Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
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`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal
`Remote Review
`By Dave Rees / January 25, 2010 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, HDTV,
`Remote Control / 10 Comments
`
`This past holiday season, my wife and I
`remodeled our basement putting in a
`relatively nice media room with fancy in-
`the-wall speakers, A/V receiver, big LCD
`TV, Blu-ray player, AppleTV, and Nintendo
`Wii. All of those components having their
`own remote which adds up to a fair
`amount of juggling just to do something
`as simple as watch TV. Admittedly, some
`of those remotes have the ability to
`control other devices but sadly none can
`control them all. To alleviate this type of hassle, Logitech has been
`making universal remotes for a very long time. Logitech has recently
`released a new high-end device to their line, the Harmony 900
`universal remote that allows you to seamlessly control up to 15
`devices in one.
`
`Having helped many friends and family members setup their
`TV/DVR/DVD systems I know there are a lot of folks out there that
`could bring a bit more Zen to their Tech-World with one of these.
`
`review
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`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 2 of 16
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`Kingston
`DataTraveler Bolt Duo
`review
`
`The whole purpose of the Harmony 900 and other universal remotes
`like it, is to replace our ever growing mountain of remote controls with
`a single all-controlling device.
`
`I purchased a Harmony 880, Logitech’s former flagship of a few years
`ago, early last year, however I never really embraced it. I played with
`it for a couple of weeks, but after several failed attempts at making it
`work I boxed it up and went back to the quasi-universal remote that
`came with my Comcast HD DVR. When I found out that I was going to
`be reviewing the Harmony 900, I decided to dust off my old 880 to
`see if I could get it fully operational in the interim. I do not remember
`the details of why I did not continue using the Harmony 880, but after
`setting it up I could not believe I had not been using it all along.
`
`As you can see from the above picture, the Harmony 900 is a sleek
`modern version of Harmony’s older remotes….very evolutionary.
`Along with the new look, better button layout, more controls, and
`more ergonomic feel; the 900 has a high resolution touch screen,
`backlit buttons, and RF (radio frequency) transmit capability.
`
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`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
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`Page 3 of 16
`
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`
`Package Contents:
`
`• Logitech Harmony 900 remote control
`• RF receiver
`• Charging station
`• USB cable
`• 4 IR transmitters
`• 2 AC adapters
`• Lithium-ion battery
`• Installation CD
`• Installation guide
`• Cleaning cloth
`
`Features:
`
`cooker
`
`• Includes RF System
`• Color Touch Screen
`• Ergonomic design
`• Sculpted, backlit buttons
`• One-touch activity controls
`• Replaces up to 15 remotes
`• Guided online setup
`• Works with 225,000+ devices
`• Rechargeable
`• 1-year limited hardware warranty
`
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`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 4 of 16
`
`A majority of the Harmony 900 has a high gloss finish with the top
`black and half the back in light gray. The upper half of the back is a
`matte black, rubbery material for better grip.
`
`The Harmony 900 has a great ergonomic form-factor, very
`comfortable to hold and easy to click/reach all of the buttons with
`your thumb.
`
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`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
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`Page 5 of 16
`
`The Harmony 900 has an internal rechargeable battery that charges
`while in its cradle (charging station). The battery can be
`removed/replaced if necessary.
`
`The Harmony 900 has a very bright, high resolution screen. It is
`vibrant, responsive, and relatively large given the limited amount of
`space available to the Logitech designers. The picture above illustrates
`just how much better the screen is compared to its predecessor. The
`two screens on the left are clear and crisp (Harmony 900) where the
`two on the right are pixelated and bland (Harmony 880).
`
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`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 6 of 16
`
`Setting up the remote is a relatively easy process. It communicates
`with your computer and Logitech application via usb cable.
`
`The web-based application Logitech includes with their remotes leads
`you through programming of the device, tailoring the controls to each
`individual A/V setup. To begin the setup process, you have to create
`an account which then takes you through the process, remembers
`your devices/activities and enables you to tweak your remote’s
`programming at anytime without having to re-input all of your info.
