Side by Side Comparison of: Logitech vs Amazon vs Samsung SmartThings

Setup: Samsung 55" Smart TV (I don't using any of the smart features since my Apple TV has better versions), VIzio 55" soundbar, Arris cable box; Apple TV Gen4; old Phillips DVD player. TV, soundbar and Apple TV are on wifi and the remote automatically found and added them. Setting up the others simply required entering the model name/number. Basic setup for Watch TV, Watch Apple TV and Play Movie (DVD) was done automatically by the Harmony - I just needed to specify which inputs on the TV and soundbar to use for different activities - and so far (about a month later) they've all worked flawlessly.Note re Apple TV: I still use its remote for most functions since the Harmony doesn't have Siri or a touch screen. Not a big deal at all, and volume can be controlled by either the Harmony or the Apple remote, so when using the Apple TV I don't really need the Harmony for anything other than to start the activity. If you don't care about Siri, you could use the Harmony for all ATV functions.Note on placement: my cable box and apple tv are in one section of a wood entertainment cabinet and the dvd player is in a separate section. TV and soundbar are above the cabinet, with soundbar blocking the TV's remote sensor. I put the included IR blaster in the section with Apple TV and cable box and it controls both easily, wherever it's placed. The signal couldn't reach the DVD player in a separate part of the cabinet, but I put the hub (surprisingly small) on top of it - perfect. I bought an extra IR mini blaster placed it on top of the soundbar, near the TV sensor and it controls both perfectly. So my weird setup took a bit of time to figure out ideal placement, but this is not the fault of the Harmony.I also love the iOS app. Although I agree it's not very intuitive, it's not hard to figure out. It makes it very easy to access less common commands for all of the components and has a very cool "favorites" screen for TV/cable box channels. And its screen for the Vizio soundbar is about a thousand times easier to use than the soundbar's own remote or app.

Although not entirely perfect, the Harmony remote delivers the dream of just having one remote that controls *everything* without having a complicated layout or steep learning curve.Pros:-It's RF, so it doesn't matter where you point.-Button layout covers pretty much everything you'd need in a home theater setup-Very customizable.-Every button can actually perform two functions - secondary function activates by long-pressing the button. This is *very* useful.-Hub is able to learn IR codes from unknown or generic IR remotes (such as LED strips)Cons:-Android app is a little clunky. Has to sync to the cloud server *every* time you enter or exit your device menu; interface is not overly intuitive; some options are difficult to find due to unclear menu titles, etc. It works fine once you know your way around, but it's very clunky compared to other Logitech products, like Logitech's gaming mouse and keyboard software for example.-The button cluster near the top, meant for smart lighting, can only be used for smart home devices. If you don't have any such devices, you evidently cannot use those six buttons for anything. Not even IR LED controllers. As a result, my LED bias lighting is controlled by the Yellow button.-There's no eject button. Seriously? I mapped my Blu Ray's Eject function to the DVR button, because who needs a DVR anyway? Maybe the "E" button next to the 0 on the number pad is meant to be Eject, but that's kind of a weird place for it. Whatever. It works. It's just a little awkward.Harmony works on the premise that you probably have four or five remotes, and you probably only use one or two of them at a time, so the buttons on the remote get mapped according to "Activities." For example, if you're watching a live sports broadcast, you don't need your blu-ray remote at the moment, and if you're watching a blu-ray disc, you probably don't need the remote to your cable box at the moment. Also, for most of your remotes most of the time, you probably don't need ALL of the buttons; just the ones you use. So, you setup an activity for watching sports, define which devices in your home theater are involved when you watch sports, choose which buttons you need for those devices, and then map those buttons to the Harmony remote. Repeat the process for Blu-ray viewing and any other activity you want, and Presto! You now have a remote that changes to fit each situation.It's a little pricey for a universal remote, but then again, it's really not a remote - it's a pretty fully realized control processor for home theaters. If you're just looking for something that'll control a smart tv and a Roku at the same time, this thing is overkill. If you have two or three input devices, plus a receiver and smart tv, this thing is an absolute godsend.

Well designed and the sufferer is easy to use. I read on one of the reviews that you could not port from a Harmony one software. I'm not sure what happened in the person's particular case but I had no issue at all upgrading from a Harmony one. There were just some steps you went through and it converted the definition over. The only gripe I have is on the new Ruko stick it seems to occasionally send to button presses and no amount of modification in the configuration settings will fix it. I didn't attempt to modify the fixed delays and other settings but still no success. Truthfully a minor issue because it only happens occasionally. The device it has a problems with is not infrared control so maybe there's a minor defect in the software. Although the devices, stereo, home theater PC, TV and Blu-ray player have absolutely no issue using this remote.

