Best Universal remote?

[PHANofPHUNK]

Is the Logitech Harmony still the leader in this category? I see that they have discontinued the harmony line. Are there better options out there?

thanks,
mike

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

https://www.urc-automation.com/product-category/complete-control/ were always heads and shoulder above Disharmony

 

[Benni777]

Although discontinued they will continue to support and update the systems for those who own it. I still own mine.

 

[BMXTRIX]

If you are wanting to do it all yourself, then Logitech is certainly still the way to go. By all accounts their Harmony division was profitable. But, not as profitable as other departments, so they just stopped making remotes. Really sad for the consumers out there.

 

[lovinthehd]

Harmony might be the leader still in the way Oppo is on disc players?

My Harmony remotes have been getting long in the tooth (and the best one destroyed by a spilled drink) and buttons losing function (due conductivity issues, which I've somewhat addressed by using CaiKote 44 I picked up) so I bought a Sofabaton U1, which has some database programming but still working on the macro aspect (but haven't spent much time on it).

 

[Trell]

I replaced my decade old Harmony remote with the Elite model when I saw the news of Logitech discontinuing the Harmony line gambling that they'll keep their promise to have the servers updated and running for a long time. Actually, I bought two Harmony Elite, just in case.

I've already been thinking about updating to a newer Harmony remote and was waiting for the successor to the Elite that was released some years ago.

All my Harmony remotes have had RF functionality, and that is indispensable for me and the rest of my family. Other dealer oriented remotes require the dealer to program the remote, unless you are lucky to get the software somehow. For me that is a non-starter.

 

[j_garcia]

Your phone. I have the Harmony hub and basically the phone app is easier to use than the included remote.

 

[Chemist1]

I have a Harmony Elite that is working good, but I would grab one soon if you want to get one. The prices have already started to increase.

 

[Teetertotter?]

Did he buy a Harmony remote????

 

[little wing]

I tried to buy one the other day. Best buy had none. They said they were discontinued. Hard to find on Amazon as well. Looks like they are being phased out??

I know the other brand boredsysadmin spoke about is better but I'm not paying $500 for a remote.

 

[Trell]

I tried to buy one the other day. Best buy had none. They said they were discontinued. Hard to find on Amazon as well. Looks like they are being phased out??

I know the other brand boredsysadmin spoke about is better but I'm not paying $500 for a remote.

Heh, I bought two Harmony Elite last year in a forced upgrade from my decade old Harmony. They where available in a major retailer in Sweden at ordinary prices that where well below MRSP until this winter. Elsewhere they where gone or for a ridiculous price.

I’m hoping that Logitech honor their promise to keep their database updated and running as long as the are users. Currently there is no alternative for me at a similar price point.

 

[lovinthehd]

I tried to buy one the other day. Best buy had none. They said they were discontinued. Hard to find on Amazon as well. Looks like they are being phased out??

I know the other brand boredsysadmin spoke about is better but I'm not paying $500 for a remote.

Best Buy was selling nos Harmony 665's on ebay for quite a while (I bought two), but don't seem them now....and the ones on ebay are quite high priced for sure....

 

[highfigh]

Heh, I bought two Harmony Elite last year in a forced upgrade from my decade old Harmony. They where available in a major retailer in Sweden at ordinary prices that where well below MRSP until this winter. Elsewhere they where gone or for a ridiculous price.

I’m hoping that Logitech honor their promise to keep their database updated and running as long as the are users. Currently there is no alternative for me at a similar price point.

They have supported SlingBox for more than ten years and they sold more Harmony by a wide margin- the database was originally created around 2003 and IME, they have been the best at code management, comparing them to URC and RTi. I never got into Savant (looked good at one point, then they temporarily pulled the plug), never liked UEI, don't do Crestron/AMX/Control4, (or other high priced control systems that were designed for large scale integration). I worked for a Crestron dealer and saw what it could do but for my own business, that's not what they wanted- I would offer it and find someone to program, if they had.

I really hope they see the light- I haven't seen anything about Sofabaton in months but tried one fairly early in their life- it didn't want to accept the models I was trying to add and it didn't seem capable of adding several pieces as a batch. Their database seemed extremely limited but if they can get it to work well, I hope it survives.

 

[highfigh]

I've had the Harmony Elite for a couple years now and overall it's pretty good. But I do still find myself reaching for my tiny white DirecTV remote to control my DVR as the RF response time is leaps and bounds better than controlling the DVR through the Elite remote.

Does anyone know if you can communicate via RF directly from Harmony remote to the DVR? I know the Harmony remote has RF capabilities for communicating with its hub, but I'm not sure if its RF can be used to communicate with devices.

Harmony has had IP control for years- if you can't get it to work, you need to look in their 'community' or redo the configuration- also, don't try to use WiFi for much of anything- it's NOT the best way to communicate. If the hub isn't hardwired, it's likely the cause of the problems.