`
`You will need the make and model numbers of all your media devices.
`The setup application makes it nearly impossible to mess up inputting
`your profile.
`
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`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 7 of 16
`
`Once you have all of your components inputted, you can set up
`Activity profiles on how you plan to use these devices together, such
`as ‘Watch TV’, ‘Watch DVD’ or ‘Play a Game’. The ‘Watch TV’ activity
`for example would be configured to watch TV through your LCD TV,
`with the signal (channel changing/recordings) coming from your
`Comcast DVR, and sound being controlled by your A/V receiver. That
`means when you change the channel the remote talks to your DVR,
`when you raise/lower the sound, it talks to your receiver, and when
`you turn on/off that ‘Activity’ it turns on/off all of those devices in one
`fell swoop.
`
`The Harmony 900 is almost identical to its less costly sibling, the
`Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote. The 900 has one major
`feature that the One does not, the ability to transmit in RF and the
`included IR Extender System. Unlike the usual infrared (IR) only
`remotes, where you must have to have line of sight between the
`remote and components, RF technology lets you control devices
`through cabinet doors, walls, etc. The Harmony 900 includes
`Logitech’s IR Extender System, which receives your command via RF
`and retransmits it to your components in IR. A very nice ability if your
`media setup calls for it (although it does add to your wire clutter).
`
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`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 8 of 16
`
`The entertainment cabinet we chose has glass doors and I do not need
`to change things from another room, so I do not need this feature.
`But for the purposes of this review I set it up and it worked perfectly
`from a nearby room. The top highlight box is the main blaster and the
`lower-left shows the mini-blaster.
`
`I really like the remote but it did/does have a few issues I should
`mention. First off, Julie was not able to make it work with many of her
`older devices (Personally, I thought she should have used it as an
`excuse to upgrade everything). Second, I had issues getting it to
`communicate to my MacBook, which was the computer I was using to
`program my Harmony 880. I had to use my wife’s iMac to program
`the Harmony 900. I have yet to get it communicating with my laptop
`but I have contacted Logitech and hopefully they can help me fix this
`problem soon.
`
`That said, the remote definitely works as
`advertised. It works perfectly with my TV,
`receiver, cable box, and AppleTV. At $400,
`it is expensive. If you do not need the RF
`capability, I would suggest Logitech’s
`Harmony One as a comparable universal
`remote that can be found on the Net for
`under $200. But if you have a solid faced
`cabinet and do not like to have the cabinet doors open when using
`your system, the Harmony 900 is a great answer to eliminate remote
`clutter and bring greater Tech-Zen into your World.
`
`SHARE ON
`
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`
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`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 9 of 16
`
`we may receive compensation, we always give our honest opinions
`about our experiences with each product.
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`Product Information
`
`Price:
`
`$399.99
`
`Manufacturer:
`
`Logitech
`
`Pros:
`
`• Well made
`• Ergonomic design
`• Great button layout
`• High resolution touch screen
`• Highly programmable via computer
`• Controls up to 15 devices
`• Included RF system
`
`Cons:
`
`• Expensive
`
`← Previous Post
`
`Next Post →
`
`About The Author
`
`Dave Rees
`
`https://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/01/25/logitech-harmony-900-universal-remote-review/
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`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 10 of 16
`
`10 thoughts on “Logitech Harmony 900
`Universal Remote Review”
`
`Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
`
`FERRIS209
`JANUARY 25, 2010 AT 9:21 AM
`
`My wife got me the Harmony One (just like this one except with
`IR) for Christmas and I love it. However, I wished she would
`have sprung the extra $100 for the IR option. That way we could
`control our remote fireplace, which is IR, and wouldn’t have to
`point the remote at our entertainment center to carry out
`commands.
`
`Reply
`
`FERRIS209
`JANUARY 25, 2010 AT 9:23 AM
`
`oops, I meant WITHOUT IR between the () in my previous post.