I really like this set up. It was easy to transfer all my activities over from my 650 remote. Since this remote communicates with the Hub via RF, the dogs walking in front of the entertainment center does not stop the signal. The Hub communicates with my devices via IR directly from the Hub and also has 2 ports to add mini IR blasters (Only 1 blaster comes with this package). I have also added the Harmony skills to Alexa and can control my Logitech Harmony activities from my Amazon Dot. The buttons can be customized as you need. (this remote operates my TiVo, but didn't have a "Live TV" button, so I mapped it to a button that was not being used. The feel of the remote is good too. This package is way cheaper than the Ultimate w/ Hub and is just as good if you don't mind the lack of a screen. I wish the remote had a backlit keypad, but other than that, I am happy.

Great remote. While it lacks some of the visual interfaces the higher end models have, it does a great job simplifying an otherwise cumbersome set up.We recently cut ties with our satilte provider and moved to PS Vue on a FireTV box. This remote combines a TV, AV receiver, blue ray player and FireTV box into one single remote. The smart phone function is ok, but if you really want touch screen an option you should probably opt for the next level up. I just wanted a single remote with single button activities that would allow for simple changing between devices.Couple of things to note that are not exactly clear on the description:1. There is no IR transmitter on the remote. I have all my AV equipment in a closet at the back of the room. My plan was to have the remote control the TV via IR and the components via the hub. This is not possible with this remote.2. The extended IR blaster work differently than most. Usually IR blasters receive a signal from the remote and transfer it somewhere else, this does the opposite. The Hub/Extender receives commands from the remote wirelessly and then creates an IR signal to send out to the components. This meant I had to get the extended blaster pretty close to my TV. In my case, it required me having to extend the cable for the external blaster from the Hub to my TV. I needed about 25 ft. to accomplish this and was able to do so with the help of a 25 ft. 3.5mm headphone cable and a couple 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptors. Note that if you need to extend yours like I did, you will need the 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptors to fit into the hub and extender.

I researched several remotes looking for a solution to control multiple devices (AV Receiver, cable box & smart TV) and simplify using these devices so my wife could watch TV, steam movies, etc. without my help. This system is unique (wifi / home network based) and the reviews were mixed - especially regarding setup. Being somewhat tech savvy I decided to give it a try.I found it very easy to setup by following the steps in the minimal instructions which came with the unit. I easily added all my current components via the Iphone app, set up activities (i.e. TV) which automatically powered on the correct devices, switched to the correct input, etc. and it even lets me customize the Logitech remote as needed. I can operate all my equipment from the remote or my Iphone and my wife loves it. I haven't tried any of the other capabilities (operating smart lights, dimmers, etc.) but it looks pretty straight forward.I really like and recommend this product.

I've been a proponent of Harmony remotes for many years. When I moved into a new house and tried to smart-ify it, this was right near the top of the list. It's been more useful than I expected in many aspects, but unfortunately it's biggest disappointment is the included remote.Top Pros:- Using Alexa to turn on & off the TV is amazing. Especially when you're making breakfast or dinner for kids who are pining for entertainment. Turning it off when dinner is ready is so convenient.- Not having to point the remote at the TV is taking some getting used to. 6 weeks later and I still find myself pointing the remote at the TV.Top Cons (the remote issues):- This remote does not have a "Help" feature which, on other harmony's, would walk you through troubleshooting a device that did not turn on. For instance, someone stands in front of the IR blaster and the receiving doesn't turn on. The old remotes would walk you through which devices are not working on the remote; here you have to use your phone for troubleshooting. (Or, the dreaded "Get up and turn it on yourself" but who has time for that)- No backlight to the remoteFor what it's worth, 6 weeks after buying one for my living room I replaced my basement "classic" Harmony with this one, too. So the pros vastly outweigh the cons.This remote is not for Grandma & Grandpa (or Mom & Dad depending on your age). So much needs to be done through the phone app that if you don't have a good understanding as to how it all works together (remote + app + Hub + Blasters) then you're bound to become frustrated.

Wow, I bought this with some trepidation, I was wrong to worry. I have owned and struggled with universal remotes, over the years, including previous Logitech models. Programming and finding just the right combinations for the specific model of various components was frustrating to say the least.I decided to buy this because I've been playing with home automation lately and this remote and hub were listed as compatible with my Amazon Dot and I decided to give it a try again, based on some positive reviews I had seen.It took me less that three hours to set up and program to control my Panasonic TV, Onkyo AVR, Directv DVR, Samsung Blu-Ray, Google Chromecast and Roku. I have not yet but intend to integrate it with my Phillips lighting in the room. The remote allows you to program "events" such as "Watch a Movie" and assign to and Event button. The button when pressed, turns on the TV, selects the correct TV input, turns on the Blu-Ray (in this example) Turns on the AVR and selects the correct input and output on the AVR and you can select where you will control the audio, TV or AVR. Control of the Blu-Ray is then accomplished by the common set of transport buttons on the remote: start, stop, FF, RR, Menu selection, etc. Up to six such events can be programmed on the remote. I am currently using four.All of this is accomplished with a telephone application. In my case and Android, iOS is also supported.It is also possible to customize buttons on the remote. I have added one customization. The default buttons did not include an eject button and through the app I was able to easily assign and unused button on the remote for that purpose.Why not five stars?The integration with the Amazon Dot is not quite there yet. It works. To be sure, but the command structure is clumsy and at the momtne you have to set up two skills in the Dot to make it work. Logitech is promising improvements in this area.

