Cool Product: Universal Remote Control

With so many electronic devices, I struggled for years to find a universal remote control that actually works with all (or at least most) of my devices that is still easy to use.  I couldn’t tell you how many I have bought, only to despise them a few days later.

A year ago I was visiting my parents, looking for a universal remote that would work for their entertainment system, and decided to try the Logitech Harmony Xbox remote.  (The only things ‘Xbox’ about it are the white color and four buttons that match the A, B, X, and Y buttons on the Xbox controller; it doesn’t require an Xbox to work.)  It turns out, I loved it!  So when I returned home I bought one for myself.  And it worked great for my system as well... it controlled every one of the 14 components in my home theater setup perfectly, from DVD player to projector.  Just a month ago a higher end model went on sale at a fraction of its original price, so I bought two of them: one for home theater, and one for my bedroom. 

The Harmony remotes are different than other universal remotes.  Instead of just being a bunch of remotes in one box, they work on a different idea altogether: using intelligence to control devices based on the activity you are trying to perform.  With traditional universal remotes, you might have to go through a sequence of buttons to watch a DVD:

1. Select TV mode on remote
2. Press Power to turn TV on
3. Press Input button multiple times to select the appropriate input on your TV for your DVD player
4. Select DVD mode on remote
5. Press Power to turn DVD on
6. Press Play to start the DVD

With the Logitech Harmony series, this is reduced to:

1. Press the Activities button.
2. Press the Watch a DVD button.

That’s it!  The remote turns your TV on, sets it to the right input, turns on the DVD player, and starts playing the disc.  It’s much, much easier than using separate remotes or even a single traditional “universal” remote.

Programming the remote is actually pretty easy.  It connects to a computer via a USB cable and you use Logitech’s software to set it all up.  So there is no punching in weird 5-digit codes into the remote to get it working.  Everything is done in an easy step-by-step wizard on your computer.

The remotes do tend to be kind of expensive, but they are totally worth it, and there are cheaper ways to get them.  Refurbished remotes are available online, and you can always pick them up from eBay.  I actually like last year’s line better than the current lineup, so getting a refurbished, old stock, or used model might actually be better (the 720 model I recently got seems to have the best combination of features).

So there you go.  If you have more than a handful of components in your entertainment system, I highly recommend getting a Logitech Harmony remote to control it all.  You won’t have to remember how you’ve got everything hooked up, and don’t have to remember complicated sequences of button presses to control your devices.  The remote does all of your thinking for you.