Universal Remotes?

[Dorfineer]

I wasn't sure exactly where to post this, but here it goes.

Basically I'm looking for a good universal remote. Obviously I don't want the cheap-o Wal-Mart special, but I also don't need a 2500 dollar remote that can control 80 devices, start my car, dim the lights, and flush the toilet either.

I really like the Logitech Harmony remotes, but I feel like they are over priced. Basically I don't want to spend over 85 bucks or so. Any ideas?

 

[Halon451]

For that price (or lower), get the Harmony 550 or 510. You can probably find either one for about $85 or less depending on where you look (some stores and/or websites are always having deals on these things). Opinions are highly divided here on this forum - on one hand you have the pro-Harmony crowd, and on the other, you have URC, etc. IMO, the Harmony remotes are great, extremely easy to set up and use and in my experience (having owned two different kinds now), work pretty much flawlessly, no matter how you have your system set up. Best of all - makes it so the wife and/or kids can operate your system without screwing it all up... well... within reason anyway.

 

[sholling]

Anything that makes setting up multiple devices and making them worked together as easy as ordering Chinese food at a Panda Express for less than $200 is not overpriced. As an earlier poster suggested look for one of their entry level remotes.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

For that price (or lower), get the Harmony 550 or 510. You can probably find either one for about $85 or less depending on where you look (some stores and/or websites are always having deals on these things). Opinions are highly divided here on this forum - on one hand you have the pro-Harmony crowd, and on the other, you have URC, etc. IMO, the Harmony remotes are great, extremely easy to set up and use and in my experience (having owned two different kinds now), work pretty much flawlessly, no matter how you have your system set up. Best of all - makes it so the wife and/or kids can operate your system without screwing it all up... well... within reason anyway.

Counldn't said it better myself - I took the plunge and bought on Christmas sale Harmony 880 few years ago and very happy with and wife can actually control most of my HT. My boss recently bought on amazon refub 550 for about $55 on amazon and again - he's very happy he did so

 

[jostenmeat]

I presently own both a Harmony and URC. I have also programmed multiples of each. The two Harmony included my complete total POS 520 and a friend's 880.

Get this URC combo package, includes blaster, the whole thing works on RF + IR, with 6 emitters, for the whopping price of less than $80.

http://www.amazon.com/RFS200-PowerPak-Bundle-MasterControl-PowerBlaster/dp/B000FL9E6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1263326766&sr=1-1

It is pretty much entry level. It cannot be assigned to discretely command two different systems, nor can it be programmed to be only IR or RF for any certain command. All commands are sent out as RF and IR simultaneously.

It takes less than 5 min to program a macro. Programming Harmony is probably the least favorable experience I've ever had in this hobby. And my play button on my Harmony is just about dead after a year's use. It is a flimsy POS. The paint or whatever on it already coming off. The number buttons on it are the very tiniest # buttons I have ever seen in my life, and most cell phone # buttons look oversized compared to them.

JMO, and like I said, I own them both.

 

[Halon451]

I've always heard good things about URC, just never owned one. FWIW, neither of my Harmony's has ever given me any grief. I still use my 510 on my small bedroom setup, and I've had that now for nearly two years. Works like a champ with zero sign of deteriorating.

Just out of curiosity - what is it about the setup on the Harmony's that you find frustrating? Quite frankly, I've been amazed at the simplicity of it - have even had to set delays, and restructure power-on sequences, etc., to suit my system, with little to no trouble at all. Not trying to start a debate by any means, I'm just curious.

 

[jostenmeat]

Halon, mostly just how tedious it is IMO. Here is a thread, where I once explained how I don't like programming Harmony:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47535

 

[Halon451]

Halon, mostly just how tedious it is IMO. Here is a thread, where I once explained how I don't like programming Harmony:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47535

Okay, I'll give you that. But the Harmony setup control has nice pictures. I like pictures.

 

[jostenmeat]

Okay, I'll give you that. But the Harmony setup control has nice pictures. I like pictures.

Hehe. I must admit that for a noob (which I was very recently), it is very hard to resist the idea of a computer assisted programming of a remote. It would seem, how do you say, counter-intuitive to think that a non-computer based system would be easier and/or more flexible. I know, because that is exactly what I experienced, and the pied piper of computer assistance drew me in.

BMX once told a story about someone who had a Harmony, and the SO had a URC, and much preferred the SO's remote. I think it might have been a customer.

Then the build quality difference is not even close.

Then you also get RF + blaster + emitters for the same price, if not at a considerably lower price. I think I'm done with this thread, because I also don't like any flames. I'm not a rabid URC fan, and really don't know jack about automation. I also am absolutely aware that many people are extremely satisfied with their Harmony.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I have used both Harmony and URC and they are both alright, but the URC seems to be a better overall experience. The one client I had who had both a Harmony & URC had me switch out his Harmony for a new URC.

I personally use Crestron, but I'm able to use the MX-850 from URC directly with my Crestron system and the 5+ year old remote works flawlessly despite repeated drops to carpet and the occassional drop to the hardwood.