I bought this to replace another universal remote that had stopped working when we switched from a satellite provider to a cable company. My components are in a closet and we use a projector for television and movie viewing. I wanted to be able to operate my projector, cable box, DVD player and sound system with the closet doors closed. Set up was quite easy -- I used my Android phone app. It instantly connected with the TiVo system, Sony DVD player and Insignia sound system....unfortunately, I didn't have the same luck with my projector. Mine was not listed, so I had the option to manually "train" the hub. I tried several different configurations and it does not work. Of course, the projector is also outside of the closet, so I have to find a way to run the RF/IR extender out to a line of sight with my projector. Some of the functions of the projector work with the extender outside of the closet, but some still do not. A little disappointed about that, but really love how the hub works and how I can use my phone as the remote. It's so nice not to have to have my closet door open to operate my equipment.Bottom line: well worth it, but you may have to keep the remote for projection systems.

You know, I almost didn't buy this because of all the negative reviews, especially about Logitech's customer service. Quite honestly, though it doesn't work EXACTLY as I expected/wanted, their customer service has been amazing. I purchased this so I could be lazy and make Echo/Alexa run my tv (we did have ONE remote that ran everything, but it didn't do it 'well', from the cable company). It was a breeze to set up, you just go online and put in all your component info (be sure to have your brand/serial numbers on hand first) and then you can set up routines.The vendor was fine, it came as expected and wasn't damaged.Then you can pretty easily get Alexa to 'talk' to it. My issue was/is that I misunderstood how it worked and Alexa cannot control the tv in the kitchen. Alexa 'lives' in the kitchen, the harmony 'lives' in the living room. I'd have to purchase a bunch of other stuff to get her to speak to Harmony in there, so no go.Anyway, I had easily 5-7 exchanges with Logitech, Amazon, and Samsung (it's a 'new' tv in the kitchen with a smart hub, so it's beyond me why Alexa cannot talk to it) and Logitech was the most thorough (sorry Amazon, in this case your CSA was woefully uneducated) and helpful.....and since these exchanges, they've sent me a follow up email asking if I have any other questions and a 'dedicated' email address.

