Heads up! A newer version of this product is out!
91
Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Ergonomics No comments
- Device support No comments
- Battery life No comments
Detailed review
I don't generally write reviews of products but after seeing all of the super-positive reviews I had to write a contrary viewpoint. I've had three different Harmony remotes (659, 880, One). It's got some good things about it, but in many ways is one of the worst Harmonys I've had.
The Harmony concept is great. Like all other Harmonys, this one has the intuitive online setup, remembers states of all your equipment, and automatically makes macros for each activity.
However, the One has major issues. First of all is learning. If you have to learn commands that aren't in the (admittedly large but not always accurate) Logitech database, you'll need to use the One's receiver in the bottom of the remote. Unfortunately, the receiver is absolutely horrible. I've used the learning function on both my 659 and my 880, and had no issues. The One has the most finicky receiver I've ever seen. In what worked in five minutes on the older remotes, I spent 45 minutes fighting with the remote to get it to learn 10 commands from my AV receiver.
Secondly is the IR transmitter setup. Unlike the 659 and the 880, the One needs almost direct line of sight. This means that I have to tilt down my remote at the AV receiver to turn that on, and then tilt it up near the end of the command to turn the monitor on. On one of their high end remotes, Logitech completely skimped out on the IR transmitters (a dirt cheap part). The 659 and 880 both had THREE transmitters, two pointed forward, and one pointed at an angle in case you're holding the remote vertically to look at the screen. The One only has two transmitters, setup both in a straight line. In other words, you get less range and need more of a line-of-sight with the One than previous remotes.
The One has a capacitive touchscreen instead of buttons surrounding the screen. I don't want to look at my remote in order to do things. A touchscreen of any kind is just plain stupid. The older remotes had buttons surrounding the screen which might have looked uglier, but was much more functional.
Finally, build quality has gone downhill since the 659. My 659 lasted about 3 years until one of the buttons no longer worked. My 880 lasted 9-12 months as the screen no longer showed any picture. The One is a little better than that so far, I've had it 9 months and it still is functional, but the accelerometer to turn the screen's backlight on isn't very sensitive, and I literally need to shake the remote hard to get it to come on.
Benefits of the One over the 880 are there: the charging dock actually just works (the 880 needed you to be very careful with the positioning or it wouldn't charge), the buttons are bigger with a better layout, and it just looks nicer and feels nicer. There's also a few benefits over the 659, again having to do with the look and button layout, and having a rechargeable battery.
But in most functional purposes, the One is just another step in Logitech's ruining of the Harmony line since they acquired the brand.
The Harmony concept is great. Like all other Harmonys, this one has the intuitive online setup, remembers states of all your equipment, and automatically makes macros for each activity.
However, the One has major issues. First of all is learning. If you have to learn commands that aren't in the (admittedly large but not always accurate) Logitech database, you'll need to use the One's receiver in the bottom of the remote. Unfortunately, the receiver is absolutely horrible. I've used the learning function on both my 659 and my 880, and had no issues. The One has the most finicky receiver I've ever seen. In what worked in five minutes on the older remotes, I spent 45 minutes fighting with the remote to get it to learn 10 commands from my AV receiver.
Secondly is the IR transmitter setup. Unlike the 659 and the 880, the One needs almost direct line of sight. This means that I have to tilt down my remote at the AV receiver to turn that on, and then tilt it up near the end of the command to turn the monitor on. On one of their high end remotes, Logitech completely skimped out on the IR transmitters (a dirt cheap part). The 659 and 880 both had THREE transmitters, two pointed forward, and one pointed at an angle in case you're holding the remote vertically to look at the screen. The One only has two transmitters, setup both in a straight line. In other words, you get less range and need more of a line-of-sight with the One than previous remotes.
The One has a capacitive touchscreen instead of buttons surrounding the screen. I don't want to look at my remote in order to do things. A touchscreen of any kind is just plain stupid. The older remotes had buttons surrounding the screen which might have looked uglier, but was much more functional.
Finally, build quality has gone downhill since the 659. My 659 lasted about 3 years until one of the buttons no longer worked. My 880 lasted 9-12 months as the screen no longer showed any picture. The One is a little better than that so far, I've had it 9 months and it still is functional, but the accelerometer to turn the screen's backlight on isn't very sensitive, and I literally need to shake the remote hard to get it to come on.
Benefits of the One over the 880 are there: the charging dock actually just works (the 880 needed you to be very careful with the positioning or it wouldn't charge), the buttons are bigger with a better layout, and it just looks nicer and feels nicer. There's also a few benefits over the 659, again having to do with the look and button layout, and having a rechargeable battery.
But in most functional purposes, the One is just another step in Logitech's ruining of the Harmony line since they acquired the brand.
good review!
4 people find this review helpful