Occasionally, I do the odd review of a gadget I’ve bought on my blog. Normally, I’ll review them after six months or so of using them, so the niggles have had a chance to surface.

And so it is with my Logitech Harmony 555 Universal Remote Control. I bought it a while ago, because I wanted to control my Sky box, my hifi, and my tv from the one control, instead of having at least two around.

I chose this one after quite a lot of internet research. Important to me were the programmable buttons and sequences (so I can set one button to turn the subtitles on/off, for example, which is about four keypresses on Sky), and a certain degree of future-proofing. I hoped that the Logitech would do the job.

It comes with some natty software, which is quite neat. The software (Mac OS and Windows) is actually nothing more than a container for a mostly web-driven process - which is good, since Logitech holds my remote settings rather than one of my computers. A USB cable updates the remote itself (and its firmware).

The advantages of this tool being web-based are also clear when you buy a new piece of kit. Since the Logitech website appears to be constantly updated, it knows about new radios, like my rather nice new Pure DAB radio. It’s possible, therefore, that I’ll never need to buy another remote control.

The software is really hard to get your head around, though. It takes a good few hours to fiddle around to understand how the system works. Unlike other universal remotes I have, this one’s default is based on “activity”, rather than “device” - so instead of just setting up your TV and your Sky box, for example, you then set an activity, called “Watch Sky”. This, in turn…
1. Checks if the radio is on, and turns it off
2. Turns the telly on, and tunes it into the right input
3. Turns the Sky box on

By and large, this works perfectly once you get your head around it. But I found it really complicated, and I always worry in my splendidly condescending way that if people like me find it difficult, then what about other people… which may or may not be a sensible thing to think.

It’s easy to confuse it. Go over and turn the radio off manually, and the remote will still think it’s still on. So, when you then turn everything off with the remote control, the radio turns itself… back on. It’s not hard to fix, though - important to realise that this is a remote replacement, not an additional remote.

Other neat things I like: the background ‘glow’ illuminating the buttons appears to work off a very sensitive movement sensor. Walk past the remote, and it greets you enthusiastically.

Things I don’t like: some of the keys - the navigational keys for the Sky or DAB EPG, for example - click really very loudly. If you spend a few minutes clicking through the EPG, it quickly gets irritating.

In short, though, if you’re looking for one remote to replace your clutter, and you’re also willing to spend a good few hours getting to grips with the software, then this isn’t a bad purchase. It’s about 60 quid, so rather a luxury thing, but I’d recommend it (and, indeed, have done).

Disclosure: the link to Amazon above will earn me money if you buy from it. I don’t believe it’s changed my view.

Tags: control, gadget, harmony, logitech, remote, review, universal | Permalink | Comments RSS | Leave a response, or trackback.