Customer Reviews

Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote Control - Refurbished

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Bought this refurbished...arrived quickly, looks new. Works with all my products, just takes some time to adjust the remote settings to my needs (this is my first universal remote, so I'm learning as I go). Seems to include all the fuctions of products, even worked with a ten year old Pioneer mini-stereo system.

As far as the layout of the buttons I like this remote far better than all others including the higher end Harmony remotes. It took about an hour to setup all my components on this remote and install software. I would have given it a 5 star rating but after you install the software you have to create an id and password for you to program. I have 2 of these remotes and had to create 2 accounts. You should be able to control multiple remotes under the same ID. I would prefer to install the software, setup the remotes and be done. All in all though it works great.

Easy setup through usb with an extensive list of supported device. Of course you can't expect this to be as good as the harmony one, 880, etc., but for the price it's a great buy.

Pros: easy setup, easy to use, backlight, logitech online interface
Cons: frequent battery changes required (buy rechargeable batteries)

We used programmable remote control devices from Sony for several years (AX-4000 and its predecessor). While I enjoyed the challenge of programming those remotes - it took a couple of days for each one - my family did not like to use them, and instead often reverted to pulling out the 3-4 remotes that came with the A-V equipment. When my Sony started losing functionality in some of its buttons, we purchased a refurbished Logitech Harmony 550. Sadly, this device took about 20 minutes to program the operations of my Sony HDTV, U-Verse DVR, Onkyo Amplifier/Receiver, and Sony DVD player. Even sadder, every device "programmed" on the 550 (e.g., entering the brand and model of a TV on the Logitech Harmony website completes the programming for that device!) worked correctly, with every button on the Harmony matched exactly to the equipment's original remote control device's button. Customization of the Harmony is likewise so easy to accomplish that I now have time to watch my TV instead of programming its remote.

The 550 is so good and easy to use and program that we now have 2 of them (both refurbished, but arrived looking brand new and unused), and are ordering a 3rd one for our remaining TV/Set Top Box/DVD/VCR bundle of equipment.

OK, so we went to Dish Network finally and when the new VIP722K DVR was setup none of my universal remotes I have would run it. I am no stranger to universal remotes and have used most all of the popular ones like Kameleon, Avex, Sony, PAnasonic. Currently I have been using a Radioshack 8in1 Kameleon and a URC Avex R6. The biggest problem with both has been getting them to run my Sony CX995V 400 Disc DVD changer and my RCA RT2870 surround system completely. Even with the learning function it took the two of them to cover every base.

With the arrival of the new DVR I figured it was time to move up in cost a little and see what I could find. The price for the Harmony 550 refurb was right in my range and compared to new price pretty appealing. I had considered a new URC R50 but could not find a single website that said for certain it would run my new DVR. With the Harmony there were several mentioning it could.

So I ordered the Harmony 550 on Saturday with PRIME next day shipping and got it this morning and opened the box just after dinner. The condition for a refurb was amazing, only a slight rub on the bottom right "B" button.

Now for the reviews with complaints of difficulty setting this remote up, I cannot possibly believe it could be any easier.Just be sure to have your original remote handy by your PC during setup. Within 10 minutes my software was installed on my PC, the remote connected and my devices added in another 10. The prompts are simple and easy to understand and the only device it questioned was my DVD player. This is where you want to make sure have the old remotes handy as it will ask you to press a couple of buttons on the old remote, with the old remote facing the back of the Harmony 550. Six press and clicks later the issue was fixed. The ACtivities setup follows, which is simply telling the remote software what devices need to be on when you watch the TV or watch DVDs, basically a very simple macro setup. When done it prompts you to unplug the remote from USB and test it through the activities you setup, then come back to the your PC to report. I had Watch TV and Watch DVD. On Watch DVD it worked perfectly even bringing up the menu to manuall select a disc off the changer and the menu for switching discs by picking from a list. Surprise surprise, Wath TV the Dish DVR didn't respond. I came back to my PC answered the question that the DVR does not respond at all, where I was prompted to get the old remote and again press 3 buttons while facing the back of the Harmony. I was prompted that a better set of commands were found and to try the Watch TV activity again. Every thing worked great.

Within less than 45 minutes I had my Dish DVR, Coby DVD 588, RCA surround system, Sany 50" HD TV, and original modded Xbox Media Center setup and working on the Harmony 550. Even with my favorite Kameleon remote it would have take easily twice that long, between entering codes, then learning missing keys, and last but not least programming macros to run everything under one button power on.

For cons, the layout is a little odd and takes some getting used to. It would be nice in the setup if it automatically prompted you to have the commands on the lcd screen, or on a pre programmed layout on the keys. The LCD screen is controlled usin 4 buttons, 2 on each side, and left and right arrow keys. These are all a little small but not too bad.

I am looking forward to learning more of the tweaks and custom configurations you can get with the Harmony. Even at the price of new I think this remote would have been a bargain. Should I need to upgrade to RF in the future I will be sticking with the Harmony family. I will miss my touchscreen Kameleon but my neighbors will appreciate the technology handme down.

