From Logitech
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Product Description
Now you can control your entire home entertainment system from the Smartphone you already own. Logitech Harmony Smart Control with RF turns your Smartphone into a universal remote. A powerful app gives you personalized swipe and tap control on your phone. And when your Smartphone isn’t handy, use the included simple universal remote instead.
Product Details
- Color: Black
- Brand: Logitech
- Model: 915-000194
- Released on: 2013-04-17
- Platforms: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
- Dimensions: 3.50" h x 5.43" w x 10.04" l, 1.00 pounds
Features
- Harmony Smartphone app: Turns your Smartphone (not included) into a Harmony remote control (Initial setup required)
- Swipe and tap control: Use your Smartphone for one-touch control of your entertainment system, up to 50 favorite channel icons, volume, media playback and more (Works with iPhone iOS 5.0 or later and Android 2.3 or later)
- Closed-Cabinet control: Included Harmony Hub lets you control devices behind cabinet doors, plus game consoles like PS3, Wii and Xbox 360
- Remote included: A simple Harmony remote anyone in the house can use when your Smartphone is not handy
- Future-proof control of up to 8 devices: Works with 5,000 plus brands and 225,000 plus devices, with newly released devices added regularly to the online device database
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
213 of 220 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent remote.
By C. Quan
Got this remote from Crutchfield last Friday. Not only does it work great, but the remote and the hub both look good and the build is high quality. When I opened the box, I was hoping it would work as good as it looks, and it didn't let me down. You can set up either using a PC, or with the iphone or Android app, which I have an iphone. Strongly recommend using the app because you can plug the hub in, and leave it there. One thing with set up: if you are upgrading from another Harmony remote, chances are you can import the activities, and that speeds it up. Only thing it won't import are customized button settings, but that's no problem. The feel of the remote is great, and the buttons "click" so you know the command has been sent. And you may not need to use the mini-blaster if your hub is in the open, I'm just using the hub and the remote. And note that the hub is required because that's what actually sends the IR commands to your equipment. One neat thing: when you update your settings and sync via the app, the hub updates over wifi and then it updates your remote via RF. For those wondering about the remote battery, it's a replaceable CR2032 coin battery that's supposed to last one year or longer, but we'll see. And this battery also explains why the buttons aren't backlit (too much drain).
One weak point is the documentation, which there was practically none. Also, seems like Logitech tech support hasn't been well trained on this device. One of their techs happened to change a setting on my account, and that caused the remote to stop working. The next day I asked how to reset to factory condition so I could redo the set up, and they told me to press and release the reset/pair button, which is incorrect (that's only to pair a remote). Finally, they told me to unplug it, then press and hold the button, plug it back in, and wait until the LED turned solid red before releasing. WHY this is not in the documentation, I don't know. With better documentation and tech support training, I would have rated 5 stars.
UPDATE 6/13 - First off, I don't know why my review was dated May 20 by Amazon, I actually reviewed it 6/11. Anyway, a note about the "Help" feature: First, the remote doesn't have a help button (no display to guide you through the motions), it's only found on the iphone app (or android). But even in the app, the help feature is only present when an activity is "on". When all activities are off, there is no help feature present. This means if you turn off the TV activity, but your cable or satellite box fails to turn off (if you've set everything to turn off), the only way to do it is either at the device or by using the device's original remote. I called tech support and they verified it wasn't there by looking at one of their ipads. They said they would "elevate" it. Now I'll just wait and see if that gets done. After all, it is a core feature that should be there.
UPDATE 7/6 - I actually emailed the CEO of Logitech about the "Help" issue with the iphone app (it's there when you turn on an activity in case a device failed to turn on, but not there when turning off activities, so what do you do if a device doesn't turn off ?), and a rep from corporate did answer. He stated that they are planning on updating the app to include this feature in late summer as part of their "road map". I still don't understand why this wasn't programmed in from the beginning since "Help" is a core feature of their remotes. I guess they must contract out their software programming and they simply left it out and Logitech didn't check/test for it, or they did test the software but overlooked "Help". Whatever the reason, I'm satisfied I got a proper response. Now we'll see if it actually gets done. Still love the remote, though. And the coin battery still appears to be going strong after four weeks of use (don't hardly use the iphone app, but when I do, I want the "Help" to be there like it should).
UPDATE 7/28 - Logitech has now updated their app to include the "Help" function when turning off an activity, this was previously missing. Only thing is it appears that the associated firmware update for the hub was probably delayed because I initially had problems with the updated app. However, I tried the app again last night and noticed the firmware update came through, so now the app works like it should. Also, the corporate rep followed up with me and stated that they have made improvements to the documentation included in the box, although it may be a bit before the updated packaging gets to the customer. And the original battery still seems to be going strong after almost 8 weeks of almost exclusively using the simple remote.
95 of 103 people found the following review helpful.
I love the heck out of this remote!!!
