Harmony H688 - Page 11  

Im sorry but thats impossible. Harmony tech themselves informed me that nobody else is having these problems.. not to call you a liar but Im sure they would not be giving me the wrong info. I hit a button and items that are not even in that activity turn on,,, items that are dont... works once then not again.. add activity and download and things I did not change no longer work.... things that have nothing to do with any item in new activity??? activity button placement sucks so bad I dont even try to use them so instead of one button i now have to press 3 or so??? I called them one day and told them that instead of picking up my original remotes and pressing 3 seperate buttons I now have the pleasure of pressing 1 and when it does not work (more often then not) I then get to use the help and press ( not a lie ) 11 buttons to correct it??? really need to find a good remote... MX800??? any suggestions???

-----Rant Over------

Well I'm sure that its happening to me.. just not sure if its my fault or the remote.
I want to start over with it but don't have the time right now to mess with it.
Guess your having similar problems... let me know if you get it fixed.

bobfnbw,

Try holding the remote up a little (remember it has 3 IR transmitters spread out) pointed towards the middle of your components (some of them may be more sensitive)...on my H688 though I can hold it any angle and from any distance (upto 35') and don't see the problem you have.

You might also try fresh batteries to see if that does the trick.

and I think just ignore bcause's rant...I'd suggest he go back to individual remotes.

"and I think just ignore bcause's rant...I'd suggest he go back to individual remotes"

no... really .... its not me.... I can handle a remote. spent hours on phone with techs. they even tried configs for me. heres more. download config that was not changed and the sh*t hits the fan. dvds (2) come on when i hit watch tv??? download from diff systems so not computer,,, wipe out config and start with 1 activity works once in a while... add activity and 1st 1 no good... techs cant explain. remote is held 10 feet away pointing at units... held for 30 secs still no good. my point is that this may not be his fault... techs can not tell me what is wrong... not in config so must be remote no?? tried loading 688 straight from orig remotes takes it fine but same results. why works once then not again??

I think that is true. I have had the same problem once in awhile and to solve it I powered everything down and tried the Harmony and everything worked perfect. It really sounds like bcause has a defective remote or some of the codes are operating more than the component selected so the problems are compounding upon themselves.

I love the Harmony, best uni remote I've ever had and I have spent over $1500 in the last few years just to find the right one.

Jim

bobfnbw - I had a similar problem due to some Rayovac rechargeable batteries that I was using. I don't know if that's the case for you but just thought I'd mention it.

I thought that I'd be smart and get some 15min rechargeable Nimh AAA batteries. Well they are only lasting about 5 days (even with backlighting turned completely off) then the 688 starts acting real weird. Apparently the low voltage does strange things - some of my components were turning on/off and others weren't but the 688 display looked fine.

I called Harmony CS and they said that the problem was due to the 1.2Volts of rechargeables as compared to the 1.5Volts of alkaline batteries. WTF? I spent about 55$ for the batteries and the recharger and I can't even use them!!! I'm amazed that rechargeables don't have some disclaimer on them about operating at a lower voltage than normal alkaline batteries.

Anyway I put some fresh alkaline AAA batteries in the 688 and it's been perfect for about three weeks now. I just got the 688 about a month ago and it's been great. Just thought I'd share that you need fresh alkaline batteries!!!

I do appreciate the input and did not mean to take over this thread.

Im not using any other remotes when trying the 688. I make sure all is off and off by the 688. the problems I am having are most def the remote. im not beyond making mistakes but I do not believe that is the case here. let me add that although once problem could not be solved harmony techs fell off the face of the earth... days without a response... asked for rma info 3 times got nothing... finally after another email complaining of this I did get a call from a dept super who promised to make all right which I believe is going to happen.... this has proven to me that harmony support is all it was said to be and believe me I wish this remote worked for me. afraid I will have to give up on it though since I dont think I can get past the bad, in my opinion, placement of the activity buttons which I stated earlier are useless to me. if u do a little research as i wish i had done more of u will find that others agree. so thanks to peter at harmony and thanks to all here but I need to look elsewhere for a soulution... any help?? is the mx700 or 800 a good solution??

hmmmm.. just read that last post and although i have used this for a few weeks the batteries are just fine.... they are the ones that came with the unit... would be funny if this was just about batteries and the techs never asked or mentioned this as a possible problem....

