Customer Reviews

Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

On the good Side: the set up couldn't be easier. you go to the website, asnwer a few questions about your audio/video equipment and how you watch t.v., dvd's, and listen to music. then, you connect to the the remote to your computer and it's all done! that's it.

On the not-so-good side: the one i bought (less than a year ago) had issues several times so it had to be reset/updated. then a few of the bottuns didn't function as programmed. Finally, it just went dead. when i tried to reset it a " replace battery..." came on. the only thing they didn't say was that you practically have to break the remote to get to the rechargable battery that is glue in place and, no one carries the battery and, if you do find it, it's $45 (nearly 1/2 the price and not guaranteed to work unless it is exactlty the same).

i just bought the harmony 550 at 1/2 the price of 880; it has all the same features, takes 4 AAAA batteries, and can be programmed the same way (actually, the website allows you to keep the same settings as the old remote and transfer it to the new one)

The main feature of Harmony 880 is its ability to set up 'activities' which allow you to seamlessly control all the devices required to do things such as watching TV, listening to music or watching a DVD movie.

The only 'major' issue I've ever had with this remote is the charger - sometimes have to move the remote body a little before the charger became aware of it and began charging but it's no big deal. My unit was bought refurbished but I heard that this was a known problem with at least this Harmony model.

I was quite skeptical when I ordered this device - having lived all my life with half a dozen-plus remotes on the coffee table, sofa, under the sofa... where one changes the channels on the satellite receiver, another controls the sound and a third turns on the TV (that's actually how my system works) and then there's the DVD player, the Playstation/Blu-ray player. But, let me talk about the Harmony.

You get:
- the remote
- the charger/stand
- a rechargeable battery that goes inside the remote
- a power adapter that plugs into the electrical outlet
- a USB wire
- a setup CD
- a very basic 'paper' manual

You need:
- an Internet-connected computer with an USB port and a CD drive

The setup preparation:
- you insert the battery into the remote body
- you connect the power adapter to the stand
- you place the remote on the stand and wait for the battery to charge
- you connect the remote to the computer through the USB wire
- you insert the CD into the computer's CD drive

The initial remote configuration:
- you agree to the license terms
- you provide some information such as your name and email address
- you open an account with Logitech (password is optional)
- the setup utility updates the remote with the latest and greatest

Setting up devices:
You are asked to name the devices that you wish to control with the remote. It's best if you can provide the exact manufacturer, brand and model number. I did that for the first 3 devices I wanted to register and the setup utility was happy with the TV and the satellite receiver but, for some reason it did not recognize my little Bravia home theater. What followed was a series of interactions between the Bravia remote and the Harmony. I was asked to press certain buttons and, after a few minutes, the setup utility was able to recommend a close model.

Setting up activities:
Once I was done with the devices, the setup utility suggested some standard activities, such as 'watching TV' or 'watching a DVD'. For each activity, I had to answer some very specific questions having to do with the exact settings required for the TV, the Satellite receiver and the home theater device - I had to tell it which device changes the channels, which one controls the sound, which input are used by the TV and so on. Once all desired activities are configured, and up to 8 activities are possible, the computer updates the remote and you are ready to go.

Some nice touches:
- There is a page where the remote can be customized. You can actually upload a specific image for the background, you can select the way the time is displayed (time is updated from the computer). I even notice the ability to set up a slide show on the remote display.
- The display turns itself off after a while (time for it to stay on is configurable) but it lights up as soon as you pick up the remote.
- Most buttons that you are likely to need are already on the remote but the display makes up to eight 'soft buttons' available and they change depending of the context of your activities.

Overall, I started skeptical but I ended up impressed. I am using a Logitech Harmony 900 now - adds touch screen and came with IR 'blasters' - but I am still using my 880 in the bedroom (I had it configured to also act as the 'main' unit backup in case that stops working).

My only regret is that blue-tooth is not supported so my PS3 can't be controlled but, even for the PS3, the remote will be quite useful, properly configuring the TV and the home theater.

I recommend this device and, contrary to my initial inclination, it gets 5 stars.

The Warranty expired and so did the remote. It has always been a pain to get the remote to charge properly but I just recently started having problems with the Channel Up and the Vol. Up buttons not working right. After reading the reviews it seems both issues are a commmon problem with this remote. Logitech customer service told me there is no repair service for this remote. I am very disappointed that it did not last longer for the amount of money I paid for it.

This is the first Harmony Remote I purchased. Very happy with. Easy configure for computer users. I can control all my devices with one remote. Includes, TV, Blu-Ray disc player, DVD player, Media Player, AV Receiver etc. I have replaced around 5 remotes with this single product. Feel like I should have purchased this long ago.