By Raven A. Wind
Okay, first of all, don't let the box and blurbs fool you: This is not just a hub that relies on you having a smart phone or tablet. Yes, you need one to set up the hub and all your devices, but once you've got them set up you need not ever use your smart phone or tablet to control TV again. In fact, the "Simple" remote they include is far from the bad definition of "simple." It's probably the best-feeling, best balanced, most responsive remote control I've ever owned. It has a great shape, and the back even has a nice grippy feel. The buttons are clicky and solid. The whole remote feels excellent in the hand, and since it's working with the Hub, you don't need line-of-sight for it to work. More on that, later.
In truth, I got this by accident. My intention was to get the Harmony Ultimate, but this is what arrived. I was slightly miffed at first, but it has turned out to be a very happy mistake because I absolutely love the Harmony Smart Control. Once you set it up, you control all your devices with the single remote. It effectively transforms all your devices to Bluetooth remote-controlled devices. This is rather awesome for me since a couple devices had really fidgety IR remotes that are no longer an issue.
In fact, the only complaint I have about this remote is that it has a tiny negative when used to turn on the Nintendo Wii. If you don't register your Wiimote with the console before the Harmony does its thing, the Harmony registers as controller #1 on the Wii. This is a problem because Nintendo doesn't let controller #2, #3, or #4 have any control over Setup or Menu items, and a lot of games won't let anyone but player #1 have control over starting games, pausing, etc. I'm not sure why the Harmony hub registers as a controller, since the Harmony remote doesn't actually do anything on the Wii (no control over the pointer, anyway) and the only reason you enable the Wii on the Hub is to allow the Hub to turn the Wii on and off.
Every device I've tried to control with the Harmony Smart Control has worked perfectly once registered with the app. That includes an HP remote control for Windows Media Center and the Roku 3. Setup is quick and easy using the app. It basically asks for the maker and model number, and does everything from there.
Once you have devices set up, you can create activities. For example, with one button press the remote will turn on your Blu-ray Disc player, turn on your receiver, set the receiver to the proper device, turn on your TV, and set your TV to the proper source input. It's really very cool, and makes the whole home entertainment experience a lot less messy and complicated. It blows away the experience with a standard "universal" remote control, too.
If you are inclined to use the app to control your devices instead of the awesome Simple Remote, you'll have slightly more options and controls. Of course, the down side is that you're burning battery power on your phone or tablet to control your home entertainment center when the Simple Remote is more than suitable for most tasks, and doesn't take nearly as much power. I actually had to look it up to find out how to replace the battery in the remote (and it's really simple, actually) because the battery is so small (a CR2032 flat battery) and the panel that conceals it is integrated into the remote so well.
I'm still really interested in the Harmony Ultimate, but right now I'm loving the Harmony Smart Control. The Hub really ups the ante with remote control tech, and the look/feel of the Simple Remote is fantastic.
The only thing I'd ask for in terms of improvement on this remote is backlit buttons, which it unfortunately doesn't have. It's a minor quibble, though, because the remote is laid out smartly enough that you'll use it without looking at it after a very short time.
So, minor caveat aside, this is a five-star gadget as far as I'm concerned. It's one of my favorite additions to my entertainment center. I'd go so far as to call a Harmony Remote a must-have device for anyone who has a few different devices to control.
131 of 146 people found the following review helpful.
Exceptional Value
By TMC
First off, let me be clear that I did not buy this remote to use with my smartphone/tablet, as I have no interest in doing this - I must have a dedicated remote with real buttons. Instead, I bought it strictly for use with the included simple remote. As such, this review only covers my experience using the included remote.
I have had harmony remotes in the past, and have always found that their biggest "flaw" was that you had to keep the remote carefully pointed at the components while the activity sequence was performed. And, even when being careful, things would inevitably upset the process (e.g. kids, dogs, flying objects) - this is simply the nature of the IR beast. One solution to this problem is to use an RF remote (or WiFi device) that broadcasts to a "hub," that then turns around and controls your components with IR blasters. Logitech had solved this problem with at least 2 previous products - the Link, which didn't have a dedicated remote so that was out for me, and the 900, which did meet all of my criteria, but was just too expensive for me to justify its purchase.
Enter the Harmony Smart Control - it does exactly everything I need it to for an excellent price. The smart control package consists of an RF-only remote (no IR), a hub (which is also an IR blaster itself), and one auxiliary IR emitter. The intent is that you put the hub in your media cabinet so it can control all the components in there, and then place the IR emitter (which plugs into the back of the hub) outside the cabinet so it can control your TV. For myself, I wanted to be absolutely certain there was never a missed IR signal, so I elected to purchase the Logitech Precision IR cables and attached one of the emitters to each of my devices, and stuck the hub under my entertainment cabinet to keep it out of the way.
Once setup, everything has worked flawlessly - there has not been a single missed command that I am aware of, and there is no perceptible lag between pushing a button on the remote and having the resultant action occur. Furthermore, the remote itself is compact, light-weight, has a nice textured back surface, and very solid feeling buttons. So, from the point of view of using the included remote, Logitech has absolutely nailed it with this product, and I will be purchasing several more for the other TV setups in my house.
One final note: you do not need a smartphone/tablet to program this setup, you simply go to the harmony website and plug in the hub via the included USB cable when prompted.
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