Logitech Harmony® 550 LCD Remote Control

The Logitech Harmony 550 universal remote offers an easy, stress-free way to control an entire home theater setup. The Harmony is just like any other universal remote in the sense that you can program it to control all of your devices, but that is where its similarity with a typical "x-in-1" remote ends.

Devices

You can add up to 12 devices to the Harmony 550. Because it connects to your computer, all you need to do is type in the device's model number and the software will pull it from an up-to-date online database and add it to the remote. You can then switch between your devices by pressing the "Devices" button on the remote and using the LCD screen, which shows four menu options at a time, all of which can be chosen by pressing the selection button adjacent to them. In Device mode the Harmony acts like any other universal remote, exclusively controlling whichever device you have selected.

The keypad has all of the basic physical buttons you would expect to find, and several additional commands are available through the LCD menu. Through this menu the Harmony will send even the most obscure commands from your original remotes, so it can literally be used as a complete replacement. I've packed all my original remotes away, and I have never had to bring them out for anything since getting the Harmony. If you find that any commands are missing or not working properly after you load your devices, it can learn the correct commands from your original remotes, so you should never need to use those remotes again after setting this one up.

Activities

The Harmony is impressive in its Device mode, but the Activity mode is really where the meat of its functionality is. Using the software, you can easily set up macros called "Activities." You access these in much the same way you choose a device, by pressing the "Activities" button and choosing one from the menu. By default these are basic things like "Watch TV" or "Play DVD," but you can customize these to your heart's content or set up your own; it is so flexible that you can even choose the order in which they are listed in the menu.

Let's say you've set up an activity named "Watch TV." When you press the "Watch TV" button, the remote sets your devices up automatically. It will turn on your cable box, turn on your receiver and set it to the appropriate input, turn on your TV and set it to the appropriate input, and so on. It does this effectively and efficiently, using the warm-up time for one device to send commands to another. From that point, the physical buttons on the Harmony will control whatever device they are appropriate for. If you want to change the channel, it will send that command to the cable box; at the same time, the volume controls work for your receiver. If you need access to a more advanced command you can go into Device mode, then seamlessly switch back to Activity mode. To stop an activity, you simply press the power button, and all of your devices will turn off.

Activities are very customizable. When you set them up, you can change the default configurations and have any button perform any command for any device. The LCD menu will display several additional commands while the remote is in one of these activities; you can customize these items or add your own, and they can even be set up to send multiple commands at once. The possibilities here are endless. This remote will do more or less anything you want it to.

The Harmony intelligently tracks the state of your devices so you can switch between activities with ease. If you're watching TV and you want to watch a DVD, the remote knows that your TV is already on, so it won't turn it off when you start the new activity (but it can turn your unneeded devices off if you want it to). In order to keep this information straight, you do always need to use the Harmony to control your devices. If you turn your TV on using its front panel buttons or the original remote, the Harmony won't know it's on, and it will end up turning it off when you start an activity. Fortunately this problem can be fixed with a simple press of the "Help" button, which will instruct the remote to ask you a few simple questions so it can right itself (and your devices).

Software

The Harmony software requires Internet access since it downloads device configurations from an online database, and it also requires you to create a (free) account with Logitech. It's entirely wizard-based, so it asks questions during each step in the setup process. Many people will undoubtedly get very tired of clicking "Next" buttons, but this method does make configuration easier for novices. Anyone who has a basic understanding of how remotes work should be able to set up the Harmony to do what they want it to. The setup process can be time-consuming when you get deep into customizing everything, but it's not hard, and it's well worth the time. It would be nice if the software had some sort of an advanced mode, but it's not something you will use regularly so it's not very important. Once the remote is set up, you might want to revisit it once or twice to tweak some settings, but for the most part you will never see it again unless you get a new device and you want to add it to your remote.

Design

The Harmony 550 has a slender rectangular shape that I much prefer to the bulbous design of other Harmony models. For a remote that uses four AAA batteries, it is impressively compact and well-balanced, and its rubberized grip makes it easy to hold in one hand. The materials are durable and visually appealing, and the blue backlight is very bright. It has a motion sensor and will light up when you pick it up, although that feature has some quirks and it doesn't always work correctly. The backlight can also be turned on manually. The button layout is simple and intuitive, offering just enough control without overwhelming users with crowds of buttons that all look the same. The LCD menus are simple to use and the screen is easy to read. The IR transmitter is bright and it works whether the remote is aimed at a device or not.

Despite all of these positives, a few details were missed in this design. Perhaps most notably is the slow processor, which causes the menus to be less responsive than they could be and adds a noticeable delay between a button being pressed and the IR signal being sent. In addition, the tactile feedback of the buttons is disappointing and inconsistent. Some have a sharp click, others have a kind of deep thump to them, and the rest are mushy with no real feedback at all. The button layout may be intuitive, but the buttons are not always easy to press. I especially wish more area had been dedicated to the number pad since I use it so frequently. As it is now, those keys are cramped and difficult to use with one hand. The battery life is characteristically brief, but this can be overcome with a set of NiMH AAA batteries, which will last much longer and can be recharged.

Conclusion

This remote has some minor drawbacks, but I'm giving it five stars because its price is so low. You can easily find it for less than $100 online, which makes it an absolute steal considering its feature set. Typical "x-in-1" universal remotes still cost $20-30, and this really blows all of them out of the water. I will never buy one of those remotes again now that I've been spoiled by the Harmony. I would think that anyone who owns enough equipment to need a remote like this could easily swing the extra $50 or so -- it's well worth it, and if you've never had anything like this before, it will completely change the way you think about controlling your home theater system.