I now own 3 of these remotes for around my house, and used to own a Logitech 890 universal remote; so I'm very familiar with Harmony software and devices. This is a really fantastic universal remote system, especially if you have home automation devices like lights or blinds. This product consists of a small Wifi hub that sits in your entertainment center (like a more svelte Apple TV in shape/size) and a comfortable, all physical button remote combined with software best used via smartphone app (note this review applies to the app experience using iOS). So let's break down the major components/features:Hub: The hub is a combination brain and IR blaster for the system. It receives commands via RF from the remote or through the cloud from the Harmony App or a 3rd party integration like IFTTT, then translates and sends those commands to your TV, cable box, blu-ray, game console, etc.. It can control those devices using traditional IR signals sent out from the hub itself and a small wired IR blaster accessory included in case you have an enclosed cabinet for your media devices and via Bluetooth for controlling some game consoles or connecting as a keyboard for AppleTV and other streaming devices. It can also connect to cloud services through its Wifi connection, which is primarily used to control home automation devices. The hub hardware could probably use an upgrade as some steps/changes in setup can take longer than I'd like, but I don't notice a lag in general use. The biggest drawback may be the 8 device limit, so larger entertainment systems might top out.Remote: This might be the strongest Logitech remote in a while. It's very similar to the Smart Control remote, but adding the Home Control buttons towards the top made them shift the play/pause section down lower where your thumb naturally rests. With the shift toward DVR and streaming sources, it makes sense that users will want easy access to play/pause/ff/rewind. In fact, this shift is why I would recommend this remote over the Smart Control even for users without home automation devices to control. The buttons feel good on the hand, and the layout is just distinct enough to provide good location by feel, which is important because it doesn't have backlit buttons (to the detriment of WAF). No backlit keys does help prolong the battery life, which is rated for a year from a small CR style coin battery and can be easily replaced. You only get 3 activity keys, but each one can have a short and long press for a total of six activities triggered from the remote (you can have many more in the app).App: The new app-based Harmony software works very well. The initial setup is easier than in the past and I didn't have to adjust any advanced settings to get devices to power up properly, which is a good thing because editing settings after setup can be a challenge. The settings menus aren't intuitive and it took me several adventures to find various options, particularly advanced settings that are common to traditional universal remotes like trigger lags and order. The app doubles as the configuration tool and an alternative remote. Fire it up and it logs into your hub (or the last one used if you have multiple) and shows you your activities. If an activity is already in progress, you'll get the power button on its left to turn it off or you can select it to bring up the controls for that activity. As cool as it sounds to control your tv from your phone and never lose your "remote" again, the novelty wears off quickly because the phone interface just isn't a good substitute for a physical remote. There's no tactile feedback or feel, so you have to look away from your tv and no longer get the visual confirmation of your button press. The app on a phone also shows very few controls per "page", so you have to swipe left/right often to find the right button(s). That doesn't mean the app isn't useful. For one, the app is the only place to control individual devices separately from an activity, and it's where you need to go if an activity fails to turn all the right devices or change inputs (I have not had any issues with this so far). I also use the app occasionally to proactively start an activity in another room such as the basement before walking down (great for warming up a projector if you have one).Home Control: The new part of the Harmony line is adding functionality for controlling Home Automation devices. Logitech generally works with the major players like Hue, Wemo, Nest, etc... and the Home Control remote adds 4 dedicated home control buttons as well as an up/down rocker for adjusting settings like dim level for the latest selected device. The dedicated buttons are great and despite a light bulb on two and an outlet on the other two, they can be assigned to pretty much any device. You can also add home control actions directly to activities, so Watch a Movie could include dimming lights and/or closing blinds if you have them to integrate. I make extensive use of these buttons through a connection to SmartThings. With the flexibility of SmartThings, you can make almost anything happen through those 4 home control features. Setup was easy and the app walks you through it; but in order to get the full power, you should be comfortable tinkering with settings and digging a little deeper.Unfortunately, this is where Logitech could use the most work. The overall functionality is great, but it's very limited. You can't assign home control devices to other remote buttons and although you get short and long press options for all buttons, you can't assign two devices to a single home control button either. The functions a home control button has is determined by the type of home control device automatically. For instance, a light will turn on with a short press, off with a long press and the rocker will dim it up/down at a defined step (4% in my experience) that can't be changed. Opening this up to be configured by the user would allow for greater home automation integration and flexibility that might rival higher cost systems; features like having the lights dim up when pressing pause during a movie and returning down when pressing play again. I was able to emulate this via a home control button, but it was an arduous process and means I need to remember to pause via that home control button during a movie.Overall, this is a great universal remote system that still needs some work on the software side for customization and flexibility. If you have a simple system and don't want to tinker, you'll find this easy to setup and use. The physical remote is in my opinion, one of the best physical remotes in terms of feel and button layout I've ever used (backlit buttons would probably put it over the top). The Home Control is an added bonus for users with systems in place, and it's the biggest WAF upgrade because my wife can turn off the lights or turn on the fan while lying in bed without digging out her phone.