I purchased my Harmony 880 PRO in January 2010 as an upgrade replacement for a 4 year old model. So I was not unfamiliar with the prodcut. The buttons on my 880 Pro and the unit's case make it seem cheaply made; it's just the way the buttoms feel to the touch when pressed - seems like the unit will not last over time after much use. Hopefully that is not the case. Online set-up went well but to get all the features necessary for true one click on and off for all functions, plus the ability to switch among devises properly, I had to obtain level 2 technical assistance. This step in the set-up required about a week's time before the unit was completely set-up properly. The problem was not in my ability to follow the online instructions; it was the functionality available for the remote unit at the website for set-up. This needs to be addressed; maybe one day it will. My biggest gripe about this particular Harmony model is that the buttons are quite small. I do not have large hands or fingers but I must be quite careful to push the correct button for most functions, including the most commonly used - channel number selections and volume controls. I have to always look at the control to change anything, where most other controls at least have some common functions easily laid out for touch location. The Harmony 880 Pro delivers as promised but the cost of this remote should warrant a better layout design with higher quality materials.

I paid a lot of money for this remote and the up volume control quit working shortly after the warranty expired. It is my understanding that this is a frequent problem experienced by Harmony 880 owners. Now looking for a more reliable remote.

I have a Harmony 880 remote which is experiencing physical hardware problems with some of the buttons. The volume + button doesn't seem to work reliably anymore. I have to press it extremely hard to have a button press register with the remote. I have had the remote over a year so I know my warranty is expired. This is a very well known problem it seems. I paid a lot of money for this remote and am deeply disappointed that is is having these type of design issues. I have used Logitech remotes for a number of years now and upgraded to this higher priced unit but never thought I would have these problems. I have read about so many people having problems with the 'volume up' and 'channel up' buttons. It seems that it is only a matter of time for these buttons to fail. My recommendations are to NOT buy this remote. I have also heard of other Harmony remotes having similar problems. I have emailed Logitech but they refuse to acknowledge this design flaw and stand behind their product.

Don't believe me? Just Google '880 volume up' and check out all the different websites that people have posted on.

I bought this remote for my husband for Christmas. He loves it! He was able to program it so when you select "Play Xbox" it turns on the Xbox, turns the tv on (if it was off), turns the tv to the correct input, and changes the receiver to the correct spot. It is a great remote. If you are looking to consildate your remotes from 2, 3, or 4, this is the remote to get!

Pros:
- Nice LCD screen.
- Can put wallpaper on the background of the LCD (superfluous).
- Configuration software *looks* nice.
- Has support for a lot of devices.
- Can set up complicated tasks/activities on one button.
- Rechargeable.

Cons:
- Expensive.
- Software requires an internet connection to use (unnecessary!)
- Software is not for beginners.
- Doesn't seem to be a way to (easily) move commonly used device functions to the beginning of the list, so some functions require you to go through 10 pages to get to what you want!
- Configuration is tied to your Logitech user account, not stored on the remote, so if you lose your account, you have to start all over.
- Half of the time, an activity doesn't complete, so you have to turn on a device manually or use the "help" feature of the remote (when a remote needs a "help" function, it's too complicated).
- After a year, the volume up button has stopped working.
- Seems to have a delay when pressing the buttons, so the device keeps registering button presses well after you have stopped (might be configurable in the settings).

Amazon wouldn't let me give this s zero-star rating. If I could rate it lower than a one, I would.

Purchased this item last December. I should have known that there would be major problems when I read that it ONLY came with a 90-day warranty. Now I know why: you'll never get more than 90 days service out of it before it completely dies.

1) Vendor said that it was brand new. Arrived in a tattered box, found out that it was a refurbished unit
2) Remote semi-charged the first, second and third times. Replaced the battery. Remote fully-charged once.
3) Unit never stayed recharged for very long; after 3-4 hours, it was at 3/4 charge; after 12 hours it was almost completely empty
4) Unit never sat in cradle properly; getting it to sit and recharge was almost impossible
5) Contacted Logitech customer support. They were going to charge me $25 to answer my questions
6) Unit finally quit working altogether, and Logitech refused to replace or honor any warranty as it was 90 days past purchase date

I never really liked Logitech very much, but now I know that I will never, ever purchase another Logitech device again. No customer service, no warranty, no quality.

AVOID THIS PRODUCT. IT IS NOT WORTH ANY PRICE - EVEN IF IT'S FREE. DO NOT BUY.