Logitech Harmony remote reliability

[Binky]

Out of three Harmony remotes, I just had my second failure after less than 18 months with very little use. There are no kids or other hostile factors to destroy the remotes - they just die.

880 - buttons started failing after about 12 months, by 18 months it was just too annoying to use. It's still alive though and it gets used as a backup. Useful life = 12-18 months.

One - The LCD screen just went (and stayed) white. This $150 remote is absolutely immaculate with zero scratches. It's had VERY little use, but it's dead. Useful life = 13 months.

680 - This little guy has been running strong for years. The batteries last a long time and it has held up very well, with far more use than the other two. The One probably had 5% of the use that this 680 has had. Useful life 4+ years.

Is this typical for these remotes? Paying $150 per year for a remote sucks. I will be submitting a Visa warranty claim on the One so my replacement cost should be low.

 

[blackangst1]

I think you just got a bad batch. Ive had my 880 for a little over a year. I had an issue with the charging base flaking out, but Logitech replaced it. No issues with the remote itself. My buddy has had 2 880's for over 2 years with no issues.

 

[tw1164]

Call up Logitech, they have really good customer care. I had a harmony remote and the LCD failed, they quickly replaced it.

 

[LikeLinus]

I have a serious love hate relationship with my Harmony One remote. On one hand it's an awesome remote and so customizable.

On the other hand, it's got the worst lag of any remote I have ever used. I've got a cheap $15 MCE remote that is 10x faster at menu navigation for my HTPC than the Harmony One.

I've had it since Feb and never had reliability issues.

 

[KentState]

Have had my Harmony One for over a year and not had any problems. I know it has hit the floor a couple times after a failed toss.

 

[A5]

My 550 has survived 2 years in a college apartment and then 2 years with me and my wife. The One may have more problems due to the touchscreen, though.

 

[RKS]

the 880 buttons always seem to go bad quickly. I took mine apart and cleaned off the connections for the volume and now it works like new.

 

[Dulanic]

I've gotten angry before and thrown my Harmony One. It split into 4 pieces and I had to piece it back together... but it is a couple years old now and all it has to show for my anger is some dead pixels. I love my Harmony One. But I do agree, the lag time is a bit frustrating, but it is worth it for what it does.

 

[rsd]

For those of you with the lag problems, have you tried changing the interval delay setting (I can't recall off the top of my head what its called exactly). But for the person with the HTPC, I know the default is something like 300+ms but typical MCE remotes are 100ms. You can change it to 10ms and it should act the same.

Ahh found the info here (the delay settings are closer to the bottom): http://community.mediabrowser.tv/permalinks/8480/ot-close-mce-with-harmony-remote

 

[NutBucket]

The One may have more problems due to the touchscreen, though.

I don't find that acceptable. I have a Sony RM-AV3000 that's about 8 years old. The touch screen still works perfectly.

 

[joutlaw]

I have had the 676 for several years. The problem I have now is it constantly thinks the batteries are low. The remote works fine otherwise.

 

[rsd]

For the OP, yes I have found the typical lifetime of the various Harmony remotes I've had (I've had 3-4) is roughly 2 years. I'm certain they don't build them for the long term. The problem is they are so useful and I accept that and will continue purchasing them. What I do is stock up on them when I can find ones for <$50. To me its not worth the premium to get the more expensive models versus the standard ones in terms of functionality. Although I am not happy that logitech has started to differentiate them by limiting the lower end ones in terms of the number of devices they can control.

 

[LikeLinus]

For those of you with the lag problems, have you tried changing the interval delay setting (I can't recall off the top of my head what its called exactly). But for the person with the HTPC, I know the default is something like 300+ms but typical MCE remotes are 100ms. You can change it to 10ms and it should act the same.

Ahh found the info here (the delay settings are closer to the bottom): http://community.mediabrowser.tv/permalinks/8480/ot-close-mce-with-harmony-remote

Yes, and that setting is BS. You wanna know why the default is 300ms? Because the chipset is actually limited to 300ms. So the setting doesn't actually do anything. I set mine down to 0ms or 10ms and it functioned the same. I played with the input delay and other settings and never could get it to function. I'm 100% positive its a hardware limitation....which is sad for a $150 remote.

http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Harmo...key-interdevice-delay-and/td-p/184093/page/20

A lot of people are having the same issues. Personally I'd recommend my $15 MCE remote that I got on Amazon over the Harmony One. I love the Harmony, but the lag is frustrating. I probably wouldn't notice it as much if it was my only remote, but I use the MCE for my HTPC in the Master Bedroom and it is freaking lightning fast...no delay at all. So then I go downstairs and it makes the harmony feel sooooooooooooo slooooooooowwww. Hate it!

 

[etrigan420]

Love my 880. It's lasted 2 moves and 4 kids. Had the battery bulging on it so bad that it wouldn't sit on the charging cradle right. Bought a new battery and cover and I was back in business.

We're on our second PS3 and our second Wii, but still on our first 880. I'm seriously impressed by it's longevity. I just pop it open once every couple of months and clean the gunk off of the contacts and it's good to go.

 

[amdhunter]

My 770 no longer detects on any PC (usb device malfunctioned) so I can't add or remove devices anymore. And since I use it on my bed, the LCD is riddled with dog hair inside of it.

Certainly won't be spending money on any more than a cheap remote from now on.

 

[Riverhound777]

Had my 520 for a few years, works great.

 

[thescreensavers]

880 here, have had it for years, no issues.

 

[Rage187]

Any Harmony remote that I have had that broke was physical damage caused by me stepping on one and my kid dropping another.