Manage updates with the Download AppLogitech Harmony 890
Manufacturer: Logitech Part number: 966193-0403
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- While it isn't perfect, the Logitech Harmony 890 should be near the top of your list if you're in the market for a sub-$400 RF remote that can operate equipment that's hidden behind cabinets or closet doors.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Logitech Harmony 890 price range: $299.99
- Reviewed by: David Carnoy
- Edited by: John Falcone
- Reviewed on: 05/17/2006
- Released on: 01/03/2006
The good: Logitech's first universal learning remote to incorporate both IR (infrared) and RF (radio frequency) wireless operation includes a rechargeable battery and docking station, an RF base station, a DVR-friendly button layout and backlit keys. As with other Harmony remotes, the Logitech 890 is Web-programmable and is compatible with Windows and Macintosh machines.
The bad: Compared to the IR-only 880, the Logitech Harmony 890 is pricey. Its Web interface may intimidate nontechie users, and it lacks the Wi-Fi connectivity that's beginning to appear on some rival high-end remotes.
The bottom line: While it isn't perfect, the Logitech Harmony 890 should be near the top of your list if you're in the market for a sub-$400 RF remote that can operate equipment that's hidden behind cabinets or closet doors.
User reviews
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High priced piece of crap
by metrab on June 28, 2010
Pros: Worked great for a year and a half and now is useless. Remote didn't always turn on satellite and Directtv so at times still had to manually control systems. What's the use of a high priced remote if I have to do everything myself.
Cons: LCD has completeley gone out and the great customer service of Logitech can only send me a coupon for a discount off of a new remote. Wouldn't waste the money again on another Harmony product.
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Harmony 890 is an excellent, cheap, reliable solution
by Nicholstv on June 25, 2010
Pros: it's a cheap and totally reliable way to consolidate the remotes. Also allows you to put your devices behind a cabinet.
Cons: none. Some people may not find the internet set-up simple.
Summary: I use it with my Apple TV as well. Totally works. For the money a solid remote.
Summary: I use it with my Apple TV as well. Totally works. For the money a solid remote.
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Screen died after 6 weeks
by electricguruguy on June 14, 2010
Pros: Well laid out and back lit design.
Cons: Dosent work any more... never dropped, if the screen went out on yours please reply to this post.
Summary: I paid $200 for a remote with RF ability and it worked for about 3 weeks. The screen went out and I called Harmony. They told me it was a ...
Summary: I paid $200 for a remote with RF ability and it worked for about 3 weeks. The screen went out and I called Harmony. They told me it was a used unit.. and that the 890 were not sold any more.. I went to Amazon and looked and by golly they are still being sold at this very moment. I called them back and they told me they would give me a 50% off coupon to buy a new one.. It costs $400 for a new one and i just spent $200 on the last one... I am not going to spend another $200. they will not fix mine and will not send me a new one. They all but called me a liar when i tried to show them my receipt from amazon that is was a brand new unit and was still under warranty.. I was told to call Amazon and I did but they told me to call Harmony (Logitech). They will not stand behind their product and will not fix mine even if i want to pay for it. I will never buy another Logitech product and the suport is horrible.
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Support is Horrible
by bstetson24 on April 18, 2010
Pros: It is wonderful while it works.
Cons: Logitech won't stand behind their product.
Summary: My display went blank shortly after the warranty period. Support wasn't willing to do anything besides give me 50% off of their site (which brings the price to the ...
Summary: My display went blank shortly after the warranty period. Support wasn't willing to do anything besides give me 50% off of their site (which brings the price to the same as Amazon). If you search the web for this product losing display, you'll find numerous incidents of this happening. It always happens shortly after the warranty period. I was very insulted when Logitech told me I could buy another product. If this is an overpriced paperweight, why would I want another one? When I spend multiple hundreds of dollars for a REMOTE CONTROL, I expect it to last longer than a year. I felt as though the remote control was rather expensive to begin with, I REALLY don't want to spend 150% for the product. Logitech wouldn't stand behind their product, and that's why I give this remote only one star.
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Easy setup, full featured, easy to use
by jacrider on April 1, 2010
Pros: Less than 30 minutes to configure with my computer. All components supported, even AppleTV. Rechargeable with a dock is convenient. Fairly inexpensive, $149.
Cons: Very little. The unit could feel more "substantial" in your hand, but that is minor.
Summary: Software was intuitive and made set-up easy. All components in my home theater were supported. Easy and intuitive to use, so all my family easily migrated to the Harmony. All ...
Summary: Software was intuitive and made set-up easy. All components in my home theater were supported. Easy and intuitive to use, so all my family easily migrated to the Harmony. All other remotes are now in a drawer. That is success.
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I would have rated this a zero if I could have.
by vicker01 on March 17, 2010
Pros: There are no pros cos you can't set the damn thing up.
