User reviews for the Harmony 890 from Logitech. Ratings Reviews MSRP (USD) Average: 3.24/5.00 Median: 3.33/5.00 11 $399.99 The Harmony 890 upgrades the 880 with new RF capabilities - control equipment that's not in your line-of-sight! It also features a color LCD screen, activity-based concept for up to 15 devices, web-enabled setup with USB connection, television program guide and a rechargable lithium ion battery. Message Forum Add Your Review Get it at:

Written by southzone2002 from Texas. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.

Review 11 made on Monday November 30, 2009 at 12:14 PM. Also owned: No other Harmony remotes Strengths: Wireless Extender is great because it allows one to control all of their components with one remote...even ones hidden in cabinets! Weaknesses: The remote is very costly, difficult to program, difficult to read labels, and is not very durable. Review: I purchased this unit from Best Buy about a year and 1/2 ago and paid just shy of $400 for it; I believe someone buying one today would pay closer to $200. This is still a lot of scratch for a remote control. The unit was very difficult to program initially. Most of my components were "off the shelf" except for my DVD recorder which was a top of the line product. The Harmony 890 did not have a preprogrammed setting for it so the HR had to "Learn" each command. The process was very time consuming and yielded inadequate results. After trying for several hours to resolve the problem myself, I contacted Logitech support for assistance. I felt a little better about the issue as it took them over two hours to resolve the issue. Once the issue was resolved, the unit worked flawlessly for the next several months until I had to reset the unit to add additional equipment. This time I tackled the ordeal myself and completed the task within 20 minutes. After the unit was just under a year old, it stopped working. Thankfully it was within the warranty period and Logitech decided to replace the unit with a new one. I now believe it was replaced with a refurbished unit as now the unit fails to charge after just six months. I'm working with Logitech now trying to get them to replace the charger and/or the remote but I was told I have to wait three business days for them to make a decision. All I can say is that if they fail to "do what is right" and refuse to replace the charger, I will NEVER BUY ANOTHER LOGITECH PRODUCT. If they charge $400 for a remote that costs just a few dollars to build, they should be on the hook to replace the unit for as long as it fails to work properly! Quality: Features: Value:

Written by cjshaker from Bend, OR. The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.

Review 10 made on Saturday February 7, 2009 at 3:05 PM. Also owned: Have RTI XP8, which was professionally installed, and also a Harmony 720. Strengths: It is user configurable, which is a big plus. The RF extender takes care of devices inside of cabinets. Weaknesses: Have to unplug power to the extender and update it each time you update the remote, even if the devices the extender is controlling do not change. Remote locks up and requires removal of battery to regain control. When you go to an activity, the main device you're watching is NOT automatically brought to the soft buttons around the screen. You have to manually select the device to control it, after selecting the actitvity. And, when you're in that device screen, the volume control does not pass through to your receiver. Review: I like the fact that I can update the remote myself, unlike my RTI XP8 system, which requires dealer assistance to make the slightest change, since RTI doesn't allow customers to have the software tools used to configure it. I don't like having to crawl into my cabinet and unplug the RF extender and update it every time I change anything on the remote. Even if you didn't change any of the devices controlled by the extender, the Harmony update program insists on updating the extender as well. And the manual says that you must disconnect AC power to the RF extender before updating its firmware. That gets old. Another problem is that my remote has started locking up. It shows the 'fan' at the top, which means it is transmitting, but it doesn't respond to any of the buttons on the remote. I have to remove and reinstall the battery to reboot the remote. Also, when you select an activity, the remote is not smart enough to bring up the device specific softkeys around the display. Say I select the DISH receiver activity. Then, I have to hit the Device button, and then page through the device pages to find the DVR button to see my recorded shows. The volume control rocker button does not control my receiver volume while I'm in the DISH receiver device screen, so to change the volume, I have to touch the Activities button to get the volume control active, where upon the DISH device page is no longer up. My wife is not impressed with this. It works, but is not exactly user friendly. Chris Quality: Features: Value:

Written by bwilli03 from Johnson City TN. The reviewer has used this remote control for under 1 month.

Review 9 made on Friday April 4, 2008 at 11:47 AM. Also owned: Harmony 880 Strengths: Very easy to customize and set up macros. Weaknesses: Very hard to update (see below) Review: The remote can not be updated with the battery in the remote. Technical Support refused to replace the remote saying it was the USB voltage on 2 different computers fluctuating. I have a Harmony 880 that updates with no problems on the same two computers. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by JGarth from Miami Fl.. The reviewer has used this remote control for under 1 month.

