Logitech Harmony Link to Enable One-Touch Control of Home Entertainment System from iPad (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

So you could stick the IR blaster on a side table, to hit the whole system, like a normal remote?


I'm intrigued. I'd like to buy the Harmony 900, since it's the One but with Blu-ray color buttons. But at $299 for a new remote, it's crazy. I love hard buttons, but this would give me the flexibility I want and maybe work on my iPhone.

 

[Raul Marquez]

I had been looking for many years for a simple universal remote, and several years ago I bought a Universal Remote Company one (~$280) and then a Harmony 880. I wasted my money on both. For the URC model I even bought the separate blaster to which you attached all these sensors with cables running from the various equipments IR sensors .... it was a mess. I saw the Control 4 system, but it was too pricey for me and even though it had some nice features it still wasn't what I was looking for. After reading Ron's reviews of the Harmony remotes here (Harmony One and 1100) I was tempted to buy the 1100 since I wanted a remote with a pad form factor. I then saw Ron's Logitech announcement (above post), and decided to wait on buying the 1100. I was about to order it online, but I decided to try my local Best Buy store. After being told by their employees that it was not available... there on a corner were four boxes of the Harmony Link. I immediately bought one. BOY, AM I GLAD I WAITED !!! This is the remote I had been waiting for all these years. Setting up this baby was a no-brainer. You log into a Harmony web site, connect the orb shaped Link to the power supply cable and then to a USB port on your computer with the supplied cable. You enter the activities you want. In my case: [Watch TV]; [Watch a Blu-ray disc]; [Watch a DVD]; [Play XBox 360]; [Watch Apple TV] and enter the equipment manufacturers and model numbers. That's it. You unplug the USB and power cables, and then place the orb inside your home theater and connect it to the power supply. Where I placed mine there is no line of sight between it and the various equipments, and I was concerned I may have had to use additional IR blasters (one is supplied). They were not needed. This baby is so powerful, the commands were immediately recognized. I am using my iPad (1st generation) as a controller, and I love the interface that shows the program guide from my cable company, and the control panel which swipes from the right side to reveal the buttons you need. Of course, since it uses your WiFi network, you don't have to point the iPad in any direction. That's one thing you have to "unlearn". The first days you feel you have to point the iPad at your system for it to work . My only negative point is on the Apple TV activity where the OK center button turns the Apple TV off, instead of selecting what you want (I found out you have to use the PLAY button). So.... How much too I like the Harmony Link? After one week of using it.... I bought a second one for the bedroom ! Raul

 

[Jason Shuff]

In all the link is better than dumping money into a 300 dollar remote. Still waiting for updates for the droid systems. Love it no matter what though, you can use your iphone or any andriod device.

 

[Raul Marquez]

Ron and Dave, I JUST LOVE THIS REMOTE !! The more I use it, the more I like it ! I know that some people just need to have hard buttons on their remotes. If you're one of them, you're out of luck here. (Although you can still use a remote with hard buttons for things like volume and pause... but that kind of defeats the purpose of the Harmony Link). For the rest of us.... (and as I said before) .... this is the remote I had been waiting for for many years, with simple programming, at a decent price, and with no line-of- sight issues for me (even though it's an IR remote). I did not even use the included accessory IR blaster. DID I SAY I JUST LOVE THIS THING? Raul

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Raul,


Very happy to hear the very positive review.


I had hoped to have gotten my hands on this remote

weeks ago, but currently, Logitech is having a very

hard time providing review hardware to all the websites.

As thus, I am being told that I am going to have to wait

a little longer to have a unit sent to me.


I am looking forward to providing a review to the forum

in the upcoming weeks, but in the meantime, it is very

promising to hear your positive comments.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I have an iPad 2 which i love and at first I bought the Harmony Link would be something I would like. But no matter how good this product in implemented, I ask myself if I want a remote the size of an iPad? I have the 880 and also a bunch of cats. If I left the iPad out where it would be handy, the cats would walk all over it, possibly damaging it. I use the 880 a lot to fast forward through commercials and I would have to pick up the iPad too often. I think this is a product that sounds great, but I would learn to hate it, just because of my personal preferences, not because of any quality issue.

 

[DaveF]

http://www.macworld.com/article/163529/2011/11/logitech_harmony_link_turns_ios_devices_into_capable_but_flawed_universal_remotes.html#lsrc.rss_main


I wonder if the reviewer didn't put in the time to fully configure the software against his setup. That, or this is inferior to the Harmony One setup because the One has been very good about managing the "state" of my system for the two years I've had it.



Quote:

Also, the software wasn’t very smart about turning devices off and on. When I wanted to switch from using the Roku to watching TV, tapping the “Watch TV” command turned off the home theater receiver. Because my cable box is also my DVR, I never turn it off—but switching to another activity invariably did just that.

 

[TonyD]

I'm very interested in this but dont think I want to have my pc tuurrned on all the time just to use the remote. Am I wrong on this, the pc has to be on for this to work? I see that Griffen has a similar device, has anyone seen that yet?

 

[Johnny Angell]

Wouldn't it just need your wifi router? I never turn mine off.

 

[TonyD]

That's what I want to know. Wifi is always on but not the desktop.

 

[Jason Shuff]

i now have it to where the pc doesn't have to be on, the settings were wrong when i first got the system working. Now that i have it set right and noone is changing everything you just go to www.myharmony.com set it up, sync your device to the control unit and done. Turn off the computer and have fun. Im getting better with it and have now added my PS3. Had to get the box for it to convert IR to BT but it works fine. Now all i have to do while walking down my stairs it press the button, everything is set and running when i get down stairs.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just posted my review here