Cons: This is an appaling product that is not even supported any longer by Logitech. Further, because I was beyond the 90 day warranty period they wanted to charge me for support, even though they acknowledge the issue is due to a known bug with the setup.
Summary: I am done with Logitech!
I have 2 Harmony 890 Pro remotes with extenders. My ordeal with this product has caused me to research alternatives and I will be going ...Summary: I am done with Logitech!
I have 2 Harmony 890 Pro remotes with extenders. My ordeal with this product has caused me to research alternatives and I will be going with the massively less cumbersome Next Generation Home Products Wireless RF Extender. I am appalled at Logitech for the following reasons:
1. I encountered the error ?Unable to Display Content? on numerous occasions as I was attempting to update the settings on my remotes.
2. This is a well documented issue on the Internet and has existed since 2007!
3. Your representative informed me that the 890 Pro is a non supported product by you and that is why the issue still exists because the software has never been updated.
4. Even this is a known problem with your product, the 3 representatives that I spoke to insisted that they could not help me unless I paid for a $40 incident assistance. Are you kidding me!
5. The best I got from each of my calls with your representatives was an emailed list of tutorials. In some cases, the tutorials did not pertain to my issue and in some cases they were repeats of previous tutorials that did not solve my problem.
6. Once I had done the various updates numerous times, each taking around 7 ? 8 minutes for the 4 products to be updated, the one remote kept on crashing. The only way to get the remote to reboot was to remove the battery which was a challenge. I had to use a scissors to do this and landed up cutting myself. That little scar will be an appropriate reminder of the pain I have gone through over this.
I could keep going with my list of complaints, but I will leave it at that for now. I am disgusted by Logitech?s lack of support for their product and their lack of empathy for their customers in a situation which is clearly a result of that lack of support. Shame on them! -
Great remote, easy setup, going on 15 months of use.
by IceEmQuick on January 2, 2010
Pros: VERY easy setup. I'm confounded by those who say you have to be tech savy to setup. Try setting up a Philips Pronto and get back to me on hard to setup. RF and PS3 module work excellent. Controls 3 rooms worth of electronics. What more do I need?
Cons: The RF extenders do require IR wires to be run do the devices. This remote is NOT going to replace those bose RF units, but there is no remote that comes with everything to do that anyway. Buttons ergonomics are not the best.
Summary: Setup is very easy if you take your time and plan out the setups needed to run each device. Say for TV using cable, you have to think, Power on ...
Summary: Setup is very easy if you take your time and plan out the setups needed to run each device. Say for TV using cable, you have to think, Power on TV, SWITCH TV INPUT TO HMDI 1, power on cable, POWER ON Receiver, set receiver to Input CABLE. Then if you have an xbox, you do the same... POWER ON TV, SWITCH TO HDMI 2, Power on XBOX, Power on Receiver, set receiver to AUX. If you think like that, the remote will remember what devices are on, and only do the setup needed... it will know the tv is on (if you are going between TV and Xbox), and just change the input on TV, change the input on the Reciever and power off the cable and power on the xbox.
It really is VERY easy to setup if you do it like above. If you don't I see where people will be come confused and things will get out of hand. But compared to setting up a Philips Pronto remote, this thing is a CAKE walk, and all with the ever expanding DB of IR updates online....
I can only bet the 900 will be better.
Remember to setup each activity as if you were starting with everything OFF and it will work. Otherwise you will be lost and nothing will work as you want. -
"Poor setup" is an understatement.
by NoAxToGrind on November 9, 2009
Pros: What I like: Well, it does control the devices it claims to control. But, see the "cons", below.
Cons: It?s really hard to program. I agree with the review that says it takes hours.
I called their tech support; they wanted to charge me just about what the product cost.Summary: It?s easy to use once programmed; but try making a simple change. You have to undo mounting hardware and connect two different gadgets to your PC.
The screen is ...Summary: It?s easy to use once programmed; but try making a simple change. You have to undo mounting hardware and connect two different gadgets to your PC.
The screen is hard to read. A better screen costs almost twice as much.
I suspect that Logitech is good at simple products but this complex product gives them a black eye. Looks like a market opportunity for a user-savvy company. -
Great remote
by GeovannyS01 on October 28, 2009
Pros: Great remote have not found device I cannot control , Tech support is great
Cons: phone tech support only last 3 months, Yet you have a 1 years warranty.
Summary: Great remote!!!!! after making sure your settings are correct for every device its the best. It will be the only remote I will ever own. I looked around for remote ...
Summary: Great remote!!!!! after making sure your settings are correct for every device its the best. It will be the only remote I will ever own. I looked around for remote controls that had extenders, I tried an extender that radio shack sold returned it the next day and bought myself this Harmony 890.
I will say it again their tech support is great but their policies need to be changed...