`
`Reply
`
`https://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/01/25/logitech-harmony-900-universal-remote-review/
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`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 11 of 16
`
`APHID
`JANUARY 25, 2010 AT 10:21 AM
`
`I have a Harmony One, which I agree is a great remote and a
`good option if you don’t want/need RF and you want to save
`$100. One other difference that you didn’t mention is that the
`Harmony 900 has physical R/G/Y/B buttons, while the older
`Harmony One lacks them. Those buttons are used by some
`BluRay titles for some features. While you can program the
`screen to have them, having physical buttons for them is more
`convenient and having them gives you more buttons to
`customize for non-BluRay activities.
`
`While the remote itself is fantastic, but the software for
`configuring it is just OK. Luckily it does a pretty good job of
`creating good default settings, logical key placements, and
`touchscreen scenes, so you don’t need to spend that much time
`fiddling unless you want to “perfect” the setup. You won’t really
`need to mess with the software very much, but there are a
`couple of issues with it that should be pointed out:
`
`1. You can only have one remote associated with each profile
`you create. This means you can’t easily have multiple remotes
`with similar configurations without having to manually manage
`each one separately.
`
`2. The software is sensitive to which version of Java your
`computer is running, and I’ve run into some bugs where it has
`trouble with adding custom buttons. It seems to have more
`troubles with Mac than with the PC.
`
`3. Even ignoring the bugs, the overall interface for the software
`has some annoyances. It’s all in “Wizard” motif, which slows you
`down a lot of the time sometimes, and the interface for
`manipulating the custom buttons is awful (it should really be
`drag-and-drop).
`
`Those things said, the Harmony remotes are great overall.
`
`Reply
`
`https://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/01/25/logitech-harmony-900-universal-remote-review/
`
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`
`

`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 12 of 16
`
`SANDEE COHEN
`JANUARY 25, 2010 AT 11:33 AM
`
`About three years ago I purchased a Harmony 510 remote. I
`remember paying a goodly sum for it.
`
`Despite the confusion in setting it up, I adored the final results.
`TV, cable, air conditioner, DVD, and more were all controlled by
`the single product.
`
`But then, as happens often with push button products, two of the
`buttons stopped working about two years into the products life.
`
`Dirt? Electronics? Gremlins? It didn’t matter what it was, I was
`completely up a creek with no paddle.
`
`And despite tons of emails and posts to the Logitech support
`staff, I couldn’t get anyone to help.
`
`So I’m back to using much cheaper remotes that may not do
`what Logitech does. But when they fail (as they all do) I won’t
`mind buying new ones.
`
`Reply
`
`WOMBAT
`JANUARY 26, 2010 AT 3:50 AM
`
`Had problems connecting the 900 to my MacBook Pro too. After
`struggling with this for a couple of hours I found out the Logitech
`software does not support 64-bit Snow Leopard. Booting in 32-
`bit mode did the trick.
`
`Also, the software on the CD does not support Windows 7, so
`you need to download a correct version from Logitech.
`
`https://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/01/25/logitech-harmony-900-universal-remote-review/
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`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 13 of 16
`
`After the teething problems I have found this remote to be the
`best I’ve ever used.
`
`Reply
`
`APHID
`JANUARY 26, 2010 AT 11:27 AM
`
`Wombat,
`
`Rather than rebooting in 32 bit mode, you could also try
`reordering the preferred version of the JRE to use the 32 bit
`version by running /Applications/Utilities/Java Preferences.app.
`
`I actually haven’t had Java issues with the lastest version of the
`software.
`
`Sandee,
`
`I upgraded to my Harmony One from a Harmony 550, and was a
`pretty easy process. One of the options in the software is to
`replace the remote, and it carried over most of my settings.
`
`-a
`
`Reply
`
`WARREN HILL
`MARCH 27, 2011 AT 12:17 PM
`
`I just ordered a Harmony 900 and can’t wait to get it. Will I be
`able to program it to at least turn on my Wii and other
`components, even though I will have to use the Wiimote to
`operate the games?
