Logitech Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote Control

This is a very expensive remote, and that is all it is, you have to program it very carefully if you want it to work the way it is advertised, one touch activities are excellent if you have the time to tweak all the controls that you will need. I have had this for several months now and I can't imagine not having it, particularly now that I have started heading down the home automation route (lights, blinds etc.). The harmony 1100 is fantastic if your a bit of a gadget freak or lazy (perhaps even both), I would also recommend the ps3 adapter as I use it as my home theatre unit for bluray and streaming video from pc, the harmony is great for controling playback without feeling like you are using a games console.
The only gripe I have with this product is that it needs to be taken out of the charging cradle to be used, the two solutions I have found are unplugging the power supply so that you can sit the cradle near you for one handed use or using a different power supply with a 3v output so it charges but doesn't override the screen with a charging symbol (found this out when I used my Remington cable by accident, I thought it was just a firmware update until I realised).
The 1100 is also much more reliable than the 1000 from what I have read, I have never had the remote crash or freeze like what has been reported with the 1000.
I would also point out that if like me you are a guy with a girlfriend who is not a big fan of gadgets or technology in general, you may wish to gloss over the price as you will have difficulty explaining why that money wouldn't be better spent on her.

Let's get the fact that the Logitech Harmony 1100 is ultra-expensive out of the way to begin with. IT IS. I'm going to assume if you're reading this review then the price, whilst being a concern to you, isn't off putting and you're looking for some unbiased opinion/information to help you decide whether or not to treat yourself to this incredible device.

Opening the box you are greeted with the sight of the handset itself and its shiny black charging stand.Remove the top tray and underneath you have the instruction manuals, li-ion battery, mains lead, software disc and a USB cable.The handset itself is incredibly thin and light and is coated in a "rubberised" material on the back and is a metallic matt on the front.

Before you can program and use the Harmony 1100 you need to fully charge the battery - I'd recommend doing this overnight as it takes a minimum of five hours. This is also a good time to install the suppled software.
Gather the make and model of every peripheral you want to control and when the handset is charged you can finally begin. To program it you'll need to set up an online account with Logitech,tell them of all the devices you want the 1100 to operate and tell them of your "activities...." Activities are essentially a string of commands you'ld like the Harmony to do in a "one-touch" operation. i.e. Turn on the tv, turn on the Sky box, tune into Sky news..... or, sitch on the amplifier, switch on the cd player, play the cd...... It's upto you what activities you want to program it to do and it can be programmed to operate upto 15 different devices.

When you've finished online the handset is then programmed and the latest firmware installed and you're ready to go. The bottom line is test your activities. If they don't work quite how you expect you will need to go back online and "tweak"" them - the old saying practice makes perfect comes to mind at this stage.....

When you eventually get things exactly how you want you can then customise the display on the awesome display screen of the unit. Change icons, add short cuts, add favorites (channels, functions etc,,). I'm still "dabbling" with mine and suspect I will be doing so for a good few weeks until it is totally customised to my exact liking. There is good guidance,info and tutorials on the Logitech website to assist with any awkward issues you may find arise, but basically anyone with an above avaerage knowledge of how universal remotes work won't have a problem mastering the Harmony 1100.

So; to conclude.....

Would I recommend ?
You bet I would !
This is the Ferrari of universal remotes - a joy to handle, gorgeous to look at and will compliment the highest of high end AV systems. It even operates games consoles....

The only drawback is that you need both hands to hold and operate it - s if this is a problem for you then this isn't the remote for you.

It's obviously future proof with online updates readily downloadable as they are made available, new products being added to the Logitech database as they are launched, etc.

This is a quality, quality piece of AV equipment and will give you as much satisfaction and the same "wow factor" as any plasma screen, blu-ray player, 5.1 surround amplifier sytem will (or has done).

Go for it..... you won't be disappointed.

I had this delivered to work and it quickly attracted a crowd (of men only), all making approving noises. The first question everyone asked was "what is it?" - the answer to which was generally met with responses like "cool". The second question was always "how much?" - when I told them the first word from their lips was always an expletive. Without a doubt this is one gadget where any normal notion of value must be discarded - if you can't do that, walk away now.

So having come to the conclusion that the Logitech Harmony 1100 is both cool and ridiculously expensive, the next question must be does it work. Fortunately the answer is yes.

Prizing the surprisingly compact remote out the box and putting it on the supplied dock, the Logitech Harmony exudes quality. It's anodised alloy on the front, with a rubberised reverse and feels great in your hands. Once charged the set-up process is quite straight forward but did take me longer than the suggested 30 minutes (more like an hour and a bit for me). Those familiar with such devices could perhaps do it quicker.

In brief the set-up process is as follows: Install software (internet connection needed), set up account, attach remote via USB to computer, use software to add devices, set up 'activities', test remote, make changes if necessary. You are guided through each step in relatively plain english, but if you don't know the difference between HDMI and SCART you'll be in trouble, as it rightly assumes you know what's plugged in where.

The 'activities' are key to how this remote works. For example the most obvious 'activity' would be 'Watch TV'. Pressing the relevant icon on the touch screen will do the following: Switch on the Sky+ box, switch on the AV receiver and select the relevant input(s), switch on the TV and set to the correct input source. Once done the remote will ask if all is working as expected, if not it will walk you through suggested fixes. Then if you then decide you want to watch a DVD, press the appropriate icon and Sky+ goes off, the DVD player comes on and the AV Receiver and TV switch to the correct channels. Once you've had enough, press the power off button on the remote and all the devices are switched off.

I honestly thought it would trip up at some point, but so far so good. I also initially thought that some features were missing, but they are all there under the 'devices' sub-menu, which lists all the buttons on your existing remotes.

My only gripe is that it can't switch the PS3 on or navigate it's media bar (as it's bluetooth, not infrared). By using a USB infrared adapter you can control movie playback though.

At the end of the day I've gone from juggling six remote controls to two (the Harmony 1100 and the PS3 handset). Do I recommend the Logitech Harmony 1100 to people with a bunch of devices to control? Oh yes. And I don't normallty write reviews this long, so thanks for reading this far.