I am changing the batteries as I wite this. Hope it helps. Thanks for your replys.

I went through the first set of batteries in roughly 3 days of typical use except for programming. So far I'm not impressed with the remote in general and for the amount of money I paid it had better improve.

I've had the 688 for about 3 weeks now and Im having the same issue. When ever I hit the "Watch TV" button, about 90% of the time everything but the PVR comes on. I just go thru the help real quick to fix it, but its getting annoying. The help function turns it on right away and when I hit the off button it shuts it off, but for some reason it rarely turns on corrctly.

However, I have 2 bigger issues so far. When I try to navigate the menu's on the PVR the 4-way directional buttons on my 688 are very unresponsive. I have to make long pauses between each move and even then it doesnt get each move. I have turned the delay down on the PVR setup, but it hasnt helped at all. I cant surf the menus nearly as fast as i can with the original remote.

The 2nd issue is with the number pad. About half the time I hit a number it sends it twice. It makes it very difficult to surf to a specific channel.

Im going to mess with the configuration a bit more, but if i cant get it worked out its going back.

Is anybody having problems updating the remote? I've been trying for the past two days with no luck.

Seems other people are: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...43#post3989743
I don't own a Harmony so I can't comment...

The set of batteries that came with my 688 lasted only about 2 weeks.

When I switched to better batteries (Duracell, Energizer, etc.)...they have been going striong for over a month.

12 days after I received the 688 I needed to change the batteries. Like someone else said, it just stops working unless you are really close to the device you want it to operate. The low battery warning did not come on. I did do quite a bit of playing and reprogramming, that probably had a lot to do with the initial battery life. I put quality batteries in it and we will see how long they last under normal use.
By the way I noticed there is a new firmware version (2.4) available........

First let me say that I absolutley love the functionality of this remote.

Programming is easy and all my activities do precisley what I want them too. I'm not wild about button size/spacing/placement, but at least they're the same buttons in the same place whether I'm watching HDTV, Tivo, DVD, Cable PVR, etc.

However...
I'm actually waiting on an RMA replacement unit because of a problem with battery life, which Harmony support chalked up to a defective unit.

The symptoms are similar to those some of you are having. The first thing to stop working for me is the cable box, then other devices get less and less responsive. When a fresh set of batteries are installed things are great for about a week. Those of you with odd problems should try a fresh set if you haven't already.

When my first set of batteries lasted less than two weeks, I chalked it up to all the updating and the fact that they were the cheapo included batteries. When two subsequent sets of Duracel Ultras also lasted less than two weeks per set, I went out and bought some rechargeables so I wouldn't go broke. I also cranked the backlight time down to 5 seconds and set it to only come on with the glow button. The rechargables last about 10-12 days on a charge. So I've been through 6 sets(3 set of alkalines and 3 charges) in about 8-9 weeks.

This is not good especially considering the uni remote that came with my tv is 13 months old now, got heavy daily use before the Harmony came along, and still has the original Toshiba batteries in it.

When I called Harmony support and described this to the tech, he was pretty certain that this is a defective remote. He has a 659 and his batteries go 3-6 months between changes even with heavy usage and backlighting.

I'll post an update in a few weeks -if the first set of batteries in the new unit last longer than 14 days. I am optomistic that they will. <g>

Cheers,
Ray

Geez, thanks Ray. I just got my 688 today and I am just loving it! I hope the battery bug doesn't hit mine as well. I'll be on the lookout for it though, thanks to all of you who have posted in this very informative thread!

Well.....11 days later and another set of batteries....Harmony said they will replace it......

That being said, it's still a great remote.....

In looking at the 659 vs. the 688, it appears to me that the 659 has an advantage as far as button separate and ease of use for "casual" household users.

Am I crazy? :-)

It's rare that I prefer an older model -- I'm a textbook early adopter -- but I'd love to hear from some folks who've tried both which model they prefer.

