Need feedback on the Logitech Harmony 680 remote

[dantelope]

Can you guys that have these tell us how you "teach" the device to use a particular button on the remote?

Sure, Rupp. Select the activity from the right side of the Harmony profile screen and click Customize.

Then, in the options, you'll see a link for Change the behaviour of buttons.

That should get you where you want to go.


Dan

[dantelope]

I have been thinking about the 880 as well. Just do not know if I want to fork out that much for color.

It's more than just color you're paying for. The LCD is larger, fully customizable, and very easy to read. The added capabilities, in my opinion, were worth the extra money.

My MX-500 was about $180 when I bought it -- and it had a nice big LCD, too. It was also "customizable", but it comes nowhere near the simplicity of the 880.

Dan

[Blade]

Dan,

Can you give a run down of the difference between the 680 and the 880?

Have you had any problems with the 880?

It might just sway me

[Bkphillips]

Rupp and other Harmony users-

You can add extra commands as an activity is started and stopped: First add the IR543 as a device on the left hand side of the menu. Customize on the right, Start with TIVO, you can then add a F1 ON to the macro, and as you can program in a F1 OFF, this is a very easy way to use the IR543 to inform HS that you are wathing TV. Use F2 for your Movie activity. If you are still watching Tivo and want to change to a movie, it will F1 OFF, F2 ON and fire off the MOVIE activity. Again a very easy way to keep HS informed as to what needs to happens, like triggering a HS event, dimming all the lights for your movie experience.

Also, you can create an 'activity' that is ONLY X10 commands - I call this activity "X10 Control" on my remote. I have the OK button as F, the A & B buttons as ON and OFF. I put kitchen(light1) Dining Room(light2) etc. And now I can manually turn these lights on and off while still watching a movie.

[kevingib]

The IR543 is mapped to a house code and the remote sends a signal to the 543 that equals a number. The remote has a X10 section that allows the IR543 to see the correct command - it then sends the command to the powerline via the plug.

Very cool. The only part I'm confused about is where the X10 signal comes from. Can the 680 generate X10, or does it just send IR to the IR543 and it does some type of mapping to an X10 code?

[dantelope]

I really hate the IR543... a while back there was a device kit you could buy to allow you to hack the IR543 so that it responded to ALL house codes instead of just one.

Wish I could find that....


Dan

[dantelope]

Dan,

Can you give a run down of the difference between the 680 and the 880?

Have you had any problems with the 880?

It might just sway me

Both give you all the features that make a Harmony a great remote, so you won't be disappointed with either. The basic differences are:

- 880 uses a rechargeable battery with a base station (nice blue glow on the base station). 680 uses 4 AAA batteries. I hate changing batteries.

- 880 has two extra buttons -- my guess is this is in the LCD area, but I'm not 100% sure.

- 880 does not have dedicated activity buttons. This is "a feature" IMHO, because it means the 880 is that more flexible. ALL activities on the 880 are customizable.

- 880 has 8 on-screen activity buttons. 680 has only 3.

One potential "downside" to the 880 is it lacks the on-screen TV guide listing. I don't personally think this is a big deal since I have an on-screen guide on my TV (several of them, actually). If you were accustomed to using the Harmony remote's LCD-driven TV guide, this might be more important to you. I would never have used it.

Possibly less important of "a feature" is the 880 is a beautiful remote -- winner of several design awards. It is clean, elegant, flexible, and does exactly what it claims to do.

BTW, my friend just purchased the 890. He was surprised to discover that the 890 requires you to update via USB both the remote AND the RF/IR converter box. He also had some troubles with the firmware when he first got it, although all is fine now. Just a heads up in case you were considering the RF version.

Dan

[stipus]

Can you send "standard" X10 RF with the 890, or is it ZWave only ?

stipus

[kevingib]

You can get the modified ir543 (ir543ah) from this source.

http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/Mul.../Item/IR543AH/

I am sure others have it as well but as i recall it was always 5 or 6 times the standard price.

I really hate the IR543... a while back there was a device kit you could buy to allow you to hack the IR543 so that it responded to ALL house codes instead of just one.

Wish I could find that....


Dan

[dantelope]

stipus - it can send Insteon, but I don't believe it will speak the RF that those X10 modules with the antennae speak.

kevin -- thanks!!!!!

Dan

[Rupp]

First add the IR543 as a device on the left hand side of the menu.

Ok I must be missing something really big here. How do you add the IR543 as a device?

[kevingib]

You dont add the IR543 as a device. It is simply an X10 capable IR Reciever. the remote sends it a command and the IR543 converts what it see's and issues that to the powerline via the plug in the wall. If you use a repeater it gets repeated and executed at that point. In my 4200 sq ft house it works like a champ.

[Rupp]

OK I'm obviously not being clear. How does the IR543 know what to do when I hit a button on my remote?

[Rupp]

Rupp and other Harmony users-

You can add extra commands as an activity is started and stopped: First add the IR543 as a device on the left hand side of the menu. Customize on the right, Start with TIVO, you can then add a F1 ON to the macro, and as you can program in a F1 OFF, this is a very easy way to use the IR543 to inform HS that you are wathing TV. Use F2 for your Movie activity. If you are still watching Tivo and want to change to a movie, it will F1 OFF, F2 ON and fire off the MOVIE activity. Again a very easy way to keep HS informed as to what needs to happens, like triggering a HS event, dimming all the lights for your movie experience.

Also, you can create an 'activity' that is ONLY X10 commands - I call this activity "X10 Control" on my remote. I have the OK button as F, the A & B buttons as ON and OFF. I put kitchen(light1) Dining Room(light2) etc. And now I can manually turn these lights on and off while still watching a movie.

What exact device do you add to your "left hand" side of the menu that is available when you are at the Harmony config web site? I see all kinds of manufactures but I really do not know who makes the IR543?

[kevingib]

Now I understand -- simply add X10 support as the option. The IR543 is made by X10 and simply adding the X10 support tells the remote the format to send the command in. Once the IR543 gets the signal it will determine what the code is and transmit it to the powerline.