 

[Dorfineer]

thanks for the info guys.

It sounds like for someone like me (an enthusiastic noob), the harmony is probably the best bet. It's at least a starting point, right? If I get into it and find I want something a little flashier or high powered I can always upgrade later.

I like the idea of having something the wife can use, it's really the main reason I want it! I don't mind too much using 3 remotes, but she gets annoyed with it, and I've reached the point where dealing with her complaining is more annoying than dealing with 3 remotes.

 

[Halon451]

thanks for the info guys.

It sounds like for someone like me (an enthusiastic noob), the harmony is probably the best bet. It's at least a starting point, right? If I get into it and find I want something a little flashier or high powered I can always upgrade later.

I like the idea of having something the wife can use, it's really the main reason I want it! I don't mind too much using 3 remotes, but she gets annoyed with it, and I've reached the point where dealing with her complaining is more annoying than dealing with 3 remotes.

I get annoyed with having to use more than one remote, let alone the wife! Either way, whether you go with a Harmony or URC or similar - it's going to be much better than your average Wal-Mart Universal remote, so really you can't go wrong. As I stated in my first post on this thread, opinions are highly divided here as you've seen. Both offer compelling points of view as to which one is better and while nobody's right (opinion), nobody is wrong either. Much like speakers, it comes down to a matter of personal preference in the end.

Hell, we can't ALL be like BMX and have a nice Crestron system in our homes..

 

[highfigh]

I wasn't sure exactly where to post this, but here it goes.

Basically I'm looking for a good universal remote. Obviously I don't want the cheap-o Wal-Mart special, but I also don't need a 2500 dollar remote that can control 80 devices, start my car, dim the lights, and flush the toilet either.

I really like the Logitech Harmony remotes, but I feel like they are over priced. Basically I don't want to spend over 85 bucks or so. Any ideas?

You won't get much functionality or features for what you want to pay. I don't think it's as necessary to concentrate on the fancy graphics as URC does, but a few hundred is about the least you can pay and get RF capability (which is more for consistent operation, not just to add something that's not used) or macros with the ability to add pauses and change the order of the commands. For basic graphics but good control, RF, enough devices to work as a system grows and the ability to use customized programs, the URC MX-850 is hard to beat. If you want icon-based buttons with text, look at the MX-880.

 

[aspaceintime]

My 2 cents

FWIW, I have the URC 200, an earlier model of this. Can't saw anything bad about it - works great and came with the IR unit just like this.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FL9E6U/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000069K8N&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0GF95G9EF3G3BBSH3CRN

 

[HDPCsound]

The Logitech Harmony 900 is a good choice, i love every feature on it specially the blu ray centric buttons and the lcd touchscreen. Very easy to set up.

 

[Halon451]

The Logitech Harmony 900 is a good choice, i love every feature on it specially the blu ray centric buttons and the lcd touchscreen. Very easy to set up.

The Harmony 900 seems to basically be a version of the Harmony One that I have, plus RF capability. One thing in particular I love about this remote is the PS3 adapter which controls every aspect of the PS3, even turning it on and off when I switch activities. This is highly convenient.

 

[BWG707]

I use a Harmony One and absolutely love it. It was very easy to program and to add new activities to. It actually programed every function for all my equipment, I did not have to add or "learn" any buttons (functions). All I did was list my components into the computer program and that was it. This is one of the best purchases that I have made for my H.T. Granted it is a little expensive but you can look around and find it on sale and also you might be able to find some coupons for it.

 

[bandphan]

I keep a hidden device on the main remote for the bedroom set top box for when the lady starts in on lifetime

 

[dllb]

Made for Vista Media Center:

Philips SRM-5100

 

[njedpx3]

+1 fro Jostenmeat's rec

I presently own both a Harmony and URC. I have also programmed multiples of each. The two Harmony included my complete total POS 520 and a friend's 880.

Get this URC combo package, includes blaster, the whole thing works on RF + IR, with 6 emitters, for the whopping price of less than $80.

http://www.amazon.com/RFS200-PowerPak-Bundle-MasterControl-PowerBlaster/dp/B000FL9E6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1263326766&sr=1-1

It is pretty much entry level. It cannot be assigned to discretely command two different systems, nor can it be programmed to be only IR or RF for any certain command. All commands are sent out as RF and IR simultaneously.

It takes less than 5 min to program a macro. Programming Harmony is probably the least favorable experience I've ever had in this hobby. And my play button on my Harmony is just about dead after a year's use. It is a flimsy POS. The paint or whatever on it already coming off. The number buttons on it are the very tiniest # buttons I have ever seen in my life, and most cell phone # buttons look oversized compared to them.

JMO, and like I said, I own them both.

I have the URC and it is great. I even had WAF for the Harmony after she saw the TV advertisment, but I am sticking with URC. RF is great to operate behind closed cabinet doors.

It is very easy to program, three modes, preprogrammed, learning and macro. And best of all the wife can easily use it also after very minimal instructions.

Peace and Serenity,

Forest Man