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Customer experience review: Logitech's Harmony One universal remote
Have you counted your remotes lately? DVD player, stereo, TV, cable box, TiVO, or some other permutation - lots of homes are littered with remote controls. And they all look the same - matte black, with a dizzying array of buttons.
This is why the universal remote is such a good idea. One remote to rule them all, and in the darkened living room bind them. At least in theory. In practice, many universal remotes are hard to set up, still harder to use with all those buttons, and thereby create the very complexity they were supposed to eliminate.
I'm happy to report that Logitech's Harmony One remote is an exception, with a mostly easy setup and simple interface. Logitech sells several universal remotes; the Harmony One is their top of the line.
There's just one major problem in the setup, and it almost stopped me from using the device at all. It came when I inserted the installation CD into my Mac and saw the following dialog box:
"Are you setting up a Harmony 1000 remote?"
Two buttons: Yes and No. (Highlighted default choice was Yes.)
I stopped for a moment. The remote is the Harmony One, but was the product number 1000? Maybe "Harmony One" was short for "Harmony One Thousand"? Sometimes installation screens ask bizarre questions about hardware, and possibly that's what was happening here.
Or perhaps I was reading the question wrong. Maybe they're asking if I'm setting up the remote, as opposed to uninstalling or editing the configuration.
There were no other choices but Yes and No. Surely if I chose the wrong button I could go back and edit my choice later in the process.
I clicked Yes.
And thus began my time in installation crazyland.
Nothing worked. The screen said "plug in the remote to the USB port," which I did, but the screen didn't recognize it. I tried different USB ports; no luck. Quit, restart, same problem. Thought maybe I clicked the wrong button, so I deleted the installation program, emptied the trash, restarted, re-inserted the CD, reinstalled, clicked "No". Still didn't work.
I almost gave up, but some Google searches found other users who "accidentally selected 'Yes' when asked during installation if I had a Harmony 1000." Turns out Logitech's site has an updated, downloadable installation program which is much better designed - and doesn't ask the awful "Harmony 1000" question.
Once I downloaded and ran the new install, it worked flawlessly. Within a few minutes the Harmony One was communicating with a nearly 20-year-old Panasonic boom box that hasn't had a reliable remote control in years - and controlling other devices in the living room - all with an easy-to-use touchscreen interface.
Logitech obviously knows about the problem with its old installation process, because they've fixed it. But the problem lingers on the CDs that are being sent out in the Harmony One packages. My suggestion? Put a big orange sticker on every box that says...
"Mac users, don't use the CD! Download the install program from logitech.com."
With that little fix in place, the out-of-box experience for the Harmony One would be a much better experience, and not a reminder of the old Dilbert cartoon where the boss says, "Make it so they have to reboot after every typo." Meantime, I'll continue to recommend the Harmony One.
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See also - Customer experience review: Crutchfield.com
P.S. If your company would like a customer experience review, drop a line: mark at goodexperience dot com.
I can attest that the Harmony is a fantastic product. But, users with small children (or slippery fingers)- beware! Dropping the remote can break the screen and Harmony will only replace once during the warranty period. An expensive problem to be sure- and once you have experienced the benefits of this remote- you won't want to live without it!
I've often wondered why so many devices come packaged with one-trick-pony remotes. I'd rather see the manufacturers market them as "remote-ready" and then sell universal remotes, too. That way I wouldn't have a drawer full of remotes and I could justify spending the $ to purchase a truly universal one.
$200.00 for a remote? You're watching too much TV. Read a book.
I think these are actually excellent remotes. With cheaper 'multi-function' remotes the all-in-one really just has the capability of switching between being a TV remote, an Amplifier remote, a set-top-box remote, etc. But you still have to think through the steps and do the switching -- OK, to watch TV I have to turn the monitor on, select the set-top box input, now I switch on my amp and select the right input, etc, etc. The Harmony remotes get rid of all that and do it for you.
My only ongoing gripe is that I find the desktop software (Mac and PC) to be a bit flaky and it can take longer than it really should to update the unit. It's a relief that you only have to do this very rarely, but it is a pain. Overall though, a great recommendation.
I own four Harmony remotes (!) and love them all except for the afore-mentioned Harmony 1000. The Harmony 1000 is a touch-screen remote. It looks very cool but lacks the ability to operate it without looking at it (and who wants to have to look at the remote and search for a soft button when, with a "normal" remote, you can quickly learn the feel of the buttons and press them without looking?).
Anyway, regarding the installation disk, I'm surprised to learn that you actually use those disks. No matter what product I buy, if it comes with an installation disk, I ignore it and go straight to the company's web site, assuming that there's likely a better/newer version of the software there, available for download. The big orange sticker on the box should just say "Go to www.harmonyremote.com for the most current version of our installation software."
Enjoy the remote, just don't decide to "upgrade" to the Harmony 1000!