--- 5/6/2015 UPDATE ---Logitech customer support has worked with me via email to help resolve my issue. It appears my unit wasn't getting the firmware update when using the Software Sync function. I would try to Sync and it would ultimately fail as the unit would red light and not respond or stay in a boot loop (constant red light). Here is what they instructed me to do: To Update the firmware, Launch MyHarmony Computer Application Before clicking anywhere inside the window --> Windows users: Press Alt+F9 --> Mac users: Press Fn+Option+F9 or Option+F9 (depending on Mac model, either one will work) You will be taken to advanced tools page Select "Update Firmware" button under Harmony Home Control Now follow the steps listed in the page to load the latest firmware in your Hub & Remote Once you are done, click 'Return to login screen', login to your account and make a USB Sync If the issue persists, please press "Ctrl + 1" to summit logs through MyHarmony Computer Application.I've since updated my rating from 1-star to 4-stars.--- 4/17/2015 Original Post ---I've owned this since December 2014 when I was looking to replace my Harmony 569 remote. I loved the functionality of my 569 but I got tired of feeding it AAA batteries and it's bulky compared to this remote. I have a fairly simple setup: Cable TV box, Samsung TV, Vizio sound bar and a Roku 3.During the setup I was loving the remote, man did the engineers finally make a remote that fit perfectly in your hand, was lightweight and had basic functionality with some bells and whistles I won't use (lighting control). Regardless, simple to use and smooth integration with the Roku, along with all my other devices, benefiting my wife and friends with little to no learning curve.Now, the cons. First, I must say, I wanted and still want this thing to work. I purchased a second one in February (before my troubles began) and now I can't return it. FYI Amazon has a 30 day return policy which I'm not blaming them but if it were 90 days I could return it!1 - The hub began random red lightingAccording to online help, I have no wifi signal or the unit is booting. I don't use the App as I've read horrible things about it and personally unlocking my phone and launching an app is not convenient. Therefore I never connected it to our wifi which leads me to believe it's in a boot-loop. Requiring no less than going over to the unit and power cycling (unplugging/plugging).2 - Now the issue has progressed to the point of pissing me off, mainly due to Logitech not responding to my online support ticket, and leading me to write a nasty review about a product I want to work. It's red-lighting within 30 minutes of power cycling or even better, no-lighting. Yes, no-lighting is a new term that I've defined for this product. I have no clue the state of the unit, so I power cycle and once booted I get a green light for another 30 minutes or so. Only to go and watch another show or shutdown for the night and be staring at a red light/no light at all.3 - There are random times where it has a mind of its own and forgets the programmed activities. If I choose to watch cable TV it will turn everything on correctly but not adjust the inputs to the correct sources. Of course you would think, check your IR blaster! I did, and it's in the same place as it always been, blasting the whole room with beautiful IR in hopes of reaching a listening IR receiver. I will press the activity again and it will work. I won't complain too much about this, it's not frequent enough and there are too many variables; low battery remote, blaster positioning and items within the room.To date, I'm still messing around with it like a crazed fool expecting a different outcome with the same inputs. One can hope, right? Meanwhile, my wife has all the old remotes out, cluttering the side table and tempting the toddlers.Calgon...

I have a love-hate relationship with this thing. The product is great and could be so amazing but the software is an absolute mess and places limitations on its usefullness. I have to say, it really seems like Logitech just wants you to give them ridiculous amounts of money for remotes and isn't truly trying to bring the consumer the most bang for their buck. In fact, yeah, I'm just going to say it: Just grab a $10 universal remote.

I love this remote and the set up is pretty simple. The main drawback is the fact that there are only really 3 device buttons. You can set up 2 actions on each but really it's not that easy to remember (or teach the wife and kids) what they do. It does have buttons to control connected light bulbs and sockets but I don't have any of those yet. The response when pursuing a button is pretty good. I don't detect much lag after I've pressed the TV button and it runs through the routine of powering on tv, cable box and sound bar. There are also problems in figuring out buttons for advanced options for each device. For instance, when watching the DVR it was not readily apparent how to get to my Favorite Channels list (that is a dedicated button on the DVR remote, the red heart). Another example related to using the DVR is trying to go to Live TV after being paused on a channel and having some time built up on the DVR. I still don't know how to do that. The last thing I'll mention it's the button layout. I picked this remote over the one with the color touch screen because others said that accidental screen touches were a problem. There's none of that here but the remote is small and so are the buttons. Since they are all black and very soft and low profile there's no ability to do the "no-look" press with your thumb after rubbing it across the buttons looking for the right one. Again, I don't hate this remote. It works well but just takes some getting used to and has some cons that you'll want to take into consideration.

The remote was a breeze to set up for the most part. No problems that I can recall with the set up process other than that it would not connect to my Wii U and if I set an input for the TV in an activity my TV would display an error message saying "No Channels in Master List". I followed all of the instructions but these two features would simply not work. The lack of Wemo Switch support was astonishing. It is by far the most popular wifi switch on the market but the Harmony doesn't support it. But in the end, both the Wii U, TV input, and the Wemo Switch problems were not deal-breakers for me. Setting up my TV, Projector, Surround Sound, Soundbar, Lifx Lights, and tying it into Amazon Echo was easy.I've been using this product for 2 weeks and in that time, my "Movie" activity (Projector and Surround Sound) and my "TV" activity (TV and Soundbar) have worked flawlessly. Using the remote to change the volume or edit the pictures settings also works great. The Lifx Lights are another story. When I set up the two light activities that I have they set up fine. Ever since then though, when I try to add lights to an existing activity, it doesn't pull up all of the lights I want to control. It'll pull up 3 or four at a time out of the 9 that I have. So I have been unable to create any new activities using the lights. And when controlling the lights it often misses a couple. Turning on my living room lights successfully turns on all of the lights about 50% of the time. Very disappointing for a device that costs $130 but what am able to do is pretty cool so I don't regret the purchase.