Quick 0-10

Condition 9-10
Setup 10-10
Layout 8-10
Functionality 10-10
"Glow" feature for backlit keys and LCD 12-10 lol

This is a great remote for controlling all of your A/V devices. The setup requires you to type in the make and model of your equipment and the software is then downloaded to the remote. I got this remote for my parents because they are clueless on everything technology related and I wanted to simplify everything for them while still letting them watch blurays and HD satellite feed. The remote remembers which devices are on and what input they are on so you don't have to power off the equipment to switch viewing modes. My parents also don't understand the concept of pointing the remote at the devices until they are all turned on, they just hit the button and put the remote down which causes only some devices to turn on. This problem was easily fixed the the UF to IR remote extender which works very well with this remote.

I guess it's not completely fair to say this universal remote by Logitech is child's play to operate. Loading the correct codes requires a fair amount of techie knowhow. The directions are pretty clear (don't get me wrong on that) but I'm sure there are some folks that would plug their Ethernet cable into their toilet and wonder why they can't get to the net!

Anyways, setup a pretty routine process, even for newbies who have never had to use an internet/ computer combination to program their remote before. The illuminated buttons are very helpful, especially for night time TV viewing. You can program about 12 devices at once which is pretty convenient plus when you hit one button, all programmed devices that correspond to that command turn on or off at the same time. I've got a Samsung 46" set in my living room w/ a Samsung 5.1 speaker system, a Sharp Blu Ray DVD player and an HD DirecTV receiver. Two clicks will let me watch TV, a DVD or just listen to the radio. FANTASTIC!! It was a great bargain as well ([...]).

I have used my share of uni-motes but this remote by Logitech is by far the coolest and most convenient. Once programmed, it's a snap to show the next person how to use it. And just so we are clear, programming the codes will be the hardest part!!

If you are into having complete control in the palm of your hands, I highly recommend you invest in this remote!

The 550 is a little overwhealming to begin with,but when you catch on every thing falls in place.Works great.

I was hesitant to purchase this for my father. I have one of these (actually, the XBox 360 specific version), and love it, but I wasn't sure if my dad would be willing to go through the process of configuring it himself. He lives far enough away that I couldn't run over there to help him set it up. The configuration process is FAIRLY straightforward, but some fine tuning is inevitably necessary. My dad would be the first to admit that while he is good at a lot of things, navigating through technology is not high on the list.

But you know what? He did it. It is a credit both to his persistence and to Logitech's design of this remote that he managed to get it working with his fairly complicated home theater setup (including Blu-Ray, a cable converter, receiver, and surround sound). He nearly gave up on the process, and I advised him to tuck it away in a drawer until I was able to visit him later. But he tried once more and it worked. He has ditched 4 or 5 remotes because this is the only one he needs.

I think if you plan to purchase this for someone else, you should still be sure you are able to be the backup configuration-master in case the recipient runs into any snags. However, I must admit that I am impressed that this is working well for my parents without any help from me.

I don't post many reviews for electronics, but I thought this one was worth writing due to my initial concerns about a refurbished product. I knew I would eventually be buying a universal remote, as I was tired of dealing with the other four that were necessary to run our new home theater system, but I didn't want to shell out an arm and a leg for it. Then this came up for about half price one day and I decided to go for it.

After recieving the remote, I'm very happy I went with the refurbished, less expensive model. Programming the remote for the TV, Receiver, Blu-ray (all Samsung), and the cable box took about an hour, even counting a couple misteps along the way. I used the software that came with the remote and did not notice any problem that would make me recommend against it. While using the remote, every once in a while it will not get everything quite right, but the display screen prompts (they work like a flow chart - very easy to manoeuver through) have always fixed the problem, usually within only one or two steps.

If I were to complain about anything, it would be that the dedicated buttons will no longer work if you've isolated the remote to control only one device. If, for instance, I press activity and then watch DVD, then the volume buttons will adjust the sound out of the reciever, and the stop, play, pause, etc. buttons will control the blu-ray player. But if I need a more specific command for the blu-ray player and isolate the remote for that device only, the volume buttons will no longer adjust the volume on the reciever. To do that, I need to finish whatever task I had for the blu-ray player, then isolate the remote's function for the reciever. (And vice versa) Obviously this isn't a deal breaker, because before I would have been juggling remotes anyway. I suppose it has to work that way, as some systems will have overlapping functions and the activity selection determines how those dedicated buttons work - but since my system is fairly simple it's extra work for me.

****EDIT 10/08/09****

To return the remote back to the overall activity function (and therby re-ennabling the dedicated buttons), simply press the 'device' button again, and the LED screen will go back to the last activity the device was programmed for. As this was one of the only problems I had with the design of the remote, I wanted to say that I give it an even higher recommendation now.

*****

****

No matter - getting rid of that stack of remotes far outweighs that minor quibble. If you are interested in a universal remote, but are worried about buying a refurbished model, I can say that from my experience (going on two months worth) you can set your mind at ease. I'm sure there are other universals out there that have even more bells and whistles, and some might even be worth the money, but this one does everything I need it to do and was the least expensive. That's a deal in my book.