1) have more than a 3 month support over phone
2) if your remote breaks send one out a replacement to the customer (im still waiting for a reply)
3) if the remote that you have stops working offer the customer something of comprable value if not the same thing.
4) do something about the wait times (i had to wait for an hour for someone)
on another note...
a few buttons on my remote have stopped working and i called their tech support and they told me that they cannot replace it for at least a month since they don't have any in stock. I asked why cant they replace it with whatever they have that is comparable and they wont do anything. I have a feeling they might be waiting for my warranty period to be over in a week. I hope that is not the case. -
Remote works OK but charger is weak link
by disgruntled-user on October 22, 2009
Pros: Remote can be programmed to control all components of the entertainment system
Cons: Charger base failed to charge battery; battery is proprietary and cannot be purchased from typical, big box and small retailers.
Summary: I upgraded to Blue Ray, receiver, and HDTV in January 2009 and had a tech from the Geek Squad set up everything. He suggested replacing the remote I had been ...
Summary: I upgraded to Blue Ray, receiver, and HDTV in January 2009 and had a tech from the Geek Squad set up everything. He suggested replacing the remote I had been using with the Harmony 880. I hadn't intended to spend the additional $300 plus the cost to program it but decided to purchase the additional options that weren't available on my original remote. In retrospect I should have considered other products.
Everything worked OK until mid-August 2009 when there was a message on the remote that the battery needed to be recharged. I kept it on the charging base all the time so I went looking for a new battery. Every place I went, including Best Buy and Batteries Plus, I was told I must purchase it from Logitech. Unfortunately, the Logitech rep told me there was none available until after Sept. 15 -- a wait of more than a month.
I found and purchased two from Amazon.com. The Best Buy sale associate had suggested leaving the remote on the charging cradle may have decreased the battery life so, after replacing the battery, I left the remote off the cradle. About 7 days later there was another message on the remote to charge the battery. Placing the remote on the charging cradle overnight did not charge the battery.
I called Logitech and related the situation. The rep agreed to replace the charging cradle but his decision was reversed by someone in an e-mail I received the next day. That person wrote his diagnosis was that the charger was OK and the problem was with the battery. When I called Logitech and told them the problem occurred with two batteries the rep maintained the position that the battery was the problem and not the charger. (Others have written on this web site of experiencing problems with chargers that would not charge the batteries.)
I responded with an e-mail asking to have a new charger to test if my charger was at fault and promised to return the replacement charger if the problem was, indeed, a second faulty battery. I suggested that if the second charger did not charge the battery I would install the alternate battery I purchased and that, if that battery could not be charged, the problem must be the charger or a faulty circuit in the remote. I did not receive a reply to my e-mail.
I took the charger to Best Buy and spoke with a Geek Squad tech who agreed the charger was faulty. Best Buy would not replace my Harmony 880. I again called Logitech and told the person on the other end of the telephone of my conversation with the Geek Squad technician but the Logitech rep refused to accept my representation of the problem. He refused to honor the warranty and replace the charger.
After being without a remote to control any of my enterntainment components for two months I junked the Harmony 880 and purchased a different remote. I chalked up the cost of the Harmony and the expense to have the Geek Squad program it as another expensive life lesson to not always accept a single option recommendation.
My suggestion if you are reading this to determine if you should buy a Harmony remote to control your entertainment components is to consider other products. The cost of the Harmony remote is competitively attractive but it is only as good as the warranty that supports it and if Logitech will stand behind their product. My experience is they won't acknowledge the problems, although other users reported experiencing the same problem, and it is not worth the hassle to convince a faceless, arrogant person on the other end of the telephone who is convinced of his infallible, long distance diagnosis that the Logitech product is defective.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Logitech
- Part number: 966193-0403
- Description: Imagine... controlling all your devices using only one remote - without a direct line of sight to the components! With the Harmony 890 Remote, you can still control your home entertainment while all those unsightly wires and components remain hidden behind cabinet doors or walls.
General
- Remote type Universal remote control
- Remote control technology Infrared
Overview
- Features Back-lit buttons ,
Easy online set up ,
One-click activity buttons ,
Multi-brand compatibility ,
Programmable - Number of supported devices 15
- Supported devices TV ,
DVD player ,
VCR ,
Game console ,
AV receiver ,
Amplifier ,
CD player ,
DVR ,
Radio - Input device Keypad
- Max operating distance 100 ft
- Display LCD display - Color
- Color display Yes
Connections
- Type 1 x USB
System Requirements
- Operating System MS Windows 2000,
MS Windows XP,
Apple Mac OS X 10.2 or later,
MS Windows 98 SE,
MS Windows ME
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Wireless AV receiver,
AC power adapter,
Remote control charging stand - Cables Included 1 x USB cable - External
Power
- Battery Remote control unit battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Logitech products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Logitech
- Address:
6505 Kaiser Dr., Fremont, CA 94555