`
`Reply
`
`https://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/01/25/logitech-harmony-900-universal-remote-review/
`
`9/17/2019
`
`

`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 14 of 16
`
`GLASMAN9
`MAY 9, 2011 AT 1:22 PM
`
`Purchased new Samsung TV for Christmas, got new Samsung
`blue ray disc player, surround sound and have a Wii game
`console. Also had a VCR/DVD recorder.. sales person said it
`would be alot easier if i purchased a remote..so i purchased a
`Harmony 900. i also opted for the techs to come out to my house
`and install everything. They never did get the VCR/DVD to work
`right or the remote..they spent three days trying to set up the
`Logitech remote and finally said go get my money back…i
`definately wouldn’t recommend the remote to anyone who wasn’t
`very well knowledgeable about high-tech.
`
`Reply
`
`TRINITY
`JUNE 3, 2011 AT 7:50 PM
`
`buttons……….buttons……….buttons. I have owned 3 harmony
`remotes. 2×880’s and a 785, both 880’s had faulty buttons right
`out of the box. I was not even able to do the remotes demo (this
`is the first tutorial you do with the remote) as the arrow buttons
`didn’t work. Then I received the 785 which works after many,
`many hours on their rubbish software. After 12 months the
`buttons required extra hard pushes to work and now some have
`stopped all together after a further 12 months. I contacted
`logitech in excess of half a dozen times asking for a way to have
`it repaired, with or without warranty and they did not want to
`help in any way, their customer service SUCKs.
`
`Unfortunately it seams there is not many other options as far as
`universal remotes go, I also owned 3 sunwave src7000’s they
`have bugs that the company does not recognize. I found that
`
`https://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/01/25/logitech-harmony-900-universal-remote-review/
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`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 15 of 16
`
`LCD buttons disappeared randomly during programming (the
`same thing happened on all 3, it seemed to run out of memory
`as I could remove a couple of buttons then add another and it
`would be ok till I added one too many) and also the remote
`would not operate some devices (Austar one of those). The
`customer service of sunwave was better than logitech but only
`slightly as the people obviously had no technical idea, I sent a
`video to show the problem but they still did not understand.
`
`The logitech software is rubbish if you actually want to use the
`remote as a complete solution. They need to give people a
`manual and wizard option (you have to jump though hoops with
`the wizard to do even the most basic thing), so a basic tweak
`doesn’t take 20 min. The lack of real macro’s also sucks, you can
`make a 5 signal macro but that’s it, timers etc could/would help.
`
`I may be wrong but I think the harmony one and 900 touch
`screens only offer 3 buttons at a time, I see this as a huge
`disadvantage. The 785 has 6 and the 880 has 8 available without
`shifting pages. If you have to put custom buttons on the screen
`3 buttons per screen would be all a waste of time. The only
`benefit of the touch screen is that there will be less physical
`buttons to stop working, which is a bonus as logitech has no idea
`of how to make a button that lasts, unless of course you are
`talking about lasting to a couple of days outside the warranty. I
`have remote controls that are over 8 years old with no buttons
`problems at all, maybe logitech should take some notes from
`these people (DSE, sony, phillips,nec, onkyo). Considering the
`price of these remotes they should last at least 5 years
`minimum, in fact in Australia the office of fair trading states that
`if you believe that a product should last a certain amount of time
`(reasonable, whether within warranty period or not) that you
`have grounds for a warranty.
`
`Thanks for reading, and be aware that if you actually use the
`remote regularly, as you do with a universal remote, you WILL
`have problems with the buttons.
`
`Reply
`
`https://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/01/25/logitech-harmony-900-universal-remote-review/
`
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`
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`

`Logitech Harmony 900 Universal Remote Review – The Gadgeteer
`
`Page 16 of 16
`
`DOMINIC WILSON
`AUGUST 3, 2011 AT 2:31 PM
`
`I bought my Logitech Harmony 900 Rechargeable Remote for
`almost a year now and I am very satisfied of its performance.
`
`Reply
`
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