A system that does exactly what I needed but 1) Expensive and 2) Very, very buggy.The companion system was a lot more attractive to me than the touch screen version, for reasons of price, reliability and not having to to constantly charge the remote. However, it took me a long time to set up, contrary to what is indicated by mainstream media reviews.The user interface on the mobile app is not great. It has some very deep menus for setting up the activity buttons for instance, and I found it a lot less intuitive than the desktop software. The main reason for the slow setup, however, is that several "activities" had to be deleted and created multiple times, due to bugs. For instance an activity could report that my Roku had no channel capacity, and hence I could not set a start up channel. Only way around this was to delete the activity and start over. And about deleting,... some times deletion would not "take". Then the only solution was to restart the app, and try to delete the activity again.Some functionality is only available on the desktop software, like custom icons. Some functionality is only available on the mobile app, like Roku startup channels. And some times the settings on the mobile does not sync with the settings on the desktop software. Only solution is to restart apps and try again.So a 20 min setup job takes 2 hours, easily. But when you have gone through all the hassle, it works like a charm. And the remote looks like it will be hard to destroy, which comes in handy for kids.

Pros------1. The remote uses RF and doesn't require line of sight.2. The remote is very 'slick', well build ('rubberized') and comfortable.3. The blaster is very 'strong' and does reach every equipment in the room.4. The configuration apps can identify almost any equipment.5. Option for two more wired blasters.6. Support for IFTTT.7. No need to charge the battery each time (like the more expensive one) and it lasts for a very long time.8. Good Android & Ios configuration applications.9. Hub is small and slick, well build.10. Support for Hue lighting (but basic), Nest thermostat and other home automation devices.-----1. No self-lighted remote which is very annoying using it while watching a movie.2. Sometimes there is a lag in the response to a button push.3. No support for LG air conditioners4. Sometimes the hub isn't available through the WiFi net which is needed to update its configuration. A reset to the hub (which takes 30 secs!!!) is needed, sometimes more than that - i.e. pressing the sync button on the hub).5. No windows OS support!!!6. Sometimes the equipment power is out of sync and it is very difficult to correct it.7. Hue lighting support is basic (on/off or dimming) - no support for scenes.8. Not enough home automation devices support.

I would return this in a second but I am not sure if I can find a remote that is easy to set up as this that has backlit keys. Do I have to spend $350 to get an easy to use remote that works in the dark? Seriously considering attaching a light to this - like an LED reading light for books.Not having back-lit keys is a deal breaker. I can't even control the volume in the dark because half the time the remote is upside-down.

As far as hardware goes... it's top quality. If your setup is on the "normal" path: add a known device, add an activity and have certain devices turn and activate a particular set of inputs, it works okay. At this point the interface on a mobile devices is "a bit klunky", but it's useable and it's a one-time thing. But that's where the joy ends.The Windows/Mac configuration tool is _really bad_. It looks worse than a web app dressed up as a native app (like, eg, Discord). It acts and feels like a VNC session to a server at Logitech, running on-demand instances of Windows. It's worse than iTunes's interface abomination.But it gets worse.If you actually want to program an unknown device, you have to go through this tap sequence: "Fix/Add Commands", "Unknown Command", enter the command name, "Acknowledge" the instructions screen (no way to say "dont show this anymore), then point your remote at the hub to have it learn, and there's no feedback about whether or not its receiving... and it usually errors out, then "acknowledge" once more. That sequence for EVERY BUTTON. In addition, you can't test this after each button; you have to come all the way back out of setup, and then discover that most of the programming doesn't work, so you go back into set up again, and its an additional tap, because you select the button that didn't work and then "next".This desperately needs better "bulk addition" management, including a test facility. I can't see how Logitech/Harmony use this interface to program their remote database without going crazy. This was clearly not focus-group tested.In addition to that... the whole setup thing is very slow. I believe that configuration of the device goes through external servers: there is no direct communication between the configuration tool and the hub.So, two stars for the good hardware and reasonable "normal" workflow. No more stars until they fire everyone in their UI department and possibly open the API for configuration.

I've had a lot of problems with this remote. I previously owned the Harmony 880 and it worked perfectly for 8 years until the "channel up" button stopped working. Decided to order the Harmony Companion Remote and almost immediately regretted it.- The "Exit" button doesn't work well so I reprogrammed another button to act as the exit button. Not a big deal.- The lack of screen means that you can't control individual devices separately. This becomes a problem, for example, when I turn off the PS3 and the TV. If the TV does not turn off properly, which happens quite often, and you hit the "off" button again, the remote will turn the TV off, but the PS3 back on. I had the same setup with the 880 and it worked fine.- Because you can't control individual devices with this remote, I keep the PS3, TV, Soundbar, and cable box remotes out. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a universal remote.- I've changed the battery three times in a year and a half and now the batteries just pop out of the slot so that I have to open the battery and push it back in every time I pick up the remote. Stopped working altogether this week.- None of my devices are exposed to the sun, nor is the hub, but for some reason if the sun is shining through a nearby window, the remote does not work. I think sunlight interferes with the operation of the hub somehow even though none of the devices are exposed to the sun.- Alexa integration does not work at all for me, but I may be an outlier. I know it works well for some.- The remote works with the PS3 but not in the PS3 store, which is annoying. This may be PS3I DO like the way the app works on my phone. It is very reliable and for some reason sunlight doesn't seem to be an issue with the android app.Overall, very disappointed with this remote. I've loved all previous Logitech products I've used (wireless mice, keyboards, Harmony 880, etc.). Ordering the Elite now so hopefully I don't have similar issues.