(Keeping in mind that a big reason I'm going for the Harmony remote is to have something as easy to use as possible for my wife, who just wants to USE the system rather than learn it...)

The "knock" on the H659 is that it has the Directional Buttons on the button...heavy users of Tivo's etc prefer that they would be in the middle so they are easier and more natural to access...otherwise, yes the spread of the buttons makes it easier to use by feel...I have both the 659 and 688 and both are fine for me...I like the extra buttons on the 688, the only disadvantage to that is they squeeze them a little close.

Thanks, Davisdog.

I discovered the "try the remote" feature on Harmony's website, and it's pretty slick, but... It looks like most of the equipment I'm planning to buy isn't included in their database! (Mostly newer stuff, like the 56" Samsung HLP-series DLP set, Onkyo DV-CP802 DVD, etc.) So that means the "no programming" advantage is going to be lost, no?

They are usually really quick to add stuff to the db (they even take input from existing users and add it to the db after validating it)...I wouldnt worry too much about that also long as this isnt obscure stuff. Call support and they can help you out...if its not currently available I'm sure their is something really close and you can learn any oddball commands in the interim (and they get uploaded so you can map them however you want).

Harmony support is pretty good (especially compared to must manufacture support).

We'll I'm at it, many of us will recommend buying from www.surfremotecontrol.com
great service also, and if you look closely at their website their is a link to get special pricing (that is pretty good)...Since they are an authorized reseller they must list MSRP on their website, but will sell much cheaper if you ask.

-Steve

Thanks, Davisdog. I just ordered the 688 from Surfremote... Great price, but I couldn't bring myself to spend an extra $10 for the silver. :-)

Folks here seem to like it enough that I feel pretty confident ordering it sight-unseen.

Longtime follower, first time poster.

Just saw and ordered this remote from newegg.com. 159.99... cheaper than on the remotes website. No silver though.

Drpull...fyi, I do not believe newegg is an authorized reseller so that may (or may not) cause a problem if you have to use the warranty (Intrigue has a warning on their website about buying from unauthorized dealers).

Also, you can buy it from places like www.surfremotecontrol.com (who is an authorized reseller) for slightly less than the newegg price.

FYI...for those people that are having excessive battery drain Harmony just posted this over at remotecentral

---------
The Harmony Remote Team is pleased to announce the release of Firmware version 2.5 for H659 & H688. This latest firmware has been released to resolve the following issue:

· Excessive Battery Drain: The unit displays “Replace Batteries†within 7–10 days of inserting fresh batteries.

Important Note: If your Harmony remote displays “Replace Batteries†within 5 days of inserting fresh batteries, then this firmware upgrade will not resolve the issue and you will need to return your remote for replacement under warranty.

To download the latest firmware, go to the Harmony Member website:

1. Enter your login ID and password, and click Login.
2. Click Support from your Harmony home page.
3. Click Firmware Updates.
4. Follow the online instructions.

For complete support of your Harmony remote, please contact the Harmony Support Team at 1-866-291-1505, (Monday through Friday 9 A.M. to 10 P.M. or Saturday and Sunday 12 P.M. to 6 P.M. Eastern Standard Time for assistance).

Davisdog - First off, thanks for the update. I've been watching this thread to see how the H688 is working for members before jumping in - the battery issue (and lack of funds!) has kept me on the sidelines so far.

What I'm wondering is if anyone knows why the patch addresses a 7-10 day battery drain, but not an under 5 day drain? Not a big deal as far as my purchase decision goes, but the apparent difference between 5 and 7 days has me scratching my head (hey, what happens if it goes dead on the 6th day?!). Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks
Dave

My guess is it's just a calculation based on capacity and drain...If it has a fast drain because of a firmware issue then they believe the capacity of the system should allow it to still work for at least 5 days...If it doesnt work that long than they think it suffers from a hardware issue also?

Anyway...My remote lasted almost 3 months on the original cheap batteries that came with it...I've had no issues at all with mine since the day I bought it (great remote)

I have had my H688 for 2 weeks now and have had no battery drain messages. It is working like a charm.