Review: Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Control With Color LCD Touch Screen

When I heard about the Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Control, I have to admit I was skeptical. You see, I had bought a Harmony 1000 when they came out, and it constantly locked up- so much so that I returned it. However it seems Logitech has set things right, and the feedback in the forums is that the Harmony 1100 is everything the 1000 should have been. So much so that the Logitech Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote won the CES 2009 Best of Innovations in Home Entertainment Accessories award. I thought the new remote was worth a second look, and I'm glad I did.

The Harmony 1100 software was rebuilt from the ground up, and still keeps what was compelling about the original. You probably have at least one person in the house who isn't quite good with technology? I know I do, my poor grandmother has a terrible time with all those "new fangled contraptions". I've tried big button remotes- writing out instructions, you name it. It's frustrating for her not to be able to "just make it work", and frustrating for the house to be setting everything up for her time and time again. The Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Control solves this problem by allowing activity based button creation. For me, the wizard walks me through setup on my components on the computer, all I do is connect the remote via USB and connect to the Logitech database over the Internet. I can then have a simple buttons with things like "Watch Movie" and the remote turns on my TV and DVD player, and can even start it. I can put the LCD buttons where they make the most sense, and hide the ones I don't need. Grandma is still learning, but appears to be much happier having to deal with one "clicker" instead of 3 remotes.

Talking a little about setup and configuration, Logitech is really doing a good job on support for devices. This beast works with more than 225,000 devices from 5,000+ brands — and they keep adding new ones. Of course these are infrared devices only- if you'd like to control RF devices (hello Bose!) you're going to need a Harmony RF extender, sold separately.

I did quite a bit of research on the differences between the Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Control and the Harmony 1000. On the face of it they appear very similar- even doing a compare on the Logitech website shows the following identical functions and no differences.

• Support for 5,000+ brands and 225,000+ devices
• Backlighted Controls
• Battery Status Indicator
• Color Display
• Guided Online Setup
• Infrared
• Infrared Learning
• Interactive Help
• Multi-Device Control
• Onboard Intelligence
• One-Touch Activity-Based Control
• Rechargeable
• Touch Screen
• USB Connection

Taking my own experience with the 1000 into account, I knew for a fact that the early firmware on the 1000 was flawed. While that appears to be fixed with the later versions, it looks like the software rewrite, now in flash on the Harmony 1100 completely sidestepped that issue and they are very stable. Also, transfers between screens are faster, and up to 32 buttons can be customized in each activity. Finally the transfer speed has increased, the remote receives more "raw" data from the computer and compiles itself. The hardware is different enough, however, that you cannot do an upgrade and go from a Harmony 1000 to a Harmony 1100.

When it comes to controlling IR devices, Harmony has it pretty well nailed. However, if you have RF devices, you're going to need to purchase a Logitech Harmony RF Wireless Extender. Got a PS3 with a bluetooth remote? The Harmony 1100 can't control that, you're going to have to get a gadget that can convert bluetooth to IR. I really can't fault Logitech on that one, why Sony didn't do a simple IR remote for the DVD player is a mystery. One more thing about what the Harmony 1100 won't do- it doesn't support ZWAVE. ZWAVE allows you to control items in a smart home- say your lights. So it would have been a nice addition to a full function remote. Overall I like the Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Control, and I think Logitech did a good job of overcoming the shortcomings of its predecessor. You can buy one in our store here Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote, or see about picking one up in the auctions, which are listed below.

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