or more than 1 zone, and Harmony won't fit the bill. FWIW, I've also been told, by Universal dealers, that their RF base stations have pretty limited range and are very finicky. I live in an old house with a lot of plaster and lathe, and the Harmony works from just about anywhere even though most of my equipment is tucked away in a basement closet.

Coming from a CI, I say hey if it works for you great but on a large scale it doesnt work for us because it is not as reliable as others. there are people who have a ton of problems with either/or and end up switching. I'm just saying from my experience and personal preferences URC is the lowest I'll go when it comes to a programmable remote ;)

I'll give you $100 cash money for it!


SOLD!!!... (yea right):cool:. Heck. You gotta' try.;)

So far the Harmony has been 100% reliable in my experience. I have never seen a piece of paper blow away that I set in on!! ;)

Other than that I don't see it as a professional product. If you can make it wok reliable for you, more power to you!! This is nothing more than my opinion...

It's kind of funny, I don't consider $100+ dollars for just a remote control cheap. So it's funny to hear some people call the $300+ dollar Harmony remotes the cheap way out. Unless I had to control like a million different units in a bunch of different rooms I'd never see a use for anything other than a mid-range Logitech.

It's kind of funny, I don't consider $100+ dollars for just a remote control cheap. So it's funny to hear some people call the $300+ dollar Harmony remotes the cheap way out. Unless I had to control like a million different units in a bunch of different rooms I'd never see a use for anything other than a mid-range Logitech.

It depends what you are used to, I was playing with a $5k "remote" (Crestron TPMC8x/MC2e) which everyone loved. I had to come home to my $1500 "remote" (RTI T2c/RP-6).