I'm using the remote to control a Samsung TV with the usual apps like Youtube, Netflix, Amazon; Tivo; Chromecast and a Yamaha receiver. I guess the good news is that the remote was able to connect and control (sort of) all that stuff. So if I want to stick to turning on the TV, receiver, dimming the lights and using Tivo it works ok. Confusion happens in several ways. If there's a *good* way to switch the TV from Tivo (external device) to watching Netflix (app on the TV) I haven't found it. I can make it work, but it's awkward. In a similar way I can switch the TV to Plex (a media sharing service), but once in Plex I haven't found a way to select content. The tablet/smartphone app is a little better (maybe), but the "keys" are awkwardly laid out and non-intuitive. As other reviews have pointed out there's no obvious way to avoid switch Tivo on and off when you start viewing--if you don't list it as a device to control which automatically turns it on and off--you can't control it. I also haven't found detailed documentation anywhere--trial and error works, but it tedious.If there's any hope it's that since this is all software controlled, they could improve it. Right now it's pretty disappointing--especially at the price.

I bought this to use with my home automation but that hasn't worked out so well. The unit by its self works fine but the integration with devices like Samsung SmartThings or the Echo doesn't work that well. sometimes it work, sometimes it take 5-10 minutes for the function to trigger but mostly nothing happens.

I ran into multiple difficult setup issues with the hub. Able to get through them, but they were not easy.I bought this remote hoping to set up an activity to control an iPhone using Tidal. I *thought* that since the iPhone was involved, the remote could control the iPhone. There is an existing Satechi remote that can control the iPhone--I have this remote, it works, and it's available at Amazon. But the hub cannot remote control the iPhone.So, I went in a different direction to see if this remote could replace my existing Harmony One media room remote. I would probably use a Harmony Ultimate, but since I had this at home I decided to investigate using the new MyHarmony software.Sadly, the new MyHarmony software has removed key features from the older Harmony Remote Software 7 program. Specifically, you are no longer allowed to modify the shutdown steps to insert a change of input---in my case, I want to switch the TV to InputHDMI3 on shutdown.Why do I need to do this? When my wife and I watch DirecTV over the TV & TV speakers, we use the DirecTV remote. It's a complicated remote and Harmony does not completely support it--and we are used to it. In every other situation, we use our Harmony One remote. Our DirecTV DVR is hooked up to input HDMI3, so in order for the Harmony One remote to be compatible with the DirecTV remote, every Harmony One remote Activity ends by setting the input to HDMI3. So, if we turn on the TV using the DirecTV remote everything is ready.So, I looked at workarounds. One approach suggested in Logitech forums was to teach the InputHDMI3 command to the new remote by hand. Then it could be used on shutdown. Sadly, there seems to be no direct way to do this since this particular command is not on any Sony remote. The only way I could think of was to use an older Harmony remote to teach the command to the newer Companion remote. Doesn't seem to be a robust way to do things going forward; what if the older Logitech software stops working?I want to point out that the Harmony remotes do not exist as the single system in homes. Harmony remotes have to be able to play in the sandbox with other systems. I cannot emphasize enough the need to interact with other systems. Harmony remotes should not be a closed-wall system that is all or nothing.I currently have 2 aging Harmony One remotes that I have had for many years and love. Each is on it's second battery and are showing signs of recharge fatigue. My decision going forward is to replace these remotes with Harmony 650s, which use the old software and can set the input to HDMI3 on exit. Amazon has the 650s so no problem there. I am returning this Harmony Companion remote.

I already own a Harmony Smart Control remote + hub which I use to control all devices in my living room, including a overhead dimmable light and a couple of IR-controlled outlets with lamps. Since there aren't any buttons special for these kinds of devices, I'm using red, yellow, blue, green, and a couple of the digits for this purpose.When I saw this remote it looked like exactly what I wanted since I am quite fond of the Smart Control, and this looked like the same device but with a few buttons: Two buttons with bulb symbols, two buttons with outlet symbols, as well as another up/down arrow. So I wanted to use the up/down for the dimmable overhead, and the other buttons for some lamps and a space heater.Alas, the home control buttons can not be programmed individually, you can only use them if you have some actual home control devices like Philips Hue, SmartThings, etc.Yet again a Logitech product with awesome hardware but lackluster software to go with it. I'll be returning this one unless a software update is provided before my return deadline.