Review 8 made on Tuesday November 20, 2007 at 6:30 PM. Also owned: Harmony 659 and 880 and numerous other universal brands. Strengths: Great Range in both IR and RF mode. Harmony well know web based system setup. Nice slim design fits in hand perfectly. Rechargable batteries last approx 5 days between charges. A reliable tilt sensor unlike the 880. Using RF is so much better than IR, it's like going from VHS tape to DVD. You don't need to worry about how the remote is pointed which seems so obvious but is so sweet in daily use. Weaknesses: The Tightly packed keys seemed to be geared towards anorexic people or fine boned Asian kids. Nobody with normal size fingers can press certain of these buttons without hitting others. Review: I recently purchased an 880 and had to return it. Some of the problems where one's that seem to be well documented on this forum, like Limited IR range, unreliable tilt sensor and a bit of charger jiggling. The only problem that was totally unbearable was the Limited IR range, I had to tilt the unit down and only the Left side and center of the remote had any range, the right side was useless. Overall I would estimate about 12 foot limit on range when I had it pointed dead on. Long story short I returned the 880 that I had purchased for $249 to Brandsmart and bought a 890 for $275 on Amazon which BTW has now been raised to $290 this week. The 890 I get the remote, transfer my 880 account and within minutes I am up and running. The first big difference is the IR range! If I use my 659 with 3 IR emitters as a benchmark, the 880 had about 60% of the range of a 659, while the 890 has about 120% of the range of a 659 and it has no tilting or left right differences in performance, overall it's better than I ever thought it would be. Next I did some tests on the Tilt sensor, it worked flawlessly every time, as opposed to the 880 which seemed to work sometimes and do nothing at other times. Lastly I set up the RF Link and installed the emitters etc. I must say this was not as smooth an operation as I had gotten use to, the remote linked the first time then I messed with some settings and evidently screwed the whole thing up. After spending 2 hours I was able to put both units in safemode and reload the firmware and settings, after that they reconnected and it has been working perfectly ever since. OVERALL: I love the 890! I no longer have to point the remote and I love that. The battery life is really good, about 5 days of proper use between recharges, the tilt sensor works on this model, the nagging problem of not being able to see the writing on the buttons is gone because now I can hold the remote straight and find the button and press it, no more holding it up finding the button then positioning my finger on the button then tilting down to issue the command. In a few months as I get use to using it by touch this will be moot but at the start it's a life saver. About the only thing I don't like about the remote is how tightly packed the buttons are but then again this is a well known issue that Harmony seems to ignore. I can't tell you how happy I am that I sent back the 880. I have read so many weird posts about the 890 saying how you have to dig up the RF unit and power source when you change the remote settings, this is not an accurate statement, all you need to do is disconnect the plugs and hookup only the RF unit, you do not need the wall adapter for programming the RF module, it gets it's power from the USB cable also the adapter that works on the charger is the same for the RF unit so if you ever have one die you can use the unit in IR mode and the single adpater for charging till you get a replacement. The 890 does not seem to have the power charging issues of the 880 as I have never had to jiggle the remote, it comes on and charges the first time I drop it in the cradle. The remotes may look the same but there is some major differences in how the 880 and 890 are made, I just wanted people who might be considering the 880 to know that the extra $$ you may spend on a 890 is well worth it, the RF section alone is a great option to have and well worth the extra money. Get an 880 and trust me you will be kicking yourself for not spending the extra money for a 890 :) Quality: Features: Value:

Written by thursday from Stratford, CT. The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.

Review 7 made on Wednesday August 1, 2007 at 10:15 AM. Also owned: All Harmony remotes. I'm a dealer for them. Strengths: Simply the best remote I've ever used. It allows people who shouldn't own technology the ability to use it and when there's a major problem (like the cable box didn't turn on and there's no picture on my TV) the help button solves it every time. Tech support for programming and for problems is excellent most of the time. The support personnel are cheerful, helpful and patient. Weaknesses: Quality control doesn't exist. The chargers don't charge. The remote loses communication with the RF extender. Blue screen of death. Many bad remotes, many bad extenders. Distributors have stopped selling this product in favor of less problematic devices. Second zone is a nightmare to program and to use until it is finally configured properly. There is no owners manual. Tech support wait can be 40 minutes some days. Many of the programming tools are only available from tech support. This means you have to call them and explain what it is you are trying to do and have them do it. This doesn't always solve your problem....so you have to call back. The 40 minute wait time can be excrutiatingly long. Review: I am an installer/dealer. I've been incorporated since 2001. I have a lot of equipment. The Harmony controls my equipment so easily that my family (including my 78 year old mother can: Watch TV, Watch a DVD, Record to DVD, Listen to XM, FM. Change stations from in the house or from the patio or pool area. Listen to CD's and change tracks and disks easily. I have two harmony's that work flawlessly with each other controlling all the equipment. One from inside and one from outside. This programming is difficult and follows murphy's laws to the letter. When you think you have all the bugs worked out, you are just beginning a long and arduous journey. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by mullermuller from dana point, california. The reviewer has used this remote control for under 1 month.

Review 6 made on Monday May 7, 2007 at 7:31 PM. Also owned: onkyo chad,marantz rc 2000, marantz rc 5000 Strengths: all i have to say is programming is so easy compared to a pronto, or rc 5000, any moron off the street could program this remote. You dont have to do any macro's it guides you threw everyrthing, all you do is tell it what components you have. Weaknesses: product feels cheap, its so light that it feels like it would break if dropped. Also after taxes mine cost about $370.00 thats a lot of coin. Review: although pretty pricey for what it is, this remote fixed my problems of to many remotes, and being able to control my system from outside, for i spend a lot of time in my backyard, were i have a tv, and speakers running off of my main system in the house. The RF works great no problems to speak of, its great just bring my remote with me and im in control of my whole system anywhere in my yard. I was considering buying an mx 3000, but im glad i got the 890, its comfortable to hold and just plain easy to program, and use. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by audiovue from canada. The reviewer has used this remote control for 3-6 months.

Review 5 made on Sunday February 25, 2007 at 9:58 PM. Also owned: H1000 Pronto tsu3000... Strengths: Très facile de programmations. 15 minutes ont suffit. Weaknesses: Boutons trop petit ! Le câbles de raccordement est fixe sur le module RF. Review: Comme je l'ai mentionné plus haut cette télécommande est vraiment admirable. Vous ne connaissez pas grand chose en programmation de télécommance et bien ses cette dernière qu'ils vous faut. Je crois que les plaintes ci-haut mentionné vienne d'installateurs jaloux. car voyez-vous ils vont perdres de grosses somme d'argent maintenant sans leurs inommable faculté de vous faires dépenser. Je viens justement de m'acheter une Logitech 1000 et vous en donnerez des news trés prochainement... Ciao Quality: Features: Value:

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