Review on 📱 Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote: Color Touch Screen, Discontinued by Manufacturer by Heather Wilson

I am currently using a Logitech Harmony 1100 in conjunction with its RF to IR converter so I can control my media system through a closed office door. Here's my take: This remote embodies the most important developments I can imagine in the field of universal remote controls. Logitech ditches the aspect ratio all-in-one remote covered in buttons, instead opting for a more iPad-like device with most actions performed through a color touchscreen. But that's not all! Logitech recognizes that we generally don't want to perform media center actions at the atomic level, but rather in a coordinated manner (i.e. we don't want to turn on the TV, then turn on the DVD player, then turn on the AV receiver, then set the AV receiver on DVD - we want to watch DVD). The Logitech 1100 is built for activity; When you select an activity (let's say, watch a DVD), it turns on and configures all relevant devices for that activity, and then provides you with a series of touchscreen buttons related to that activity (ie, if you have a watch DVD, play , pause, etc.) (for cable TV, this is the numeric keypad). This is how a universal remote control should work and uses the possibilities that modern technology makes possible. I am happy! Of course, all this flexibility means that some configuration is required before everything works (e.g. it needs to know that you want the volume controls to go to the AV receiver no matter what you're doing). The software that manages this is installed on your computer or laptop. All in all, it's easy to set up actions with this software and then push those settings to a remote device, and the support for Logitech devices is surprisingly broad. All my AV equipment is in their database. My only criticism of this software is that there is no separate category for "Streaming Media Player". As a result, Logitech has placed Roku devices (e.g.) in various inappropriate slots on their system (e.g. they're listed as DVD players, which isn't obvious from the start). In addition to their categories for TVs, DVD players, AV receivers, cable TV, etc., they really should have a streaming media category for things like that. My main criticism of the Logitech Harmony 1100 is that the computer-side software is buggy. and poorly written (I'm using 7.8.1 on Mac). It "kills" the session in about an hour, even if you've been working on it all the time (ie not after an hour of downtime, but after an hour!). It then presents a login screen that doesn't work; You must close and restart the software. The same goes for what happens when you suddenly stop allowing input in dialog boxes. The only solution is to close and restart the program. It also has frequent communication issues with the actual remote, often displaying a conspicuous red text message asking them to contact tech support (Note: Do not contact tech support. Quit the software, disconnect the remote from the computer, restart the software, reconnect the remote control to the computer, try again). Fortunately, the computer-side software only needs to be used for a short time when setting up the system, so this is not a fatal error. However, be prepared for some frustration, lost work time, etc. due to bugs in this part of the app. Also note that while the Harmony 1100 is RF-enabled, the RF-to-IR converter is sold separately. . If you want to use it through a closed cabinet door, you need to order both the remote control and the converter. I didn't realize it until the remote arrived and then went back and ordered the converter.