OT but..... I need a universal remote

[Rupp]

What Universal Remote do you guys use? I need a remote that I can program one button and have all of my "equipment" to come on. I was going to use my Ocelot but I'm just not in the mood to use it and would rather just use a remote.

[BillyBob]

Harmony

I have used a Harmony remote for quite a while. They are now owned by Logitech. You have a personal login and it is programmed based on your equipment etc. You plug it in via USB.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...S/EN,CRID=2078

[dantelope]

I can strongly agree with BillyBob -- just got rid of my HomeTheaterMaster MX500 in favor of the much better designed Harmony 880.

If you need RF, the Harmony 890 was just released, too.

It's a techie's dream -- a remote that's great looking, operates all your stuff, and is so easy that you don't have to spend hours of "tech support" helping grandma and grandpa operate it while they're babysitting your kids.

Dan

[brothers]

I'll chime in in agreement - I've got a Harmony 680, and it's the first remote my wife is actually comfortable with.

- Dennis Brothers

[Bkphillips]

Harmony Remotes ROCK !!

I have 2 of the Harmony 676's

These bad boys are about idiot proof. A novice can now control a very hefty audio/video setup with simple one touch buttons at the top. I originally bought one for the Big Screen TV and then starting hating the 4 remotes in the bedroom, so Ebay'd another for the Master Bedroom setup. I then picked up a pair of IR543's and included in the 'activities' with X10 command functions, in order to set the Movietime script, or watching TV scripts.

I then setup an actual X10 activity to actually be able to control local lighting thru the programming of the remote. ie. Controlling the kitchen light, dining room light, DJ Room light while I'm still sitting on the couch. It took a bit to get this all programmed but it can do it.

The next generation has color screens and RF, simply excellent.

[brothers]

I'll expand a little on the elegance of the Harmony. You don't "program" it, you just describe your equipment - make and model, and what's connected to which input. It sets up "activity" buttons: watch a DVD; watch the Comcast DVR; watch the TIVO, etc. Press the activity button, and it configures everything for that activity. If something's not right (maybe you had your finger partially blocking the IR emitter), you press "Help" and it walks you through troubleshooting: Is the TV on yes/no; is input 3 selected on the TV yes/no, and so on. As soon as it identifies the fault, it fixes it.

For each activity, it configures the buttons on the remote in a very logical way. You can diddle this a bit, if you want, to suit your own preferences. With a very small amount of adjustment, I have the Comcast DVR and the TIVO operating identically from the remote - a tremendous WAF win.

- Dennis Brothers

[Rupp]

Dang my head is spinning..... What is the difference between all the models? Most of them look the same and it's hard to discern the differences. I really like the 880 but there are several complaints of the battery changer and of course the cost.

[kwolter]

Do any of you guys use a Harmony AND use either the USB-UIRT or Ocelot along with it for entertainment center / home theater control? Just wondering how they might coexist, etc.

[Rupp]

Dang that 880 look nice but is it worth the money?

[brothers]

As I understand it, the 600 series are all functionally identical; the difference is the arrangement of the buttons. Somewhere (probably RemoteCentral.com) I ran across a picture of the three (I think) models side-by-side, and I decided the 680 had the most reasonable (for me) layout.

So far, the 680 ain't broke, so I don't know what the 800 series would fix IIRC, the "RF capability" of the high-end 800 unit is actually Z-Wave.

Edit: Something I forgot - Harmony knows about the X10 IR->X10 widget, so if you have one of those (I don't), you can have HA as well as HT on your Harmony.

- Dennis Brothers

[bruce l]

I use a One-For-All URC-8811. I program it thru a parallel port adapter. There is a large 3rd party support for this remote. It only does IR but there are lots of buttons and you can define functions for all of them.
http://www.hifi-remote.com/ofa/ is a good place to start.

[kevingib]

I use the Harmoney 680 and an Ocelot and SECU16 in my setup. I have one of the X10 recievers set on top of the big screen and I use Macros throughout the house to turn on sequences of lights. the Harmoney os setup with the X10 codes that match the macros and 1 button while watching TV triggers the event. It works awesome and the wife likes the easy of use almost better than the Airpanels and Main lobby.

I chose the Harmony 680 after much debate and research and the main reason was I could set up all devices in the house and carry a single remote everywhere. I have 5 IR zones and when you couple this remote with the Ocelot and IRzone SECU16 you can't go wrong. Oh yeah, the other reason i bought the 680 was the Media Center built in functionality. I bought this in advance of adding a media pc to the master and it controls that completely as well without any extra hassles.

[smoothtlk]

Rupp,
check this link for an 880 deal:
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthr...uid=0&t=175874

[stipus]

Rupp,

I use the Marmitek Easytouch 35. You can't compare it to an Harmony or Pronto remote, but it does IR + RF and is only $49.

http://board.homeseer.com/showthread...ight=easytouch

Stipus

[Ultrajones]

Rupp,

I have several of the Radio Shack 15-2116 8 in 1 remote controls. It has a nice look and feel to it. It also has a JP1 interface so you can customize it using a PC. The best part is it's only $29 at Radio Shack.

Regards,
Ultrajones