First and foremost, Logitech's product information on their website is sorely lacking in any kind of meaningful information that would allow one to make an informed purchasing decision. There's no user manual for the Harmony App, no documentation on the configurability of the remote, no details on how exactly one can modify Activities.I ended up purchasing the unit to figure out some very basic aspects of what it can and cannot do. What I found was a remote that is so cumbersome to configure that I gave up on trying to see if it could do the advanced things I wanted. It has limited capabilities, designed for rather straightforward installations that are content with "watch TV", "watch DVD", etc. But add in a TV that has variable delays at startup, a receiver that has FM presets tucked a couple of layers deep and the Harmony is anything but harmonious with the AV system. Cute remote, but it doesn't communicate its status at all. You don't know if you are controlling the inputs on the TV or the presets on the receiver.I am an engineer who works with complex electronic systems for a living so the Harmony was by no means intimidating. I think it suffers from trying to be a one size fits all product and ends up being unsuccessful, overall.

It's decent when it works... I have had to re-set it up a couples. Out of no where it randomly stop working on devices. I've had this remote for about a year and have stopped using it because of the issues it keeps having. VERY annoying to have to set it up to control my devices over and over. Can't believe some sites rate this as a top pick. Save yourself some frustration and do not get this things.

In theory this is a great hub to work with Echo. Reality - I have literally well over 20 hours programming and reprogramming and still don't have it working anywhere near what it should do. Keep in mind when reading, I'm using Echo to control everything which adds the voice control layer and therefore complexity.1) For Samsung SmartTvs, and this applies to many LG and other TVs, the TV inputs constantly change depending on what is connect AND what is powered on. Logitech's method of changing to a different input is to cycle through the inputs until it gets to the right one. Which often (for me) means that it lands on the wrong input if I want to change (for example) from my Tivo to my Roku or SmartTV. My only option to maybe fix this is to literally power on everything before switching inputs, which wastes electricity AND allows heat to build up in the entertainment center.2) For Tivo, I struggle to get everything to work properly through activities to allow it to do more than change channels, power on/off (I like to leave it on), and other basics. If I want to tell Alexa to listen to Pandora via Tivo, I have about a 25% chance of success. Listening via Samsung SmartTV instead is even less.3) It will successfully power on an XBox 360 but it will not power on a Playstation 4. Supposedly you can control a PS4 if the power is already on but I was unsuccessful in that.4) It does not play nicely with my Vizio soundbar and likes to change the inputs for no reason, leaving me in complete frustration trying to find the correct one again. This change of inputs is not programmed into the Logitech activities or buttons so it's baffling.From what I see, old Harmony remotes were easier to set up. While this adds Alexa/Echo capabilities, the software is woefully inadequent and all the FAQs on their website were not helpful. I have given up trying to program it.

I'm on my second (replacement) Harmony Companion and am ready to return this one however I don't have the 60-120 minutes to spare on the phone with technical/customer support to demonstrate the product doesn't work properly.Despite configuring each device according to all instructions and applying all updates (verified during customer service calls) the unit fails to turn on and off my components consistently and I often wind up using the remote(s) that came with each piece of equipment...defeating the purpose of why I purchased this device in the first place).I experienced the identical problem with the first unit I received and after 2 calls to technical support and more than 2 hours of my weekend, they concluded that the device was not working properly and send me the unit I have now.I am not using this to control any home devices, only a cable box (Comcast), AV Receiver (Onkyo), Samsung HDTV and Sony Blu-ray player.

I bought this product to upgrade from a previous hub that lacked the home automation features of this one. I opened the "My Harmony" app to try to switch my settings from the old hub to new hub. The "My Harmony App" is a total piece of junk... not only because it does not actually allow you to transition your settings from the old product to the new, but because it is so obviously badly written (I failed in my task after two frustrating hours of trying literally everything). Instructions lack precision and are not even in good English... so you have the double frustration of an app that does not work coupled with the confusion of "I wonder if they meant this? When they say "connect hub to upgrade... do they mean the OLD hub or the new hub... I'll try the old one.. not working... I'll try the new one... not working etc. etc." and so on, for two long hours. Fail. and an obvious fail by design. Like they want to claim that they have a product that can be upgraded easily because it sounds good, but somebody in marketing forget to tell the product engineers to actually do it, so it's just an empty promise / lie.

Worked fine for 6 months. And I actually thought it was an innovative product which performed well. However it now will no longer connect to my WiFi network and remote only works sporadically. Now it is just a $150 brick. Logitech customer service is horrible. Google the WiFi issue and you will find pages of this issue and customer service problems.Final conclusion: do not buy until they resolve the WiFi connectivity.