Harmony Remotes

[Cerus98]

After going through several remotes trying to find the perfect one, I settled on the Harmony 880. So far I'm enjoying the remote but was very disappointed to find that 1) Unlike the specifications page on Logitech's website...you cannot use the remote while charging and 2) the charging base is a piece of junk. I'm not expecting the replacement to work any better which is sad considering the very high cost of this remote.

I've used many Logitech products throughout the years and I've usually had mostly (but not all) good things to say about them. Except when it came to their software for their devices. It either does not function properly or it is extremely resource intensive, bogging down even the speediest of PC's. I have to say that the 880 and it's "software" completely takes the cake in this department. What they call software is of course a proprietary web interface that constantly crashes, fails to respond and takes FOREVER to load and update.

I could deal with this annoyance since programming is pretty much a one time thing until it came time to watch a DVD tonight. I discovered that the upgrade from a less expensive Harmony remote to the 880 didn't go 100% smoothly and I need to make adjustments to the buttons in order to use the remote. Well what do I find when I connect the remote and launch the software? A big message blaming my internet connection for a connection error. A couple clicks later I am then shown a blank webpage for the Harmony remotes with a single line of text...."Experiencing High Traffic" High traffic at this hour??? No of course not..it's simply Logitech and their horrible "software" failing to work properly thereby making my remote a $350 paperweight until they get their act together.

As advanced as this remote is supposed to be..it really falls far short in the user friendly department. Now I'm no business man nor do I develop my own software products but I do have one CRAZY idea. How bout dumping the whole web based thing and simply release a PC software program that is NOT dependent on a network connect to function. Allow me to adjust my own settings based on the software itself. Let me store my own remotes configuration on my own PC that I know is in proper condition and allow ME to download updates to the software and devices when I choose to do so. All I need to do is rearrange a few buttons...I DO NOT need to connect to Logitechs servers to do this. Run the software like any other...install it...update it as needed and let their users PC do the work. Perhaps then it would actually be worth the $350.

Sincerely,

One mad and dissatisfied Logitech customer among millions of others.
(Mod Note: Edited for language)

Message Edited by Pegasus on 10-28-2006 03:58 PM

[WannabeActuary]

350 is way overpaying, it's on many sites for $159 on a regular basis.  ie J&R

[10inja]

I got my remote (first universal remote) - the 890 - a few days ago, and have been programming it since. Spent a ton of hours programming it the way I want, not one time I had problems with connection or crashes or any software problems. It always worked "perfectly."

now my remote is setup exactly the way I want it, it's awesome and sweet.. no complaints here..

The recharging unit works fine for me as well... and it looks nice..

sorry you had so many issues... it might be your connection/PC indeed and not the software