July 2006 Reviewed by Randall Smith	Logitech Harmony 890 Universal Remote Control

Description Model: Harmony 890 Price: $399.99 USD Dimensions: 8.1"L x 2.3"W x 1.3"D Weight: 5.8 ounces Warranty: One year parts and labor	Features RF wireless operation Color LCD display One-touch Activity buttons Web-based wizard for easy setup and customization Help button Recharging cradle Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

How many remotes do you use to operate your home-theater system? I had four -- one each for the DVD player, cable box, TV, and surround-sound processor -- and I remember a time when I needed all four to operate my system. It was time-consuming and irritating. Nothing was worse than when my father visited. I would write down detailed instructions for each remote and the order in which to use them, but it never worked. He inevitably got lost, and I would then inevitably get a desperate phone call. The home-theater system in which I had invested my hard-earned money and much interest was a disappointment to my father simply because he couldn’t get it to work.

Enter the Logitech Harmony 890 universal remote ($399.99), the Swiss Army Knife of the home-entertainment world. With one press of a button, an entire system of components can be operated and controlled from anywhere in my house. Dad, come on back!

What do you get?

The Harmony 890 comes in a small box that contains a bunch of goodies. The remote is silver and measures 8.1" long by 2.3" wide, with a 1.25" by 2" color LCD screen. There are 44 hard buttons, all neatly placed and organized with other buttons of similar function. The screen is flanked by a row of four buttons on each side, each of these noting a command that may be listed on the color screen. Two buttons under the screen turn the menu pages, on each page a different set of commands corresponding to one of the eight flanking buttons. Each device can have multiple screen pages, and all pages can be customized to suit the user’s specific needs. At the top end of the remote is a slot for the provided USB cord. The lithium-ion battery could pass for a cell-phone battery -- it easily slips into the remote, which in turn sits in a low-profile charging cradle.

The final and the most important feature of Harmony 890 is its wireless radio-frequency (RF) extender. Every wireless remote control you might own delivers infrared (IR) signals to the components controlled. Both RF and IR signals deliver the same commands; the difference is that an IR command can be received only when the remote is pointed almost directly at the device. A wireless RF signal doesn’t have this constraint. While the Harmony 890 sends IR signals and controls components in sight line just like other remotes, its RF functionality means that it can also control components that are behind a piece of furniture, inside a cabinet, or even in another room.

Setup

You don’t need a graduate degree in programming to set up the Harmony 890. I’ve set up two Harmony remotes in the last few years, and the job was easy both times. For the 890, I loaded its software on my computer, then connected the 890 to the computer via the USB cord. After registering the remote on Logitech’s website, I downloaded the latest firmware upgrades and started the programming process. Actually, the programming was easier and took less time than the downloading and registration, mainly because Logitech’s software asks the right questions. It first asked what devices my system contained. I entered the make and model of my TV, DVD player, cable box, and surround processor.

The software then guided me to create Activities. An Activity is a series of signals the remote emits to set up a component for use. To do this, the software asked me a few questions. First, I chose an Activity from the list provided -- Watch a DVD, for example. I was then asked if I wanted to use the TV or the processor to control the volume. This intuitive question saves time and shows that Logitech has learned from their customers’ trials and tribulations. I chose the processor. The setup program then asked me to choose the channel or video input the TV needed to be set to for a DVD’s video signal to be seen, and then a similar step to correctly route the audio signal through the surround processor. After setup was complete, I was able to review all of my settings.

It was that quick and simple. Within minutes of actually using the software, I was ready to download the programming to the remote. This took about two minutes. Most users could stop there and never need to tweak the remote again.

But further tweaking was what really made the Harmony 890 work for me. I initially created four activities, and a problem quickly developed. If I switched between Watch TV and Watch a DVD, the now-unused cable box would cut off. After a little searching, I was able to fix this problem as well as a few other pet peeves. In all, I spent three hours setting up the 890: 20 minutes for the initial settings and four basic activities, the rest for adding two other activities and tweaking it to perfection.

Setting up the RF extender was the easiest of all. I plugged the USB cable into the extender, let the computer communicate with the Logitech website, then downloaded an upgrade. That was it -- a few minutes and I was ready to go. Inserting the extender into my system was just as easy. I plugged it into the wall, then mounted the four dual emitters, which have double-stick tape to secure them to each component’s IR sensor eye.

RF extender

I don’t need an RF extender for a remote control. I have only one system in one room, and all my components are on racks, not inside cabinets or around corners. The only times I could take advantage of the Harmony 890’s RF capabilities were when I was listening to music while surfing the Net in another room.

Even so, at first the 890’s RF extender just didn’t work. From the next room, I walked into the hallway between the rooms and aimed the remote directly at the system, which was on the other side of the hall wall. Nothing happened. I then readjusted the locations of the RF extenders, as well as of the emitters attached to the components, and while now the 890 didn’t work every time, it at least worked some of the time. More adjustment was needed. I believe the 890’s RF feature will be more beneficial to those whose components are stored away in a cabinet in the same room than to those trying to control a system from another room altogether.

Comparison

In my experience, the Harmony 890 has as much flexibility as any other universal remote on the market. I own the MX-850 Aeros from Universal Remote Control, which lists for $399.95. The two remotes are almost the same size; the MX-850 is slightly bigger, with a slightly bigger LCD screen (though it isn’t color). The MX-850 also lacks an RF extender, though it does emit an RF signal. I bought my MX-850 at a local audio store that usually doesn’t sell this model without also programming it, a difficult process that would have cost me time. In terms of speed and ease of programming, the Harmony wins hands down.

Ergonomics is an important consideration that usually boils down to personal preference. For a channel flipper like me, the MX-850’s buttons were easier to find and press in the dark. Both remotes are backlit, but the MX-850 lights up only when a button is pressed; the Harmony illuminates every time it’s touched. In the end, both did the same job with the same efficiency; the only differences were in personal preference and ease of setup: The Harmony 890 was easier to set up; the MX-850 Aeros feels better in the hand.

Wrap it all up

To operate my home-theater system without a universal remote would be maddening. I lived with such a system for many years and will never go back. The Logitech Harmony 890 universal remote control did everything I needed it to do and was capable of much more. Though I have only four devices in a single room, I could have operated up to 200 different devices from any room in my house -- so if you have a complex system, think of the 890 as a survival tool. It wraps all the functionality of a basketful of home-theater remotes into one small package of almost infinite capabilities -- just like the Swiss Army Knife.

Manufacturer contact information:

Logitech Inc.
6505 Kaiser Drive
Fremont, CA 94555
Phone: (510) 795-8500

Website: www.logitech.com/harmony

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